The Condign Report (released in May of 2006) was a top secret study on UFOs (renamed UAPS) conducted by the MoD (British Ministry of Defense) between 1996 and 2000. Among other things, the report acknowledged the existence of, not UFOs per se but "UAPS" (Unidentified Ariel Phenomena) which posed no threat to humans. This astounding conclusion was made even while admitting no one knew exactly what UFOs, now renamed UAPS, were.

The Condign Report told us that UFOs aren't UFOs, they're UAPs: Somehow this game of semantics was an attempt to demote the culture charged term UFO, with its implications of aliens, non-human entities, little green men, ET, abductors, fairies, mysticism and other worldly glimpses to the mundane and vaguely scientific UAP.

UAPs are mere natural phenomenon. Oh, it's still tantalizing at times, a mystery, these UAPs, but really, nothing to worry about or fear. Certainly nothing to be concerned about. All just basically groovy light stuff happening up there from things like electricity and plasma and, well, you know. Nothing to do with flying saucers, and that's the only important thing. (See my article: UFOs: The New Swamp Gas.)

(There is much more to the Condign Report, and many layers of information regarding UFO research. See the The Real UFO Project, for starters.)

Knell writes: "My own source at the MoD said that the organization was of two minds when it came to UFOs. Many UK Military Officers feel there is ample evidence to believe that Aliens exist and are visiting the Earth without respect for national boundaries or security. That makes them a national security concern. Others at the MoD believe the entire matter is without merit and should be ignored."

This is similar to government agencies everywhere. On the surface, a denial, an almost blissful ignorance of the UFO phenomena, while behind that facade are those who believe otherwise. (And often they "believe" otherwise because they've seen otherwise.) All the issues of disinformation, misinformation, protection of classified technology, debunking campaigns and cover-ups aside, this dichotomy among official institutions is revealing. Whether it's literally extraterrestrial or not, something out of the mundane realm of experience is going on, and factions within agencies know about it.