While UFO enthusiasts may have hoped for evidence of extraordinary phenomena, the documents largely revolve around repeated sightings of drones near sensitive nuclear installations.

Nonetheless, these incidents provide an intriguing insight into ongoing challenges relating to these events.

The released materials include several detailed reports from 2022-2024, highlighting a surge of drone-related activity near nuclear facilities. The records reveal a pattern of sightings, as documented by the NRC, which were then sent to AARO to add to their yearly reports.

Here are just some of those incidents:

These records illustrate the growing amount of drone activity over critical infrastructure. Although the released documents primarily focus on drone sightings, they shed light on the broader scope of AARO’s work in addressing potential aerial threats—whether they stem from benign curiosity, commercial misuse, or nefarious intent.

While these incidents released by the NRC do not reveal any groundbreaking revelations about unidentified aerial phenomena, they underscore the critical need to address drone incursions at sensitive sites. This concern was magnified by the December 2024 drone sightings over the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey, along with other sightings at Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations.

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Document Archive

FOIA-2025-000142 Release Package [24 Pages, 3MB]

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The post New Documents Highlight Drone Sightings Near Nuclear Facilities first appeared on The Black Vault.

The document reveals that on September 29, 1957, a significant nuclear accident occurred in the Chelyabinsk region, part of the Ural Mountains. This event, often referred to as the “Kyshtym disaster”, involved an explosion at a nuclear waste storage facility near the town of Kyshtym. The facility was part of the Mayak Production Association, a major Soviet nuclear complex involved in producing plutonium for weapons.

According to various intelligence reports cited in the document, the explosion resulted from the overheating of buried nuclear waste. The containment measures failed, leading to a release of highly radioactive materials into the environment. This incident caused widespread contamination, affecting a large area and exposing thousands of people to dangerous levels of radiation.

The NRC document includes excerpts from several declassified CIA reports. One such report from May 1958 details that “various Soviet employees and visitors to the Brussels Fair have stated, independently but consistently, that the occurrence of an accidental atomic explosion during the spring of 1958 was widely known throughout the USSR”​​. The explosion site was identified as being in the Chelyabinskaya Oblast, and while the exact number of casualties remains uncertain, it was commonly believed that several scores of individuals perished in the incident​​.

Further intelligence describes the aftermath of the explosion, with extensive radioactive contamination rendering a significant area uninhabitable. Eyewitness accounts from the time recount that “all stores in Tomensk-Uralskiy which sold milk, meat, and other foodstuffs were closed as a precaution against radiation exposure”​. New food supplies were brought in under strict controls, and the population was subjected to measures reminiscent of wartime shortages.

The NRC document also references the account of Zhores Medvedev, a Soviet biochemist and geneticist who defected to the West. Medvedev reported that the Soviet authorities had kept the disaster under wraps, not evacuating affected populations until symptoms of radiation sickness became apparent. This delay in response exacerbated the health impacts, leading to numerous deaths and chronic illnesses among the exposed population​.

Additionally, the NRC document includes details from a Soviet film, classified at the time, which showed the construction of a new city in the Ural Mountains specifically for testing a 20-megaton nuclear device. The test’s objectives included assessing the resilience of civilian infrastructure, such as a subway system, to a nuclear blast. The film depicted the obliteration of the city, with only the subway surviving, highlighting the devastating power of the explosion and its impact on both military equipment and animal life used as test subjects​​.

Despite the magnitude of the disaster, Soviet officials consistently denied any knowledge of such incidents during interactions with U.S. delegations. For instance, during meetings in the USSR, Soviet officials, including L. M. Voronin, claimed ignorance about the accident and insisted that their agencies were only involved in peaceful nuclear activities​.

The secrecy and disinformation surrounding the Kyshtym disaster are indicative of the broader context of Cold War-era nuclear accidents, where both superpowers often concealed the true extent of their nuclear mishaps to maintain strategic and political advantages. The release of these documents provides a rare glimpse into the hidden history of nuclear risks and the human cost of the nuclear arms race.

