State Department UAP Cable 1, Papua New Guinea, January 28, 1985
Agency: Department of State
Incident date: 1/24/85
Incident location: Papua New Guinea

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.

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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 
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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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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 
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NNN 
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