LUFORO Bulletin - Vol 1 No 06 - 29th July 1960

Magazine Overview

Title: L.U.F.O.R.O. BULLETIN
Issue: No.6
Volume/Date: July 1960 (Cover date: 29th July, 1960)
Publisher: LONDON UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT RESEARCH ORGANISATION
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

This issue of the L.U.F.O.R.O. Bulletin focuses on a specific crop circle incident and broader UFO research methodologies, alongside a compilation of further sighting reports from 1960.

The Evenlode Incident

The bulletin begins by referencing an article in The "Evershan Journal" from June 10th, 1960, which reported on "Two mysterious circles, one inside the other," discovered by Mr. Bill Edwards on his farm in Evenlode. The outer circle was reported to be twenty-three feet across, and the inner circle sixteen feet across. Neither Mr. Edwards nor his farming friends could explain their origin. The article speculated that such impressions would be consistent with the landing of a flying saucer.

LUFORO decided to investigate this report further, assigning Area Investigator Mr. John Llewellyn. His report details the investigation conducted on Thursday, June 30th, 1960, at Evenlode, Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

Mr. William Edwards of Poplars Farm, Evenlode, recounted that on the morning of Friday, June 3rd, 1960, he discovered two "apparently perfect circles" in a pasture field. He paced the outer circle to be approximately 23 feet in diameter and the inner one 16 feet, with the imprints being about 4 inches wide. He noted that the ground was hard due to a lack of rain, suggesting a heavy force had caused the imprints. He also stated the field was about half a mile from the nearest road, making vehicle access unlikely without leaving signs. He had previously crossed the field two days before finding the imprints and noted no markings then. He reported the finding to the local police on Sunday, June 5th, who were also puzzled.

Mr. Coles, from The Stores in Evenlode, corroborated Mr. Edwards' statement. He photographed and examined the circles six days later, attempting to find an explanation, but failed, even considering possibilities like cattle troughs or cattle pushing them.

During Mr. Llewellyn's visit, nearly four weeks after the incident, heavy rain had fallen, causing the grass to regrow. However, the outlines of the circles were still visible. He measured the outer diameter at 22 feet and the inner diameter at 16 feet 6 inches, with a track width of approximately 1 inch. Photographs were taken to indicate measurements, and earth and grass specimens were collected.

Mr. Llewellyn was impressed by the integrity of the persons contacted. He considered the possibility of a helicopter making tracks but ruled it out due to the isolation of the circles and the nature of the imprints, which were not bruised like those from wheel tracks. He suggested it could have been a vertical take-off aircraft that left no markings in the central areas.

Photographs of the site taken by Mr. Llewellyn were available for purchase at 10/- each.

Mr. Knewstub's Talk at LUFORO's Caxton Hall Meeting

The bulletin then presents a shortened version of a talk given by Mr. Grahan Knewstub, Director of Research for the British Flying Saucer Bureau (B.F.S.B.). He discussed the history of UFO societies in Britain, starting with the B.F.S.B. in 1952.

Mr. Knewstub outlined two types of research: "armchair research" (reading historical facts) and a more active, scientific approach. He criticized an editorial in "FLYING SAUCER REVIEW" that had critiqued the scientific approach to UFOs. He emphasized that investigating UFOs requires the qualities of a scientist: honesty, careful observation, noting all hypotheses, perseverance, and a touch of genius.

He described the B.F.S.B.'s methodology, which involved collecting newspaper cuttings and performing statistical analysis. They categorized observers into three groups: experienced (pilots, etc.), professional (doctors, solicitors), and others. Analysis revealed similar percentages of disc-shaped objects across these groups, followed by cigar-shaped and globular shapes.

Mr. Knewstub detailed their method of examining reports first-hand. Potential witnesses were asked to complete a questionnaire and provide an account. An investigator would then accompany the person to the location to pinpoint the sighting on a map and determine the exact angle of elevation and direction of the object's appearance and disappearance. This was done using a telescope fitted with a protractor and a stop-watch to record duration. The experiment was repeated, and if times were inconsistent, the report was discarded. For consistency checks, observers were asked to estimate travel times for cars, comparing their estimates with actual stop-watch times.

