FBI Files: The Paranormal Collection

These files were released and obtained by the FBI, all in relation to the Paranormal.

Many of the files are broken into different parts, for easier downloading. Simply click on the “File #1” links to download each file segment.

Declassified Paranormal FBI Files

Animal Mutilations – [ File #1 | File #2 | File #3 | File #4 | File #5 ] – Animal/Cattle Mutilation In the mid-1970s, reports of scattered animal mutilations in western and mid-western states concerned many people. The FBI was asked to investigate, but was unable to do so because of a lack of jurisdiction (except when such mutilations were found on Indian lands). These files consist mainly of press clippings and correspondence concerning the issues between 1974 and 1978.

Sylvia Browne Browne. Sylvia – [ 52 Pages, 32MB ] This FBI File consists of the investigation into Browne for embezzlement and bank fraud. It was determined that Brown falsified financial records to obtain more than $1,000,000 in loans, and according to the FBI, lived an “extravagent lifestyle.”

FBI file #29A-SF-9888 – [ 139 Pages, 116.8MB ] – While reading the above file, I noticed a reference to FBI File #29A-SF-9888 which is the investigation involving Sylvia Browne and her loan partner. This is the first (of multiple) releases of the declassified files.

FBI file #29A-SF-9888 – Release #2 – [102 Pages, 68.6MB] – Here is the second release of the above FBI file.

FBI file #29A-SF-9888 – Release #3 – [10 Pages, 1.8MB] – Here is the third release of the above FBI file.

Bushman, Boyd – (FOIA Response Letter) [ 37 Pages, 19.9MB ]
Bushman, Boyd FBI Release #2 [ 14 Pages, 2.2MB ]

In 2014, a video surfaced with Boyd Bushman, a retired Lockheed Martin Senior Scientist, with alleged photos of aliens. The video had a description that stated, “Shortly before Boyd Bushman passed away on August 7, 2014, he was video recorded candidly speaking about his personal experiences with Area 51, UFOs, aliens and anti-gravity ideas. Boyd was a retired Senior Scientist for Lockheed Martin. His career spanned over forty years, was awarded many patents, and included work with defense contractors Hughes Aircraft, General Dynamics, Texas Instruments, and Lockheed Martin.”

Although the video is highly disputed, and the “alien” appears to be an exact prop that can be purchased at Walmart, I went after the FBI file of Mr. Bushman. This is what I found.

Condon, Edward Uhler [ File #1 (312MB) | File #2 (0.1MB) | File #3 (0.1MB) | File #4 (177MB) ]- [ 1,777 Pages ] – Edward Uhler Condon (March 2, 1902 – March 26, 1974) was a distinguished American nuclear physicist, a pioneer in quantum mechanics, and a participant in the development of radar and nuclear weapons during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project. The Franck–Condon principle and the Slater–Condon rules are named after him. Condon became widely known in 1968 as principal author of the Condon Report, an official review funded by the United States Air Force that concluded that unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have prosaic explanations. The lunar crater Condon is named for him. Please note: The FBI stated there MAY be additional records pertaining to Condon. I requested the remaining material, and if any exists, will post it when available. Press the “subscribe” button for this page to be notified when it’s updated.

Cooper, Milton William “Bill” – [333 Pages, 164MB] – Milton William “Bill” Cooper (May 6, 1943 – November 6, 2001) was an American conspiracy theorist, radio broadcaster, and author best known for his 1991 book Behold a Pale Horse, in which he warned of multiple global conspiracies, some involving extraterrestrial aliens. Cooper also described HIV/AIDS as a man-made disease used to target blacks, Hispanics, and homosexuals, and that a cure was made before it was implemented. He has been described as a “militia theoretician”. As Cooper moved away from the UFOlogy community and toward the militia and anti-government subculture in the late 1990s, he became convinced that he was being personally targeted by President Bill Clinton and the Internal Revenue Service. In July 1998 he was charged with tax evasion; an arrest warrant was issued, but Cooper eluded repeated attempts to serve it. In 2000, he was named a “major fugitive” by the United States Marshals Service. On November 5, 2001, Apache County sheriff’s deputies attempted to arrest Cooper at his Eagar, Arizona home on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and endangerment stemming from disputes with local residents. After an exchange of gunfire during which Cooper shot one of the deputies in the head, Cooper was fatally shot. Federal authorities reported that Cooper had spent years evading execution of the 1998 arrest warrant, and according to a spokesman for the Marshals Service, he vowed that “he would not be taken alive”.

