John Greenewald Jr. is an American researcher and archivist best known for founding The Black Vault, a large-scale repository of declassified government documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. In modern UAP discourse, he is influential for translating disclosure debates into questions of documentation, chain of custody, and what the public record actually supports.

Greenewald’s work began at a young age, with an emphasis on government records rather than purely testimonial UFO narratives. His credibility within the community stems from persistence, procedural knowledge, and the accumulation of primary-source materials that can be independently reviewed.

His ufology role is best described as archival and investigative journalism adjacent: he systematically requests records, publishes them with contextual notes, and publicly analyzes discrepancies between claims and documents. This makes him a key counterweight to purely rumor-driven disclosure cycles.

In early years, Greenewald established The Black Vault as a broad FOIA archive, covering many government topics while increasingly intersecting with UFO-related subjects. This period built the infrastructure—technical, procedural, and reputational—that later enabled high-visibility UAP document releases and analyses.

Greenewald’s prominence rose as UFO/UAP discussion re-entered mainstream media. He became known for publishing and contextualizing documents tied to modern UAP offices and historical programs, emphasizing what could be substantiated through the public record and where ambiguity remained.

In later work, he has continued FOIA efforts while acting as a public fact-checking voice in a rapidly evolving disclosure environment. His analysis often focuses on timelines, nomenclature, bureaucratic pathways, and the difference between claims, hearsay, and documentary evidence.

• Primary-source infrastructure: Built a widely referenced repository enabling independent review.
• FOIA normalization: Helped make public-records methods central to contemporary UAP inquiry.
• Documentation-first skepticism: Elevated standards by emphasizing provenance and verifiable records.

Greenewald is associated with document releases and archival compilation rather than “field cases.” His “cases” are often bureaucratic: tracing agencies, programs, correspondence, and official language to clarify what government entities did or did not state publicly.

He tends to avoid definitive origin claims, emphasizing that documentation can clarify institutional activity but may not resolve the nature of observed phenomena. His approach generally treats UAP as an open question while insisting that extraordinary conclusions require extraordinary documentation.

Supporters praise his rigor and persistence; critics sometimes argue that document-based analysis cannot access the most sensitive compartments and therefore risks underestimating classified realities. Within the community, disputes often arise when his documentation challenges popular narratives or high-profile claims.

Greenewald’s influence is significant in podcasts, documentaries, and online analysis spaces where he is often invited to discuss FOIA strategy, government language, and how to interpret declassified materials responsibly.

His long-term legacy is likely to be institutional and archival: establishing a durable public record for UAP-related government documentation and modeling a method of inquiry that prioritizes primary sources over rumor.