Revealed: guide the MoD uses to keep its secrets ... secret

Files deemed sensitive include those dealing with royal family, the Gurkhas — and UFOs

- Richard Palmer

The Ministry of Defence has revealed its blueprint for censoring official documents under legislation to make government records more transparent.

The MoD's "blue guide" for officials deciding which public records can be published was obtained under a Freedom of Information Act (Fol) request. It shows documents classified as top secret are housed at the MoD's sensitive archive, whose location is redacted, while about 20m more routine documents are stored at Swadlincote in Derbyshire.

Government documents of historical importance should be released for public consumption after 20 years under the Public Records Act. But there are many reasons listed why that might not happen, and they may never be transferred to the National Archives at Kew, south-west London, or opened up for use by historians, journalists and other researchers.

The 144-page blue guide says files dealing with recruitment of Gurkha soldiers from Nepal and anything about Gulf Arab ruling families are sensitive, for example. Reports of UFOs should be considered for retention, even though the MoD shut its UFO desk in 2009.