Background Welcome to the FBI Files on Historical Figures & Groups archive at The Black Vault. This comprehensive collection provides a unique lens into the lives and activities of various prominent individuals and groups that have played significant roles in shaping history. These files offer a rare glimpse into the FBI’s surveillance, investigation, and documentation of notable personalities and organizations, revealing the intricate ways they interacted with or were perceived by the U.S. government. From influential political leaders and activists to groundbreaking cultural figures, these documents span a wide spectrum of history and provide an invaluable resource for understanding the…
Author: John Greenewald
A newly released set of Defense Department documents reveals how the Pentagon handled former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Christopher Mellon’s request to publish a message he said referenced an alleged effort to exploit “recovered off-world technology.” The records also reveal that Mellon’s first attempt to submit the material was returned to him after a DOPSR employee deemed his three-page mailed package a “security threat,” a detail he did not disclose in his public article. The documents, sent to The Black Vault under FOIA case 24-F-1134, include Mellon’s original submission to the Defense Office of Prepublication and Security…
A newly released Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has revealed that no records exist for an August 28, 2017, meeting listed on the official calendar of Neill Tipton, then Director for Defense Intelligence, Collection and Special Programs. The finding stands in contrast to an earlier FOIA-released calendar showing the meeting was scheduled as an UNCLASSIFIED “SAP Coordination Meeting,” with a point-of-contact phone number matching one found on Luis Elizondo’s DD Form 1910 request to release three Navy UFO videos back in 2017. OSD’s “no records” determination, issued today to The…
Amelia Earhart’s disappearance in 1937 remains one of the most enduring mysteries in aviation history, inspiring investigation, speculation, and government inquiry for nearly nine decades. As federal agencies prepared records across generations, much of the documentation remained scattered, classified, or only partially accessible to the public. That situation changed in 2025, when President Donald J. Trump ordered the release of government records “related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her.” The directive initiated a government-wide effort to identify, declassify, and publish material across the intelligence, military, diplomatic, and archival communities, culminating in the first comprehensive public…
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has formally replaced the term “Unidentified Flying Object” (UFO) with “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena” (UAP) in its core air traffic control manual, marking a notable procedural update that aligns with recent federal terminology and U.S. code. The change was highlighted by Americans for Safe Aerospace (ASA) and its founder, former Navy pilot Ryan Graves, who praised the revision as a step toward transparency and improved aviation safety reporting. The update was issued under FAA Notice N 7110.800, effective October 26, 2025, and applies to all Air Traffic Organization (ATO) personnel. The notice modifies two key sections…