APRO Bulletin - 1984 03 00 - Vol 32 No 1

Magazine Overview

This issue of The APRO Bulletin, Volume 32, No. 1, published in March 1984, focuses on a "Rash of Sightings in Alabama" and "Photos of Object Over Washington, D.C.". It also includes sections on animal mutilations, government secrecy, and book reviews.

Renewal Notice

The bulletin begins with a renewal notice, informing members that if their cover displays "Volume and Issue Code 32/3", their renewal is due. It outlines the renewal fees for the U.S. ($15.00), Canada and Mexico ($16.00), Overseas Surface Mail ($18.00), and Overseas Airmail ($21.00). Members are urged to remit their dues promptly to avoid a second notice.

UFOhio Symposium Papers

APRO Headquarters is making papers presented at the APRO UFOhio Symposium in June 1981 available for purchase. The prices, reflecting copying costs at $0.10 per page plus postage, range from $2.00 to $3.50. The listed papers include:

1. "Old Magic and New" by Robert F. Creegan, Ph.D. ($2.25)
2. "The Roswell Investigation, Update and Conclusions" by William L. Moore ($3.50)
3. "The Interrupted Journey Continued" by Betty Hill ($2.25)
4. "UFO Activity and Human Consciousness" by R. Leo Sprinkle, Ph.D. ($2.75)
5. "The Night Surgeons" by Peter A. Jordan ($3.00)
6. "E.T.H.-Completing The Jigsaw" by L.J. Lorenzen ($2.00)
7. "UFO-The Cosmic Watergate" by Stanton T. Friedman ($2.75)
8. "Sociological Aspects of UFO Research" by Peter Van Arsdale, Ph. D. ($3.50)

Holiday Greetings

The staff of APRO, including Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzen, Mr. Marsland, Mrs. McCoy, and Betty Scott, extend Holiday Greetings. They explain their policy of not relaying holiday messages due to the diverse nature of their membership, but express appreciation for messages of encouragement like "keep up the good work". They wish all members happiness, health, and success.

Photos of Object Over Washington, D.C.

This section details a sighting by the Jim McCoy family in Washington, D.C., in late June 1983. Their 16-year-old son, David, captured two photographs of a bright white object with a faint trail and a red glow. The object was seen between 10:30 and 11 p.m. facing the Lincoln Memorial. The camera used was a new Pentax with Kodak 400 color film. The object appeared as a reddish, nebulous globe with a bright white rim. The bulletin invites comments from anyone who can identify the object.

Rash of Sightings in Alabama

This extensive report details numerous sightings in Alabama during October 1983, near the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. Hundreds of people reported unusual lights. The sightings began with teenagers Ty Strickland and Kim Green seeing something zipping through the air. The following night, Brad Zirbel and Steve Allen saw a strange orange and white ball of light. Zirbel's father, a pilot, observed a "very bright light moving in patterns that were not possible in an airplane".

On subsequent nights, witnesses observed a strange bright red glowing light in a freshly plowed cotton field. Farmer Jesse Crouch reported seeing orange-reddish glows and sparklers in the air, and also discovered a large hole filled with ice-cold water. He had been seeing strange lights for five years.

Dr. Joe Slate, a professor at Athens State College, suggested a geological condition, a "vortex", might be responsible for the glowing lights. The report also mentions the recovery of three helium-filled garbage bags tied to a flashlight, which witnesses stated could not explain the lights they saw.

A "Smoking Gun" at the National Security Agency (NSA)

This section discusses a lawsuit filed by Peter Gersten and "Citizens Against UFO Secrecy" (CAUS) against the NSA in 1979 under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). CAUS sought documents concerning UFO sightings. The NSA representative admitted to finding 239 documents, but only a 21-page memo classified above TOP SECRET was presented to the judge, read "in camera" without plaintiffs present.

A "sanitized" version of this memo has since been released, revealing intriguing details. One document was erroneously treated as part of the FOIA request, described as an account of attendance at a UFO symposium, not a record of NSA activities. The NSA's secrecy is attributed to not wanting anyone to know of their UFO investigations. Deletions were made concerning Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) operations and information about the organization and operational activities of the NSA concerning UFO phenomena, referred to as the "Smoking Gun". This material was exempted under 5 U.S.C. para 552(b)(3) and public law 86-36.

