Trump Releases Decades Of Secret UFO Files As New Sightings And Videos Fuel Global UAP Debate
- Southerton Business Times
- May 12
- 3 min read
The long and controversial history of UFO sightings in the United States has entered a dramatic new chapter after Donald Trump ordered the release of more than 170 previously classified government files detailing unexplained aerial encounters dating back to the 1940s.
The newly declassified reports now publicly available through the US Department of War archives include accounts from farmers, police officers, commercial pilots, astronauts, and military aviators who claimed to witness strange flying objects displaying capabilities beyond known aircraft technology. The disclosures have reignited global fascination with what are now officially termed Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), previously known as UFOs.
One of the oldest files dates back to February 18, 1947, when California farmer Leland Sammers reported seeing a mysterious object hovering near his property outside Stockton. According to his official statement, Sammers claimed he heard birds and chickens panic before spotting a wobbling airborne object above his home emitting fire and sparks.
“Suddenly there was a lot of sparks showered from it … and it took off in a northwesterly direction,” Sammers wrote in the report later filed with authorities.
No physical evidence was ever recovered, but the report became part of a growing collection of unexplained sightings maintained by the US military for decades.
The release follows remarks made by Trump during an April 2026 event hosted by Turning Point USA, where he confirmed the government was preparing to release UFO-related files.
“We found many very interesting documents,” Trump said. “The first releases will begin very, very soon.”
The files include reports that had never previously entered public discussion, some involving military and law enforcement personnel.
Among the newly released files is a 1952 urgent message sent to former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover after two workers at a chemical plant in South Carolina reported seeing a glowing saucer-shaped object moving rapidly through the sky. Another striking report comes from two Philadelphia Police Department officers in 1950 who described encountering a glowing six-foot object that reportedly disintegrated after landing in a nearby field. Commercial airline pilots also filed unusual reports.
In August 1947, crew members aboard a Pan American World Airways flight traveling between Newfoundland and New York reportedly observed gold-colored cylindrical objects flying alongside their aircraft for roughly 90 seconds before disappearing. Even NASA astronauts documented unexplained sightings. During the 1965 Gemini 7 mission, astronaut Frank Borman radioed Mission Control after spotting what he described as a “bogey” alongside debris particles outside the spacecraft. The encounter later became one of NASA’s most debated UFO-related moments.
Perhaps the most discussed material involves military encounters recorded by US Navy pilots.
One widely referenced incident occurred in 2013 when fighter pilots flying off the coast of Virginia reportedly encountered cube-shaped objects enclosed within transparent spheres moving at extraordinary speeds.
Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves later described the objects as performing manoeuvres impossible for known aircraft.
“We almost hit one of the objects,” Graves previously told reporters.
The newly released files also include infrared footage captured in 2020 and 2024 showing unidentified objects moving erratically over the Middle East and other undisclosed locations.
One report described a football-shaped object with fin-like projections hovering briefly before vanishing. Another detailed eight-pointed star-shaped object is manoeuvring sharply in front of a naval aircraft.
Despite decades of reports, videos, and investigations, the US government has not confirmed extraterrestrial life or alien spacecraft. Officials continue to classify most sightings as unexplained phenomena requiring further analysis. The Department of War says additional files will continue being released “on a rolling basis.” For now, the disclosures have only deepened one of humanity’s oldest modern mysteries: whether these unexplained objects represent secret military technology, natural phenomena, or something far beyond current human understanding.
Trump UFO files release
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