The office also rejected the claim that US had or was covering up a program to reverse-engineer alien technology. While some cases remain unexplained, in almost every instance the reports were fabricated or had more mundane explanations. 

Others stemmed from confusion over top-secret government programs around aerial drones and satellites that had nothing to do with aliens, according to the 63-page report from the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.

“All investigative efforts, at all levels of classification, concluded that most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification,” the report said. Claims of secret government programs were “the result of circular reporting from a group of individuals who believe this to be the case despite the lack of any evidence.”

The findings will do little to dissuade the legions of Americans who believe the government is hiding an extensive history of alien visitation. But it offers what the Pentagon sees as the definitive attempt to debunk everything from the 1947 Roswell crash — actually a downed military balloon – to some of the earliest reports of flying saucers, which were probably the V-173 “flying pancake,” a program discontinued in 1948. 

The Pentagon established the office and launched the review in response to a fresh surge of interest in alien sightings that was prompted by the 2020 release of mysterious videos taken by naval aviators. They showed objects flying at high speed and moving in ways that defied explanations. The report did not, however, explain those sightings. 

Read More: Close Encounters With UFOs Described to Congressional Panel

Friday’s report reviewed claims of alien encounters dating back to the 1940s, researched classified and unclassified archives and conducted dozens of interviews. It chalked up a periodic surge in claims to “a range of cultural, political, and technological factors,” including the Cold War with the Soviet Union, excessive government secrecy and mistrust in the authorities.

The report to Congress was required by law as part of the 2023 defense authorization act, and will be followed by a second report investigating additional claims. While it sought to discredit the reports, it was careful not to doubt the intentions of people who claim to have seen aliens.

The office “recognizes that many people sincerely hold versions of these beliefs which are based on their perception of past experiences, the experiences of others whom they trust, or media and online outlets they believe to be sources of credible and verifiable information,” it said.