APRO Bulletin - 1980 04 00 - Vol 28 No 10

Magazine Overview

This issue of The APRO Bulletin, dated April 1980, Volume 28, Number 10, is published by the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization, Inc. (APRO). The cover prominently features the headline "STRANGE DAMAGE IN AUSTRALIA" alongside a photograph of a man pointing to a shattered tree.

Strange Damage in Australia

The issue leads with a report from Adelaide, Australia, detailing an incident on February 18, 1980. Stable hand Daryl Browne witnessed a large, yellow, half-moon-shaped object, approximately eight meters long, hovering over a seventy-foot tall pine tree. The following day, the tree was found to have massive damage, with branches bent like matchsticks and deep gouges in the trunk, though there were no burn marks or wreckage. Browne's guard dogs reacted fearfully to the object. A Mr. Colin Norris from Australian UFO Research tested the site for radiation, finding none, but noted that an infra-red heat detector registered off the scale.

California Abduction?

This section details the experience of Judy Kendall, who, along with her two sisters, experienced a four-hour time loss on November 26, 1972, near Bedoga Bay, California. Years later, through hypnotic regression, Kendall relived the event as an alien abduction. She described encountering three types of aliens: a human-like woman, aliens in gray suits with pale skin and oxygen masks, and a tall "witch doctor" alien with a bulbous head and gelatin-looking eyes. She reported being examined and having fluid extracted from her side. Kendall also noted that other "close encounters" subjects she met had also waited five years to undergo hypnosis, and one woman described the aliens and examination room identically to hers.

What's a Drawing Like That Doing in a Place Like This?

Authored by Robert Barrow, this article recounts an experience from the summer of 1968 during Air Force basic training at Lackland AFB. While attending a class on Air Force security, Barrow encountered a drawing on page 56 of a manual titled "Air Force Standard Communications Security Education Program (Transmission Security)." The drawing depicted two saucer-shaped craft, labeled as "weapons or equipment" that should be classified "Top Secret," illustrating the "right" and "wrong" ways to designate classification. Barrow found this humorous given the ongoing Project Bluebook investigations.

Alien Honeycomb (Conclusion)

This is a continuation of a review of the book "Alien Honeycomb" by Messrs. Pinkney and Ryzman. The reviewer expresses skepticism about the authors' claims regarding "gorgeously, hectically-colored wreckage" from a UFO explosion over Greenbank, Queensland, Australia. The book reportedly claims the material is "exotic" and "unknown," with preliminary testing by an "expert in aeronautics" suggesting it's not from any known aircraft or satellite. The authors have appealed to the United Nations to investigate. The reviewer notes the lack of detailed scientific analysis in the book and points out that the "commentaries of eminent scientists" are subjective observations, not hard analyses. The reviewer also critiques the authors' claims about UFO landing reports and the Valentich disappearance, suggesting their evidence is anecdotal and their conclusions require qualification. The reviewer draws a parallel to the 1945-46 Swedish "ghost-rocket" flap, where initial analyses of fragments were misleading due to a lack of basic testing, like for carbon.

Press Reports

This section compiles various UFO sighting reports from different locations:

• Orange, NSW, Australia (1977): A description of a UFO landing is called a "total distortion" by an investigator who looked into the case, suggesting it was a misrepresentation of mundane events.
• Nowra, Australia (1976): Reports of "UFO crashes" are attributed to media distortion of events, with "burn marks" identified as fungi and a red glow observed in a different direction.
• Spanish UFO in 1863: An item from *La Gaceta de Madrid* describes a luminous body observed on the horizon that was reddish, had an appendage or halo, and moved rapidly.
• California Sighting (December 9): Witnesses in the Lodi News-Sentinel area reported seeing two large bright amber lights, one higher than the other, which later disappeared.
• California Sighting (December 9): Charlotte Bowers reported seeing two "golden or amber" lights, joined by a third, with a "hemisphere" visible above the third. The lights moved at aircraft speed and were described as silent.
• Council Bluffs, Iowa (February 11, 1980): Seven women reported seeing three or four square white lights and a flashing red light in the sky, which sped away when observed.
• Fairfield, Nebraska (December 3, 1979): Two unidentified persons reported a round, thin object hovering over trees, described as 20-30 feet in diameter with metallic gray color and red/white lights.
• Madison County, Virginia (December 8): Witnesses observed white lights, arranged in two rows of 10 objects, moving south without sound.
• West Milford, New Jersey (December 9): Eight people claimed to have seen 4 or 5 red or yellow lights traveling slowly in a diamond-shaped or circular pattern.
• Banks, Idaho (December 13, 1979): A family reported a 200-300 foot object with two diamond-shaped lights that moved rapidly, causing pain and numbness.
• Molalla, Oregon (late December 1979): An unidentified woman reported five diamond-shaped, silvery objects flying west at approximately 200 feet above the ground.
• Chesapeake, Virginia (January 10, 1980): Dempsey Miller reported a large, round, saucer-shaped object hovering over his car with bright lights and a loud roaring sound. Other residents also reported bright lights and loud noises.
• Williamstown, New Jersey (January 9, 1970): Harry Kochman reported a bright, greenish-blue glow, appearing 2-3 feet long, flying low and emitting white sparks.

Anatomy of a UFO Window

Authored by P. Wayne Laporte, this section features an article by Dolores Lavelle, Trends Editor for the Monroe, N.C. Enquirer Journal, detailing her UFO sighting on June 7, 1979, in Indian Trail, N.C. Lavelle describes seeing a fast-moving orange-red light and a stationary green light hovering over the highway. She initially considered conventional explanations like planes or helicopters but dismissed them due to the speed and stationary nature of the lights. She notes that the area is known for mysterious lights and objects. Laporte's own investigation into the Indian Trail area reveals numerous reports of strange phenomena, including UFOs, spook lights, and other anomalies. He posits a connection between UFO activity and geological fault lines, particularly the Gold Hill Fault in North Carolina, where many sightings have occurred over gold mines. He suggests that quartz's piezoelectric properties, which generate electrical charges when compressed, might be related to "quake lights" and attract UFOs.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of The APRO Bulletin focuses on a variety of UFO-related phenomena, including physical damage attributed to UFOs, alleged alien abductions, and numerous sighting reports from across the United States and Australia. A significant portion of the content, particularly in the "Alien Honeycomb" review and Laporte's article, explores the scientific investigation of UFO evidence, the challenges of substantiating claims, and potential unconventional explanations such as geological connections. The publication maintains a stance of serious inquiry into these phenomena, encouraging detailed research and analysis while also highlighting the difficulties in obtaining conclusive proof. The recurring call for address changes and zip code updates indicates a focus on maintaining subscriber contact for continued dissemination of information.