Extra-Sensory Perception – [40 Pages, 10MB] – ESP is considered a perception of information about events beyond what may be discerned through the five physical senses or deduced from past experience or knowledge. This release consists of cross references to ESP found in FBI files from 1957 to 1960. Several of the documents concern William Foos, a proponent of ESP. Others concern claims that ESP could be used in espionage investigations. The FBI found no scientific support for this or other claims and did not pursue the matters raised in these references.

Fortean Society – [169 Pages, 152.5MB] – The Fortean Society was started in the United States in 1931 during a meeting held in the New York flat of Charles Hoy Fort in order to promote the ideas of American writer Charles Fort. The Fortean Society was primarily based in New York City. Its first president was Theodore Dreiser, an old friend of Charles Fort, who had helped to get his work published. Founding members of The Fortean Society included Tiffany Thayer (see file below), Booth Tarkington, Ben Hecht, Alexander Woollcott (and many of NYC’s literati such as Dorothy Parker), and Baltimore writer H. L. Mencken. Other members included Vincent Gaddis, Ivan T. Sanderson, A. Merritt, Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller. The first 6 issues of the Fortean Society’s newsletter “Doubt” were each edited by a different member, starting with Theodore Dreiser. Tiffany Thayer thereafter took over editorship of subsequent issues. Thayer began to assert extreme control over the society, largely filling the newsletter with articles written by himself, and excommunicating the entire San Francisco chapter, reportedly their most active, after disagreements over the society’s direction, and forbidding them to use the name Fortean. During World War II, for example, Thayer used every issue of “Doubt” to espouse his politics. Particularly, he frequently expressed opposition to Civil Defense, going to such lengths as encouraging readers to turn on their lights in defiance to air raid sirens. In contrast to the spirit of Charles Fort, he not only dismissed flying saucers as nonsense, but also dismissed the atomic bomb as a hoax.

Heaven’s Gate Cult – [382 Pages, 283MB] Heaven’s Gate was an American UFO religious Millenarian group based in San Diego, California, founded in the early 1970s and led by Marshall Applewhite (1931–1997) and Bonnie Nettles (1927–1985). On March 26, 1997, police discovered the bodies of 39 members of the group who had committed mass suicide in order to reach what they believed was an alien space craft following Comet Hale–Bopp.

Hottel, Guy – [2 Pages, 1.1MB] Guy Hottel was a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The information concerning Mr. Hottel is in regard to a March 22, 1950 memo he sent to the FBI Director concerning flying saucers. This has been one of the FBI’s most downloaded document from their website, once they finally added it to the archive.

Hynek, J. Allen – [24 Pages, 1.42MB] Dr. Josef Allen Hynek (May 1, 1910 – April 27, 1986) was a United States astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific adviser to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under three consecutive names: Projects Sign, Grudge and Blue Book. For decades afterwards, he conducted his own independent UFO research, developing the Close Encounter classification system, and is widely considered the father of the concept of scientific analysis of both reports and, especially, trace evidence purportedly left by UFOs.

Klass, Phil (FBI Release) – [187 Pages, 99.7MB]

Klass, Phil (FBI Release #2 October, 2015) – [10 Pages, 0.9MB]

Klass, Phil (NCIS Release) – [14 Pages, 1MB]

Klass, Phil (AFOSI Release) – [14 Pages, 1MB]

Klass, Phil (CIA Release by way of FBI) – [5 Pages, 0.8MB]
Philip Julian Klass (November 8, 1919 – August 9, 2005) was an American engineer, journalist, and UFO researcher, known for his skepticism regarding UFOs. In the ufological and skeptical communities, Klass tends to inspire strongly polarized appraisals. He has been called the “Sherlock Holmes of UFOlogy”. Klass demonstrated “the crusader’s zeal for what seems ‘right,’ regardless of whether it brings popular acclaim,” a trait he claimed his father instilled in him. “I’ve found,” said Klass, “that roughly 97, 98 percent of the people who report seeing UFOs are fundamentally intelligent, honest people who have seen something – usually at night, in darkness – that is unfamiliar, that they cannot explain.” The rest, he said, were frauds.With his work as Editor of Aviation Week magazine, Klass found himself in the middle of an investigation for publishing classified information. As chronicled in Wikipedia:

For ten years, Klass worked for General Electric as an engineer in aviation electronics. Dissatisfied with his job, in 1952 he moved to Washington, DC, and joined Aviation Week, which later became Aviation Week & Space Technology.[7] He was a senior editor of Aviation Week & Space Technology for thirty-four years. Always striving to stay on the cutting edge, Klass published an “Exclusive Report on Counter Measures” in the November 18th and 25th, 1957, editions of Aviation Week. This report was referred to the FBI for the “unauthorized disclosure of information classified ‘Secret'”. An investigation into the disclosure was dropped when the US Air Force told the FBI that the disclosed information could not be declassified for purposes of prosecution.

