Unreleased FBI Documents Shed Light on Lt. Col. Philip Corso’s Controversial Claims

The FBI has released a collection of documents pertaining to Lt. Col. Philip J. Corso, a prominent figure in the UFO community known for his claims about recovered alien technology. These documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by The Black Vault in 2019, reveal Corso’s interactions with the FBI and other government entities, many of which appear to be previously unreleased.

Corso, who served in the U.S. Army for over twenty years primarily in intelligence roles, gained notoriety with the publication of his book, The Day After Roswell. In it, Corso claimed he had direct knowledge about the recovery and analysis of extraterrestrial technology from the Roswell incident, which he alleged was reverse-engineered to advance American technology. Despite his fame in the UFO community, the newly released FBI files focus on his broader interactions with the government but make no mention of his UFO stories.

What a portion of these documents do deal with is a 1964-1965 request to perform a name check on Corso. A name check is a thorough search conducted by the FBI to investigate an individual’s background, ensuring there are no red flags or derogatory information that might affect their suitability for certain roles or positions. This process is particularly crucial for individuals being considered for sensitive government positions or committee memberships.

In this instance, the name check on Corso was initiated because he was being considered for a position on the Immigration and Nationality Subcommittee of the House of Representatives, chaired by Congressman Michael A. Feighan. The name check aimed to uncover any past activities or affiliations that could potentially disqualify Corso from serving on the committee.

The FBI’s records showed that Corso was often in contact with the Bureau, frequently providing information on alleged subversive activities. However, the documents also indicate that many of Corso’s claims lacked credible evidence. These facts were first chronicled in a letter by then Acting Attorney General Nicholas deBelleville Katzenbach, which was sent to Congressman Emanuel Celler, the then chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, in which the Immigration and Nationality Subcommittee was a part of.

The memo went on to detail one incident in which Corso provided General Arthur S. Trudeau with a list of individuals he alleged were “Fabian Socialists” within the U.S. government. “Fabian Socialists” are members of a British socialist organization founded in 1884, advocating for a gradual transition from capitalism to socialism through reform rather than revolution.

This term was used by Corso toindividuals within the U.S. government whom he accused of subversive activities. The FBI had reviewed its files and found “although [the FBI]  did find derogatory information concerning many of them, there was insufficient evidence to prove the validity of the allegation of ‘Fabian Socialists'”.

Another revelation in the FBI files is Corso’s involvement in spreading a claim that Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy, was an FBI informant.

According to the documents, Corso admitted to an FBI official that he had disseminated this information, claiming it came from CIA sources. However, he refused to identify these sources, stating, his allegations “had been strictly deductions and had no basis in fact”. He further stated that his “CIA friends had no facts whatsoever [and]  he did not want to reveal their identity.”

The documents also highlight Corso’s role in leaking information about a Polish defector, Michal Goleniewski, to the press in the early 1960s.

The FBI noted that there was “some basis to believe that Corso may have deliberately distorted information concerning this defector” and that Corso was characterized by another government agency as a “parasite who has never produced any intelligence through his own efforts but has profited from information developed by dedicated Government agents and investigators”​​. It is unclear which government agency labeled Corso a “parasite”.

Congressman Feighan had significant issues with the results of the name check. Feighan felt that the findings by the FBI were unfair and amounted to a violation of Corso’s civil rights.

In response to Feighan’s concerns, another memo was circulated within the FBI, indicating that the Bureau stood by their original assessment of Corso. The memo emphasized the need to “set the record straight” regarding Corso, as the FBI believed Feighan was misinformed about the nature of Corso’s background and the legitimacy of the allegations against him. The memo outlined various instances where Corso had made unfounded claims and highlighted the importance of maintaining the integrity of the FBI’s findings.

In the end, Corso was not permitted to serve on the Immigration and Nationalities Subcommittee.

