Department of StatePDFTier 2 · Documented firsthand report
Papua New Guinea, January 28, 1985
UFOP-326 · Release 01 (5/8)
Agency
Department of State
Document type
PDF
Location
Papua New Guinea (Other)
Incident date
1/24/85
Release
Release 01 (5/8)
Evidence tier
Tier 2 · Documented firsthand report
What the document says
This document is a U.S. Department of State diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to USCINCPAC (United States Indo-Pacific Command) at Honolulu, HI on January 28, 1985.
The cable reports that the U.S. Embassy to Papua New Guinea received an inquiry from the host nation’s intelligence services regarding reports of high-altitude, high-speed aircraft in Papua New Guinean airspace on the evening of January 24, 1985. The cable refers to a representative of the local intelligence services as “NIO,” or National Intelligence Officer, throughout. The NIO relayed to U.S. diplomatic personnel that residents had been “frightened by overflights, which led to the provincial premier’s calling of a public meeting on the subject.” The NIO also stated there had been “various reports of unidentified aerial phenomena the night of January 24, including fast-moving objects with lights, contrails, and noise.” The NIO assessed these reports as credible based upon the testimony of an Air Niugini pilot who said that their radar had “picked up aircraft flying south to north at high altitude and high speed.”
The cable concludes by characterizing the information provided by the NIO as “very sketchy.” It also sought clarification from U.S. INDOPACOM on the presence or absence of U.S. military aircraft within Papua New Guinean airspace on the night in question.
Auto-extracted from the original PDF · may contain extraction artifacts. The source document above is authoritative.
UNCLASSIFIED
CSP-2025-00040
B-00002707027
"UNCLASSIFIED"
3/2/2026
UNCLASSIFIED
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
~/25/2026
UNCLASSIFIED
Pagel of 3
UNCLASSIFIED
CSP-2025-00040
B-00002707027
"UNCLASSIFIED"
3/2/2026
2. NIO SAID THERE HAVE BEEN VARIOUS REPORTS OF
UNIDENTIFIED AERIAL PHENOMENA THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 24,
INCLUDING FAST-MOVING OBJECTS WITH LIGHTS, CONTRAILS,
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
PAGE 02
PORT M 00199 2807042
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 FL YING SOUTH 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. AL THOUGH 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
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
NNN
UNCLASSIFIED
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UNCLASSIFIED
CSP-2025-00040
B-00002707027
"UNCLASSIFIED"
3/2/2026
Dissemination Rule:
Archive Copy
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
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Context
This is one of 7 Department of State records in the declassified archive, reported in the Other region. It was published in Release 01 (5/8).
Evidence tiers describe the type of record (sensor capture vs. written report vs.
administrative file) · not a claim about its conclusions. UFO Papers reports only what the documents state.