RIDGE RUNNER CHRONICLES: About that Release of More UFO Files

By Editor | June 2, 2026 |

In this column, we are going to discuss the recent release of more UFO files by the US Government. But first things first. Can we stop referring to UFOs as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena or “UAPs?” The government directed several years ago that we start referring to UFOs as UAPs so as to encourage military personnel to report their sightings; in other words, it was believed by military higher-ups that the continued use of the term “UFO” would somehow make the reporting party be thereafter regarded as a “nut-job.” That has not happened. We all know that the term UFO no longer relates to a “looney tunes” mindset.
In the past few weeks, the Department of Defense (now known as the Department of War) has declassified and released for public viewing two batches of previously unseen videos and files regarding UFOs. There have been over one billion clicks on the DOD website to look at these videos and files.
The volume of files being released is frankly staggering. You may recall that in early 2024, there was a Congressional investigation about UFOs and during that investigation, several credible witnesses testified that the Government is not telling us the truth about the frequency of UFO sightings or the possibility that the Government may have credible evidence that aliens definitely exist, such as debris from an alien spacecraft crash site. So to counter that testimony, the Department of Defense issued an official statement on March 8, 2024, stating that there has been “no verifiable evidence that any sightings over the past 80 years represent any extra-terrestrial activity.” (I wrote a column about this shortly after that DOD disclaimer and questioned the truth of that disclaimer). Today, the release of these latest videos and files finally gives credibility to those witnesses who in 2024 testified that the Government is hiding tons of information about UFOs. And we should mention that the witnesses identified in the newly released UFO documents include NASA astronauts who say they saw strange lights following them during their missions around the moon. You can’t get any more credible about UFO sightings, in my view, than NASA astronauts.
But now we have another Government disclaimer about these newly released files. We are told that readers should not interpret anything [in these newly released files] “as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion or factual determination regarding the described events’ validity, nature or significance.” Really? So what kind of disclaimer will we get if UFO files yet to be released include photos of an alien UFO crash site? Will it say “we can neither admit nor deny that aliens exist because we don’t think you can handle the truth?”
It is too soon to be able to accurately evaluate what we are seeing in these UFO files. But I keep coming back to an interview I watched between President Obama and Jimmy Kimmel on his nightly program when Kimmel asked President Obama if he is aware of credible evidence that aliens exist. Instead of simply saying “no,” President Obama said “I can’t reveal anything.” That response tells me there probably is a lot more information that needs to be declassified before we get to the truth.
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■ Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County. Bill can be reached at [email protected].