FBI 62-HQ-83894: Main UFO Investigation File (1947-1960s, 18 Parts)
Date
1947-1960s
Document Type
Gov. Report
Authentication
Official PublicationRedaction Status
▐ Partially RedactedIssuing Authority
Federal Bureau of Investigation (Headquarters File 62-HQ-83894)
Summary
The FBI's primary UFO investigative file — Headquarters File 62-HQ-83894 — released in 18 parts via PURSUE Release 1 on May 8, 2026. The file covers Sections 1-10, named Serials (130, 153, 164, 220, 403, 438, 449), and Sub-File A. File 62-HQ-83894 is the FBI's main institutional record for UFO-related intelligence, investigation, and interagency coordination spanning the late 1940s through the 1960s. Portions were previously released through FOIA and are available on the FBI Vault website; the PURSUE release represents the most comprehensive public release of the complete numbered file to date. The FBI's role in early UFO investigation is documented through J. Edgar Hoover's personal interest, the Roswell 1947 teletype, the famous 'flying saucer' memo, and coordination with Air Force Project Blue Book investigators.
Significance
FBI 62-HQ-83894 is the most historically significant FBI document in the PURSUE corpus and one of the most important government UAP records ever publicly released. The file documents the FBI's institutional engagement with UFO reports from the earliest days of the post-WWII disc sighting wave — including internal debates about whether to investigate independently or defer to Air Force classification, communications between J. Edgar Hoover and USAF intelligence, and field agent reports from across the country. The 18-part PURSUE release is more comprehensive than any prior FOIA release of this file.