CIA releases records of UFO researcher's decade-long FOIA battle

The CIA has released a collection of historical correspondence and administrative records under FOIA case F-2021-02420 ^[1]. The files detail the efforts of UFO researcher Larry W. Bryant to obtain government records regarding unidentified flying objects and alleged intelligence operations ^[1].

The release highlights the friction between the agency and Bryant, a former federal employee and government transparency advocate ^[1]. Bryant used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for decades to challenge withholding decisions and examined government records for UFO Magazine ^[1].

Pentagon career and activism

Bryant began his career with the Department of the Army on May 13, 1958 ^[6]. He served as a staff writer for the Office of Doctrine and Literature at the U.S. Army Transportation School at Fort Eustis, Virginia ^[6].

During the 1970s, he worked as a publication clerk for the Adjutant General’s Office in the U.S. Continental Army Command ^[6]. By the 1980s, Bryant became a civil service staff writer and Associate Editor for ARNEWS, the U.S. Army News service at the Pentagon ^[6].

Bryant retired from federal service in June 1994 ^[6]. He claimed his retirement followed "a number of professional reprisals due to his UFO activism" ^[6]. Though he never had a UFO encounter himself, he was active in ufology since 1957 ^[6].

Japan Airlines and Project CHERRY

Bryant sought records concerning a November 1986 Japan Airlines UFO encounter over Alaska and a 1987 meeting reportedly held at Federal Aviation Administration headquarters ^[1].

In a September 30, 2008, response, the CIA stated there was "no organized CIA effort to do research in connection with UFO phenomena" ^[1]. The agency added it had not maintained an organized UFO intelligence collection effort since the 1950s ^[1]. The CIA later recognized Bryant's news media fee status for this case in 2009 ^[1].

Bryant also pursued records on Project CHERRY and the alleged intelligence activities of John Joseph McCarthy Jr. ^[1]. In September 2004, the CIA refused to confirm or deny the existence of records that would reveal a covert relationship, citing exemptions for intelligence sources and methods ^[1]. An appeal in 2006 upheld the determination that no responsive records were located ^[1].

Research and broader activism

Bryant's work extended to other social issues, including opposition to the 2003 Iraq War and the rights of people to serve in the military regardless of sexual orientation ^[6]. He was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, where he defended the free speech rights of high school students ^[6].

His lifelong research culminated in the 2015 book, "UFO Politics at the White House: Citizens Rally ‘Round Jimmy Carter’s Promise" ^[6].

A wide collection of his work, spanning 1940 to 2020, is housed at Rice University ^[6]. The archive includes personal papers, correspondence, and records from UFO organizations such as MUFON and CAUS ^[6]. The collection contains audiovisual media, including VHS and cassette tapes, as well as news clippings and court cases filed to force the declassification of UFO documents ^[6].

What we don't know

• What specific "professional reprisals" did Bryant face at the Pentagon?
• What were the findings of the 1987 FAA meeting regarding the Japan Airlines encounter?
• What was the objective or nature of the alleged Project CHERRY?