Document Overview
The “Halt Memorandum” stands as one of the most significant official military documents acknowledging a UFO encounter. Written by Lieutenant Colonel Charles I. Halt, Deputy Base Commander at RAF Bentwaters, and dated January 13, 1981, this memorandum to the UK Ministry of Defence describes extraordinary events that occurred in Rendlesham Forest in late December 1980. The document’s matter-of-fact tone, coming from a high-ranking U.S. Air Force officer at a nuclear weapons storage facility, transformed what might have been dismissed as folklore into an officially documented military incident.
The Complete Memorandum
Original Text
DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE HEADQUARTERS 81ST COMBAT SUPPORT GROUP (USAFE) APO NEW YORK 09755
REPLY TO ATTN OF: CD SUBJECT: Unexplained Lights TO: RAF/CC
13 Jan 81
-
Early in the morning of 27 Dec 80 (approximately 0300L), two USAF security police patrolmen saw unusual lights outside the back gate at RAF Woodbridge. Thinking an aircraft might have crashed or been forced down, they called for permission to go outside the gate to investigate. The on-duty flight chief responded and allowed three patrolmen to proceed on foot. The individuals reported seeing a strange glowing object in the forest. The object was described as being metallic in appearance and triangular in shape, approximately two to three meters across the base and approximately two meters high. It illuminated the entire forest with a white light. The object itself had a pulsing red light on top and a bank(s) of blue lights underneath. The object was hovering or on legs. As the patrolmen approached the object, it maneuvered through the trees and disappeared. At this time the animals on a nearby farm went into a frenzy. The object was briefly sighted approximately an hour later near the back gate.
-
The next day, three depressions 1 1/2” deep and 7” in diameter were found where the object had been sighted on the ground. The following night (29 Dec 80) the area was checked for radiation. Beta/gamma readings of 0.1 milliroentgens were recorded with peak readings in the three depressions and near the center of the triangle formed by the depressions. A nearby tree had moderate (.05-.07) readings on the side of the tree toward the depressions.
-
Later in the night a red sun-like light was seen through the trees. It moved about and pulsed. At one point it appeared to throw off glowing particles and then broke into five separate white objects and then disappeared. Immediately thereafter, three star-like objects were noticed in the sky, two objects to the north and one to the south, all of which were about 10° off the horizon. The objects moved rapidly in sharp angular movements and displayed red, green and blue lights. The objects to the north appeared to be elliptical through an 8-12 power lens. They then turned to full circles. The objects to the north remained in the sky for an hour or more. The object to the south was visible for two or three hours and beamed down a stream of light from time to time. Numerous individuals, including the undersigned, witnessed the activities in paragraphs 2 and 3.
CHARLES I. HALT, Lt Col, USAF Deputy Base Commander
Document Analysis
Writing Style
Professional Restraint:
- Military format standard
- Emotionless reporting
- Factual presentation
- No speculation
- Official protocol followed
Significant Details:
- Specific measurements
- Radiation readings
- Time references
- Multiple witnesses referenced
- Personal involvement confirmed
Key Elements
First Night (December 26):
- Security patrol involvement
- Triangular metallic object
- Forest illumination
- Animal disturbance
- Brief reappearance
Physical Evidence:
- Three ground depressions
- Triangular pattern
- Specific measurements
- Radiation detected
- Tree damage
Second Night (December 28):
- Halt personally involved
- Multiple phenomena
- Extended duration
- Various objects
- Light beam reported
Historical Context
Base Significance
RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge:
- NATO facility
- U.S. Air Force operated
- Nuclear weapons storage (suspected)
- High security location
- Strategic importance
Cold War Tensions
December 1980:
- Height of Cold War
- Soviet threat paramount
- Security paramount
- Airspace violations serious
- Technology concerns high
The Witnesses
Named Personnel
Charles Halt:
- Deputy Base Commander
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Career officer
- Unimpeachable record
- Personal witness
Unnamed Witnesses
“Two USAF security police patrolmen”
- Later identified as Budd Parker and John Burroughs
“Three patrolmen”
- Included Jim Penniston
- Primary witnesses
- Direct contact
“Numerous individuals”
- Multiple personnel
- Various ranks
- Consistent stories
Physical Evidence Documentation
Ground Traces
Measurements Recorded:
- 1.5 inches deep
- 7 inches diameter
- Three depressions
- Triangular formation
- Center point identified
Significance:
- Weight calculation possible
- Pattern suggests landing
- Physical proof
- Investigable evidence
- Not easily hoaxed
Radiation Readings
