In a sealed courtroom in 1980, Eugene F. Yeates-then Chief of Policy at the NSA-filed a classified affidavit defending why the Agency refused to release 156 documents related to unidentified flying objects.
The lawsuit, brought by Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy, had forced the NSA to admit that it held an archive of intercepted communications, reports, and internal analysis linked to the phenomenon.
But even with mounting public pressure, Yeates insisted: none of it could be released.
“Disclosure of these reports would seriously damage the ability of the United States to gather vital intelligence.”
🔍 What Did the NSA Actually Have?
The affidavit reveals:
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239 documents were identified in response to the FOIA request
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156 were withheld in full due to their classification as COMINT (communications intelligence)
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Others were withheld partially or referred to other agencies
The reports spanned from 1950 to 1979, drawn from intercepted transmissions between radar stations, aircraft, foreign governments, and military units-all referencing unidentified aerial sightings or “unusual radar returns.”
Some were transcripts.
Some were summaries.
All were considered too sensitive to release.
🧾 How UFOs Showed Up in Intelligence Reports
NSA analysts intercepted and translated radar operator communications from multiple countries. When the foreign operators encountered unexplained objects, they often reported them as:
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Luminous spheres
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Unidentifiable objects
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Fast-moving radar blips
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Bright lights at high altitudes
In one case, intercepted comms reported an object falling into the sea. In others, pilots described visual confirmation of objects that couldn’t be tracked or identified.
Many of these reports came from Soviet-aligned nations, with the NSA translating code words and phrases into English-sometimes labeling them “unidentified flying objects” during translation.
📡 Why They Wouldn’t Declassify
Yeates’ reasoning came down to three points:
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Protecting methods – Releasing the reports would reveal how, when, and where the U.S. was intercepting foreign communications.
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Protecting sources – Even summary content could identify the governments or agencies being monitored.
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Avoiding diplomatic fallout – Revealing that the U.S. had been spying on allies or adversaries could compromise national security strategy.
Even where the content itself didn’t seem explosive, the context of collection was deemed too sensitive.
🧠 Internal NSA Warnings About UFO “Blind Spots”
One of the few documents mentioned in the affidavit but released with heavy redactions was a memo titled “UFOs and the Intelligence Community Blind Spot to Surprise or Deceptive Data.”
The author used UFOs as a metaphor for a larger issue: the NSA and other intelligence agencies were not good at handling anomalous or deceptive information.
“The inability to respond correctly to surprising information adversely affects U.S. intelligence gathering capabilities.”
This document was so sensitive, Yeates argued, that even its title and internal critiques had to be redacted under exemptions protecting “intra-agency deliberations.”
🕳️ What Wasn’t There-and What That Means
Yeates also made sure to clarify that:
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Some documents were believed to be fabricated or fictitious
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At least one report came from an NSA employee’s personal attendance at a UFO symposium
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Other records involved standard radar or signal traffic without conclusive evidence of spacecraft or non-human technology
But it’s what’s missing-or withheld entirely-that speaks loudest. The NSA had collected, analyzed, and classified dozens of credible, unexplained aerial incidents, and had no plans to release them.
