APRO Bulletin - 1952 09 15 - Vol 1 No 2

Magazine Overview

This issue of the APRO Bulletin, dated September 15, 1952, is primarily a compilation of numerous flying saucer and UFO sightings reported during August 1952. It details witness testimonies, descriptions of the objects, their reported behaviors, and locations of sightings across the United States and internationally. The publication also touches upon official reactions and theories circulating at the time.

Key Articles and Reports

August 1952 Sightings Compilation

The bulk of the bulletin is dedicated to a chronological listing of reported sightings. These include:

• July 28, Rockford, Illinois: Art Jaffray, an astronomer, observed a hazy object near the moon that resolved into a sharp-edged disc, moving rapidly north and vanishing.
• July 28, Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Press reported on 1st Lt. George Kinsman's encounter with a disc-shaped white object twice the size of his F-51 fighter over Augusta, Georgia, in 1951. The object repeatedly approached and dipped beneath his plane.
• July 30, Washington D.C.: The Air Force acknowledged that saucers were harmless but admitted they could not account for 20% of the phenomena, stating that most witnesses were competent observers. Cases of saucers being picked up on radar were cited.
• July 30, Rockford, Illinois: Mr. and Mrs. Lester Church reported seeing ten objects flying erratically in two groups, traveling west and then south, described as looking like fish swimming.
• July 30, Rockford, Illinois: Charles Hahn observed a large reddish light hovering over Rockford's East side.
• July 30, Milwaukee: Max E. Drehm reported seeing lighted objects going at high speed, glowing white, yellowish, and bluish, with one object swooping low.
• September 15, 1952 (Page 11): The report continues with more sightings from July and August.
• July 31, Washington: The Air Force initially ordered planes to shoot at saucers but later reconsidered. Warnings came from various sources, including the American Rocket Society.
• July 31, South Bend, Indiana: The South Bend Tribune appealed for public help in a two-hour saucer watch.
• July 31, Rockford, Illinois: Paul Swoger and Dr. A. Francis Johnson expressed disbelief that saucers were mirages but did not offer explanations.
• July 31, Suanico, Wisconsin: Bill Vickery and Harvey Rehn saw cylindrical objects darting with a jet plane, described as an inverted bowler hat.
• August 3, Washington D.C.: I. M. Levitt suggested saucers might be reflections of ground lights on cloud layers, while Maj. Gen. Sanford stated radar was unreliable.
• August 3, Mojave Desert: Phantom objects were sighted by CAA specialists and sheriff's officials, described as bright red saucers and a green-blue-yellow and peach colored object.
• August 3, Los Angeles, California: Ed Sullivan noted that many people were seeing saucers but not reporting them for fear of ridicule.
• August 3, Lima, Peru: A 'flying saucer observatory' was set up to monitor for sightings.
• August 4, San Francisco, California: Lt. B. A. Swinley reported seeing round, silver, and definitely physical objects at high altitude and speed.
• August 1, Boston, Massachusetts: Capt. Richard E. Case Jr. saw a greenish object appear at about 15,000 feet and shoot downward.
• August 1, Rockford, Illinois: Wally Cárpentor and Art Jaffray observed a silvery globe moving rapidly north.
• August 1, Rockford, Illinois: Art Jaffray observed a huge, reddish light hovering.
• August 3, Seoul, Korea: A Canadian destroyer reported sighting two objects on radar.
• August 3, Tokyo, Japan: Kosuke Miyazaki saw a greenish-white thing with a tail that split into halves.
• August 2, Rockford, Illinois: Plane spotters were alerted to watch for flying saucers.
• August 17, Texas: Danny Bookout described a mysterious circle of light traveling at fantastic speed.
• August 3, Jacksonville, Florida: J.E. Lundy reported seeing a light moving at less than 100 mph, then suddenly increasing to about a thousand mph.
• August 6, Augusta, Georgia: A story from the London Sunday Graphic about Herr Oskar Linka and his daughter seeing a flying saucer was reprinted.
• August 17, Bogota, Colombia: Hundreds reported seeing a flying saucer disappear behind hills.
• August 19, West Palm Beach, Florida: D. S. Desvergers, a scoutmaster, claimed he was attacked by a flying saucer on the ground, struck by a ball of fire.
• August 25, San Francisco, California: Robert C. Gardner reported observing two silver-gray objects flying erratically.
• August 28, Windsor, Ontario, Canada: Gabriel Durocher saw a luminous object 30 feet in diameter.
• August 23, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin: Mr. Joseph Cornette and others reported seeing two oval-shaped objects.
• August 9, Albuquerque, New Mexico: Doyle Kline sighted 10 flying objects playing among breaks in the clouds.
• August 11, Dallas, Texas: Dr. M. S. McIlveen reported seeing a saucer-shaped object while on vacation.
• August 11, Rome, Italy: Airport employees reported an object flashing out of the stratosphere and stopping.
• August 12, Rockford, Illinois: Ro Munson reported seeing 54 objects that could not have been shooting stars.
• August 7, Jerusalem: A resident of Haifa spotted a bright green elliptical object.
• August 7, Rockford, Illinois: Mr. and Mrs. Ronan Heuer reported a saucer-shaped object moving from north to south.
• August 8, Madrid, Spain: Three flying saucers were reported traveling at high speed.
• August 8, Munich, Germany: A German aviation writer claimed a Norwegian Air Force had captured an atom-powered flying saucer.
• August 22, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin: Farmers Charles Helmholz and Chase Schuyler spotted an object looking like a parachute.
• August 23, Chicago, Illinois: Air Force jet fighters chased a yellowish light that blinked out.

Official Statements and Theories

• Professor Einstein was quoted as saying, "These people are seeing something. What it is I do not know and am not curious to know."
• Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe, author of "The Flying Saucers Are Real," reiterated his theory that saucers are observers from outer space. He also mentioned that 200 huge cameras were ordered to help in the saucer hunt.
• Scientists insisted that saucers were solid, not merely light reflections or hallucinations. This statement contrasted with an Air Force statement that saucers were reflections of lights from the ground.
• The Air Force announced that saucers were harmless but admitted they could not account for 20% of the phenomena.
• Venezuelan Air Force claimed that some sightings were jet planes.
• PEOPLE TODAY published a story claiming that saucers are jet-propelled U.S. and Russian guided missiles, though the sources were not identified.

Notable Details

• Many reports described objects as disc-shaped, spherical, oval, or rectangular, with colors ranging from white and silver to red, green, and blue.
• Speeds were often described as "terrifying" or "high," with some objects moving at estimated speeds of up to 400 mph or more.
• Some incidents involved claims of electromagnetic effects, such as humming or sparks, and physical trace evidence like scorched grass.
• The bulletin notes that many people were hesitant to report sightings for fear of ridicule.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is the widespread reporting of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or "flying saucers" in the summer of 1952. The APRO Bulletin's stance appears to be one of documenting these reports with a degree of seriousness, presenting witness testimonies without overt skepticism, while also including official statements and various theories. The editorial tone is generally neutral, aiming to present the collected evidence and observations from the public and, to some extent, official sources. The inclusion of Einstein's quote and Keyhoe's theories suggests an openness to extraordinary explanations, while also acknowledging official investigations and differing opinions within the scientific and military communities.