Trump Administration Releases Declassified UFO Files

President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have released dozens of previously classified documents about UFO sightings in what the Defense Department described as an effort to bring "unprecedented transparency".

The package of around 170 materials includes photographs and transcripts of communications from the Apollo missions. Among them is an image of an "unidentified phenomenon" from the surface of the moon during the 1969 Apollo 12 mission and footage from Apollo 17 of astronauts describing strange objects moving in space.

Hegseth said the documents had been classified for years and that their release was intended to allow the public to make up its own mind. The administration plans to declassify further materials gradually.

The move has prompted fresh debate about both the possible existence of extraterrestrial life and the extent of government secrecy. Trump declared that Americans can now judge for themselves "what the hell is going on".

Critics argue the release is more an effort to divert attention from other issues, including the military conflict with Iran and domestic political pressures.

(reuters, est)