A newly surfaced military correspondence from 1978 reveals that Brazil’s Air Force acknowledged receiving and responding to international inquiries about UFOs.
But admitted it held no official position on the phenomenon and engaged only as observers.
The letter, sent from the Brazilian Aeronautical Attaché in Washington, D.C. to the Air Force high command in Brasília, forwards a UFO questionnaire from researchers preparing a book for American publisher G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
The response, which includes a completed questionnaire and a list of civilian UFO researchers, offers a rare glimpse into how Brazil handled international interest in its growing catalogue of sightings.
📄 Brazil’s “No Official Position” on UFOs
Despite numerous reported sightings, the Brazilian military’s response was carefully worded:
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“The Brazilian government has not an official position regarding UFOs.”
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The Air Force confirmed it has a service tasked with observing UFOs, but no official investigations were disclosed.
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The military’s stated role was strictly observational, with no mention of formal study, classification, or public communication protocols.
This careful wording reflects a strategy of limited disclosure-acknowledging the existence of the phenomenon without engaging with its implications.
🔭 Civilian Researchers Recognized but Excluded
The document also includes Annex I, listing multiple Brazilian civilian organizations and individuals dedicated to UFO research:
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IBACE (Instituto Brasileiro de Astronáutica e Ciências Espaciais – São Paulo)
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IBECE (Associação Brasileira de Estudo das Civilizações Extra-Terrestres)
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CICOANI, SPIPDV, and well-known names like General Alfredo Uchoa, Walter Bühler, and Hulvio Brant Aleixo
Despite recognizing their existence, the military made no mention of collaboration with these groups, nor did it share any insights gleaned from its own internal reports.
“The UFO observations include all kinds of personnel,” the letter states-acknowledging military and government witness accounts without elaboration.
📈 Reported Sightings Reached Over 1,000 Per Year
The Air Force response estimates that, at its peak, Brazil experienced over 1,000 UFO sightings annually.
The document also ties a surge in reports to July 1978, when the TV series Project U.F.O. and a cinematic portrayal of alien contact aired in Brazil, potentially spurring public reports.
Notably, Brazil’s earliest cases of “modern” UFO sightings were dated to around 1947, placing it in alignment with the post-Roswell global wave of interest.
🌐 Global Interest in Brazil’s UFO Activity
The initial inquiry came from researcher Margaret Sachs, who was compiling a global encyclopedia on UFOs.
Her letter and questionnaire sought an official account from Brazil-a country with a rich and sometimes dramatic history of close encounters.
Brazil’s carefully managed reply to Sachs mirrors a broader international pattern: governments acknowledging unexplained aerial phenomena, while avoiding firm statements on their origin, significance, or ongoing study.
