1949 08 00 Amazing Stories - Palmer on flying saucers

Magazine Overview

Title: AMAZING STORIES
Issue: Volume 23, Number 8
Date: August 1949
Publisher: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company
Price: 25¢
Cover Headline: "I PAINT FROM DEATH!"
Cover Description: The cover features a painting of a man, identified as an artist, smoking a cigarette and holding a paintbrush and palette. Behind him, a partially draped woman looks on. The title "AMAZING STORIES" is prominently displayed in large yellow letters.

Main Feature: "I PAINT FROM DEATH!"

The issue's lead story, "I PAINT FROM DEATH!" by Robert Fleming Fitzpatrick, is highlighted on the cover. The tagline suggests a narrative where "Under the Spell of His Brush, the Dead Lived Again," hinting at a supernatural or science fiction theme involving resurrection or animation through art.

Editorial: The Observatory by the Editor

The editorial section, titled "The Observatory" and written by "the Editor" (signed as "Rap"), delves into the burgeoning topic of flying saucers.

Flying Saucers: Real and Not From Mars

The editor begins by acknowledging the seriousness with which flying saucers are being reported, citing headlines from the AIR FORCE and a featured article in the Saturday Evening Post. He confirms that flying saucers are real, dismissing earlier skepticism. The editor explicitly rejects theories that saucers originate from Mars, Moscow, Antarctica, Oak Ridge, or Timbucktoo. Instead, he proposes that they are mechanical devices, possibly carrying instruments rather than passengers.

Advanced Technology on Saucers

He lists potential instruments found on these craft, including cameras, television, radio, radar, anti-gravity beams, and telepathic communication devices, suggesting that there may be even more advanced technology beyond his comprehension.

The Harsh Reality of Space

The editorial then shifts to the nature of outer space, correcting previous assumptions. The editor states that space is hot, not cold as previously believed. He cites an example of a Wac Corporal rocket that vaporized at high altitudes due to tremendous heat, indicating that the experimenters did not fully understand the conditions. He notes that temperatures can reach 800 degrees Fahrenheit at 70-80 miles up and 1800 degrees at 100 miles, with suspicions of even higher temperatures, hot enough to melt metals like copper and brass.

A New Theory: Other Dimensions

"Rap" offers a speculative theory about the origin of flying saucers: they come from another dimension. This dimension, he posits, is located on Earth and surrounds the planet like a sphere. He clarifies that "dimension" does not refer to more than three spatial dimensions but rather to a different world occupying the same space. He further suggests that these entities might exist in a different "time" or "place" in time, distinct from our conventional understanding of past, present, or future.

Science Fiction Meets Reality

The editor expresses satisfaction that science fiction ideas are being substantiated by reality. He notes that scientists, like everyone else, are fallible and that some science fiction concepts are proving to be accurate.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue strongly leans into the burgeoning phenomenon of flying saucers, presenting them as a real and significant topic. The editorial stance is one of open-minded speculation, moving beyond conventional explanations and embracing theories involving advanced technology and even interdimensional origins. The magazine positions itself as a platform where science fiction concepts can be explored in light of emerging real-world mysteries. The themes of space exploration, technological advancement, and the unknown are central to this issue.