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FOIA Case NRC-2021-000112 Release Package [33 Pages, 4MB]

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The post Declassified NRC Document Sheds Light on Kyshtym Nuclear Explosion first appeared on The Black Vault.

The idea came from a previous request by GovernmentAttic.org, which received report listing for 1975-1989.

In March of 2021, The Black Vault filed a request for records dates after those listed in the above. The results are below.

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Non-Public / Classified Reports in Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s SECY Database, 1990 – March 4, 2021 [10 Pages, 2.1MB]

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The post Non-Public / Classified Reports in Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s SECY Database first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC):

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was created as an independent agency by Congress in 1974 to ensure the safe use of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and the environment. The NRC regulates commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials, such as in nuclear medicine, through licensing, inspection and enforcement of its requirements.

Over the years, many UFO reports have surfaced regarding unidentified craft being seen over sensitive nuclear installations. It only makes sense, that the NRC would be a prime target under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for documents relating to the phenomena.

The documents were received relatively quickly. They were requested by The Black Vault on February 27, 2017, and were released to me on March 23, 2017.

Most surprising, there is new information never-before-seen within these records.  It is revealed that a former security guard of the Cooper Nuclear Station witnessed a UFO sometime between the years 1986 and 1989.  The report described the UFO encounter as the following:

While posted at the intake structure one night, he observed an “unidentified flying object” fly down the Missouri River about 150 feet in the air and hover in front of the intake. He observed it for a few moments and then contacted a fellow security officer who also observed it (he could not recall the individual’s name exactly but his first name was [REDACTED]  and his last name was either [REDACTED ]. After they together observed the UFO, it turned and went back up the river and did not come back that shift. He and the other officer shared their observation with their peers who did not believe them.

The next evening he again was posted at the intake and observed the UFO return again. This time he didn’t call anyone until the UFO had traversed into the protected area and hovered above the protected area just north of the Reactor Building. He said it was roughly triangular in shape with a circle of rotating lights on the bottom. He could not hear any propulsion noise from the UFO. He believes that it was roughly 1/3 the size of the Reactor Building. Once the UFO hovered in the protected area. He called the security break room and most of the officers on shift observed the UFO.

Interestingly, after the report was taken by the NRC, the documents were compiled and sent to Cooper Nuclear Station in 2010.  Although no formal response was requested, Cooper Nuclear Station was told only to tell employees there that were on a “need to know” basis.

The records also include reports submitted by the public to the NRC about UFO activity, and even alien technology.  The NRC gave the standard response to all of the letters sent in, that the NRC mission did not include the topics they were writing about.

The released documents from 2017 can be seen below, in their entirety. They are unedited and appear exactly how they were received by The Black Vault from the NRC.

In 2021, another set of documents was released from a newer case that was filed by The Black Vault. These records revealed a 2015 “drone” sighting at Pilgrim Nuclear Station. Although described as a “drone”, local police were called and during their investigation, determine that the object was “thousands” of feet in the air. Despite drones only being allowed to fly at 400 feet, with most commercially available drones not capable of higher flight, the NRC decided to not file a Security Information Database (SID) report. Those files are also below.

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Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) UFO Files – 2021 Release – [9 Pages, 1.1MB]

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Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) UFO Files – 2017 Release – [43 Pages, 6.4MB]

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The post Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) UFO Files Released first appeared on The Black Vault.

According to the document:

“Purpose: To inform the commission of recent discussions with a member of the Dutch Parliament.” 

I found reference to this document, which was unnamed, but it was classified. I filed a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request on October 11, 2016, and it was finally released on July 26, 2018.

Document Archive

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Report, April 15, 1979, Meeting with Member of Dutch Parliament [4 Pages, 0.9MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nrc/SECY-79-263.pdf

The post Nuclear Regulatory Commission Information Report, April 15, 1979, Meeting with Member of Dutch Parliament first appeared on The Black Vault.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recognizes the unique relationship that the Federal government has with Federally recognized Tribes. The NRC is committed to the development and implementation of agency policies and regulatory activities with Tribal implications.

