ACOS Bulletin - Number 13

Magazine Overview

This document is the "A.C.O.S. BULLETIN", Number Thirteen, dated March 1978. It is published by the AUSTRALIAN CO-ORDINATION SECTION, CENTRE FOR UFO STUDIES, with a P.O. Box address in Gosford, NSW, Australia. The issue includes a definition of a UFO by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, which emphasizes the lack of a conventional explanation and the persistence of unidentified status after scrutiny.

Editorials

The issue features two editorials. The first, by H. Griesberg & D. Seargent, notes a lull in Australian UFO activity while Europe is experiencing a surge. It highlights an unusual report from England concerning Ken Rogers, chairman of the British UFO Society, who claimed to have encountered beings from another world, leading to a nervous breakdown and the destruction of his files. The editorial expresses concern about the disappearance of key figures from early UFO investigations.

The second editorial, by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, discusses the exchange of letters between President Carter's science advisor, Dr. Frank Press, and NASA Administrator Dr. Robert Frosch, regarding NASA's potential involvement in handling UFO correspondence and examining UFO reports. Hynek touches upon the challenges NASA might face, including budget constraints, the non-scientific nature of many reports, and the need for a disciplinary framework. He suggests that NASA could potentially study physical traces associated with UFOs and proposes a special group, answerable directly to the university president's office, to handle complex problems that overlap departmental responsibilities.

Articles and Features

Welcome Chiron

By D. Seargent, this article introduces Chiron, a celestial object discovered by astronomer Charles Kowal on November 1st, 1977. Chiron is described as a faint, slow-moving object with an eccentric orbit located beyond the asteroid zone, possibly a distant comet. Its orbital period is 50.7 years, with perihelion expected in 1996.

Extraterrestrials on Earth

Dr. Don Herbison-Evans examines the evidence for extraterrestrial visitation. He notes that while much of the approximately 100,000 UFO reports worldwide are filtered out, about 20% of Australian reports remain unidentified. He highlights three significant sightings: the 1957 Kirtland Air Force Base incident, the 1959 Papua sighting by Rev. B. Gill, and the 1961 Betty and Barney Hill case. The article discusses the challenges of investigating such phenomena and the need for credible evidence.

Where are these photographs?

K. Basterfield inquires about the fate of several Australian UFO photographs and films. He mentions cases from Balwyn, Hallam, and Deven Park, and specifically asks about a 1954 New Zealand movie film, Bouganville Reef photos from 1965, a 1969 Tully movie film, and a UFO pacing a plane near Cairns in 1968. He also details two incidents from the early 1950s involving the RAAF allegedly confiscating films from witnesses in Wilcannia and near Eucla. Another case involves an Ansett ANA pilot in May 1965 whose photographs of an object were reportedly suppressed.

Lead On, Lead On UFO.

By D. Seargent, this article explores radical hypotheses for the UFO phenomenon, including the idea of a global control system. It discusses Professor Persinger's suggestion that the 'geopsyche' hypothesis, which posits transient electromagnetic phenomena inducing psychological reactions, can be linked to UFOs. Seargent speculates that this could lead to psychokinetic effects and the creation of a mass poltergeist, influencing collective beliefs and potentially leading to a 'psychic pollution' that threatens rational thought.

Contact - The Dolphin.

Authored by D. Michels & H. Griesberg, this piece looks forward to the 1980s, envisioning new perspectives on human evolution, space colonies, and scientific exploration. It highlights the ongoing exploration of cetacean communication and intelligence, suggesting that dolphins possess intelligence equal to humans. The article announces a joint Australian-American project, the Dolphin Embassy's communications expedition aboard the OCEANIA, which will conduct research in the field of human-dolphin communication off the coast of Queensland. Details for subscribing to the Embassy's journal 'CONTACT' are provided.

UFOs: A Scientific Enigma (Book Review)

B. Chalker B.Sc. reviews David Seargent's book, "UFOs: A Scientific Enigma." Chalker praises the book for attempting to present the UFO phenomenon as a scientific problem, discussing regularities, scientific method, and Hynek's classifications. He notes Seargent's focus on the paraphysical hypothesis as the most fitting explanation and its connection to contacteeism. Chalker suggests that Seargent's work on flap areas could be significant for scientific research and mentions Seargent's view that luminous entity reports might be explained by electromagnetic fields rather than paranormal phenomena. A minor criticism is the paucity of references, but overall, the book is recommended as a readable and stimulating distillation of UFO data.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The bulletin consistently adopts a scientific and investigative approach to the UFO phenomenon. There is a strong emphasis on empirical evidence, rigorous analysis, and the application of scientific methodology, even to subjects that are often considered fringe. The publication appears to be critical of unsubstantiated claims and theories, favoring those that can be supported by data or logical reasoning. The articles explore various hypotheses, from extraterrestrial visitation to psychological and electromagnetic explanations, while also acknowledging the limitations of current knowledge and the challenges in gathering reproducible evidence. The overall stance is one of cautious inquiry and a desire to bring ufology into the mainstream of scientific research.

