LUFORO Bulletin - Vol 2 No 01 - January 1961

Magazine Overview

Title: LUFORO BULLETIN
Issue: Vol. II No. 1
Date: January 1961
Publisher: London Unidentified Flying Object Research Organisation (LUFORO)
Country: United Kingdom
Price: 6d.

This issue of the LUFORO Bulletin, dated January 1961, presents a collection of UFO sightings and related discussions, aiming to promote scientific investigation and understanding within the field.

Editorial

The editorial, penned by Lawrence G Moore, expresses hope for further developments in UFO research in 1961, noting an increased public respect for the subject. It emphasizes the importance of presenting a unified front to encourage governments to release information. The editor invites readers to submit articles and viewpoints to broaden the discussion. The bulletin also acknowledges a reader, Mr. Roy Stemman, for his appreciation of the previous issue and promises new ideas in layout. A 'Talking Point' section poses a question to readers about whether UFOlogists should organize groups to research telepathic communication between 'contactees' and 'space-people'.

LUFORO Organisation and Membership

The London Unidentified Flying Object Research Organisation (LUFORO) was established on July 11th, 1959, with the objectives of conducting unbiased scientific investigations into UFO reports, collecting verifiable data, disseminating information, and fostering cooperation among researchers. The bulletin is available from the Hon. Secretary, with subscription rates provided. Annual full membership costs 10/- or 1 dollar and includes the bulletin. Associate membership is free and grants access to the information service without other privileges.

Forthcoming London Meetings

Meetings are scheduled for April, May, and June at Caxton Hall, Westminster, with an admission fee of 2/6d. Nearest tube station is St. James's Park.

• Brains Trust: Scheduled for Saturday, February 11th at 7:30 pm. A panel of experts, including an astronomer, an author on UFOs, a fellow of the British Interplanetary Society, an investigator of 'ring-angels', an optics specialist, and a journalist, are invited to participate. Confirmations were pending at the time of publication.
• Human Perception and its Interpretation as Applied to UFology: A lecture by Mr. C.C. Stevens on Saturday, March 11th, 1961, at 7:30 pm, discussing data evaluation processes.

Details for a July meeting are to be found on the back cover.

LUFORO Focus on World Sightings

Germany

• UFO-Naachrichten No. 53: A sighting by Mrs K. St.Bereits in Hamburg in August 1955 described a disc-shaped object, about 21 feet in diameter, sinking rapidly, then gliding slowly to about 15 feet away. It displayed a pulsating yellow light, emitted three beams, and showed yellow pipes with green light before vanishing. The observer noted the lack of photographic verification for spectacular sightings.
• Mainz: On September 12th, 1960, Herr S.Klauss and a witness observed a square object, estimated at 3000' altitude, with an open underside, which disappeared silently at high speed.
• Staroleka near Posen: Many people observed a 'Flying Saucer' emitting a bright light, moving in various directions and heights, and disappearing southwards.
• Frankfurt: On November 11th, 1960, Mrs R. Wenzel saw a glowing object moving in a pendulum-like motion.
• Freiburg: A student reported that her light went out when a UFO passed overhead, and she described seeing a 'chariot of fire'.

Chicago Sightings

Weather experts suggested that sun's rays might have caused phenomena interpreted as objects, offering four possible explanations.

S.W. Russia

Soviet newspapers denounced reports of flying saucers as 'fantastic fairytales', with Academician Mr. Artsimovich attributing them to self-deception or falsification. Reports claimed tiny men from Venus had landed and were looking for a place to buy sweets.

Sea Watch

The United States Navy reported making contact with a mysterious underwater object in the Pacific, stating there were no indications of hostile action and that it was under investigation.

The Hague

An enormous ball of fire, estimated at 15 miles up, was seen over Terschelling, Holland, losing height and disappearing.

Patrick Moore, on the BBC, stated that life elsewhere in the universe is possible, but reports of 'flying saucers' cannot be taken seriously.

Focus on British Sightings

Norfolk Sightings

• Eastern Daily Press (July 22nd, 1960): Five objects, described as comets or rockets with fiery tails, were seen on July 20th at Sheringham. Mr W. Starling and others described them as banana-shaped and orange, travelling fast out to sea. They were visible for about three hours.
• Eastern Daily Press (September 12th, 1960): Reports of strange objects were received from across East Anglia. The Air Ministry and RAF stations received many enquiries. An 'Eastern Daily Press' reporter saw an object that was possibly a special meteorological research balloon. The Meteorological Office at RAF Marham suggested this explanation, and Bomber Command was informed.