The article speculates that the President might be unaware of the NSA's "component" dealing with UFO phenomena, suggesting that some secrets are too deep to be shared with elected officials. The NSA's primary function is technical intelligence gathering, and there is no apparent policy-making or evaluation function beyond processing information for policymakers.

Computer Update

APRO Headquarters has acquired an Atari 800 computer and considerable software, donated anonymously. They are also seeking a display monitor and printer. The computer will be used for mailing lists and other procedural instructions. The "Computer Committee" is working on acquiring a printer, and ultimately, all typesetting will be done at the office, reducing office chores.

Recent English Sightings

This section details several UFO sightings in England:

• July 30th: David and Patricia Wise reported a ten-foot gold-colored square object, flashing as it darted forward in bursts.
• August 3rd: Mrs. Jessie Land saw a very bright light that appeared to be twinkling, twisting, and moving down and back up.
• August 12th: A family spotted an object circling over Oldham, described as a globe of light with a red flashing light, which moved across the skyline in less than five minutes and reportedly returned later.
• August 16th: John Hewitt saw a metallic, disc-shaped object turning and flashing in the sun, moving at the speed of a light aircraft with no sound.
• March 8, 1977: Four night-shift workers at Oswaldtwistle saw an object changing shape from round to triangular.
• Summer 1978: Amazing UFO activity was reported near Menwith Hill, including two lights side-by-side and a huge ball of light falling from the sky.
• July 11, 1980: Police constables Stephen Howarth and Chris Fernhead spotted a "large flattened oval-shaped object" hovering above reservoirs, which rotated and changed color. Their police radio received broadcasts from 200 miles away.

Book Review: The Great Lakes Triangle

Jay Gourley's book, "The Great Lakes Triangle" (Fawcett Publications, 1977, $1.25), is highly recommended for pilots, UFO believers, and mystery lovers. The review highlights several puzzling incidents from the book, including:

• 1902: The ship Bannockburn vanished near Lake Superior.
• 1927: The freighter Kamloops disappeared without a trace near Isle Royale.
• 1913: Freighters Regina, James C. Carruthers, and Charles Price sank in Lake Huron, with bodies from Price wearing Regina life jackets.
• 1953: An USAF jet F-86 was observed to merge with a radar return and vanish over Lake Superior.
• 1954: An F-94 aircraft was enveloped in heat and crashed after its pilot ejected.
• 1967: An aircraft crashed near Grand Rapids, Michigan, despite being in contact with the tower.
• 1960: A Canadian twin-jet interceptor vanished over Lake Ontario.

The review notes the book's exploration of radio and instrument failures, disappearances, spatial disorientation, and memory loss, linking these to the "agonic line" of zero magnetic deviation in the region.

Excerpts from The Pennine UFO Mystery

This section presents cases from Jenny Randles' book, "The Pennine UFO Mystery":

• August 1975: Arthur Foster saw a large, egg-shaped object, about 20 feet wide, drift down a hillside near his car.
• February 23, 1977: Four members of the Royal Observer Corps saw a large grey disc hovering over an ancient stone circle on Ilkley Moor. Paul Bennett reported receiving a mild electric shock upon touching the stones.
• March 8, 1977: Four night-shift workers saw an object changing shape from round to triangular.
• Summer 1978: UFO activity near Menwith Hill included lights and a large ball of light falling from the sky.
• July 11, 1980: Police constables spotted a large flattened oval-shaped object hovering above reservoirs, which seemed to be rotating and changing color. The police radio had an extended range during the sighting.

Piezoelectric UFOs

This section discusses the theory that UFOs might be related to piezoelectricity. Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Thomas E. Bearden suggests that the phenomenon photographed by Cox and Keeton in Alabama, which has quartz in its rock, is of a piezoelectric nature. Quartz rocks can discharge electrical currents under pressure and create UFO-type lights, as demonstrated in laboratory conditions.

Object Hits Satellite

An unidentified object, about eight inches in size, hit the Indian national Insat-1B satellite 23 seconds after its separation from the U.S. space shuttle Challenger in August 1983. A NASA video confirmed the impact.

