Findings of an MOD investigation into an alleged UFO sighting above
Craigluscar reservoir near Dunfermline, Fife.
Photograph of a UFO near Pitlochry, Perthshire in 1990
All correspondence, (letters, memos, etc) between ministers and civil
servants relating to the incident at Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk in
December 1980.
Response
I am writing concerning your message dated 6 January in which you
made a request under the Freedom of Information Act for information
about Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings. Your request has
been passed to this department as we are the focal point within the
Ministry of Defence for correspondence about UFOs.
First you requested the findings of an MOD investigation into an alleged
UFO sighting above Craigluscar Reservoir near Dunfermline, Fife. Our
records show that The Scottish Daily Record contacted the MOD in
February 1994 concerning a UFO sighting report and some photographs
that they had been sent by a member of the public. The individual
reported travelled to Craigluscar Reservoir on the afternoon of 19
th
February 1994 to take some photographs of the Reservoir to assist with a
painting of the area. He heard a humming noise, turned towards the
Reservoir and saw a disc-like object, high in the sky, moving slowly in
his direction. He described the object as metallic, with several points of
diffused light on its underside, inside a darker coloured rim. He took two
photographs before the object moved away to the west. Air defence
staff were consulted at the time and records show that there had been no
unusual radar returns. There is no indication that this sighting produced
anything of defence concern. The photographs are not contained in our
files and we assume they were returned to the Scottish Daily Record.
You also requested a photograph of a UFO near Pitlochry, Perthshire in
1990. The MOD does not produce photographs of UFO sightings. The
only photographs the MOD holds are those which members of the public
very occasionally send to us with their sighting reports. If requested these
are returned to the individual, or if they do not want them returned, they
are filed with the report in our files. We have examined our records for
1990 and they contain no photographs relevant to your request. However,
we have a record that two members of the public contacted The Scottish
Daily Record to report a large diamond shape UFO hovering for about 10 minutes before ascending vertically upwards at high speed. The witnesses
said that during the sighting an RAF aircraft believed to be a Harrier was
in the area. The sighting was over Calvine, 20 miles north of Pitlochry at
2100 hours on 4 August 1990. A number of colour photographs were
taken and passed to The Scottish Daily Record, who in turn sent the
negatives to the MOD. These were considered at the time and it was
concluded that the jet was a Harrier. No definite conclusions were
reached regarding large diamond-shaped object. Our records show that
the original negatives were returned to The Scottish Daily Record.
Finally, you asked for correspondence between ministers and civil
servants relating to the incident at Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk in
December 1980. The MOD papers on this incident are already published
in the MOD Freedom of Information Publication Scheme on the internet
and can be viewed at http://www.foi.mod.uk. A search under
‘Rendlesham Forest’ will take you directly to these documents. We are
not aware of any specific internal correspondence about this incident
which has not already been released. It is normal practice for officials to
brief Ministers as to the background of parliamentary business, for
example, when answering specific parliamentary questions. If this is the
type of information you are seeking, it would be useful if you could
clarify the information you are particularly searching for.
I hope this is useful. If this information does not address your
requirements or you wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of
this request, then you should contact the undersigned in the first instance.
Should you remain dissatisfied, then you may apply for an internal review
by contacting the Director of Information Exploitation, 6th Floor, MOD
Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB.
If you are still unhappy following an internal review, you may take your
complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of
Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the
Information Commissioner will not investigate your case until the MOD
internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role
and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the
Commissioner's website, http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
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