The Trump administration has publicly released a large batch of documents, photos, and videos tied to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, part of a new declassification effort billed as maximum transparency. The material includes items from Apollo missions, FBI images, and agency transcripts, and officials from multiple departments praised the move. The files are being made available through a new Presidential program and will be posted for public access at WAR.GOV/UFO.
The Trump administration on Friday released a batch of “never-before-seen” files and videos on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) as part of an effort to increase transparency on government knowledge of extraterrestrial phenomena. This release is presented as an intentional break with past administrations that allegedly downplayed or obscured information. The disclosure is positioned as a direct answer to the public’s demand for clarity on sightings and encounters.
“The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place – no clearance required. While past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files,” the White House said in a statement to Fox News. The statement frames the move as empowering citizens with direct access to primary source material.
The release is a function of President Donald Trump’s Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) program. Officials say this is the first public roll-out of what will be a staged declassification effort. The stated goal is simple: let Americans see the raw evidence and decide for themselves.
Photos included in the initial package point to unusual objects filmed during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 missions, with at least one lunar surface image showing a cluster of three tiny dots in the sky. The material is being presented without redactions to give a clearer picture of what astronauts and mission operators observed decades ago. Analysts and interested citizens will now be able to inspect those frames alongside related mission documents.
A released transcript captures the Apollo 17 crew and command center discussing bright, drifting particles and oddly shaped fragments in the visual field. “Now we’ve got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver,” an operator told the command center. “Roger. Understand,” the center replied.
Additional audio lines from the same exchange add color to the sighting. “There’s a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window,” another operator added. “Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They’re very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling,” the first operator said, and those words are now part of the public record.
Other items in the set include FBI images from New Year’s Eve 1999 that reportedly show UAPs near U.S. aircraft, reinforcing the claim that encounters have occurred in multiple contexts. These files were previously classified and are now presented as evidence for review and analysis. The variety of sources aims to make clear that sightings were noted across agencies and decades.
President Trump publicly directed agencies to begin identifying and releasing the relevant files, writing, “Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” The directive set the tone for an administration-wide push toward disclosure.
“The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said. “These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” he concluded. That language emphasizes a deliberate break from secrecy.
“The American people have long sought transparency about the government’s knowledge of unidentified anomalous phenomena,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard added. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is actively coordinating the Intelligence Community’s declassification efforts with the Department of War to ensure a careful, comprehensive, and unprecedented review of our holdings to provide the American people with maximum transparency. Today’s release is the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort.” The comment frames the rollout as sustained and coordinated.
FBI Director Kash Patel weighed in with a firm endorsement: “The FBI is proud to stand alongside President Trump and our interagency partners in this landmark release of UAP records. For the first time in history, the American people have unfettered access to declassified government files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon – a level of transparency that no prior administration has delivered. The FBI remains committed to supporting this rolling declassification effort with the same rigorous and integrity we bring to every national security matter. As these files continue to be reviewed and release, the American people can be confident that their security remains our highest priority.” That pledge underlines an explicit link between openness and safety.
“I applaud President Trump’s whole-of-government effort to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena,” Jared Isaacman said on behalf of NASA. “At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn. We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered. Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge are core to NASA’s mission as we endeavor to unlock the secrets of the universe,” he concluded. NASA framed its role as scientific and methodical.
A large batch of UAP files will be available at WAR.GOV/UFO for anyone who wants to dig into the documents, images, and transcripts now entering the public domain. The release marks a clear, unapologetic push for visibility into a topic that for years sat behind classification and rumor.
