UK Defence Intelligence Staff finishes Project Condign; the report is released in 2006
2000 · Ministry of Defence, London · Government report · Secondary sources only
Project Condign, set up by the UK Ministry of Defence with the Defence Intelligence Staff, studied sightings from 1987 to 1997 and was delivered in 2000. Using the term 'unidentified aerial phenomena', it concluded that sightings could be explained by known natural and man-made causes, that 'no evidence exists to associate the phenomena with any particular nation', and that atmospheric plasma might explain some. It became public in 2006 after a freedom-of-information request by David Clarke.
Why it matters (3/5)
A secret British government study whose release showed official interest and conclusions.
Caveats
Former MoD official Nick Pope called it 'conclusion-led' and the plasma idea 'the classic mistake of trying to explain one mystery in terms of another', and said outside experts such as the Met Office were not consulted.
Sources
- How the 'real-life X-Files' emerged from a top secret UK project (Fox News), context