STATE DEPARTMENT UAP CABLE 1, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, JANUARY 28, 1985

About this document

STATE DEPARTMENT UAP CABLE 1, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, JANUARY 28, 1985 is a declassified record from the U.S. U.S. Department of State, dated 1985-01-24, classification DECLASSIFIED. It is part of PURSUE Release 01 — the Pentagon's first public unsealing of UAP records under the Presidential Unsealing & Reporting System for UAP Encounters program, published on 2026-05-08 at war.gov/UFO/. UAP.WATCH has indexed the full text locally so the document can be read, searched, and cited without leaving the site.

Linked incidents

• Multi-region (PG, KZ, TM, GE, MX) — 1985–2025 (PURSUE-011)

Document text

UNCLASSIFIED

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  MRN:  85 PORT MORESBY 199
  Date/DTG:  Jan 28, 1985 / 280000Z Jan 85
  From:  AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY
  Action:  USCINCLANT ROUTINE
  E.0.:  Unknown
  TAGS:  MARR, PP
  Reference:  n/a
  Subject:  PAPUA NEW GUINEA INQUIRY RE OVERFLIGHTS

  LIMITED OFFICIAL USE

  PAGE 01  PORT M 00199 280704Z
  ACTION PM-11

  INFO OCT-00 COPY-01 ADS-00 INR-10 SS-00  CIAE-00 DODE-00
  NSAE-00 EAP-00 /022 W
  ------------------026406 280708Z /12
  0 280653Z JAN 85
  FM AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY
  TO USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
  INFO 43SW ANDERSON AFB GU IMMEDIATE
  SECSTATE WASHDC 1694
  AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
  AMEMBASSYJAKARTA

  LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PORT MORESBY 00199

  USCINCPAC FOR J3 AND POLAD
  43 SW FOR DONO
  STATE FOR EAP/PIA AND PM/RSA

  E.O. 12356: N/A
  TAGS: MARR, PP
  SUBJECT: PAPUA NEW GUINEA INQUIRY RE OVERFLIGHTS

  1. EMBASSY JANUARY 28 RECEIVED INFORMAL INQUIRY FROM
  PNG NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATION (NIO) CONCERNING
  REPORTED SIGHTINGS OF HIGH-ALTITUDE, HIGH-SPEED AIRCRAFT
  OVER PNG DURING EVENING JANUARY 24. MATTER CAME TO
  NIO'S ATTENTION WHEN ITS OFFICER IN WEWAK REPORTED LOCAL
  RESIDENTS HAD BEEN FRIGHTENED BY OVERFLIGHTS, WHICH LED
  TO THE PROVINCIAL PREMIER'S CALLING OF A PUBLIC MEETING
  ON THE SUBJECT ATTENDED BY THE PRIME MINISTER WHO WAS
  WEEKENDING IN HIS ELECTORAL DISTRICT.

  Released in Full
  IJohn Powers, Acting-Director
  US Department of State
  12/25/2026

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  2. NIO SAID THERE HAVE BEEN VARIOUS REPORTS OF
  UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 24,
  INCLUDING FAST-MOVING OBJECTS WITH LIGHTS, CONTRAILS,
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  AND NOISE. THE REPORT IN WHICH NIO PLACES SOME CREDENCE
  ORIGINATED WITH AN AIR NIUGINI PILOT WHO HAD JUST TAKEN
  OFF FROM WEWAK ENROUTE PORT MORESBY. PILOT SAID HIS
  RADAR PICKED UP AIRCRAFT FLYING SOUT H TO NORTH AT HIGH
  ALTITUDE AND HIGH SPEED WHEN HE WAS OVER ANGORAM (VIC 4
  DEG S, 144 DEG E). SEVERAL VISUAL SIGHTINGS OF
  CONTRAILS WERE ALSO REPORTED FROM VARIOUS POINTS AROUND
  PNG, OF ONE AIRCRAFT MOVING NORTH TO SOUTH AT 1900 LOCAL
  AND OF SIX-EIGHT AIRCRAFT TRAVELING SOUTH TO NORTH AT
  2200 LOCAL.

  3. BASED ON OUR RECORDS AND TELCON WITH 43SW, WE HAVE
  TOLD NIO WE KNEW OF NO B-52 OVERFLIGHTS AND NO U.S.
  AIRCRAFT IN PNG AIRSPACE ON JANUARY 24.

  4. ALTHOUGH INFORMATION PROVIDED US ON THESE SIGHTINGS
  IS VERY SKETCHY AND SOURCES WERE UNSURE OF THE
  DIRECTIONS IN WHICH AIRCRAFT WERE FLYING, WE WOULD MOST
  APPRECIATE CONFIRMATION OF PARA 3 ABOVE AND ANY LIGHT
  YOU MIGHT THROW ON THESE REPORTS.
  GARDNER

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  NNN

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  Dissemination Rule:  Archive Copy

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