Within No Files
What the Spreadsheet Itself Could Reveal
A preserved workbook could show whether dramatic phrases belonged to personnel records, exercises, test data or fiction-like placeholders.
On this page
- Workbook tabs and column headings
- Author data and file location
- Why context changes strange labels
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Introduction
One of the most intriguing aspects of Gary McKinnon’s UFO-related claims is not the phrase “Non-Terrestrial Officers” itself, but the fact that no authenticated copy of the spreadsheet has ever been produced. According to McKinnon, he viewed an Excel workbook containing names, ranks and transfer information, yet the public has never seen the file. As a result, debate centres on a remembered title rather than a document that can be examined. [WIRED]wired.comufo hacker tells what he foundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He Found21 Jun 2006 — I also got access to Excel spreadsheets. One was titled "Non-Terrestrial Officers." It…
A preserved workbook would have allowed investigators, journalists, archivists and technical experts to answer a much simpler question: what did the spreadsheet actually mean in its original context? In many cases, unusual terminology becomes far less mysterious once the surrounding tabs, columns, metadata and file location are available for inspection.
Workbook Tabs and Column Headings
The title of a spreadsheet is often the least informative part of the file. What usually matters is the structure underneath.
McKinnon told interviewers that he saw a spreadsheet titled “Non-Terrestrial Officers” and information relating to names, ranks and transfers between ships. He later described additional material involving ship names and transfers of equipment or materials. [WIRED]wired.comufo hacker tells what he foundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He Found21 Jun 2006 — I also got access to Excel spreadsheets. One was titled "Non-Terrestrial Officers." It…
Had the workbook survived, several questions could have been answered immediately:
- Were there multiple worksheets inside the file?
- Did tab names indicate logistics, personnel management, training exercises or simulations?
- Were the columns labelled with military personnel categories, inventory codes or project identifiers?
- Did the data resemble a live operational database export or a manually created list?
- Were there formulas, lookup tables or links to other internal systems?
A spreadsheet headed “Non-Terrestrial Officers” could mean very different things depending on its neighbouring data. If columns referred to launch schedules, orbital assignments or space-related duties, the phrase might simply distinguish personnel assigned away from Earth. If the workbook instead contained fictional scenario data, training records or exercise planning material, the same title would take on a completely different meaning.
Without the actual file, none of these possibilities can be tested.
Author Data and File Location
Modern office documents often contain contextual information that is more revealing than their visible contents.
A saved spreadsheet could potentially show:
- The author or creator account.
- Revision history.
- Dates of creation and modification.
- Network location.
- Folder hierarchy.
- Links to related files.
- Embedded comments or hidden worksheets.
This information would matter because the same spreadsheet title carries different weight depending on where it was stored.
For example, a workbook located inside a personnel-management directory would be interpreted differently from one found in a training folder, software-testing environment or educational simulation archive. A file path can reveal whether a document belonged to routine administration, a temporary project, an exercise database or something else entirely.
The absence of this contextual information is especially important because McKinnon himself acknowledged uncertainty about what he was seeing. When asked whether the material could have come from a military game or hypothetical scenario, he replied that it was difficult to know and that it “could be a game.” [WIRED]wired.comufo hacker tells what he foundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He Found21 Jun 2006 — I also got access to Excel spreadsheets. One was titled "Non-Terrestrial Officers." It…
That admission highlights why document context matters more than a memorable title.
Why Context Changes Strange Labels
Organisations routinely use terminology that appears extraordinary when removed from its working environment.
Military, aerospace and technical organisations often create labels that sound dramatic to outsiders but function as ordinary administrative shorthand. A phrase can refer to a deployment category, a location, a project designation, a test environment or a training scenario rather than a literal description.
The term “non-terrestrial” itself illustrates the problem. McKinnon interpreted it as meaning “not Earth-based” rather than necessarily meaning extraterrestrial beings. In later interviews he suggested that the wording might indicate personnel associated with a space-based programme. [The Guardian]theguardian.comThe GuardianGame over | Gary McKinnon9 Jul 2005 — "I found a list of officers' names," he claims, "under the heading 'Non-Terrestrial Off…
A preserved workbook could have helped determine whether that interpretation fit the surrounding evidence.
For instance:
- A column labelled “Station” might point toward orbital assignments.
- References to exercises or simulations might suggest training data.
- Personnel identifiers matching known military formats might indicate routine records.
- Placeholder names could reveal a test database.
- Links to fictional or experimental projects could change the entire meaning of the file.
The title alone cannot distinguish among these explanations.
The Difference Between a Claim and a Document
The broader McKinnon case demonstrates why screenshots and saved files matter so much. The publicly documented evidence concerns the computer intrusions themselves, which were the subject of indictments, investigations and court proceedings. [Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeLondon, England Hacker Indicted Under Computer Fraud…Gary McKinnon accessed and damaged without authorization 92…
The UFO-related interpretation rests largely on recollections of material that was not preserved for independent examination. A spreadsheet copy would not automatically have proved the existence of a secret space programme. However, it would have allowed others to inspect the terminology, trace the document’s origins, compare it with known military and aerospace records, and test alternative explanations.
