The Trump administration released the first batch of declassified UFO and alien life files on Friday, May 8, 2026.
This release marks a significant shift toward transparency regarding unidentified aerial phenomena, potentially providing the public with government-held evidence of extraterrestrial encounters.
President Donald Trump (R-US) said the materials would be "very interesting to people" [1]. The disclosure includes more than 160 files [2], though some reports described the release as dozens of documents [3]. These records were released by the Department of War, also known as the Pentagon [4, 5].
Among the released materials are videos from the Department of War and transcripts from the Apollo 17 mission [6]. The administration said the goal of the release is to increase transparency regarding unidentified aerial phenomena [7, 8].
White House correspondent Peter Doocy said the disclosure was part of the broader effort to make these files public [9, 10]. The materials were made available through the White House and the Department of War [4, 8].
While the administration has not confirmed the existence of alien life, the inclusion of specific mission transcripts and military footage indicates a desire to open previously sealed archives to public scrutiny [6, 8].
“"I think some of it's going to be very interesting to people."”
The release of these documents represents a formal effort by the U.S. executive branch to reduce the secrecy surrounding UAPs. By providing specific transcripts from the Apollo 17 mission and military video, the government is transitioning from categorical denials to a data-sharing model, which may invite further scientific and public inquiry into extraterrestrial life.
