National Archives - "Collection A-Z - now includes "UFOs"

Hi all,

The National Archives of Australia (NAA) has an alphabetical listing of  topics which it features in its "Collection A-Z. Until now, this list has not included "UFOs."

Several months ago I submitted a copy of the final report of the Disclosure Australia Project to the Archives, together with a listing of all the relevant files we had found in the Archives. The NAA acknowledged receipt of this material and replied that it would allow NAA staff to better respond to public queries on the subject. Yesterday, I located a new page in the "Collection A-Z" which is titled "Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs.) The page reads:

"Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)

The National Archives holds a number of records relating to unidentified flying objects (UFOs), flying saucers and other unidentified aerial sightings. Most of these records date from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's when public interest in UFOs was high and many sightings were reported to commonwealth authorities.

There was no specific government agency responsible for the collecting and analysing of these sightings so responsibility fell on the Department of Air. The Department collected reports from defence force members, pilots and air traffic controllers, meteorologists and the general public.

During the peak of interest in UFOs the department investigated some reports, trying to establish whether the sightings could be attributed to low flying aircraft, weather balloons or meteorological phenomena.

Reports were also gathered by other agencies involved in air safety, research and intelligence including the CSIRO, the Joint Intelligence Organisation, the Weapons Research Establishment at Maralinga and the Department of Transport. The Department of Territories kept reports from Papua New Guinea.

Below is a selection of records in the Archives collection that relate to UFOs. To find further records of interest, you can search the collection."

There then follows a list of 8 digitised files you can access by following the links provided.

There are then two other links to additional resources.

Comment:

It is very pleasing to see that the NAA now has this page up on their website, as it will offer an entry point to individuals looking for material on this subject.

You can see the page for yourself and explore the links by clicking here.