More English Reports

The Yorkshire UFO Society, led by Graham W. Birdsall, has received numerous reports from elderly people seeing large, glowing objects. Birdsall believes there may be a connection across the country.

• August 9, 1982: An 86-year-old woman in Otley awoke to a brilliant light from a large object hovering near her home.
• Near Halifax: A community has been experiencing strange lights and high-pitched noises for 18 months.
• February 16, 1983: A man in Otley observed a large oval object near Farnley Hall, emitting a fluorescent blue color.
• March (consecutive nights): Strange flying objects were seen near Bolton Abbey, and staff at a hospital reported similar sightings.
• A scorched tree: A search party found a large red glow through trees, and the next day discovered a tree that had been badly scorched with a branch torn off ten feet above the base, determined to be caused by intense heat, not lightning.

Mutilations Continue

By Coral E. Lorenzen. This section continues the discussion on cattle mutilations, referencing a previous paper by Peter Jordan. The article notes that APRO offered Jordan's paper, which was "pro" mutilations, to its membership. Membership reactions were mixed, with some feeling the second presentation was biased.

The "Birth" of the Mutes

The "mystery" of animal mutilations is traced back to the death of a horse named Snippy in Colorado in 1967. The Condon Committee was headquartered in the same state but did not reach the scene until evidence was disturbed. The article contrasts the types of animals involved: few horses, thousands of beef cattle, and very few sheep. It notes that horses are usually kept near human habitation, while cattle are spread out. Sheep require supervision and are often in well-defined areas, and ranchers are engaged in a "war" against predators like wolves and coyotes that kill sheep.

Mutilation Theories

Several theories are presented for the mutilations:

1. Governmental Agency: To determine the extent of water, flora, and fauna pollution by nuclear waste. This theory suggests that agencies could conduct experiments without legal constraints and avoid inviting attention.
2. Devil Cultists: This theory is considered unlikely due to the required organization and financing.
3. UFOs: For unknown reasons.

The article highlights that "'copters" (helicopters) were seen near mutilated carcasses before their discovery, lending credence to the government agency theory. However, these helicopters appeared later than the initial onset of the phenomenon.

A Real Mystery (Papago Reservation)

Mr. Lorenzen investigated a mutilation of a bull on the Papago Indian Reservation in 1982. The bull's anus, penis, and testicles were removed with surgical precision. The head area was normal, with no attempt to remove eyes, ears, lips, or tongue. There was little bloat, indicating death within three days. Tracks around the carcass indicated coyotes had grabbed the tail and pulled, but there were no marks on the body to suggest they had eaten from it. The bull was likely mutilated while alive.

Flaw in Theory

Mr. Jordan's assumption that predators were responsible is challenged by the fact that in most mutilation cases, the stomach or intestines are not torn into and devoured, which would be typical for predators like wolves or coyotes. The article notes that in the Papago Reservation case, the stomach and intestines were intact.

Geographical Distribution of Mutilations

The article notes that while Arizona and Texas have extensive cattle ranching, there have been few recorded unusual mutilations. New Mexico has a considerable number, particularly in the northern part, which is largely federal land used for military installations and nuclear testing. The majority of mutilations have occurred in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, with a concentration in northern New Mexico. The author questions why Arizona, with plenty of cattle, has so few mutilations, especially since scavengers do not bother the mutilated animals and the cuts are too precise for predators.

Nuclear Contamination Theory

The theory that mutilations are a result of sampling wildlife to determine nuclear contamination levels is considered plausible, either by U.S. agents or extraterrestrials. Northern New Mexico and other involved states are either sites of nuclear installations or in the path of contaminated water.

'Copters Seen

When "strange", unmarked helicopters began appearing near mutilated carcasses, theories emerged. The government agency theory gained traction because such craft could be obtained by government personnel.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The APRO Bulletin consistently reports on UFO sightings, investigations, and related phenomena. This issue highlights a variety of sightings across different locations, delves into the complex and often unexplained phenomenon of animal mutilations with a critical examination of theories, and addresses concerns about government secrecy regarding UFO information. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, presenting evidence and theories while acknowledging the mysteries that remain. The publication also serves as a platform for members to share their experiences and for the organization to provide updates and solicit support.