US Government Releases First Batch of UFO Files, Drawing Mixed Reactions from Enthusiasts

A California grandmother has sought answers since childhood, when her mother saw a UFO while hanging clothes to dry. A Texas therapist has reported UFO experiences since he was a child. A 36-year-old musician from the same state has researched extraterrestrials since learning of an incident near his hometown.

All three, along with others in the UFO community, awaited Friday's release promoted by the US government as a historic event. The Department of War launched a public website with 162 documents on unidentified anomalous phenomena. The files include images and details. The site offered no commentary or conclusions.

The materials cover unresolved cases, the department said. It could not make definitive determinations on the observed phenomena. The department plans rolling releases every few weeks as more items are discovered and declassified. It invited private-sector analysis.

President Donald J. Trump posted on Truth Social after the release. "Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, 'WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?' Have Fun and Enjoy!"

Ege, the Texas therapist, called it a move in the right direction. He has followed the issue since childhood. "I don't think they're trying to hide anything, but the stuff that they're releasing is stuff that we've known for, like, forever, almost," he said. "There's no new details. There's no clear evidence that they have the bodies or that they made contact, but I'm very hopeful that we're moving in the right direction."

The files contain decades of declassified military memos, Apollo Moon mission reports, and accounts from witnesses who suspect extraterrestrial origins for unidentified flying objects.

The release included no bombshells or confirmation of alien life. It marked another US government acknowledgment of investigating unidentified object sightings.

Ufologists found it underwhelming but said it could inform average readers. Daniel Jones, 36, a fellow administrator of the Texas UFO Network's Facebook page with more than 25,000 members, said the files target the general public for reassurance on transparency.

Jones proposed at a UFO festival last year. He expected little substance in the first batch but hopes for more government clarity ahead.

Elaine Loperena, 69, of Clovis, California, reviewed the documents on her tablet Friday morning. She saw nothing new or surprising after years of UFO research. Her mother reported a UFO sighting during her childhood. Loperena praised the release.

"I knew Trump was going to announce it; I've said it all along," she said. "You know, he wants to go down in history; we all know he has an ego, and, bless him, he's sticking by his guns and he's starting the process."

As an administrator of a UFO Facebook group, Loperena noted membership growth from 40,000 three years ago to nearly 100,000 now, with a surge in recent months. She pointed to interviews with military insiders, including deathbed accounts, as hard to conceal.

"It's starting to flow now … I just see it picking up such speed, and it's not going to go backwards; it's forward, for sure," she said. "The snowball is getting bigger."

Loperena called the release a big drip in a slow disclosure. She said full truth requires bipartisan effort, given US political divides.

Ege anticipates more releases. He believes many presidents wanted disclosure but faced blocks. Some in the community suspect a false flag operation and distrust the government. Others think aliens live among humans and that officials have made deals with them.

One UFO group contributor noted issues with the images. "In several cases, the released images are so compressed, artifact-heavy, or lacking in scale/context that it is difficult to determine what is even being shown," he posted. "Some appear to be reconstructed overlays based on witness testimony rather than direct imagery of an object itself."