GCHQ, The NSA and UFO's - Information and where to start

As most of you will be aware in December last year the UK's UFO desk was closed, an MOD memo was released shortly after citing the following reason:

Defense officials would not have to publish the information in response to freedom of information (FoI) requests or pass it to the National Archives.

The newspaper report relating to this can be found here here

As far as I am aware the ONLY official documents to have been released in the UK are from the MOD. I do not believe the UK Government are telling the whole truth about ALL the information they hold on UFO's.

GCHQ is the UK's equivalent of America's NSA and from what I understand are involved with the study of UFO's.

No documents from GCHQ or the RAF relating to UFO's have been released into the public domain. Would UFO files held by the RAF and GCHQ be available under a FoI request?

My ATS thread search threw up two threads, one from Feb 2004 on 'Michael Pennington' who wrote about a connection between the NSA and GCHQ in investigating paranormal occurrences. Unfortunately the link is no longer relevant and I cannot find the information referred to in the post. The other is by Robin Cole from 2002 and can be found here. Both are over six years old.

Do any of my fellow ATS'ers have any useful links/information/books/experiences or threads on GCHQ involvement in the study of UFO's? If so post here, I have a feeling that GCHQ are heavily involved in the UFO subject.

I understand Nick Redfern has explored this angle with his book 'On the Trail of the Saucer Spies'. I have yet to read this.

I am not quite with you on this one GCHQ deals in SIGINT mostly so don’t really see how they would be involved in UFO’s. Their involvement at most would be possibly intercepting UFO’s communications but this would only be from UFO’s in the earth’s atmosphere and only if they used transmissions we know of. I think you have greatly exaggerated their role in “studying” UFO’s.

As for the reason any information GCHQ might be holding about UFO’s I think the only reason it is being held is because the UK’s intelligence agencies are largely exempt from FOI and rightly so. If they were to release this information it might reveal some sensitive SIGINT techniques. Also if there was a cover up then why release the UFO files?

Sorry i can’t give you much more information, the truth is i don’t think there is any major connection between GCHQ and UFO’s

Well i dunno about GCHQ, but i would suggest you spend some time studying Rudloe Manor. Timothy Good mentions this place several times in his books, apparently stuff has gone on there and alledgelly an underground tunnel links it to a secret underground network linking London and other areas apparently.

Hope you find this of help

reply to post by kevinunknown


SIGINT = Signal Intelligence???

Studying may have been the wrong word to use, but I do not doubt their involvement with the UFO Subject.

reply to post by Wirral Bagpuss


Is Rudloe Manor still used, I was under the impression that it had been sold off by the MOD? Besides, wasn't this prior to GCHQ being built?

Edited to include link

Rudloe Manor has been sold off.

[edit on 21-7-2010 by Welsh_Mulder]

reply to post by Welsh_Mulder

but I do not doubt their involvement with the UFO Subject.

I do..they are an information giant...and are for intelligence work only....not looking for Alf the alien

Rudloe Manor is probably linked to the Corsham Computer Center



[edit on 21-7-2010 by Pockets]

reply to post by Pockets

I do..they are an information giant...and are for intelligence work only....not looking for Alf the alien

An information giant? Then surely they would hold information on the UFO subject? If you had an Unidentified Flying Object in British airspace then surely you would want intelligence to ascertain what the hell it was??

Also if I wanted to hide UFO information, I would hide it somewhere no FoI could touch it.

I never mentioned ALF the alien, if I was talking about little green men I would have said so. I mean UFO in it's purest form. However if they do find ALF, ask him if he plans to make a sequel to Project ALF! Great film, great gags.

Rudloe Manor is probably linked to the Corsham Computer Center

Rudloe Manor no longer exists.

[edit on 21-7-2010 by Welsh_Mulder]

reply to post by Welsh_Mulder


It’s true they are a information giant but then again so is tesco. Different organisations store different information most of GCHQ is going to be SIGINT and I think they also do some cyber security stuff, but UFO’s just isn’t their thing.

reply to post by kevinunknown

UFO’s just isn’t their thing

Fair comment kevinunknown, but how can you be so sure? Do you or have you worked for or within GCHQ?

How is a normal member of the public able to say with such confidence that GCHQ does or does not hold information on UFO's?

reply to post by Welsh_Mulder


No but i know quite about them (even if i did i would hardly announce it on ATS). Anyway i could turn your argument around and ask how you can be so sure they do have info on UFO’s

I think the most useful answer for you is to get onto Nick Pope, www.nickpope.net

If anyone who wants to see disclosure is in a position to know the answers for you it is that man. It was his job in the MoD to study UFO's, I know govt departments dont talk much, but he has to be your best hope for an answer, or at least suggest some leads to follow.