Title: A.C.O.S. NEWS
Issue: (10)
Publisher: ACOS
Country: Australia
Language: English

This issue of the ACOS NEWS bulletin, dated in the 1970s, provides updates and information relevant to UFO researchers and groups across Australia. It covers various aspects of UFO investigation, reporting, and data compilation.

Foreign Languages

The bulletin begins by reiterating a previous request for members of affiliated groups who can translate articles from foreign languages. It asks groups to inform ACOS if they have such members, indicating a need to access international UFO literature.

On the Current Status of UFO Research

UFO Research (SA) Inc. has released a two-page circular on ACOS stationery that summarizes the state of UFO research in Australia. This publication discusses ongoing investigations, findings from physical trace cases, close encounters, and provides an overall summary. It is described as a valuable resource for people inquiring about UFOs and is available directly from UFO Research (SA) Inc. at cost.

Australian Entity Study Group (AESG)

The AESG has recently printed and distributed copies of its "Case Documents" concerning entity cases from Wodonga (VIC), Kimba (SA), and Salisbury (SA). A CD specifically on Salisbury SA entity cases is expected soon. This brings the total number of such documents produced by AESG to six. Additional copies can be obtained from Keith Basterfield, c/o UFOR (SA).

UFO Reports

A general reminder is issued to all groups to submit their UFO reports as soon as investigations are completed. This is crucial for the timely filing and coding of reports into the computer system, enabling a better understanding of UFO activity.

Identified Reports

Following discussions with their computer expert, Andy Cole, ACOS has decided that identified reports should also be entered into the computer alongside unidentified ones. However, the decision on which identified reports to submit rests with each individual group. Groups wishing to have a particular identified report entered are instructed to fill out a Computer File Data Sheet and forward it to ACOS.

What Information Do We Have?

Referencing a paper presented by Keith Basterfield at UFOCON 3, the bulletin highlights a suggestion for ACOS to compile and publish a list of materials held by each group that could be beneficial to investigators and researchers nationwide. Groups are urged to notify ACOS about the material they possess so that such a list can be created and distributed.

1977 UFO Statistics

ACOS is currently awaiting the final statistics from various groups for the year 1977. Once received, they will begin preparing the statistics for that year and comparing them with data from 1975 and 1976.

U.F.O. Reports From Around Australia

This section details specific UFO sighting reports received by ACOS from various affiliated organizations:

• TA 77090 (July 2, 1977): Reported by Tasmanian UFO Invest. Centre. A man and his twin sister driving on Sandfly Road, Tasmania, observed a bright red light beside their car. The car's motor lost power for about 15-20 seconds, and the light disappeared. The incident occurred around 2300.
• TA 77095 (April 5, 1977): Reported by Tasmanian UFO Investigation Cen. A witness watching TV observed flashing lights low to the NW. An object described as dome-shaped with orange/white light, about the size of the moon, was seen. It moved, became stationary, and then disappeared behind trees after about 10 minutes. The witness observed it for an hour.
• TA 78007 (January 31, 1978): Reported by TUFOIC. A witness in Pawleena, Tasmania, observed a white light approaching rapidly. The object, described as elliptical with sharper ends and two bright white lights, performed a circular movement over a paddock at a low altitude (within a meter or two of the ground) and at one point was estimated to be around 200 meters away. It then departed rapidly.
• QB 78004 (January 9, 1978): Reported by UFO Research (FNQ). A woman reported seeing a large black oblong-shaped object pass her triangular window, accompanied by a humming sound and an exterior light source. The humming and light reportedly returned three minutes later.
• QB 78005 (December 31, 1970): Reported by UFO Research (FNQ). A witness described seeing a fluorescent tube white, fuzzy oval shape that appeared to be traveling from just above eye level. The object descended in a side-to-side motion, like a flat stone in water, until it was out of sight. It was observed by others in the vicinity as well.
• WA 78003 (February 5, 1978): Reported by UFO Research (WA). A witness driving east of Baladonia, Western Australia, observed a large spotlight, followed by a diamond-shaped object with multiple colored lights. The object later appeared as a round dull white light, then an elongated dull white object with black segments (windows?), and finally a round shape again before disappearing. The object's appearance changed from round to elongated when it was about an hour away.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the active state of UFO research and investigation in Australia, the importance of systematic data collection and reporting, and the collaborative efforts among different UFO organizations. The editorial stance emphasizes the need for organized data management, information sharing, and the utilization of technology (like computer databases) to advance the understanding of UFO phenomena. There is a clear focus on documenting sightings, analyzing them, and making the findings accessible to the broader research community.