The United States Department of Defense released a new set of documents concerning Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), among which are several records of Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings on a California island.
These documents, made public on Friday, primarily cover events that occurred in the mid-last century and detail observations made on Catalina Island, which is part of Los Angeles County.
One report, dated August 28, 1952, recounts what a group of scouts witnessed: a 'silver-colored object' moving 'faster than a conventional jet plane' while exploring a mountain on the island in June of that year. The witnesses reported that the sky was clear of clouds or wind, but they could not specify the object's altitude, speed, or distance; it ascended rapidly before disappearing.
Additionally, there is a handwritten letter from an island resident, dated May 1947, describing another alleged sighting. In this letter, he recounts that around 8:00 PM on April 28, he, his wife, and a teacher saw six distinct objects in the sky. Minutes later, after arriving at his daughter's residence, she, her daughter, and her grandson spotted four more, all following the same direction. The United States Air Force, as noted in the letter itself, considered the incident 'lacking sufficient data for its evaluation.'
Another record, from November 1953, documents the sighting of a 'round, white-violet object' over Catalina Island. This object remained stationary before moving 'northwest, towards Los Angeles, for about 10 minutes,' maintaining a constant horizontal trajectory.
The declassified papers also contain the testimony of two American military personnel who claim to have seen a mysterious black triangular object flying at very high speed over a sensitive facility in the western part of the country, which occurred earlier this year.
In February, United States President Donald Trump ordered the release of all available government information regarding UFOs and the search for extraterrestrial life. This initiative generated criticism from various voices, who argued that making such material public does not add new knowledge about life beyond Earth and only serves as a distraction for the White House, which faces tensions with Iran and unfavorable polling for Republicans in the midterm elections in November.