The Pentagon has released a third batch of Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) files, adding dozens of new documents, photographs, and videos to a public archive of unexplained aerial phenomena. The latest release includes previously secret audio from a NASA debriefing following the 1972 Apollo 16 mission, during which participants discussed what one speaker described as a potential evidence of an "alien starbase" on the moon's far side.
The audio, not included in the official mission transcript, features a discussion about unusual gravity readings, laser measurements, and unexplained anomalies detected near the Van de Graaff crater on the moon's backside. The comment about a potential "alien starbase" was made amidst a technical discussion of lunar data.
This batch of declassified documents also contains a 1958 CIA memorandum detailing a phone conversation with Dr. Leon Davidson, a chemical engineer who worked on the Manhattan Project and studied UFOs. The memo indicates Davidson expressed concerns about a destroyed "space message and its transmitter," with the CIA acknowledging that records related to the matter had been destroyed by the evaluating agency. The memo also noted that CIA agents had attempted to conceal their identities from Davidson during their prior contact.
Other newly released files document a variety of unexplained sightings and encounters. One report details a 2008 incident in Zimbabwe where a UFO was observed hovering over the Harare airport, prompting concerns of hostile foreign activity. The object was described as "disc-like in shape with a hollow center" and emitted "beams" during observation.
A 1948 US Navy memo revealed urgent instructions issued to personnel to report sightings of "flying discs," a term used at the time for UFOs. The memo indicated the Air Force had warned the Navy that a cycle of "flying discs" was becoming apparent and that a new interval of sightings was imminent.
More recent encounters detailed in the files include a 2025 FBI report describing a homeowner's sighting of two "red glowing orbs" hovering in their backyard, each containing a white "plasma sun." The orbs merged and then disappeared, with a video of the event included in the release. Another report from October 2023 describes federal agents encountering glowing orange orbs and intelligent light formations over a remote area in the western U.S. These objects exhibited unusual behavior, including releasing smaller red lights and mimicking vehicle lights.
Additionally, a 2024 FBI report documented a sighting by a U.S. Army intelligence officer and other unit members of a "potato"-shaped, translucent craft hovering silently over Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. The object, described as having shifting panels, vanished as if cloaked.
The Pentagon stated that there have been "unprecedented levels of interest" in the UFO files, with the government's website receiving more than 1.7 billion hits since its launch in May. The latest release adds to this growing archive of unexplained phenomena.