Turkmenistan’s UFO Enthusiasts Became Trusted U.S. Partners

A U.S. representative in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, wrote about a local group of UFO enthusiasts. In a document he sent from the U.S. Department of State, he described them as trusted partners of the United States.

The surprising detail wasn’t a sighting in the sky, but the reputation the group had earned. The writer was struck by it, especially as independent groups were emerging in Turkmen society. Then he offered a brief explanation: Many people in the country were probably interested in UFOs.

A Hobby That Earned a Reputation

The document was written in 2004. Its author, a U.S. State Department representative, was writing about the standing of groups in Turkmenistan and the growth of civil society there. In that context, he mentioned the UFO enthusiasts, who had already, he said, earned a positive reputation as trusted partners of the United States.

UFOs are flying objects that have not been identified. But the document doesn’t describe a mysterious object, a chase, or an encounter with aliens. The story is about a group interested in the subject and the trust the United States placed in it. That combination surprised the writer.

The Representative’s Explanation

The writer linked the group’s reputation to widespread interest in UFOs in the country. He put it this way: Everyone in Turkmenistan, apparently, was “interested in UFOs.” In the writer’s view, the group’s area of interest was therefore neither unusual nor foreign to the people around them.

The document doesn’t explain how the group came into contact with Americans or what it actually did. Nor does it describe a specific encounter that led to the trust. Instead, it presents the group’s reputation and the writer’s explanation for it: interest in UFOs was widespread in the country.

What Remains Unknown

It is unclear what the group did to earn the trust or how its relationship with the United States began. The document only suggests that its reputation was connected to widespread interest in UFOs in Turkmenistan.

For the U.S. representative, the group’s unusual hobby was what made it known. What else might a diplomatic document reveal?