The “Tribal Protocol Manual” is intended to facilitate effective consultations and interactions between the NRC and Native American Tribes concerning activities within the scope of the NRC’s jurisdiction. The Tribal Protocol Manual is a reference tool, produced from multiple sources, including interviews with NRC staff and management and other Federal agencies’ personnel and Tribal representatives experienced in working with Tribes.

NRC management and staff can use this guide to develop and maintain government-to-government relationships with Tribal governments. This manual supplements working knowledge for NRC staff with Tribal outreach experience and provides practical guidance to NRC personnel who have had limited interactions with Native American Tribes. In this manual, various names are used when describing Native American peoples, because there is no specifically established name to use when describing Native American people.

As a point of reference, in a speech given November 5, 2009, before roughly 400 Federally recognized Tribes, President Obama addressed his audience using terms such as “Native Americans,” “First Americans,” “Tribal Nations,” and “Alaska Natives.”

The terminology “Indian Tribe” and “Tribal officials” were utilized in President Clinton’s November 6, 2000, Executive Order 13175.2 The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, uses the term “American Indian,” while the National Congress of American Indians prefers “Native American.” Accordingly, these terms will be used interchangeably throughout this manual. Some Native American Tribes have a regulatory relationship with the NRC as licensees. This manual does not imply a regulatory relationship with license holding Native American Tribes different from other NRC licensees.

One important message to take away from this manual is that Tribes are unique governmental entities and are not extensions of State or local governments. Each Federally recognized Tribe is a domestic, dependent sovereign nation with its own customs, culture, concerns, interests and needs. NRC’s Tribal Protocol Manual is intended to assist NRC management and staff to recognize these distinctions and create a more open and productive working relationship with Native American Tribal governments.

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 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Tribal Protocol Manual [40 Pages, 7.4MB]

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The post U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Tribal Protocol Manual first appeared on The Black Vault.

The following documents is a COMMISSIONER ACTION memo, labeled SECY-79-235 from Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, dated April 2, 1979.

The purpose of the action report is listed as:

To advise the Commission of some decisions that will need to be made in the immediate future regarding the application of the Price Anderson Act to the Three Mile Island Unit 2 accident.

The Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) reactor, near Middletown, Pa., partially melted down on March 28, 1979. This was the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, although its small radioactive releases had no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public. Its aftermath brought about sweeping changes involving emergency response planning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation protection, and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations. It also caused the NRC to tighten and heighten its regulatory oversight. All of these changes significantly enhanced U.S. reactor safety.

A combination of equipment malfunctions, design-related problems and worker errors led to TMI-2’s partial meltdown and very small off-site releases of radioactivity.

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 SECY-79-235, April 2, 1979, Possible Determination of an Extraordinary Nuclear Occurrence at Three Mile Island Unit 2 [17 Pages, 0.7MB]

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The post Possible Determination of an Extraordinary Nuclear Occurrence at Three Mile Island Unit 2, April 2, 1979 first appeared on The Black Vault.

Since 1970, various corporations and public agencies in the United States have received extortion messages involving nuclear devices, materials, and facilities. Further, although the United States has enjoyed relative freedom from terrorism, internally, other countries have had to cope with increasing terrorist activities, including attacks on nuclear facilities. In 1974, the Energy Research and Development Administration established the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST) to help deal with deal with peacetime nuclear accidents and address the technical, behavioral, and operational problems generated by nuclear extortion threats. NEST is now under the jurisdiction of the Department of Energy (DOE) .

Among the thorniest problems is deciding if a threat is credible and, thus, merits deployment of NEST. Then, once the decision to deploy is made, NEST must assist FBI efforts to locate the threatening substance or device and the extortionists, and possibly negotiate with them. In 1977, DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) funded a project that brought together specialists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Syracuse Research Corporation, and The Rand Corporation. Under the technical direction of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, t~is project has developed
an operational capability to assess the credibility of nuclear threat messages. This assessment provides the basis for deployment decisions and the initial operational guidance for the NEST team after deployment.

The Report

 Using Stylistic Analysis to Assess Threat Messages, October 1985 [66 Pages, 8.5MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/nuclear/usingstylisticanalysis.pdf

The post Using Stylistic Analysis to Assess Threat Messages, October 1985 first appeared on The Black Vault.