APRG Reporter - Vol 6 No 11 - No 71 - 08 1968

Magazine Overview

Title: APRG REPORTER
Issue: Vol. 6 No. 11, Issue No. 71
Date: August 1968
Publisher: Aerial Phenomena Research Group (APRG)
Editor: Robert J. Gribble

This issue of the APRG Reporter, published monthly by the Aerial Phenomena Research Group, focuses on a variety of UFO sightings and related phenomena from around the world, alongside a section on new book releases concerning flying saucers.

Brazilian River Hides a Mystery

The lead article, "BRAZILIAN RIVER HIDES A MYSTERY" by Judson Bennett, details an impending civil engineering project in Brazil's Sao Paulo province. Over 120 workmen and scientists from Rio de Janeiro are set to dredge the deep mud of the Peropava River. Their objective is to find a strange silver object, described by hundreds of people as a "shining silver disc," which was seen to roar over river villages and plunge into the Peropava in June 1967. The site, marked by local fishermen as "the UFO hole," is now the focus of this search. The mystery began on June 14, 1967, when 9-year-old Ruth de Souza and her friends heard a roaring noise. They witnessed a shining disc descending at tree-top height towards Ruth's house. The object collided with a tree, then wavered, changed course, and wobbled over the river, appearing to struggle for height before plunging into the water like a stone. The impact caused mud, debris, and huge bubbles to burst to the surface, making the river seem to boil. Ruth's mother, Senora Elidia Alves de Souza, and her uncle, Paul Alves, also witnessed the event. Paul Alves reported the incident to the police in Iguape. Fishermen on the opposite bank corroborated the sighting, describing the disc as about three feet thick and 20 to 30 feet in diameter, immensely powerful, and bright like polished aluminum. The crash site was about 12 feet deep, with an additional 20-foot layer of silt. The force of the impact buried the disc deep in the mud. Investigators noted a great gash in the tree that the disc struck. Despite initial newspaper coverage and the descent of sightseers and investigators, attempts by a diving instructor and other teams to recover the object using mine detectors were unsuccessful, suggesting it had sunk too deeply or disappeared. Scientists are convinced the object can be found in the silt.

Reddish UFO Over Massachusetts

An anonymous witness from Osterville, Massachusetts, reported a sighting on July 29. The individual, a summer resident on Cape Cod and a professional man over 50, described seeing a "very large craft in the sky" that made no noise and had no jet streak. He estimated its altitude at about 10,000 feet. The craft was moving fast in a northerly direction, comparable in size to an ordinary inter-city plane. Its sides were a vivid reddish color. A very bright light appeared at the rear, too powerful to be a reflection, which then went out and came back on.

Disc-Shaped Craft Gives Off Beeping Sound

On the night of July 31, at approximately 10:15 p.m., Cecil Devers of Grafton, West Virginia, reported seeing a mysterious object hovering over the old city park. Devers described the craft as disc-shaped and bright silver, moving toward the park. He stated, "It's all a mystery but I know I saw something." Mrs. Everett Knotts also reported seeing the craft. She heard an unfamiliar beeping noise while checking on her ill husband. Upon going to the porch, she saw the object, which was headed toward Maple Avenue, making a beep-beep noise. It was bright silver, disc-shaped, with red and silver lights flashing. It seemed to disappear toward an old pottery. Mrs. Knotts watched it for over an hour and a half. When asked about windows, she mentioned seeing something dark around the sides that could have been windows. She described the experience as sending "cold chills up your spine."

Weird Events in Andes Area Baffle Chile

Chilean scientists are reportedly baffled by strange phenomena on the lower slopes of the Andes, about 62 miles from Santiago. Reports include strange warm winds, inexplicable car movements, and fruit trees flowering out of season. The Chilean Air Force and the Chilean Scientific Society are investigating. One incident involved a driver whose car stopped at night, its lights went out, and then restarted with lights on, seemingly by remote control. Another involved a truck loaded with newsprint that moved forward and turned off the road without driver intervention. A warm wind, described by a hotel owner as alarming and smelling of burning, caused fruit trees to flower in half an hour, when they normally bloom in September. Some attributed these phenomena to a deposit of pure iron.

Mystery Object Over Spain

The Spanish Air Force reported that a UFO eluded one of its supersonic jet fighter-bombers on September 5 over Madrid. The sighting caused a major traffic jam. A U.S.-built F-104 jet scrambled to investigate. The pilot reported climbing to over 50,000 feet and still seeing the object above him. Another pilot flying at 36,000 feet also saw it. Air Force radar tracked the UFO moving slowly at 90,000 feet. Thousands of people gathered in the streets of Madrid. A reporter at the Madrid astronomical observatory described the object as giving off "a blinding light." A photograph taken through the telescope revealed a triangular object, solid on one side and translucent in sections. The official Air Force announcement stated there was no scientific explanation. The article also mentions UFO stories from Buenos Aires, Argentina, including one about a spaceship landing on General Paz Avenue.

New Books

This section lists several new books available on the topic of flying saucers:

• "IDENTIFIED FLYING SAUCERS," by Robert Loftin (Hard cover, 245 pp., $5.95)
• "ON BOARD THE FLYING SAUCERS," by Gavin Gibbons (Pocket book, 192 pp., 60¢)
• "MYSTERIOUS FIRES AND LIGHTS," by Vincent H. Gaddis (Pocket book, 236 pp., 75¢)
• "FLYING SAUCERS AND THE THREE MEN," by Albert K. Bender (Pocket book, 160 pp., 60¢)
• "FLYING SAUCERS IN FACT AND FICTION," by Hans Stefan Santesson (Pocket book, 75¢)
• "ALLENDE LETTERS--NEW UFO BREAKTHROUGH," by Brad Steiger (Pocket book, 155 pp., 75¢)
• "FLYING SAUCERS--HERE AND NOW!," by Frank Edwards (Pocket book, 162 pp., 75¢)

Mystery Object Descends From Sky

Marion Boykin, a resident of Vacaville, California, reported seeing a large red object falling from the sky on September 2, shortly before midnight. Accompanied by his nephew and father-in-law, Boykin described the object as having two lights in the middle and two on the side. Sheriff's deputies George Matlock and Bob Fuller investigated and found an approximate 5 by 75 foot rectangular burn spot smoldering on the earth. Boykin explained that the object looked like a balloon, about 20 feet in diameter, and glowed in the dark. It fell fast and landed without noise. Upon inspection from about 200 yards away, the object was seen to have four white lights. The burn spot was described as straight on one side and jagged on the end.

APRG Reporter Publication Information

APRG Reporter is published monthly by the Aerial Phenomena Research Group, located at 5108 South Findlay Street, Seattle, Washington 98118. Subscriptions are $4.00 per year for U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and $4.50 for all other countries. Subscribers receive a one-month extension for each clipping of current UFO activity sent to APRG. The organization is non-profit, founded in January 1955, and supported by subscription fees, donations, and stamps.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the investigation of physical evidence of UFO crashes (Brazil), detailed eyewitness accounts of aerial phenomena (Massachusetts, West Virginia, California), and reports of unexplained events potentially linked to UFOs or unusual atmospheric conditions (Chile, Spain). The editorial stance appears to be one of serious reporting and investigation into UFO phenomena, presenting eyewitness testimony and details of ongoing searches and official acknowledgments of unexplained events. The inclusion of new book reviews suggests an aim to keep readers informed about the broader discourse on UFOs.