Dr. Lincoln LaPaz LaPaz, Dr. Lincoln – [ File #1 | File #2 ] [ NSA Request Response for Records ] [ 9 Pages, 3.5MB ] – Lincoln LaPaz was an American astronomer from the University of New Mexico and a pioneer in the study of meteors. In ufology, LaPaz’s name is often associated with UFO investigations on behalf of the military during the late 1940s and early 1950s. These include the so-called Roswell UFO incident of 1947, the N.M. green fireballs, that began in late 1948 and continued through the 1950s, and the search for near-Earth orbiting satellites in 1954 along with fellow N.M. astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. However, only LaPaz’s association with the green fireball investigations for the Air Force is thoroughly documented and an undeniable historical fact.

(Note: Additional pages of material on Dr. Lincoln LaPaz were released by the FBI, and a DESTROYED file number was referenced that may have contained additional pages on the man – but no one will ever know what those pages contained.)

Long John Nebel aka John Zimmerman – [ 8 Pages, 1.9 MB ] – Long John Nebel (born John Zimmerman; June 11, 1911 – April 10, 1978) was an influential New York City talk radio show host. From the mid-1950s until his death in 1978, Nebel was a hugely popular all-night radio host, with millions of regular listeners and what Donald Bain described as “a fanatically loyal following” to his syndicated program, which dealt mainly with anomalous phenomena, UFOs, and other offbeat topics.

McDonald, Dr. James E. – [ 113 Pages, 64.81 MB ] – James Edward McDonald (May 7, 1920 – June 13, 1971) was an American physicist. He is best known for his research regarding UFOs. McDonald was senior physicist at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics and professor in the Department of Meteorology, University of Arizona, Tucson. McDonald campaigned in support of expanding UFO studies during the mid and late 1960s, arguing that UFOs represented an important unsolved mystery which had not been adequately studied by science. He was one of the more prominent figures of his time who argued in favor of the extraterrestrial hypothesis as a plausible, but not completely proved, model of UFO phenomena. McDonald interviewed over 500 UFO witnesses, uncovered many important government UFO documents, and gave important presentations of UFO evidence. He testified before Congress during the UFO hearings of 1968. McDonald also gave a famous talk called “Science in Default” to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). It was a summary of the current UFO evidence and a critique of the 1969 Condon Report UFO study.

National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena – [ File #1 | File #2 | File #3 ] The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) The National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, NICAP, was founded in the 1950s to research reports of UFO phenomenon. Between 1957 and 1969, NICAP and its members periodically communicated with the FBI. This release consists of this correspondence.

Newton, Silas – [ File #1 ] Silas Newton (1887-1972) was a wealthy oil producer and con-man who claimed that he had a gadget that could detect minerals and oil. He was cited as an authority in Frank Scully’s book Behind the Flying Saucers, a work that claimed to report on several UFO crashes in the area of New Mexico. In 1950, Newton said that a flying saucer crashed on land he leased in the Mojave Desert; however, he revised his claim in 1952, saying he never saw a flying saucer but had only repeated comments he heard from others. These files detail the FBI’s investigations into Newton’s fraudulent activities between 1951 and 1970.

Page, Dr. Thornton Leigh – [4 Pages, 1.2MB ] – Thornton Leigh Page was an American professor of astronomy at the University of Chicago and at Wesleyan University. He became embroiled in the controversy over unidentified flying objects (UFOs) after serving briefly on the Robertson Panel, a Central Intelligence Agency–sponsored committee of scientists assembled in Washington, D.C. from 14–18 January 1953 to study the available evidence on UFOs.

According to the FBI, records relating to Dr. Page were destroyed.

Project Blue Book – [ File #1 ] – Project Blue Book Originally Project Blue Book was the Air Force name for a project that investigated UFO reports between 1947 and 1969. In 1989, an organization calling itself “The New Project Blue Book” contacted the FBI. This file consists of correspondence concerning this organization.

Roswell – On July 8, 1947, the FBI Dallas Field Office sent a teletype regarding a “flying disc” that resembled a high altitude weather balloon found near Roswell, New Mexico.

Spontaneous Human Combustion – [ 114 Pages, 66.3MB ] Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is a term encompassing reported cases of the combustion of a living (or very recently deceased) human body without an apparent external source of ignition. In addition to reported cases, examples of SHC appear in literature, and both types have been observed to share common characteristics regarding circumstances and remains of the victim.