A couple of years after the name check, documents reveal that Corso was suing prominent columnist Drew Pearson (and possibly Jack Anderson) for libel, accusing him of writing on column on March 29, 1965, which had a portion entitled “FBI Blackballs Aide” and refers to Corso.

The Black Vault tracked down this column, which was archived within CIA files. That column can be seen embedded in this article. Although FBI files show that Corso was suing Pearson, it was actually Jack Anderson who wrote the column. Based on the documents released, it is unclear if Anderson was part of the suit, or what the result was.

It was believed by Corso that information in the column was based on information somehow obtained from the FBI memos about Corso that were sent to Congressman Celler. It was unclear how Pearson could have obtained the information, or if they truly had the full contents of the memos.

It was also during these time in 1966, when FBI files further reveal that due to Congressman Feighan’s disagreement with the FBI about Corso’s name check, it would have a lasting effect that would change the Bureau’s willingness to help him. In an April 1, 1966, memorandum, it was said that Robert J. Beatson was seeking “all” information the FBI had on the the “Cuban refugee problem.” This request was made on behalf of Congressman Feighan, and the Immigration and Nationalities Subcommittee.

This then sparked the FBI to resurface the disagreement Congressman Feighan had with the FBI, and it was written in Anderson’s column that Feighan had “phoned the Attorney General and tongue-lashed him for turning over an FBI memorandum concerning Corso to Representative Celler and accused the Attorney General of ‘McCarthy-like tactics’ in circulating ‘unevaluated’ information.”

As a result, the FBI stated, “In view of the antagonistic attitude which has been displayed toward the Bureau by Feighan, particularly with regard to the Corso matter, it is not felt that we should take any steps to be of assistance to his subcommittee or any of its representatives.”

Decades after this, Corso surfaced again in FBI files. This time in the form of a handwritten letter from 1990 that Corso had sent to Senator Strom Thurmond, where Corso describes his knowledge of a “lethal barometric device” weapon and that he wanted to inform the Senator of his knowledge about it.

This communication to Thurmond was sparked by Corso’s reading about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in the September 1990 issue of Reader’s Digest. In his letter, Corso detailed his experiences with a similar device developed by the Germans during World War II. Corso’s intention was to share his expertise in hopes of contributing to counter-terrorism efforts.

In the letter, Corso even drew the device and how he recalled it being shaped like a “sausage”:

The details unearthed in these documents juxtapose Corso’s audacious claims with the stark reality of his inconsistent and often unsubstantiated allegations. This raises questions about the credibility of his famous UFO claims, considering his track record of making unsupported statements to and about the U.S. government over the span of decades.

In addition, it’s important to note that all of the documents released were written prior to the establishment of the FOIA, in an era when government officials could express their opinions more candidly, never anticipating that their words would one day be scrutinized by the public. It is also worth noting that most, if not all, did not surface until 26 years after the publishing of Corso’s book.

The FOIA response from the FBi to The Black Vault also indicates that additional records related to Corso may exist within the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). They provided various FBI numbers to track down, and The Black Vault is actively pursuing these additional files to further investigate Corso’s claims and the extent of his interactions with government agencies.

###

(Note: The original request seeking information from the FBI on Corso was filed by The Black Vault in 2017. That yielded a “no records” response. Years later, a reference to an FBI file number was discovered that may have pertained to Corso, so a new request was filed in 2019. However, in this particular request, unlike the one filed in 2017, it included language to request “cross references” about Corso, vs. just seeking a “main file” search.

According to the FBI, they consider these newly released files on Corso as “cross references” and not a “main file” indicating he was never officially investigated by the FBI. Therefore, in 2017, they considered these files as non-responsive, which is why a “no records” response was first received.

Seeking out “cross references” is now in the language of every request filed to the FBI by The Black Vault, and has been the case for many years. However, in 2017, that standard language had yet to be implemented for each submission.)

Document Archive

FBI Releases Files on Lt. Col. Philip Corso [321 Pages, 65.5MB]

 

 

 

 

 

---

Follow The Black Vault on Social Media: