Post by pixi on Aug 10, 2005 8:17:33 GMT -5
Details of one of Britain's most famous UFO scares was among information repeatedly suppressed by government defence chiefs, according to a Westminster watchdog.
Parliamentary Ombudsman Ann Abraham said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had broken open government rules three times in recent months over cases including the Rendlesham Forest UFO scare.
Details of the alleged sighting at an RAF base more than 20 years ago were released last week after the Ombudsman ruled the MoD were wrongly suppressing them.
The so-called 'Rendlesham File' details the sighting of a "glowing" triangular object by US Air Force police in Rendlesham Forest, near RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk.
Pulsating lights
The documents had only previously been made available to about 20 people who used the American Freedom of Information Act to gain access to them.
In the early hours of 27 December 1980, a number of US Air Force men witnessed the object hover in the darkness, transmitting blue pulsating lights and sending nearby farm animals into a "frenzy".
In a report titled "Unexplained Lights", USAF Lt Col Charles I Halt, Deputy Base Commander at RAF Bentwaters, adjacent to Woodbridge, told how he witnessed an object emitting a "red sun-like light" moving through the trees.
Sceptics say the witnesses were fooled by the beam from a lighthouse on the nearby coast.
While the actual documents had not been released, the details were widely known, the Ombudsman said in her report.
"Given their age and the fact that these documents contained no information not already in the public domain, the Ombudsman saw no reason why they could not be disclosed," the report said.
Complaints about the MoD's refusal to list countries prioritised for arms sales or reveal details of an armed services survey were also upheld.
Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle said the examples outlined in the report on the Ombudsman's work between May and October were symptomatic of a "culture of secrecy" in the MoD.
Veil of secrecy
"It is one of those departments that have always opposed freedom of information and are not very attuned to what is required in a modern, open and accountable government," he said.
"Other departments and Whitehall as a whole have a problem with openness but the MoD is one of the more incorrigible cases of government by secrecy," he said.
The Ombudsman also partially upheld complaints against the Cabinet Office, DVLA, Driving Standards Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions, the report revealed.
Restrictions on the MoD's "Rendlesham File" were dropped as part of an opening-up of the inner workings of Whitehall.
Ministers are attempting to lift the official veil of secrecy by repealing or amending a raft of legislation banning access to information.
Government departments will now be required to release information on the internal workings of Whitehall, including minutes of meetings of top civil servants.
Ministers say they will repeal or amend up to 100 items of legislation which are currently prohibited from disclosure.
Parliamentary Ombudsman Ann Abraham said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had broken open government rules three times in recent months over cases including the Rendlesham Forest UFO scare.
Details of the alleged sighting at an RAF base more than 20 years ago were released last week after the Ombudsman ruled the MoD were wrongly suppressing them.
The so-called 'Rendlesham File' details the sighting of a "glowing" triangular object by US Air Force police in Rendlesham Forest, near RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk.
Pulsating lights
The documents had only previously been made available to about 20 people who used the American Freedom of Information Act to gain access to them.
In the early hours of 27 December 1980, a number of US Air Force men witnessed the object hover in the darkness, transmitting blue pulsating lights and sending nearby farm animals into a "frenzy".
In a report titled "Unexplained Lights", USAF Lt Col Charles I Halt, Deputy Base Commander at RAF Bentwaters, adjacent to Woodbridge, told how he witnessed an object emitting a "red sun-like light" moving through the trees.
Sceptics say the witnesses were fooled by the beam from a lighthouse on the nearby coast.
While the actual documents had not been released, the details were widely known, the Ombudsman said in her report.
"Given their age and the fact that these documents contained no information not already in the public domain, the Ombudsman saw no reason why they could not be disclosed," the report said.
Complaints about the MoD's refusal to list countries prioritised for arms sales or reveal details of an armed services survey were also upheld.
Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle said the examples outlined in the report on the Ombudsman's work between May and October were symptomatic of a "culture of secrecy" in the MoD.
Veil of secrecy
"It is one of those departments that have always opposed freedom of information and are not very attuned to what is required in a modern, open and accountable government," he said.
"Other departments and Whitehall as a whole have a problem with openness but the MoD is one of the more incorrigible cases of government by secrecy," he said.
The Ombudsman also partially upheld complaints against the Cabinet Office, DVLA, Driving Standards Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions, the report revealed.
Restrictions on the MoD's "Rendlesham File" were dropped as part of an opening-up of the inner workings of Whitehall.
Ministers are attempting to lift the official veil of secrecy by repealing or amending a raft of legislation banning access to information.
Government departments will now be required to release information on the internal workings of Whitehall, including minutes of meetings of top civil servants.
Ministers say they will repeal or amend up to 100 items of legislation which are currently prohibited from disclosure.