Specific Data:
- 0.1 milliroentgens peak
- Background normal elsewhere
- Tree showing directional exposure
- Beta/gamma radiation
- Above normal levels
Implications:
- Ionizing radiation present
- Directional pattern
- Recent exposure
- Unknown source
- Health concerns
The Second Night
Halt’s Personal Involvement
Direct Observation:
- “Undersigned witnessed”
- Official confirmation
- Career risk taken
- Credibility staked
- No ambiguity
Multiple Phenomena
Various Objects Described:
- Red sun-like light
- Glowing particles
- Five white objects
- Three star-like objects
- Different behaviors
Extended Duration:
- “Hour or more” (north)
- “Two or three hours” (south)
- Multiple witnesses throughout
- Sustained observation
- Not fleeting glimpse
Official Response
UK Ministry of Defence
Initial Reaction:
- Acknowledged receipt
- No investigation launched
- “No defence significance”
- File created
- Minimal action
U.S. Air Force
Internal Response:
- Investigation conducted
- Evidence collected
- Witnesses debriefed
- Results classified
- Public silence
Document Journey
Classification Status
1981-2001:
- Not officially classified
- Limited distribution
- UK MoD files
- FOIA requests
- Gradual emergence
Public Release
Key Moments:
- 1983: First public knowledge
- 2001: UK files released
- Media attention grows
- Witness corroboration
- Story expands
Corroborating Evidence
The Halt Tape
Audio Recording:
- Real-time documentation
- Emotional reactions
- Technical discussions
- Radiation readings
- Confirms memo
Witness Statements
Supporting Testimony:
- Penniston’s account
- Burroughs’ experience
- Other personnel
- Consistent details
- Expanded information
Physical Evidence
Additional Findings:
- Photographs taken
- Plaster casts made
- Soil samples collected
- Some evidence missing
- Cover-up alleged
Significance Assessment
Military Documentation
Unprecedented Aspects:
- High-ranking officer
- Official memorandum
- Nuclear base
- Physical evidence
- Multiple nights
Credibility Factors
Why It Matters:
- Author’s rank/position
- Official channel used
- Specific details
- Matter-of-fact tone
- Career risk
Alternative Explanations
Lighthouse Theory
Skeptic Claims:
- Orford Ness lighthouse
- Misidentification
- Psychological factors
Problems:
- Doesn’t explain physical evidence
- Witnesses knew lighthouse
- Wrong direction
- Multiple phenomena
Military Exercise
Cover Story Possibility:
- Secret test
- Classified operation
- Disinformation
Issues:
- Risk to personnel
- International incident
- Physical evidence
- Multiple witnesses
Long-term Impact
UFO Research
Document’s Influence:
- Validated military encounters
- Encouraged witnesses
- Set precedent
- Inspired investigations
- Remains cornerstone case
Disclosure Movement
Continuing Relevance:
- Example of documentation
- Military acknowledgment
- Physical evidence
- Government files
- Truth emergence
Modern Perspective
Historical Validation
Subsequent Revelations:
- More witnesses emerged
- Additional documents
- Expanded story
- Cover-up evidence
- Ongoing mystery
Official Attitudes
Changed Landscape:
- UAP acknowledgment
- Military openness
- Serious investigation
- Pattern recognition
- Vindication
Key Takeaways
Document Proves
- Military officers document UFOs officially
- Physical evidence left by phenomena
- Radiation associated with landings
- Multiple witnesses include commanders
- Government files contain explosive information
Lasting Questions
Still Unanswered:
- Object origin
- Technology type
- Radiation source
- Full investigation results
- Complete truth
Conclusion
The Halt Memorandum remains one of the most important documents in UFO history. Its straightforward military style, authored by a high-ranking officer at a sensitive nuclear facility, provides official confirmation of an extraordinary event. The memo’s matter-of-fact description of a landed craft, physical traces, radiation readings, and extended observations by multiple witnesses transforms the Rendlesham Forest incident from mere story to documented fact.
Lieutenant Colonel Halt’s decision to document these events officially, knowing the career risks, demonstrates both personal integrity and the undeniable nature of what occurred. The memorandum’s specific measurements, radiation data, and multiple phenomena descriptions provide investigators with concrete data rarely available in UFO cases.
Most significantly, this document proves that military personnel at the highest levels have observed, investigated, and officially reported encounters with structured craft demonstrating capabilities beyond known technology. The Halt Memorandum stands as irrefutable evidence that whatever happened in Rendlesham Forest in December 1980 was real, physical, and important enough for a Deputy Base Commander to risk his career documenting it.
In our current era of UAP disclosure, the Halt Memorandum serves as both historical precedent and continuing challenge - proof that truth can emerge through official channels when courageous individuals choose documentation over silence, transparency over secrecy, and duty to truth over personal comfort.