Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS)
Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS) is a pioneering UFO research and advocacy organization dedicated to forcing government disclosure of UFO information through legal action and FOIA requests. Founded in the early 1980s, CAUS represented one of the first organized civilian efforts to systematically challenge government UFO secrecy using legal and legislative mechanisms.
| Type | research/advocacy |
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Co-Founders and Leadership
Brad Sparks was an early co-founder of CAUS, bringing technical analysis expertise to the organization's investigations. CAUS brought together researchers, attorneys, and advocates focused on using the Freedom of Information Act and court challenges to break through classification barriers surrounding UFO data.
Legal and FOIA Strategy
CAUS pioneered the use of sustained legal pressure and FOIA requests to obtain UFO-related government documents. The organization filed lawsuits against government agencies and pursued administrative appeals when FOIA requests were denied, establishing legal precedents and strategies that later organizations like The Black Vault would build upon.
Legacy and Influence
CAUS established the template for civilian UFO disclosure advocacy that continues today. The organization demonstrated that focused legal action and FOIA expertise could yield results where public pressure alone failed, though it also revealed the extent to which government agencies would invoke national security exemptions to withhold sensitive UFO data, including Fast Walker detection records from systems like NORAD and Defense Support Program (DSP).