East Anglian Sightings (Continued)

• Air Ministry Spokesman: Enquiries came from all over Norfolk. It was considered possible they were meteorological balloons.
• Marham Meteorological Office: The object was observed for several hours and assumed to be a large plastic balloon from a research unit. Its stationary nature was puzzling, and it was estimated to be at least 60,000 feet up.
• Mildenhall Meteorological Office: They also observed the object, suggesting it could be a weather balloon. It appeared to be a sphere, possibly with a canister, and did not seem to be a standard type. It was thought to be part of a 'planned research effort'.
• Mrs E. Jacobs: Described the object as looking like 'two glass marbles on top of one another'.
• Thetford Man: Thought he saw a red object below the main sphere.

Cone-Shaped Light in Sky (Norwich)

• Eastern Evening News (November 1st, 1960): Mr. R. Jeeves, a photographer, spotted a flickering orange light through his window, which he observed through binoculars as a cone shape. It was travelling east to west with no sound.
• Eastern Evening News (November 2nd, 1960): Mrs E. Watson reported seeing a mysterious object over Bungay, described as a bit misty but not an aircraft or reflection.

Letter to the Eastern Evening News (December 30th, 1960)

W.G. Shell of Norwich stated certainty of the existence of flying saucers after observing a bright disc-like object flying noiselessly at tremendous speed with a pale blue trail.

Letter to the Eastern Daily Press (January 1st, 1961)

Mrs D.C. Penny reported seeing a strange object with three large lights on Friday, January 6th, before 6 am. The object had a bright glare, and the electric wires in the area were affected, sparking and cracking. Flashes were observed from the object, and the sky was pitch black and raining.

More British Sightings

Bournemouth "Echo"

• "Freak Storm Leaves Trail of Damage" (January 5th, 1961): A fierce storm caused damage, including a tree blown down and a house gable crashing into the road. Gusts of over 60 mph were recorded. Mrs Sheila Clark heard an explosion, and flying glass narrowly missed her son.
• "Sky Bolt Hits a Cottage" (January 9th, 1961): A mystery object crashed through the roof of a cottage in Lymington, causing damage. Five pieces of burned rock-like substance were found. The object was described as deep dirty colour and possibly burned inside.

Shoreham

• Evening News and Star (January 5th, 1961): A coastguard spotted a brilliant white light high in the sky travelling eastwards at high speed.

Gloucester

• Gloucester Citizen (December 24th, 1960): An object similar to one seen previously, described as bright, round, and moon-like, was seen hovering in the sky over Cooper's Hill.

Slow Moving Green Fireballs and UFO's

This article by Eric Smith B.Sc. discusses recent work by Donald H. Robey of Convair-Astronautics. It explores the hypothesis that slow-moving green fireballs are 'cometoids' composed of frozen substances. The theory predicts characteristics such as wobbling, fuzziness, metallic appearance, light emission, short lifetime, and spheroidal shape. Quantitatively, a sphere of frozen water entering the atmosphere at 6.9 miles per second could survive and reach terminal speeds. Cometoid entry is complex due to an inhomogeneous ice matrix. Light emission is attributed to stored energy, with phosphorescence of solid Nitrogen suggested as the cause for green colouring. A table lists wavelengths corresponding to colours from ultra violet to yellow.

This issue of the LUFORO Bulletin, dated December 1960, focuses on an extensive index of UFO sightings reported in 1960 and early 1961. It serves as a comprehensive compilation of observations, providing details on dates, times, locations, witnesses, and descriptions of aerial phenomena. The bulletin also includes theoretical discussions, news flashes, and references to related publications.

Theoretical Discussions and Analysis

The issue delves into the 'green fireball' phenomenon as a potential explanation for numerous UFO sightings. It suggests that this phenomenon, possibly related to thermoluminescent ices and aliphatic ketones, could account for many reports, reducing the number of 'unknowns' in projects like Blue Book. The article references the work of Robey, who cites examples that might be probable cometoid cases. An incident from Arkansas City, Kansas, on July 19, 1956, is presented, where a 'ball of fire' was picked up by radar and described as a brightly-lighted, tear-shaped object with prongs or streams of light, some of which were green or bluish-green.

