Person
John Greenewald Jr.
Founder of the FOIA archive The Black Vault
2019– · Critics and skeptics · Researcher
An independent researcher, he runs The Black Vault, an online archive of government documents obtained through FOIA requests, critical of both AARO and the claims of the advocates. He has published key documents on the Elizondo case, such as the Garry Reid memo and the Pentagon emails, and on AARO's attempts to hear from Grusch. He showed that a “mothership” photo circulated by Elizondo in 2024 had been taken more than 400 miles from the location indicated and showed the reflection of a lamp.
- Key claims
- Observed that Politico's Bryan Bender was the only one to report Dana White's confirmation of Elizondo's role.
- On Metabunk he is quoted as arguing that the “catch-22” of DOPSR review described by Grusch does not work as Grusch explained.
- Today
- He continues to publish FOIA documents on AARO, AAWSAP and the PURSUE files (2025–2026).
Documented authority
It measures how documented and verifiable what the person claims is, not their honesty. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 2.
- Credentials 1/2
- His role is documented mainly by his archive and the sources that cite him.
- Direct access not applicable
- Not applicable: does not claim direct knowledge of the facts; reports sources or documents.
- Evidence provided 2/2
- He publishes the primary documents obtained via FOIA, available to anyone.
- Claims track record not applicable
- The sources consulted do not trace the outcome of any verifiable claims made by this person.
- Conflicts of interest not applicable
- The sources consulted do not document financial interests tied to the topic.
Sources
- The Black Vault, April 18, 2024: FOIA documents on AARO's attempts to hear from Grusch (primary source)
- Futurism, November 2024: the “mothership” photo (archived copy) (press)
- The Black Vault, June 5, 2019: the Pentagon denies Elizondo's role in AATIP (analysis)
- Metabunk: discussion of Jesse Michels's interview with Grusch (September 2023) (analysis, skeptical)
On this site
Documents 5
- The Chilean file on the FLIR video recorded by a Navy helicopter on November 11, 2014 Documented provenance
- AARO's rules for receiving information covered by nondisclosure agreements, including the contacts with Grusch in November 2023 Documented provenance
- The prepublication review file for the message on the alleged retrieval program circulated by Christopher Mellon Documented provenance
- The Navy confirms its refusal to release 78 photographs classified as UAP (February 24, 2026) Documented provenance
- The State Department “Moon Dust” cables (1973–1978) on the retrieval of fallen space objects Original available
Cases 1
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UAPgrade's entries are compiled with artificial intelligence (three verifiers with opposing roles) and checked against the sources listed above: how we work. Have a document that changes this entry? Bring it to the Investigations Unit.