View original document (23.4 MB) PDF viewer unavailable in this browser. Download the PDF to view. According to NASA records released under the PURSUE archive on May 8, 2026, a newly declassified file titled “255_413270_UFO’s_and_Defense_What_Should_we_Prepare_For” contains a 1999 independent report on UFOs written by the French association COMETA, alongside a personal letter from a woman who identified herself as a former spokesperson for rocket scientist Wernher von Braun.
The document, hosted by the U.S. Department of War at war.gov, offers a rare glimpse into non-U.S. governmental analysis of unidentified aerial phenomena, as well as private advocacy for space exploration. The core of the file is the COMETA report, which details the results of a study by the Institute of Higher Studies for National Defence, a French institution.
The report originally appeared in a special July 1999 issue of the French magazine VSD. It is introduced with a foreword by Professor Andre Lebeau, former chairman of the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French National Center for Space Studies.
In his foreword, Lebeau addresses the scientific community’s skepticism toward UFO phenomena, noting that “it is not looked on highly in certain scientific circles to be preoccupied with phenomena that are deemed to come under the heading of popular mythology.” He draws a historical parallel to meteorites, which were long dismissed as folklore until a collective observation over the town of Laigle allowed them to enter the domain of science.
Lebeau argues that when a phenomenon is “collectively and indisputably visible,” it can be elevated to the status of a scientific object, even if its interpretation remains incomplete.
The report’s stated aim, as indicated in the document, is “stripping the UFO phenomenon of its irrational layer.” The file also includes a letter dated April 30, 2001, from a woman named Carol Rosin, addressed to a recipient identified only as “Dan.” In the letter, Rosin notes that she was “spokesperson for von Braun during the last years of his life,” referring to Wernher von Braun, the German-American aerospace engineer who played a key role in developing rocket technology for the United States.
Rosin writes that von Braun “had me commit to finding the path to open the doors to space … with his full and unlimited vision.” She states that she closed down the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Outer Space, which she founded in 1983, and that she and her husband, an actor named Jon Cypher, have been “searching for our role in promoting the space program.” Rosin mentions that she is bringing a package to Dan and expresses interest in meeting with him, writing, “We’re bringing you a package that will give you the idea. (Don’t worry, it won’t cost you or NASA a dime.)” The letter includes a postscript noting that a photograph was taken at the U.S. Space Foundation, where she and her husband were keynote speakers.
The official description of the file from the PURSUE archive states that it contains “an independent report on UFOs written by the French association COMETA” and “a letter from Carol Rosin in which she notes that she was spokesperson for von Braun during the last years of his life.” The description offers limited detail beyond these two components, and the document itself does not specify an incident date or location.
Per a Wikipedia summary of the topic, an unidentified flying object (UFO) is defined as “an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained.” Wikipedia notes that the term was coined during U.S. Air Force investigations into flying saucers, and that upon investigation, “most UFOs are identified as known objects or atmospheric phenomena, while a small number remain unexplained.” This context underscores the ongoing challenge of classifying such sightings, a challenge the COMETA report sought to address from a French national defense perspective.
What remains unanswered is the extent to which the COMETA report’s conclusions influenced French or international defense policy, as the document excerpt provided does not include the report’s full findings. Additionally, the letter from Carol Rosin raises questions about the nature of her advocacy and the contents of the package she intended to deliver. Readers should watch for future PURSUE releases to see if additional correspondence or related documents shed light on these matters, or if the full COMETA report becomes available for public review.
