When PURSUE launched on May 8, 2026, four of the most senior officials in the US national security and intelligence apparatus issued formal statements. What they said — in their own words — is part of the public record. Here it is, with analysis.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
“The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency.”
The phrase “hidden behind classifications” is an admission. Hegseth is not saying the files were classified for legitimate national security reasons that still apply. He is saying they were hidden — implying the classification was not justified, or that it has expired. “Justified speculation” similarly acknowledges that the speculation about government UAP knowledge was not irrational — it was correct.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
“The American people have long sought transparency about the government’s knowledge of unidentified anomalous phenomena. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is actively coordinating the Intelligence Community’s declassification efforts with the Department of War to ensure a careful, comprehensive, and unprecedented review of our holdings to provide the American people with maximum transparency. Today’s release is the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort.”
Gabbard’s statement is the most significant in terms of scope. “Coordinating the Intelligence Community’s declassification efforts” means the DNI’s office is managing the IC’s participation across CIA, NSA, DIA, NRO, and other agencies. “A review of our holdings” confirms the IC has holdings — documents, imagery, intelligence products — relevant to UAP. The phrase “maximum transparency” sets an expectation against which future releases will be measured.
FBI Director Kash Patel
“The FBI is proud to stand alongside President Trump and our interagency partners in this landmark release of UAP records. For the first time in history, the American people have unfettered access to declassified government files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon — a level of transparency that no prior administration has delivered. The FBI remains committed to supporting this rolling declassification effort with the same rigor and integrity we bring to every national security matter.”
Patel characterises this as “landmark” and “unfettered access” — unusually strong language for a law enforcement director on a sensitive national security topic. He also explicitly frames the FBI’s UAP files as “national security matter,” confirming the Bureau treats UAP as within its national security jurisdiction, not merely a curiosity.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
“I applaud President Trump’s whole-of-government effort to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena. At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn. We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered.”
Isaacman’s statement is notable for what it implicitly acknowledges: there are things NASA “knows to be true,” things it has “yet to understand,” and things that “remain to be discovered.” This three-part framework distinguishes between confirmed knowledge, unresolved data, and future inquiry. It is not a statement from an agency that has nothing to contribute. The inclusion of Apollo 17 lunar imagery in Release 01 confirms NASA is actively participating in the historical disclosure.
Source: Department of War Press Release, May 8, 2026. war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4480582/