Newly declassified files from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contain unusual witness accounts linked to unidentified flying object sightings reported during the 1960s.
The documents were released as part of a transparency initiative under the administration of Donald Trump. Among the material made public, a 1966 internal memo from the FBI’s San Francisco office to longtime director J. Edgar Hoover has drawn particular attention for its descriptions of alleged UFO occupants.
Claims of small beings in “space suits”
According to the memo, some witnesses reported seeing “crewmen” emerge from unidentified craft. The entities were described as being roughly three-and-a-half to four feet tall and wearing what appeared to be space suits and helmets.
The accounts formed part of a broader FBI summary describing 1965 as a peak year for UFO sightings worldwide. Witnesses allegedly reported metallic objects capable of hovering silently before accelerating at extraordinary speeds.
Reports of advanced technology
The files also reference claims that the objects interfered with electrical and electromagnetic systems. Some witnesses allegedly reported scorched ground beneath the craft after departure.
According to the documents, investigators also examined alleged debris from supposed crashed saucers on three occasions. Laboratory descriptions referenced unusually hard metallic materials and magnesium alloys, including one material said to contain microscopic metal spheres and signs resembling micro-meteorite impacts.
Public controversy and political pressure
The memo discussed the public reaction to the book Flying Saucers – Serious Business by Frank Edwards, which accused the United States Air Force of withholding information about UFOs out of fear of public panic.
The documents also noted that future US President Gerald Ford—then serving as a congressman—had called for official hearings into the phenomenon. That pressure later contributed to the commissioning of a scientific study led by physicist Edward U. Condon at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Officials urge caution
The release follows an executive order directing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to declassify records related to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).
Despite the sensational claims, officials have stressed that the documents primarily summarise witness reports, public speculation, and contemporary literature rather than provide verified evidence of extraterrestrial life.