He asserted that estimates of an UFO's size could be highly misleading. He recounted an instance where a person described an object's length as that of a twelve-inch ruler held at arm's length, which, when measured precisely, translated to a much smaller actual size. LUFORO found that determining an UFO's altitude through accurate elevation angles and a reasonable size estimate allowed for calculations of size and speed.

Regarding UFOs that vanished suddenly, especially after streaking towards the horizon, Mr. Knewstub suggested that after the launch of satellites, they deduced this might be due to the objects moving outside Earth's atmosphere and suddenly entering its shadow.

He also mentioned positively identified objects, such as two white lights in formation that turned out to be landing lights on a Bristol Brittania aircraft. Regarding photographs, his verdict was that the "best authenticated photographs were the worst ones," citing George Adamski's photos as never having been authenticated by witnesses.

Looking to the future, Mr. Knewstub stated that the B.F.S.B. was planning to develop a simple computer or card index system to quickly retrieve information, such as the times cigar-shaped objects appear most often on a Friday. LUFORO expressed willingness to cooperate with this project.

Mystery 'Star' Reported Over Mount's Bay

This section reports on mystery flares of red, green, and white seen along the West county coast on Monday night, puzzling the Search and Rescue Centre at Mount Batten, Plymouth. The flares were observed at various locations including The Lizard, Lanorna Cove, and off Mumbles Head. Mrs. E. Lewis described seeing a fast-moving 'star' that arched across the sky, initially red and then turning silver. Later that night, at Portcurno, several people reported seeing a 'flare', and a flash lit the ground, initially assumed to be lightning.

UFO Over Lancashire Coast

On Wednesday, July 13th, 1960, at 6:25 p.m., Mr. C.O. Harper of Rossall School, Fleetwood, observed a silver object flying above a four-engined plane at a very great height (estimated 10,000-15,000 ft). The object moved in the opposite direction to the plane and disappeared behind clouds, indicating high speed. Mr. Harper initially thought it might be a balloon but noted its speed. The object was visible for about a minute and appeared to change shape. Judging from its height (easily above 50,000 ft), he estimated its speed to be approaching Mach 5. The fact that it passed behind a cloud and a shape was identifiable suggested a very large object.

Further 1960 UFO Sighting Reports

A table lists several UFO sightings from March to July 1960, including:

• March 3: Meridian, Idaho (2 witnesses) - Object in west moved to east.
• March 14: Karlsruhe, Germany (1 witness) - "Gold-yel ob, desc vert."
• March 28: Muster, Germany (1 witness) - Light darkened, vanished.
• April 2: Malcesine (5 minutes, 2 witnesses) - "Bt rodlike ob mvd horiz."
• June 6: Chiba, China (4 witnesses) - "2 mussel-shd obs; disap."
• May 13: Wolfsburg, Germany (1 witness) - Object in North, descended, moved West-East, disappeared.
• June 29: Plymouth, England (M, 1 witness) - Colored flares, many in large area.
• July 13: Fleetwood, England (1 minute, 1 witness) - Silver object, great speed above plane.

Abbreviations are provided for terms like "fls" (flares), "lg ar" (large area), and "gt sp" (great speed).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the detailed investigation of specific UFO/UAP events, particularly the Evenlode crop circles, and the critical examination of UFO research methodologies. The publication, LUFORO, clearly advocates for a scientific and systematic approach to understanding these phenomena, as highlighted by Mr. Knewstub's talk. The editorial stance is one of open inquiry, encouraging the reporting and investigation of sightings, while also cautioning against hasty conclusions and emphasizing the need for rigorous evidence and analysis. The inclusion of a wide range of sighting reports, from the UK and internationally, underscores the global nature of the phenomenon and LUFORO's commitment to documenting it.