DOS PDF RELEASE 2026-05-08 INC. 1/27/94 ⊙ Kazakhstan ⌥ 562 WORDS OCR

State Department UAP Cable 2, Kazakhstan, January 31, 1994

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This is an unclassified diplomatic cable dated January 31, 1994, transmitted from the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to the Secretary of State in Washington, D.C., with information copies to embassies in Moscow, Tashkent, Ashgabat, Almaty, Beijing, and Bishkek, as well as CIA and DIA. The reporting officer is identified as Escudero. On January 27, 1994, Tajik Air chief pilot Ed Rhodes and two American colleagues observed an unidentified object while flying a Boeing 747SP at 41,000 feet over Kazakhstan at approximately 45°N, 55°E. The object appeared as an intense bright light approaching from the east at high speed and greater altitude, maneuvering for roughly 40 minutes in circles, corkscrews, and 90-degree turns. Rhodes photographed it with a pocket camera and estimated contrails it left behind at approximately 100,000 feet.

The cable is notable for involving experienced commercial aviators, former Pan Am pilots, who explicitly rejected meteor explanations and characterized the object as extraterrestrial and under intelligent control. The reporting embassy declined to offer an opinion. Rhodes indicated photographs were taken but their receipt and current disposition are not confirmed in this record. The cable was disseminated to CIA and DIA, suggesting routine intelligence routing. No redactions are present; the document was released in full on February 25, 2026.

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This document is a U.S. Department of State diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to the Secretary of State in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 1994. On January 27, 1994 one Tajik pilot and three American citizens encountered an UAP flying a 747 jet at 41,000 feet over Kazakhstan. Object was a bright light of enormous intensity and approached over the horizon to the east at great speed and a much higher altitude. Several pictures were taken of the craft making 90 degree turns, doing corkscrews and maneuvering in circles a great rates of speed. Object was reported as resembling a bullet in flight. Visual estimation of the contrails were at 100,000 feet, which was too high to leave contrails by ordinary aircraft.

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UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/2026 UNCLASSIFIED MRN: Date/DTG: From: Action: E.O.: TAGS: Reference: Subject: 94 DUSHANBE 259 Jan 31, 1994 / 310000Z Jan 94 AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE WASHDC, SECSTATE ROUTINE; MOSCOW, AMEMBASSY ROUTINE TSPA, EAIR, KZ, TI, TAJIK AIR, (RHODES, ED) n/a TAJIK AIR PILOTS REPORT UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 01 ACTION OES-09 DUSHAN 00259 310310Z INFO LOG-00 AID-01 AMAD-01 OASY-00 DOTE-00 EAP-01 EB-01 EUR-01 FAAE-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 ADS-00 NSAE-00 SSO-00 SNIS-00 NISC-02 /016W -1FA298 310310Z /38 R 310258Z JAN 94 FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2150 INFO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY TASHKENT AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT AMEMBASSY ALMATY AMEMBASSY BEIJING AMEMBASSY BISHKEK CIA WASHDC 0224 DIA WASHDC 0232 UNCLAS DUSHANBE 00259 DEPARTMENT FOR OES/S E.O. 12356: N/A TAGS: TSAP, EAIR, TI SUBJECT: TAJIK AIR PILOTS REPORT UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT 1. TAJIK AIR CHIEF PILOT, AMCIT ED RHODES, AND HIS TWO AMERICAN PILOT COLLEAGUES REPORTED JANUARY 29 THAT, ON JANUARY 27, THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED A UFO WHILE FLYING AT 41,000 FEET IN THEIR BOEING UNCLASSIFIED Released in Full John Powers, Acting-Director US Department of State 2/25/2026 UNCLASSIFIED Page 1 of 3

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UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/2026 UNCLASSIFIED DUSHAN 00259 310310Z 747SP AT LAT 45 NORTH AND LONG 55 EAST, OVER KAZAKHSTAN. THEY FIRST ENCOUNTERED THE OBJECT AS A BRIGHT LIGHT OF ENORMOUS INTENSITY, APPROACHING THEM FROM OVER THE HORIZON TO THE EAST AT A GREAT RATE OF SPEED AND AT A MUCH HIGHER ALTITUDE THAN THEIR OWN. THEY WATCHED THE OBJECT FOR SOME FORTY MINUTES AS IT MANEUVERED IN CIRCLES, CORKSCREWS AND MADE 90-DEGREE TURNS AT RAPID RATES OF SPEED AND UNDER VERY HIGH G'S. CAPTAIN RHODES TOOK SEVERAL PHOTOS WITH A POCKET OLYMPUS CAMERA AND WILL SEND COPIES TO THE EMBASSY AND THE TAJIKISTAN DESK (LOWRY TAYLOR) IN THE DEPARTMENT, IF THEY COME OUT. AFTER SOME TIME, THE OBJECT ADOPTED A HORIZONTAL HIGH-SPEED COURSE AND DISAPPEARED OVER THE 2. AS IT WAS DARK WHEN THE OBJECT WAS OBSERVED, THE CREW WERE UNABLE TO DISCERN ITS SHAPE. THEY DESCRIBED THE LIGHT IT EMITTED AS HAVING A "BOW WAVE" AND AS RESEMBLING A HIGH-SPEED PHOTO OF A BULLET IN FLIGHT, IN WHICH A VERY SMALL OBJECT GIVES OFF A MUCH LARGER TRAILING WAVE OF HEAT/LIGHT. SOME FORTY-FIVE MINUTES AFTER THE INITIAL SIGHTING, AS THE SUN WAS RISING, THE AIRCRAFT FLEW UNDER THE CONTRAILS WHICH THE OBJECT HAD LEFT BEHIND. THE PLANE WAS MAKING OVER 500 KNOTS. RHODES ESTIMATED THE ALTITUDE OF THE CONTRAILS AT APPROXIMATELY 100,000 FEET, NOTING THAT THERE IS TOO LITTLE AIR/MOISTURE AT THAT EXTREME ALTITUDE TO ENABLE THE CREATION OF CONTRAILS BY THE PROPULSION MECHANISMS OF ORDINARY AIRCRAFT WHICH MIGHT BE ABLE TO REACH THAT HEIGHT. THE PATHS OF THE CONTRAILS REFLECTED THE MANEUVERS OF THE OBJECT, I.E., CIRCLES, CORKSCREWS, ETC. 3. TO OUR SUGGESTION THAT THE OBJECT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A METEOR ENTERING AND SKIPPING OFF THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, RHODES AND HIS CREW WERE ADAMANT THAT THEY HAD SEEN THOUSANDS OF "FALLING STARS" UNCLASSIFIED DUSHAN 00259 310310Z AND OTHER SPACE JUNK ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE IN THEIR YEARS OF FLYING PASSENGER AIRCRAFT FOR PANAM. THIS, THEY INSISTED, WAS NOTHING LIKE A METEOR. ON THE BASIS OF ITS SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY, RHODES EXPRESSED THE OPINION, WHICH HIS CREW SEEMED TO SUPPORT, THAT THE OBJECT WAS EXTRATERRESTRIAL AND UNDER INTELLIGENT CONTROL. 4. COMMENT: WE HAVE NO OPINION AND REPORT THE ABOVE FOR WHAT IT MAY BE WORTH. ESCUDERO UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Page 2 of 3

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UNCLASSIFIED CSP-2025-00040 B-00002707028 "UNCLASSIFIED" 3/2/2026 NNNN Dissemination Rule: Archive Copy UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED Page 3 of 3

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