In that sense, the missing spreadsheet is significant not because it confirms any extraordinary claim, but because it prevents ordinary verification. The most useful evidence would not have been the phrase “Non-Terrestrial Officers” itself. It would have been everything around that phrase: the tabs, columns, metadata, file path and surrounding records that could reveal what the document was actually designed to describe. [WIRED]wired.comufo hacker tells what he foundWIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He Found21 Jun 2006 — I also got access to Excel spreadsheets. One was titled "Non-Terrestrial Officers." It…
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Endnotes
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Source: wired.com
Title: ufo hacker tells what he found
Link: https://www.wired.com/2006/06/ufo-hacker-tells-what-he-found/Source snippet
WIRED'UFO Hacker' Tells What He Found21 Jun 2006 — I also got access to Excel spreadsheets. One was titled "Non-Terrestrial Officers." It...
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Source: justice.gov
Link: https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2002/mckinnonIndict.htmSource snippet
Department of JusticeLondon, England Hacker Indicted Under Computer Fraud...Gary McKinnon accessed and damaged without authorization 92...
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Source: justice.gov
Link: https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nj/Press/files/pdffiles/Older/edva_mckinnon_[indictmentSource snippet
computers, deleted system log...
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Source: justice.gov
Title: British National Charged with Hacking Into N.J
Link: https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2002/mckinnonIndict2.htmSource snippet
seven-count Virginia Indictment charges McKinnon for intrusions into 92 computer systems belonging to the U.S. Army, Navy, A...
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Source: theguardian.com
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2005/jul/09/weekend7.weekend2Source snippet
The GuardianGame over | Gary McKinnon9 Jul 2005 — "I found a list of officers' names," he claims, "under the heading 'Non-Terrestrial Off...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Gary [Mc Kinnon]({{ ‘mc-kinnon/’ | relative_url }})
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_McKinnonSource snippet
Gary McKinnonGary McKinnon (born February 1966) is a Scottish systems administrator and hacker who was accused by a US prosecutor in 2...
Published: February 1966
Additional References
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFd7XzTf6_kSource snippet
David Grusch & NASA Hacker Gary McKinnonThe story of how a hacker breached NASA security with the intention of proving that NASA is hidin...
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Source: youtube.com
Link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OFfQo4HkGp0Source snippet
NASA Hacker Found Alien Officers List...Gary McKinnon, the hacker who broke into NASA, claimed to have found evidence of UFOs and a secr...
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Source: blackhatethicalhacking.com
Title: gary mckinnon and the biggest military computer hack of all time
Link: https://www.blackhatethicalhacking.com/articles/gary-mckinnon-and-the-biggest-military-computer-hack-of-all-time/Source snippet
Hacking Stories: Gary McKinnon and the "biggest military...16 Nov 2020 — He discovered an Excel spreadsheet titled “Non-Terrestrial Offi...
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Source: cybernews.com
Title: He based his actions on his obsessive search for evidence of UFOs.Read more
Link: https://cybernews.com/tech/hacker-who-breached-nasa-trying-prove-ufo-existence/Source snippet
The hacker who breached NASA to prove that UFOs exist31 Oct 2023 — Known online as Solo, McKinnon obsessively poked around US government...
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Source: pinsentmasons.com
Title: alleged uk hacker will fight extradition to us
Link: https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/alleged-uk-hacker-will-fight-extradition-to-usSource snippet
14 Nov 2002 — US prosecutors on Tuesday indicted Gary McKinnon, 36, of Hornsey, north London, for allegedly hacking into the computer sys...
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Source: brobible.com
Title: mckinnon military hack government ufo images
Link: https://brobible.com/culture/article/mckinnon-military-hack-government-ufo-images/Source snippet
Legendary Hacker Claims Government Has UFO Images...3 Mar 2026 — McKinnon claims he saw a cigar-shaped UFO in one image · He also saw a...
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Source: publications.parliament.uk
Title: It damaged computers by impairing their
Link: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldjudgmt/jd080730/mckinn-1.htmSource snippet
UK ParliamentMckinnon V Government of The United States of America...30 Jul 2008 — The appellant also copied data and files onto his own...
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Source: welivesecurity.com
Title: gary mckinnon reveals detail on nasa data breach and extraterrestrial life
Link: https://www.welivesecurity.com/2015/12/08/gary-mckinnon-reveals-detail-on-nasa-data-breach-and-extraterrestrial-life/Source snippet
This excel sheet, he explained, had the ranks and names of unknown individuals. sheet...
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Source: reddit.com
Title: Does anyone remember Gary Mc Kinnon?
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/16r2dmr/does_anyone_remember_gary_mckinnon_a_british/Source snippet
A British hacker...As far as I know, he has yet to speak about this topic in 20 years. I did a small search a few months ago and found v...
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Source: podmust.com
Title: Listen online, share, subscribe
Link: https://podmust.com/ep/?epis=R2FyeSBNY0tpbm5vbjogVGhlIEhhY2tlciBXaG8gRm91bmQgTkFTQSdzIFVGTyAmIE5vbi1UZXJyZXN0cmlhbCBPZmZpY2Vycw%3D%3D&podcast=the-daily-conspiracySource snippet
Gary McKinnon: The Hacker Who Found NASA's UFO &...Podcast episode from The Daily Conspiracy Podcast: Gary McKinnon: The Hacker Who Foun...
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