1974 10 04 Nature - Vol 251 - Ian Ridpath

Magazine Overview

Title: Nature
Issue: Vol. 251
Date: October 4, 1974
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

This issue of Nature features two main articles: one on the financial problems of the British company Ferranti and another on the establishment of a Center for UFO Studies in America, led by J. Allen Hynek.

Business: Problems for Ferranti

This article, written by Roger Woodham, details the financial struggles of Ferranti, an electrical and electronics group. The company has persuaded the government to provide assistance, including guarantees to increase its bank overdraft by £5 million. This measure is seen as a temporary respite, given the broader context of British industry potentially facing a £3,000 million shortfall by the end of the year. Ferranti's work is closely tied to European defense, with a significant portion of its sales, particularly to the British government, coming from defense contracts. Despite sales of £72 million last year (£52 million in the British market), profits have been scarce, with the company experiencing a loss of £900,000 in 1971. The company's development budget is £15 million annually, with a third allocated for governments. Ferranti declines to specify how many of its 17,000 employees are involved in development. The article notes that the future of Ferranti may depend on the outcome of the general election, with the government having several options, including buying a stake in the company, bringing in external management, providing medium-term financing, or persuading the company to sell off parts of its business, citing the precedent of Ferranti's computer interests being sold to ICL in the 1960s.

America's First Scientifically-Based Center for UFO Studies

This section, written by Ian Ridpath, focuses on the newly established Center for UFO Studies in America, founded by J. Allen Hynek. Hynek, a professor of astronomy at Northwestern University and author of "The UFO Experience," has created this center to address the growing number of UFO reports. The Center is a loose affiliation of scientists from various US universities and is currently funded by private donations. It plans to seek funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA in the near future, believing its scientific credibility is high enough for such approaches. The Center has set up a toll-free telephone number, manned 24/7, to collect UFO reports from across the United States, averaging about one per day. Cases are followed up in person or by questionnaire, depending on their importance.

The scientists at the Center are preparing a report on the 1973 UFO wave, which documented 1,500 cases. These sightings reportedly began in the southeastern states and spread along river valleys. The report, due for publication next spring, is expected to be a valuable study of a major UFO event. Hynek and his colleagues are convinced that the UFO phenomenon is real, but they do not necessarily believe UFOs are spacecraft from other worlds, citing the implausibility of intelligent beings traveling vast distances to perform seemingly trivial actions like stopping cars or frightening people. Hynek emphasizes that the nature of the UFO phenomenon itself has remained consistent over the years, with typical reports today being similar to those from a decade ago.

The article mentions a revealing hour-long TV program about UFOs, documented in Hynek's work, which is scheduled to be screened on NBC in December. Hynek believes that when the true explanation for UFOs is found, it will represent a significant leap in understanding.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue touches upon themes of scientific policy and research funding in France, the financial health of British industry, and the scientific investigation of unexplained phenomena like UFOs. The editorial stance, as reflected in the articles, appears to be one of critical analysis, whether examining government industrial policy, corporate financial stability, or the scientific approach to UFOs. There is a clear emphasis on evidence-based investigation and the need for credible data, as exemplified by the work of J. Allen Hynek and his Center for UFO Studies.