Australian Requested UFO Files: Lost?

June 8, 2011 – Following a large release of information (over 4,000 pages) from the British government on UFO sightings and other strange phenomena brought about from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by the media, similar requests were made of the Australian Military. However, instead of releasing the X-Files, the nick name given to the files kept by the Australian Military regarding UFOs, it has been reported that most of the files have either gone missing or have been destroyed.

Reporters have been told that, in line with normal administrative procedure, a large number of the files have been destroyed though nothing has been said to indicate what exactly marks files to be destroyed. It does seem, however, that a few files survived this administrative procedure. One of which has been declared lost after a week long search through the Defense Record Management System, the National Archives Australia of both Canberra and Chester Hills, the Defence Archives of Queanbeyan and Headquarters Air Command, and RAAF Base Glenbrook.

The one file that has so far found neither to be destroyed nor lost is called Report on UFOs/Strange Occurrences and Phenomena in Woomera. The file contains old newspaper articles and letters to and from the Australian Government. Much of it outlines sightings by civilians, many of the sightings centering around Woomera, a weapon range. Another item of interest is the report made by Warrent Officer G. E. Willard made in late 1952.

Officer Willard claimed to have seen an object streaking across the sky. He tracked the flight path for approximately 24 minutes using radar equipment. The strange thing, he said, was that he could not track the object with a normal telescope. That anomalous fact is what lead him to make the report. Later on he claimed that the object must have been a snow cloud.

It should also be noted that the Australian Military stopped handling sightings of UFOs, or UASs (Unusual Aerial Sightings) as the Australian Military calls them, in 2000. They said that scientific record gave them no justification to continue dedicating resources to this cause. Instead, they instructed citizens to contact the police or civilian operated UFO research organizations with sightings of aerial anomalies.