AFU Newsletter - No 38 - 1995

Magazine Overview

The AFU Newsletter, issue 38, dated March 1995, is published by Archives for UFO Research (AFU) in Norrköping, Sweden. It is a quarterly publication founded in 1975, aiming to support serious research and critical discussion on unidentified flying objects.

Swedish Committee to Investigate USO Incidents

On February 23, 1995, the Swedish government established a six-member civilian-military committee to examine frequent incidents of submarine violations in Swedish waters, particularly from the 1980s. The Swedish Navy reportedly has over 6,000 such reports. The committee, headed by Dr. Hans G. Forsberg, former head of the Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, will have access to secret information but not top secret documents. Other members include Anna Christensen (civil law professor), Kerstin Fredga (astronomer), Göran Grimwall (physics professor), and Curt Persson (union head). The committee's final report is expected by January 1, 1996.

Åke Franzén (1936-1995)

Swedish ufologist and fortean Åke Franzén passed away on February 13, 1995, at the age of 58. Franzén was a correspondent for John Keel and Bob Rickard, known for translating 1930s ghost flier reports and UFO cases. He personally investigated areas like Point Pleasant, West Virginia (Mothman sightings) and Warminster, UK, and developed a connection with a Mothman witness. Franzén was deeply interested in UFOs, science fiction, and fortean themes. His extensive collection of books, magazines, correspondence, and photos has been donated to AFU by his daughter, including a signed copy of John Keel's "Operation Trojan Horse."

1994 Statistics: 468 Swedish reports

UFO-Sweden's national report center in Uppsala recorded 468 reports in 1994, the highest number since its formation in 1970. Many cases are still under investigation, making it difficult to provide a definitive number of "true UFOs" versus "identified flying objects" (IFOs). For comparison, UFO-Sweden received 142 reports in 1992 and 245 in 1993. Only six reports from 1993 have been assessed as "true UFOs." Reports are collected via a 24-hour phone line, local UFO-Sweden groups, and field investigators. Arne Gjärdman of the Research Institute of National Defence (FOA) also submits reports. A close cooperation between FOA and UFO-Sweden has existed since the 1990s. Promising reports are investigated by over 70 accredited field investigators trained annually. UFO-Sweden uses a detailed eight-page questionnaire. Cases are assessed by three five-headed committees, with a majority vote required to classify a report as a "true UFO." Many cases are deemed "hard-to-judge" due to missing information or being too old for investigation. Summaries are published in "Rapportnytt," and detailed reviews appear in the magazine "UFO-Aktuellt." All case files are stored at the Archives for UFO Research (AFU), with over 12,000 reports sorted by date and time, and a new database is being developed for easier searching.

Database of 12.000 Scandinavian cases

Since 1989, AFU and UFO-Sweden have been developing a chronological report file of over 12,000 Scandinavian cases, including those reported to civilian and military sources throughout the century and before. The data is entered into a dBase IV database, made possible by an ALU (government employment scheme) project and a sponsor for computer hardware. The file records all known Swedish reports, each assigned an index from 1 to 5 based on data quality and investigation rigor. Less than 10% of cases are rated 3 or 4, with most being 1 or 2. No case has yet received a rating of 5. The database includes detailed information such as date, time, location, duration, witness count, descriptions, and source references, along with nearly 100 detail codes similar to Willy Smith's UNICAT project. Categories of cases like photos or EM interference can be extracted. The database also includes submarine/USO reports, fortean incidents, ghost fliers, and missile sightings, with Norwegian reports also being coded. Geographical markers for Swedish airports are included, and coding of other sites like mines and radio towers is planned. The database will aid field investigators in tracking UFO/phenomenological history and will be used for generating statistics.

