APRO Bulletin - 1964 01 00 - January

Magazine Overview

Title: THE A.P.R.O. BULLETIN
Issue: JANUARY, 1964
Volume: Vol. XII
Publisher: AERIAL PHENOMENA RESEARCH ORGANIZATION
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of THE A.P.R.O. BULLETIN, dated January 1964, focuses on a variety of unidentified flying object (UFO) and aerial phenomena reports from late 1963 and earlier. The cover story details a 'Disc Submerged in Brazilian River,' alongside reports on UFOs in Minnesota and a startling encounter with 'Robots' terrorizing a truck driver.

Key Articles and Reports

Disc Submerged in Brazilian River

The lead story describes an incident on October 31, 1963, near Iguape, Brazil, where an 8-year-old girl, Rute de Souza, and her family witnessed a silvery object fall into the Peropava River. The object, described as about 25 feet in diameter and shaped like a 'wash basin,' struck a palm tree before entering the water. Witnesses reported the water 'boiling up' and mud erupting. Subsequent salvage attempts by divers, including a professional deep-sea diver, were hampered by the river's depth and muddy bottom, with no success in locating the disc. The report notes a similarity to a 1956 incident off the coast of Venezuela where a cone-shaped object fell into the sea, causing an explosion and disturbance.

Robots Terrorize Truck Driver

This article recounts the experience of Eugenio Douglas, a commercial truck driver in Cordoba Province, Argentina, on October 18, 1963. While driving at night, his truck was bathed in a brilliant white light from a disc-shaped object hovering over the road. The light caused a 'prickling sensation,' leading him to lose control and drive into a ditch. Upon exiting his truck, Douglas encountered three 'indescribable beings' he referred to as 'robots.' He fired shots at them, and they retreated toward the disc, which then took off and pursued him. Douglas reported the incident to police, who noted his hysterical state but found unexplained marks on his face, attributed to the light. The report also mentions a similar incident in the fall of 1962 involving a ranch woman hospitalized for hysteria after seeing robot-like creatures.

Search For UFO In Minnesota

On June 4, 1963, Sheriff Doyle Lindahl and a team, including a reporter and radio reporter, conducted aerial searches in the vicinity of Lyle, Minnesota, following reports of a strange multi-colored light seen to descend near the town. Five truck drivers initially reported the sighting, with police in nearby towns also receiving similar reports. An Austin radio station received calls from individuals who had seen the light. The search covered an area 25 miles south and 10 miles north of Austin.

Light Chases Youths

This report details an encounter on August 5, 1963, involving Ronnie Austin, 18, and Phyllis Bruce, 18, near Mount Vernon, Illinois. While driving at high speed, they were pursued by a huge glowing object, described as a round ball of bright white light at treetop level. The object paced their car, swerved, and hovered over a relay tower before moving ahead. At one point, the light turned brilliant orange and plunged toward their car at high speed, estimated to be within 100 feet. During this episode, the car radio went static, and they felt an extremely cool area. The light then ascended and appeared as a bright star. Authorities later suggested the initial sighting might have been the moon through fog, and the subsequent light was Jupiter, an explanation the article critically examines.

