In recent weeks, rumors spread rapidly on social media suggesting that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) had made an extraordinary discovery—potentially alien life—and that members of Congress had been briefed about it. The rumors intensified after U.S. Representative Andre Carson, who had previously chaired a congressional hearing on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), declined to answer a question about classified briefings when asked by @AskaPol_UAPs run by journalist Matt Laslo on X. The speculation prompted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, filed by The Black Vault on September 22, 2024, seeking any records—classified or unclassified—about JWST briefings provided to…
Author: John Greenewald
The Black Vault has successfully obtained a new release of a previously heavily redacted document, which sheds new light on a military manual concerning Joint Psychological Operations Task Force (JPOTF) headquarters training. The document, originally requested under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case 09-F-1583 in 2009, and partially released in 2014, contained multiple redactions under FOIA exemption (b)(2), primarily concerning internal personnel rules and practices of an agency. However, following a 2016 case filed by The Black Vault to request a re-review under 16-F-1727, the document has now been released in full, with no redactions. Exemption (b)(2) is often cited…
Background Psychological Operations (PSYOPs) are strategic efforts used by military and governmental organizations to influence the perceptions, emotions, and behavior of foreign populations, governments, organizations, or individuals. The primary goal of PSYOPs is to shape attitudes and decision-making in ways that align with the objectives of the originating force, typically to gain an advantage in conflicts or operations without direct military engagement. PSYOPs can take many forms, including propaganda campaigns, dissemination of information or misinformation, and psychological tactics designed to weaken enemy morale, create confusion, or bolster support among allies or neutral parties. These operations may involve a variety of…
Project Cirrus was an early attempt at weather modification, conducted in the late 1940s by a collaboration between the U.S. military and General Electric (GE). Launched in 1947, its primary goal was to alter weather patterns by seeding clouds with dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) or silver iodide particles. The idea was that the particles would encourage cloud condensation, thereby influencing precipitation, including rain or snow, or even altering the intensity or course of storms. One of the most famous and controversial moments in Project Cirrus occurred in October 1947, when the team attempted to seed a hurricane off the…
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released a document through a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) case, DEOM-2024-00007, which was filed by The Black Vault on March 13, 2024. The request sought the declassification of the classified annex to the report titled, “Potential Links Between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Origin of the COVID-19 Pandemic”, submitted to Congress in June 2023. The MDR release includes a partially declassified version of the annex, although much of it remains classified under Executive Order 13526, citing exemptions related to intelligence activities, sources, methods, and foreign relations. The newly…