Congress Hits Contractor With Formal UFO Demand

A sitting United States Congressman has now sent formal legal questions to one of the most powerful federally funded research corporations in United States, demanding answers about classified UAP records, recovered materials, and alleged crash retrieval programs. Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri, who sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and serves on the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, transmitted formal legislative interrogatories and production requests to The MITRE Corporation. The acronym FFRDC stands for Federally Funded Research and Development Center, and these entities are private nonprofits that receive privileged access to classified facilities, sensitive data, federal programs, and government-funded research. MITRE is one of the largest and most influential FFRDCs in the country.

According to the official statement from Burlison’s office, MITRE is being asked to disclose whether it currently holds, or has ever held, records related to UAP, anomalous aerospace or undersea events, recovered materials, technologies of unknown origin, and alleged legacy crash retrieval or reverse engineering programs. The inquiry builds directly on his recent letter to MIT Lincoln Laboratory, which focused on historical UAP records associated with the Beacon Hill Study and a specific reel-to-reel recording labeled AF-ATIC-FILM 03/52. Reference to the acronym ATIC points back to the Air Technical Intelligence Center, the United States Air Force office that handled UFO reports in the 1950s. Lincoln Lab was asked to identify, preserve, digitize, and transfer any responsive government-funded UAP records to the National Archives and Records Administration, also known as NARA.

The legal foundation behind the inquiry is the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which established a national UAP Records Collection at NARA under Record Group 615. Federal agencies have been directed to identify, review, digitize, and transfer appropriate UAP records to that collection. This is federal law, not a recommendation. According to recent reporting on statements from Congressman Tim Burchett, very important materials and knowledge have likely been transferred to private contractors where they are no longer subject to Freedom of Information Act requests and no longer accessible to congressional oversight. That allegation is exactly what the MITRE inquiry is now testing in writing.

As noted in the official statement, the interrogatories cover Special Access Programs, also called SAPs, Controlled Access Programs, national programs, and activities under Alternative Compensatory Control Measures, also known as ACCMs. These are the most tightly held categories of classified information in the United States government, sitting above standard top secret classification. 

The letter also covers classification guides, nondisclosure instruments, contractor-held federal records, sensor data, materials analysis, third-party relationships, budgetary mechanisms, and any internal disclosures or retaliation concerns related to UAP records or programs. MITRE is required to designate a senior official to coordinate the response, issue a preservation hold so that no records get destroyed during the inquiry, provide a records location index, produce unclassified responsive records, identify classified or sponsor controlled materials, and coordinate a classified briefing for Task Force Members and cleared committee staff.

Burlison also issued a direct appeal to potential whistleblowers and named the exact protected channels they should use. Reference to his statement points to the cognizant Inspector General, the United States Office of Special Counsel, the Government Accountability Office, the House Whistleblower Ombuds, and Member offices directly. He emphasized that any classified information should only be transmitted through appropriate, secure, and lawful channels. With Lincoln Lab already under inquiry and MITRE now the first FFRDC to receive formal legislative interrogatories, the Task Force is effectively mapping the full ecosystem of contractor-held federal records. Other FFRDCs may receive similar inquiries in the weeks ahead.

Sources

Burlison Presses MITRE for Answers on UAP Records, FFRDC Accountability, and Compliance with Federal Declassification Mandates | Representative Burlison. (2026, May 27). Representative Burlison. https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/burlison-presses-mitre-answers-uap-records-ffrdc-accountability-and-compliance

Rufo & Lomez. (2026, May 26). Michael Shellenberger on UFOs and Aliens | EP 52 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeNJjZpkdyw