Document · D-044
The ODNI guidance that releases from nondisclosure agreements those who speak with AARO or PURSUE
Preliminary Guidance for Implementation of NDA Waiver (ES 2026-00818)
ODNI – Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (Aaron Lukas) · Aug 1, 2026 · USA · Memorandum
Documented provenance
Scan circulated by a lawmaker who states the administration's authorization, not by an ODNI site: the provenance is documented, but the text has not been compared with an official version. Read via OCR; the signature date is illegible and the entry uses the publication date.
- What it contains
- The memorandum, signed by Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas, implements the presidential directive: employees and contractors, current or former, with information on UAP are released from nondisclosure agreements, oaths and prior commitments when they speak with authorized representatives of AARO or the PURSUE task force. Each intelligence agency must appoint within 30 days a point of contact for PURSUE and inform personnel that agreements that prohibit reporting to the president or his designees “are no longer in force.”
- What it shows and what it does not
- It formally removes an obstacle often cited by Grusch and others to explain the silence of direct witnesses, but only toward AARO and PURSUE: it does not authorize public statements or declassify information. It does not by itself prove that witnesses or materials exist.
- How it came to light
- Released on August 1, 2026 by Rep. Eric Burlison, who says he was authorized by the administration to publish it.
- The document
- Open the document (burlison.house.gov)
Sources
- Press release by Rep. Burlison with the memorandum, August 1, 2026 (primary source)
- Press release by Rep. Burlison on the directive on nondisclosure agreements, July 2026 (primary source)
- Fox News, July 21, 2026 – the presidential directive on nondisclosure agreements (press)
On this site
People 4
Claims 2
- David Grusch: Calls for releasing from nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) those who have information on UAP and for granting… Hypothesis or opinion
- David Grusch: Claims that Trump is the first president to have openly ordered the release of all government information on… Partly verified
Promises 1
- Eric Burlison: Burlison said that agencies and contractors know that Congress is aware of their existence and that the… Deadline still open
Timeline 2
- Jul 21, 2026: Presidential directive: confidentiality restrictions lifted for those who speak with AARO
- Sep 14, 2026: The Pentagon relieves from confidentiality restrictions those who report on UAP to PURSUE
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