Department of War PURSUE File
State Department UAP Cable 4, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, November 5, 2004
Turkmenistan·11/5/04
Editorial summary
On November 5, 2004, the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission and USAID Director in Ashgabat met with the Board of the Union of UFOlogists (UOU) of Turkmenabat, a civil society organization in Lebap province. According to the file, UOU President Ovezberdy Muradov stated that the Turkmen military and government authorities had consulted him about mysterious occurrences in Turkmen airspace, but he reported there had been no confirmed sightings of UFOs in Turkmenistan.
The Union of UFOlogists, first established to study extraterrestrial life, had evolved into a practical civil society organization operating as an umbrella for nine member organizations. According to the cable, the UOU had become one of the U.S. government's most reliable NGO partners in Turkmenistan despite its unconventional origins. The organization had successfully registered as the first independent NGO under Turkmenistan's new 2003 NGO law and was assisting other local organizations navigate the registration process. Members told American officials that the Union attracted a diverse local brain trust of lawyers, scientists, computer experts, accountants, and teachers committed to humanitarian and development activities. The cable notes that the UOU had assisted 187 small and medium-sized enterprises with business registration in the 1990s and had distributed humanitarian assistance to refugees from Tajikistan and Afghanistan as a partner of the State Department funded CHAP program. The organization generated revenue through fee-based courses in accounting, computer skills, and other topics, including UFOlogy and massage instruction.
The cable indicates that local authorities supported the Union's work partly because, as President Muradov explained, "everyone is interested in UFOs." The organization was considering publishing an independent newsletter with a $30,000 grant proposal to USAID, though the applicant was asked to submit a more cost-effective proposal. The U.S. Embassy's assessment characterized the organization as worthy of government attention and support.
This document was released publicly in May 2026 as part of the Department of War PURSUE Release 01.
Editorial summary written by govweird from the declassified document text. The official government description follows below.
Government description
UFOlogists of Turkmenistan has gained a positive reputation as a reliable partner for the United States in Turkmenistan to the bemusement of the cable’s author in the build up of civil society organizations within the country. The reputation has become earned because everyone in Turkmenistan, apparently, “is interested in UFOs.”
Caption issued by the U.S. Department of War on war.gov/ufo. Verbatim, unedited.
Originating agency
Department of State
Record type
Incident date
11/5/04
Incident location
Turkmenistan
Release tranche
Release 01 (May 8, 2026)
Distribution
Cleared for public release