Thayer, Tiffany Ellsworth – [ 166 Pages, 152.5MB ] – Tiffany Ellsworth Thayer (March 1, 1902 – August 23, 1959) was an American actor, author and founder of the Fortean Society.

Majestic-12 / MJ-12

The following FBI files were requested, which are the alleged members of MJ-12 and even the FBI’s file on MJ-12 itself.

Although some of these files may have nothing to do with UFOs or MJ-12, these are the alleged members and are archived here.

Majestic 12 – In 1988, two FBI offices received similar versions of a memo titled “Operation Majestic-12…” claiming to be highly classified government document. The memo appeared to be a briefing for newly-elected President Eisenhower on a secret committee created to exploit a recovery of an extra-terrestrial aircraft and cover-up this work from public examination. An Air Force investigation determined the document to be a fake.

Berkner, Lloyd – [ 135 Pages, 10.43 MB ]
Berkner, Lloyd, Release #2 – [ 12 Pages, 2.4 MB ] – Lloyd Viel Berkner (February 1, 1905, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – June 4, 1967, in Washington, D.C.) was an American physicist and engineer. He was one of the inventors of the measuring device that since has become standard at ionospheric stations because it measures the height and electron density of the ionosphere. The data obtained in the worldwide net of such instruments were important for the developing theory of short wave radio propagation to which Berkner himself gave important contributions.Additional information was found at the FBI, that originated at the CIA. The FBI forwarded these records to the CIA for review, and declassification, and the CIA information me that all material on Berkner is classified. Berkner, Lloyd CIA Documents Denial Letter – [ 2 Pages, 0.5 MB ]

Bronk, Detlev – [ 248 Pages, 7.18 MB ] – Detlev Wulf Bronk (August 13, 1897 – November 17, 1975) was a prominent American scientist, educator, and administrator. He is credited with establishing biophysics as a recognized discipline. Bronk served as President of Johns Hopkins University from 1949 to 1953 and as President of the The Rockefeller University from 1953 to 1968. Bronk also held the presidency of the National Academy of Sciences between 1950 and 1962. Please note: According to the FBI, more pages exist on Bronk and are being sent to another government agency for release. Will post when available.

Bush, Vannevar – [ 241 Pages, 78.1 MB ] – Vannevar Bush (March 11, 1890 – June 28, 1974) was an American engineer, inventor and science administrator, whose most important contribution was as head of the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) during World War II, through which almost all wartime military R&D was carried out, including initiation and early administration of the Manhattan Project. He is also known in engineering for his work on analog computers, for founding Raytheon, and for the memex, an adjustable microfilm viewer with a structure analogous to that of the World Wide Web. Bush was also an alleged member of the Majestic-12 (MJ-12) group. Please note: As admitted by the FBI, an entire file on Bush was destroyed. According to the FBI: “One record (161-BS-1452) which may be responsive to your FOIA request was destroyed in April of 1998.”

Forrestal, James – [290 Pages, 32.66MB] – James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal was a supporter of naval battle groups centered on aircraft carriers. In 1954, the world’s first supercarrier was named USS Forrestal in his honor, as is the headquarters of the United States Department of Energy. He is also the namesake of the Forrestal Lecture Series at the United States Naval Academy, which brings prominent military and civilian leaders to speak to the Brigade of Midshipmen, and of the James Forrestal Campus of Princeton University in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey.

Gray, Gordon – [ gordongray

349 Pages, 88.8MB]

Gray, Gordon (State Department Release) – [3 Pages, 1.1MB]
Gordon Gray (May 30, 1909 – November 26, 1982) was an official in the government of the United States during the administrations of Harry Truman (1945–53) and Dwight Eisenhower (1953–61) associated with defense and national security.

Hillenkoetter, Adm Roscoe Henry – [ 32 Pages, 20.70MB ] – Roscoe Henry Hillenkoetter (May 8, 1897 – June 18, 1982) was the third director of the post-World War II United States Central Intelligence Group (CIG), the third Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), and the first director of the Central Intelligence Agency created by the National Security Act of 1947. He served as DCI and director of the CIG and the CIA from May 1, 1947 to October 7, 1950 and after his retirement from the United States Navy was a member of the board of governors of National Investigations Committee On Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) from 1957 to 1962.

