The Halt Memo – The Rendlesham Forest Incident

The following were documents obtained from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Freedom of Information and Security Review Office. It was released to The Black Vault in September of 1997, through FOIA Case 97-F-1677 (though it had been released prior to other researchers for some time).

The Rendlesham Forest incident was a series of reported sightings of unexplained lights near Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk, England in late December of 1980 which became linked with claims of UFO landings. The events occurred just outside RAF Woodbridge, which was used at the time by the United States Air Force (USAF). USAF personnel, including deputy base commander Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt, claimed to see things they described as a UFO sighting. (Wikipedia)

Below, you will find the infamous “Halt Memo.” This memo describes in a single page memorandum, the events that occurred.

There are many facets to this story, and witnesses who have come forward. However, this page was setup to archive the memo specifically for research purposes.

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Text Version

                           DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 
 
                     HEADQUARTERS COMBAT SUPPORT GROUP (USAFC)   
 
                                  APO NEW YORK    
 
REPLY TO:                                                       13 JAN 81  
           CD  
ATIN OF.  
 
SUBJECT:  Unexplained Lights  
 
TO:  RAF/CC    
 
     1. Early in the morning of 27 Dec 80 (approximately 0300L),two USAF   
     security police patrolmen saw unusual lights outside the back gate at 
     RAF Woodbridge. Thinking an aircraft might have crashed or been force 
     down, they call for permission to go outside the gate to investigate. 
     The on-duty flight chief responded and allowed three patrolmen to pro- 
     ceed on foot. The individuals reported seeing a strange glowing object 
     in the forest. The object was described as being metalic in appearance 
     and triangular in shape, approximately two to three meters across the 
     base and approximately two meters high. It illuminated the entire fo- 
     rest with a white light. The object itself had a pulsing red light on 
     top and a bank(s) of blue lights underneath. The object was hovering  
     or on legs. As the patrolmen approached the object, it maneuvered th- 
     rough the trees and disappeared. At this time the animals on a nearby 
     farm went into a frenzy. The object was briefly sighted approximately 
     an hour later near the back gate.  
 
     2.  The next day, three depressions 1 1/2" deep and 7" in diameter    
     were found where the object had been sighted on the ground. The foll- 
     owing night (29 Dec 80) the area was checked for radiation. Beta/Gamma 
     readings of 0.1 milliroentgens were recorded with peak reading in the 
     three depressions and near the center of the triangle formed by the   
     depressions. A nearby tree had moderate (.05-.07)readings on the side 
     of the tree toward the depressions.
 
     3.  Later in the night a red sun-like light was seen through the tree 
     . It moved about and pulsed. At one point it appeared to throw off    
     glowing particles and then  broke into five separate white objects    
     and then disappeared. Immediately thereafter, three star-like objects 
     were noticed in the sky. Two objects to the north and one to the south 
     , all of which were about 10 degrees off the horizon. The objects
     moved rapidly in sharp angular movements and displayed red, green and 
     blue lights. The objects to the north appeared to be elliptical thro- 
     ugh an 8-12 power lens. They then turned to full circles. The objects 
     to the north remained in the sky for an hour or more. The object to   
     the south was visible for two or three hours and beamed down a stream 
     of light from time to time. Numerous individuals, including the unde- 
     rsigned, witnessed the activities in paragraphs 2 and 3.    
 
     CHARLES I. HALT, Lt Col, USAF 
 
     Deputy Base Commander

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