Other Sightings and Phenomena

• August 7, 1963: Residents east and west of Fairfield, Illinois, reported two bright lights, one kite-shaped with a comet-like tail, evaluated as part of night aerial refueling. Another report described a strange light 'bigger than a star' seen flying high north of a campground.
• August 7, 1963: Mr. and Mrs. Bill Short reported seeing a 'bathosphere-shaped' object, circular and brilliant, with four lighted projections.
• August 8, 1963: Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Mason of Fairfield saw a cross-shaped object speeding northwest. Alderman W. Scott Lawrence and Robert Lynch also saw a bright light traveling northwest.
• August 8, 1963: A Memorial Hospital employee and her husband were followed by a strange light.
• August 7, 1963: Blueford residents saw a white, oval-shaped object.
• August 7, 1963: Mr. and Mrs. Perry Pladgett saw a strange light like 'the sun with lights projecting from it.'
• August 7, 1963: James Wilson and his wife saw a 'cross with a tail.'
• August 7, 1963: Butch Musgrave saw a lighted object, described as 4-5 times the size of a star, moving east to west very fast.
• August 8, 1963: Mike Hill and Chauncey Uphoff saw a kite-shaped object with a long tail.
• August 9, 1963: Ex-Mayor Harry Bishop saw a light following a car, which then hovered over the auto.
• August 14, 1963: Mrs. Henry Linder saw a low-flying, egg-shaped object.
• August 15, 1963: Mrs. Jean Gutzler saw a bright white object that lighted up her yard.
• August 15, 1963: An unidentified motorist reported bright, darting lights and drove into a ditch.
• August 15, 1963: State Trooper Lee Lyons saw a red ball in the sky with a long tail.
• August 15, 1963: A Mt. Vernon resident reported an object 'as big as a car' following her vehicle.
• May 8, 1958: Two sisters in Florida experienced pain and eyestrain while observing an object in the western sky.
• February 28, 1963: An oval-shaped, ring-shaped cloud of silvery-white color, luminous and at an extreme altitude (149,000 feet), was observed by hundreds across the Southwest.
• March 25, 1963: A brilliant fireball with a long orange tail and luminous blue-green color was seen passing over the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.
• September 20, 1963: Frank Hudson near Huntsville, Arkansas, observed an egg-shaped object moving slowly.
• December 10, 1963: An explosion was heard over a wide area of Tacoma, Washington, with no determined cause.
• October 1, 1963: Hunters and residents in Arkansas County observed a strange-shaped object described as a 'question mark,' 'cylinder with a shaft,' and 'boomerang.'
• May 30, 1963: Astronomers at Mt. Stromlo observatory in Australia observed a brightly-lit, orange-red object traveling from west to east.
• February 21, 1963: Miss Alice Harney in Trenton, New Jersey, saw a large blob of light that split into two small discs.
• December 13, 1963: APRO member Michael J. Campione saw a green, phosphorescent object resembling an Air Force jet trainer.
• September 24, 1963: Mrs. James Patterson and others in St. Charles, Missouri, saw a bright spherical light hovering over trees.
• June 16, 1963: Peter Vining in Palmerston North City, New Zealand, encountered two strange bright lights.

Recommended Reading

The bulletin includes a list of recommended books on UFO research, including titles by Donald Keyhoe, Aime Michel, Carl G. Jung, M. K. Jessup, and Coral E. Lorenzen's 'The Great Flying Saucer Hoax.'

New Book

A new French-language book, 'Les Apparitions de Martiens' by Michel Carrouges, is recommended for its observations of UFO occupants.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The APRO Bulletin consistently questions official explanations for UFO sightings, often suggesting that authorities dismiss observational data in favor of preconceived notions or mundane explanations. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into unexplained aerial phenomena, encouraging members to contribute their findings. Recurring themes include the variety of shapes and behaviors of reported objects, the difficulty in obtaining definitive explanations, and the potential for extraterrestrial origins. The publication also highlights the importance of detailed witness accounts and the challenges in verifying such events.

Notable Quotes

• "The maneuvers of the object described indicated that the 'experts' have again discarded observational information in favor of a pre-conceived explanation or theory."
• "It is entirely possible that Austin saw Jupiter later when watching with his parents and neighbors. If he had been pursued by a large lighted object which terrified him he might not have also seen Jupiter at the time so when viewing the bright planet later he would have no way of separating it from the object which pursued him, and he might have interpreted Jupiter as the object which had ascended and was hovering at high altitude."

FAQ

• Q: What was the main headline of the January 1964 APRO Bulletin? A: The main headline was 'DISC SUBMERGED IN BRAZILIAN RIVER'.
• Q: What happened in the Eugenio Douglas incident in Argentina? A: Eugenio Douglas reported his truck being bathed in light from a hovering disc, causing him to lose control, and then encountering three 'robot-like' beings.
• Q: What was the official explanation for the sighting by Ronnie Austin and Phyllis Bruce in Illinois? A: The official explanation suggested that the youngsters saw the moon through fog and let their imagination run away with them, or that Ronnie Austin had seen Jupiter.
• Q: What unusual cloud formation was reported in February 1963? A: An oval-shaped, ring-shaped cloud of silvery-white color, luminous and at an extreme altitude of 149,000 feet, was observed by hundreds in Arizona, New Mexico, and California.