However, the bulletin also critically assesses the limitations of this theory. It states that while the 'green fireball' theory might explain some sightings, it cannot adequately account for a significant portion of reports, particularly those involving formations of objects, stationary or moving, and discrepancies in predicted colors or discrete geometrical forms. The article concludes that attributing such phenomena solely to cometoids stretches the theory beyond acceptable limits, though it acknowledges the value of such tools for UFOlogists.

News Flashes and Reports

The bulletin features a section titled "FLASHES" which compiles various news items and reports from different sources:

• Daily Mirror (December 5, 1960): Reports a rocket launch from Vandenburg Air Force Base, California, where many people reported seeing a bright orange 'fireball' in the sky, though a base spokesman denied any such sighting.
• Daily Mail (November 24, 1960): Mentions a review of Brinsley le Poer Trench's book "The Sky People" appearing next to a review of David Attenborough's book "Quest in Paradise," noting a discussion of cargo cults.
• "Orbit" (November 1960): An American pilot is quoted as saying many UFO pictures were on file in North American airbases.
• CDUFO Reports (June 1960): Reports that Otis T. Carr and officials of OTC Enterprises were summoned for questioning regarding the sale of allegedly fraudulent securities.
• NICAP (October 12, 1960): The office of the Secretary of the Air Force made admissions about UFOs, stating that the Air Force maintains continuous surveillance of the atmosphere for UFOs and that this interest is related to space surveillance. The policy letter was signed by Major General Arno Luehman.
• Saucer News (December 1960): Reports that the US Government admits to developing a 'flying saucer' as a joint Army and Air Force project.
• London (AP): Many attendees at the first National Flying Saucer Convention believed that President Eisenhower and Premier Kruschev had been contacted by extraterrestrial entities.
• Sunday Express (December 1960): Scientists at the Radio astronomy observatory in Greenbank, West Virginia, have stopped listening for voices from outer space after three months of unsuccessful attempts following unexplained radio signals.

British Sighting Reports

This section details several sighting reports from Britain:

• A report from "The Citizen" describes an object that swooped from the heavens, hovered, and then disappeared over Cooper's Hill. An investigator from the International Unidentified Flying Objects Observer Corps was to carry out investigations.
• A "storm fireball" report from the Daily Herald (December 10, 1960) describes a fireball hurtling through the sky off the Yorkshire coast, accompanied by a brilliant flash, thunder, and a blue light.
• Another Daily Herald report (December 23, 1960) describes a "thing" seen by Christmas shoppers as a bright white globe with a long red tail and trailing sparks, which a meteorological officer suggested might be a meteorite.

World Sightings Index

The bulletin includes a detailed index of UFO sightings from March 1960 to January 1961, covering numerous locations worldwide, including Australia, Venezuela, Ireland, South Africa, USA, England, Germany, New Zealand, Jamaica, Brazil, and Holland. Each entry provides date, time, duration, witness details, location, description of the object (shape, color, behavior), direction, and the source of the report. The descriptions range from luminous globes and cigar-shaped objects to discs, spheres, and objects with fiery tails or emitting rays.

Late News and Announcements

• Late News: A report from The Hull Daily Mail describes a 15-year-old amateur astronomer observing five discs in the night sky, one of which branched away at tremendous speed. Dr. W. Cameron Walker, a Hull amateur astronomer, suggested these could be aircraft flying very high and fast, possibly reflecting sunlight.
• Announcements: Information is provided about upcoming LUFORO meetings, including a date for London members and a lecture by the Hon. Brinsley le Poer Trench.
• Reports Please: Readers are encouraged to submit any UFO reports or press cuttings to Mr. G.N.P. Stephenson, Chairman of LUFORO.

Abbreviations

The bulletin concludes with a comprehensive list of abbreviations used for publications and organizations referenced throughout the index.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the cataloging of UFO sightings, the exploration of theoretical explanations for these phenomena (particularly the 'green fireball' theory), and the reporting of official statements and news related to UFOs. The editorial stance appears to be one of diligent documentation and critical analysis, presenting various reports and theories while also acknowledging their limitations. There is a clear effort to compile and disseminate information within the UFO research community, encouraging reader participation and providing a structured index of reported events.