Raw content

UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 01 KUWAIT 00486 290820Z ACTION NEA-07 INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 ISO-00 OES-09 NASA-02 NSF-02 DOE-15 SOE-02 CIAE-00 PM-05 H-02 INR-10 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-02 SP-02 SS-15 NAS-01 /095 W ------------------102479 290900Z /11 R 290606Z JAN 79 FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2864 INFO AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI AMEMBASSY DOHA AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY MANAMA AMEMBASSY MUSCAT SECDEF WASHDC USCINCEUR USICA WASHDC UNCLAS KUWAIT 0486 CINCEUR ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12065: N/A TAGS: MPOL, PINS, MASS, SOPN, TGEN, KU SUBJECT: "UFO" SIGHTINGS CAUSE SECURITY CONCERN IN KUWAIT 1. A SERIES OF "UFO"SIGHTINGS ON NOVEMBER 9 CAUSED THE GOK TO APPOINT AN INVESTIGATORY COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS FROM THE KUWAIT INSTITUTE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (KISR). THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT WHICH WAS RELEASED JANUARY 20 DESCRIBED EIGHT SIGHTINGS FROM NOVEMBER TO DECEMBER 14. A NUMBER OF THE EARLY SIGHTINGS TOOK PLACE NEAR A KUWAIT OIL COMPANY GATHERING CENTER NORTH OF KUWAIT CITY. RELEASE OF THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT WAS SOMETHING OF A MEDIA EVENT AS IT COINCIDED WITH JAN 21 FRONT PAGE STORIES OF YET ANOTHER "UFO" SIGHTING OVER KUWAIT CITY, WHICH INCLUDED PHOTOGRAPHS IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 KUWAIT 00486 290820Z 2. THE KISR COMMITTEE REJECTED THE NOTION THAT THE "UFO'S" WERE ESPIONAGE DEVICES BUT REMAINED EQUIVOCAL ABOUT WHETHER THEY WERE OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN. THE KISR COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE, RATIB ABU ID, TOLD EMBOFF THAT THE SCIENTISTS DID NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE PHENOMENA TO SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT THEY WEREN'T Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 "SPACESHIPS." THE REPORT WENT ON TO RECOMMEND THAT THE GOVERNMENT TAKE ALL POSSIBLE MEASURES TO PROTECT KUWAIT'S AIR SPACE AND TERRITORY AS WELL AS THE COUNTRY'S OIL RESOURCES. 3. SOME LOCAL WAGS HAVE MADE LIGHT OF THE FIRST UFO SIGHTINGS WHICH CAME NEAR THE END OF THE LONG AND TRADITIONALLY EXUBERANT HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS OF ID-ALADHA. HOWEVER WE HAVE LEARNED RECENTLY OF AN EVENT COINCIDENT WITH ONE OF THE UFO SIGHTINGS WHICH HAS CONFOUNDED SOME OF OUR MOST LEVEL-HEADED KUWAITI FRIENDS, AND MAY HAVE BEEN WHAT PERSUADED THE GOK TO MAKE A SERIOUS INVESTIGATION OF THE MATTER. A SENIOR KUWAIT OIL COMPANY (KOC) OFFICIAL TOLD US THE THE "UFO" WHICH FIRST APPEARED OVER THE NORTHERN OIL FIELDS SEEMINGLY DID STRANGE THINGS TO KOC'S AUTOMATIC PUMPING EQUIPMENT. THIS EQUIPMENT IS DESIGNED TO SHUT ITSELF DOWN WHEN THERE IS SOME FAILURE WHICH MAY SERIOUSLY DAMAGE THE PETROLEUM GATHERING AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM AND IT CAN ONLY BERESTARTED MANUALLY. AT THE TIME OF THE "UFO'S" APPEARANCE THE PUMPING SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY SHUT ITSELF DOWN AND WHEN THE "UFO" VANISHED THE SYSTEM STARTED ITSELF UP AGAIN. THIS EVENT WAS NOT ADDRESSED BY THE KISR COMMITTEE REPORT. 4. EVEN THOSE WHO ARE NOT INCLINED TO BELIEVE IN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 KUWAIT 00486 290820Z VISITORS FROM OUTER SPACE DO TEND TO THINK SOMETHING STRANGE HAS BEEN GOING ON IN KUWAITI AIRSPACE. THERE HAS BEEN SPECULATION, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT HELICOPTERS OR HOVERCRAFT BRINGING REFUGEES OR MONEY OUT OF BELEAGUERED IRAN. AT THE LEAST, THE PHENOMENA HAVE STIMULATED A NEW DEGREE OF INTEREST AMONG TOP KUWAITI OFFICIALS IN THE COUNTRY'S AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM, WHICH DID NOT REACT IN ANY WAY TO THE "EVENTS" IN THE KOC NORTH FIELD BECAUSE IT WAS CLOSED DOWN FOR THE NIGHT (SEPTEL). MAESTRONE UNCLASSIFIED NNN Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014