Hunsaker, Jerome – [ 3 Pages, 0.9MB ] – Jerome Clarke Hunsaker (August 26, 1886 – September 10, 1984) was an American airman born in Creston, Iowa, and educated at the Naval Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.According to the FBI, Hunsaker’s file was destroyed September 24, 2004

Menzel, Donald – [ 209 Pages, 24.10MB ] – Donald Howard Menzel (April 11, 1901 – December 14, 1976) was one of the first theoretical astronomers and astrophysicists in the US. He discovered the physical properties of the solar chromosphere, the chemistry of stars, the atmosphere of Mars, and the nature of gaseous nebulae.

Montague, Robert M. – [ 2 Pages, 0.3MB ] – Robert Miller Montague (August 7, 1899 – February 20, 1958) was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army. He achieved prominence as the deputy commander of Fort Bliss, Texas and commander of the Sandia Missile Base in New Mexico during the start of modern ufology and head of the U.S. Caribbean Command. The FBI claims that they could not find a file on Montague.

Souers, Sidney Adm. – [ 691 Pages, 47.53MB ] – Sidney William Souers (March 30, 1892 – January 14, 1973) was an American admiral and intelligence expert. ear Admiral Souers was appointed as the first Director of Central Intelligence on January 23, 1946 by President Harry S. Truman. Prior to this, as Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, Souers had been one of the architects of the system that came into being with the President’s directive. He had written the intelligence chapter of the Eberstadt Report, which advocated a unified intelligence system. Toward the end of 1945, when the competing plans for a national intelligence system were deadlocked, Souers’ views had come to the attention of the President, and he seems to have played a role in breaking the impasse.

Twining, General Nathan – [ 23 Pages, 15.43MB ] – Nathan Farragut Twining, (October 11, 1897 – March 29, 1982) was a United States Air Force General, born in Monroe, Wisconsin. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1957. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1957 to 1960 he was the first member of the Air Force to serve in that role.

Vandenberg, Hoyt – [ 98 Pages, 6.12MB ] – Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg (January 24, 1899 – April 2, 1954) was a U.S. Air Force general, its second Chief of Staff, and second Director of Central Intelligence. During World War II, Vandenberg was the commanding general of the Ninth Air Force, a tactical air force in England and in France, supporting the Army, from August 1944 until V-E Day. Vandenberg Air Force Base on the central coast of California is named for General Vandenberg. In 1946, he was briefly the U.S. Chief of Military Intelligence. He was the nephew of Arthur H. Vandenberg, a former U.S. Senator from Michigan.

Other Alleged MJ-12 Members

Karl Compton Compton, Karl – [2 Pages, 0.7MB] – Karl Taylor Compton (September 14, 1887 – June 22, 1954) was a prominent American physicist and president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1930 to 1948.

According to the FBI, Compton’s file was destroyed August 30, 2006.

Walker, Dr. Eric A. – [383 Pages, 32.9MB] – Eric Arthur Walker (April 29, 1910 – February 17, 1995) was president of the Pennsylvania State University from 1956 to 1970 and a founding member of the National Academy of Engineering. Born in Long Eaton, England, Dr. Walker earned a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Electrical Engineering, a Masters Degree in business administration, and doctorate in general science and engineering from Harvard. During World War II, Walker was associate director of the Underwater Sound Laboratory, initially located at Harvard, but relocated to the campus of Penn State University. Dr. Walker remained at Penn State, becoming head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, then Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture in 1951. Next Dr. Walker became vice president for research at Penn State in 1956, and President of the University, also in 1956.

He was allegedly identified by scientist Dr. Robert Sarbacher as one of the members of a team invited in 1950 to Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) to be briefed on the details of a UFO crash recovery and retrieval.

According to the FBI, there may have been additional records on Walker, but they were destroyed on 5/29/1979 and on 1/10/1988.’

In addition to the documents destroyed, there was an additional single page of material found at the IRS. According to the IRS, the document is classified/exempted under exemption (b)(3) under the FOIA, and is entirely withheld.

The Aviary

Rositzke, Harry – [ 4 Pages, 0.3MB ] – Harry Rositzke was an American spymaster whose career included researching the origins of the English language to probing the inner workings of Nazi Germany and, later, the Soviet Union. For 25 years, he ran CIA covert operations against the Soviet Union from several overseas posts as well as Washington.

Rositzke was rumored to be known as “The Falcon” — the head of a private group called the “Aviary” which comprised of individuals with ties to the intelligence community. It is rumored that this group was responsible for leaking the original MJ-12 documents, and Rositzke, known as the “Falcon”, was the head.

Rositzke, Harry – [ 3 Pages, 0.3MB ] – In addition to the response to my original FOIA request above, the FBI said there may be more pages on Rositzke. I filed another request for these records and their response was they the records were destroyed.