From a December 2008 email by the last UFO desk officer of the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, included in files released in July by the British National Archives. The names of both the desk officer and the recipient were redacted. The UFO desk was closed in 2009.

In the event that I win the lottery over Christmas or walk under a bus, I thought it would be helpful if I gave you some details about the role of the UFO desk.

The MoD position on extraterrestrials is quite clear. We know of no evidence to confirm the existence of…