Donald Trump's administration has released highly-anticipated UFO files detailing "extraterrestrial encounters", as part of an effort to be more transparent about otherworldly phenomena.
The release comes months after the President teased hidden knowledge of alien life, and forms part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon Encounters (PURSUE) program.
Photos from the initial disclosure today depict strangely shaped objects captured on film during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 space missions.
The findings come as part of the first of a series of releases, according to Fox News.
A White House spokesman said: "The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place - no clearance required.
"While past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files."
Documents featured consists of mission reports, photographs, videos and more - all flagged as related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects.
One set of photos from the release comes from the FBI, and contains images from New Year's Eve 1999 depicting strange, unidentified objects in close proximity to US aircraft.
A photo from the Apollo 17 moon landing, showing three dots in the sky as seen from the moon's surface
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Another peculiar document provides a summary of statements by seven federal officers from different teams, who separately reported observing several UAPs in western America over the course of two days in 2023.
The summary notes they all reported observing “orbs launching other orbs” at a distance, observing a large stationary glowing orb and a large, seemingly transparent phenomenon, reported to being akin to a “translucent kite.”
Reports from special agents describe orange orbs emitting smaller, red orbs at least five times, fading in and out of view.
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The unprecedented release is described as a "historic undertaking", that requires coordination between dozens of agencies and the review of tens of millions of records, many existing only on paper and spanning many decades.
The materials archived are all unresolved cases, meaning the Government was unable to make a definitive determination on the nature of the observed phenomena.
The Department of War has confirmed it welcomes the application of private-sector analysis, information and expertise to unearth potential cases.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says he wants the American people to 'see for themselves'
| GETTYPete Hegseth, US Secretary of War, said: "The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena.
"These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation - and it’s time the American people see it for themselves.
"This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency."
Former President Barack Obama dismissed the notion the government was withholding information on extraterrestrial lifeforms on Tuesday.
He said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: “For those of you who still think that we’ve gotten little green men underground somewhere, one of the things you learn as president is the government is terrible at keeping secrets.”
Addressing conspiracy theories that the government is in possession of alien spaceships, Obama added, “I promise you some guy guarding the installation would have taken a selfie with one of the aliens and sent it to his girlfriend to impress her. There would be leaks.”