Churchill ‘ordered cover-up of UFO encounter’ in war

WINSTON Churchill was accused of covering up a close encounter between an RAF aircraft and a UFO during the Second World War.

The former British prime minister allegedly ordered the unexplained incident should be kept secret for at least 50 years because it would provoke “mass panic”.

The claim, made by a scientist who said his grandfather was one of Churchill’s bodyguards, is recounted in declassified Ministry of Defence UFO files made available online by the National Archives.

The allegations emerged when the man, from Leicester, wrote to the government in 1999 seeking to find out more about it.

He described how his grandfather, who served with the RAF, was present when Churchill and US General Dwight Eisenhower discussed how to deal with the encounter.

The man, who is not named, said Churchill reportedly exclaimed: “This event should be immediately classified since it would create mass panic amongst the general population and destroy one’s belief in the church.”

The incident allegedly involved an RAF plane that was over or near the English coastline when it was intercepted by a strange metallic object which matched the aircraft’s course and speed for a time before accelerating away and disappearing.

The scientist said: “Another person at the meeting raised the possibility of an unidentified flying object, at which point Mr Churchill declared that the incident should be immediately classified for at least 50 years.”

Whitehall officials could find no records of discussions between Churchill and Eisenhower, the files released yesterday show.