NASA FOIA Emails Reveal Internal UAP Discussions and Lack of

NASA FOIA Emails Reveal Internal UAP Discussions and Lack of Funded Research

Recently released NASA emails show that as of early 2021, the agency had no funded investigations into Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, despite internal queries and coordination with the UAP Task Force.

Published

September 7, 2026

Declassified

Date not listed

Source agency

The Black Vault (FOIA archive)

nasafoiauapemailslackfundedresearch

NASA's FOIA Response Unveils Internal UAP Email Trail

In June Act request with NASA seeking emails sent to or from Thomas Zurbuchen, the agency's Associate Administrator for Science, that contained keywords such as "UAP," "UFO," "Unidentified Aerial," and related terms. The request, assigned tracking number 21-HQ-F-00507, initially covered all dates but was later narrowed to the period from October 1, 2016, through June 10, 2021. NASA's FOIA office responded on June 16, 2021, stating that the search had located 17 pages of responsive records.

Of those, none were released in full; 15 pages were released in part, and 2 pages were withheld entirely. The partial releases and withholdings were justified under FOIA Exemptions 5 and 6. Exemption 5, which protects inter-agency or intra-agency memoranda, was invoked to shield portions of emails containing analyses, recommendations, or opinions, citing the deliberative process privilege.

NASA argued that releasing such material could hinder decision-making and create a chilling effect on internal deliberations.…

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Based on the official release at https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/uap-task-force-initiated-contact-with-nasa-to-brief-them-on-ufos-but-they-wont-say-why/

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