High-quality investigation of 1946 CEIII case

In February 1995, a comprehensive book titled "Mötet i gläntan" (Encounter in the glade) was published, detailing a 1946 Scandinavian UFO case. The authors are Clas Svahn, a journalist and chairman of UFO-Sweden, and Gösta Carlsson, the experiencer. The book focuses on Svahn's detailed investigation of Carlsson's encounter with a landed "space-ship" and its occupants. Gösta Carlsson is known as "the Pollen king" for his inventions, which he attributes to alien contact in 1946. The case was first published by Eugen Semitjov in 1971, with an English version appearing in "Flying Saucer Review" in 1972. The book includes photographs of mysterious objects Carlsson claims to have found. However, Carlsson has been unable to provide satisfactory documentation for scientific analyses of these objects, despite having the resources and time. Svahn's investigation balances belief and disbelief, and the book is considered a model for detailed UFO case investigations. The case is compared to contemporary contactee accounts, and Svahn notes that only one out of 1,500 "ghost rocket" reports from the same period details something similar to Carlsson's encounter.

Ghost fliers and rockets: Study projects

Jan Wall, an associate professor at the Gothenburg Institute for Language and Folklore Studies, is compiling information on Swedish/Scandinavian ghost flier waves (1930s) and ghost rockets (1946). He has collected over 1,000 written testimonies and conducted about 100 interviews, aiming for a scientific report. Wall notes that twelve of the best "ghost flier" cases from the 1930s lack substantial evidence. Archives for UFO Research (AFU) has been collecting data on these phenomena since 1977 and 1984, respectively, interviewing many witnesses. An English translation of this resource is pending funding. Sven Wäsström had planned a book on ghost fliers, and Göran Jansson completed a Swedish manuscript on the 1946 wave, but neither found publishers. Jan Waernberg documented the Swedish Air Force's 1934 "hunt" for ghost fliers. Ole Jonny Braenne of Oslo has copied thousands of documents on Norwegian ghost fliers, now on loan to AFU. ALU employees Susanna Lindblad and Kjell Johansson are involved in organizing and cataloging AFU's ghost flier data and the organization's archives, respectively. Ann-Britt Eriksson and Jessica Larsson are creating an article database from Swedish and English periodicals.

Letter to the editor: Balloon - not a "missile"

A reader, Bruno Marcusi from Switzerland, corrects a previous report in AFU Newsletter 37, stating that the August 15, 1985, Swiss-Italian border case was caused by a UFO-Solar balloon launched by a Swiss family, not a missile.

AFU Newsletter Information

The AFU Newsletter is published quarterly by Archives for UFO Research (AFU). AFU was founded in 1973, and the newsletter began in 1975. Reproduction is encouraged if AFU Newsletter is cited as the source. AFU aims to build a UFO library and research archive, support serious research, and foster critical scientific discussion. The editor is Anders Liljegren. Swedish/Scandinavian membership costs 120 SEK per year. The newsletter is primarily an exchange publication.

AFU Sponsornytt mars 1995

This section commemorates the passing of Åke Franzén, detailing his contributions and the donation of his collection to AFU. It also mentions Arthur Engh seeking video exchanges on UFOs/supernatural phenomena. The report archive/database now contains 12,000 cases, with most Swedish UFO cases from 1946-1992 registered. Mikael Cederlund is taking over registration of remaining Swedish reports. Irre Bredin continues registering Norwegian reports and works on UFO-Sweden's marketing. Susanna Lindmark is creating a clip and report archive for 1930s ghost fliers and will start a database. Kjell Johansson is organizing AFU's archives, including UFO-Sweden's correspondence. Ann-Britt Eriksson and Jessica Larsson are building an article database. Pia Andersson visited for discussions about her university thesis project. The section concludes by inviting readers to UFO-Sweden's planning conference in Norrköping.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The AFU Newsletter consistently focuses on UFO and related phenomena research, emphasizing detailed case investigations, statistical analysis, and the archiving of information. The publication supports serious, critical, and scientific discussion, as evidenced by its editorial stance and the nature of the articles presented. There is a strong emphasis on documenting Swedish and Scandinavian cases, maintaining extensive databases, and collaborating with other research organizations. The newsletter also highlights the importance of personal accounts and the contributions of individuals within the field, as seen in the obituary for Åke Franzén and the detailed case study of Gösta Carlsson.