There is just as much evidence of extra-terrestrials as there is that this was to protect the reputation of 'someone' from something someone who is long dead an

There is just as much evidence of extra-terrestrials as there is that this was to protect the reputation of 'someone' from something someone who is long dead and buried once did. No one cares if your great-great-great-great grandfather was a slave owner. If they did, it would come up far more often. I can also counter your adage with another: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." The simplest answer is actually stupidity. Someone(s) didn't know what they had and just freed up space that was taken up by records that were long past their retention period.