1979 - Article, The UFO Watchers from Illustrated London News Sept 79

Magazine Overview

Title: The UFO watchers
Author: Des Wilson
Content Focus: Reports of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings and the personalities involved in investigating them in Britain.

Introduction

The article opens by noting the increasing reports of UFO sightings and the formation of organizations worldwide to investigate them. It highlights the cultural impact of films like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and parliamentary debates on the subject. A whisky firm's £1 million prize for proving a device from beyond Earth is also mentioned, noting the surprising lack of entries.

Key Organizations and Personalities

The piece introduces two major British UFO organizations: Bufora (British UFO Research Association) and Contact International.

• Lord Clancarty (Brinsley Le Poer Trench): Described as the "elder statesman" of the British flying saucer movement, he founded Contact International in 1967 and is a vice-president of Bufora. He theorizes that UFOs are not alien but beings who originally placed humans on Earth and are now monitoring our progress, possibly due to concerns about our actions, including space exploration. He was instrumental in initiating a parliamentary debate on UFOs in the House of Lords.
• Ruth Rees: President of Contact International, she became interested in UFOs as a child and formed an organization in Spain. She notes the growing incidence of sightings and believes the mystery will eventually be resolved. She emphasizes Contact International's global reach.
• Lionel Beer: Chairman of Bufora, a Civil Servant with 20 years of involvement, he is cautious and focused on the scientific study of unexplained phenomena. He believes more information on UFOs is restricted under the Official Secrets Act and could be revealed if a freedom of information act were implemented.
• Norman Oliver: Editor of the Bufora journal, he admits to wanting to believe UFOs are extraterrestrial craft, but remains undecided despite having seen two UFOs himself over 20 years.
• Jenny Randles: A 27-year-old freelance writer, she coordinates the Northern UFO Network, which links 18 local UFO groups in Britain. She has published a book, "UFOs a British Viewpoint," and is skeptical of a single explanation for UFOs, proposing three main theories: novel physical phenomena from our environment, psychological factors influencing interpretation of events, and human-based phenomena externalizing reality.
• Graham Knewstub: Founder of the British Flying Saucer Bureau in Bristol, celebrating its silver anniversary. He has seen two UFOs and believes they might be of a technological nature, but does not rule out non-neutral spiritual influences.
• Bernard Delair: A self-employed publisher and possibly Britain's leading authority on UFO sightings. He has cataloged thousands of computerized UFO reports and published ten volumes. He expresses concern about being visited on someone else's terms and suggests meeting UFOs on level terms. He also posits that UFOs might be surveying Earth for answers due to resource depletion, potentially for inter-breeding.
• Charles Bowen: Editor of "Flying Saucer Review" for 15 years, he has never seen a UFO but finds the evidence from honest witnesses overwhelming. He fears an external force attempting to control minds and advocates for international, official study of the subject.

Reported Sightings and Theories

The article details several reported sightings:

• A disc-shaped object with red lights seen over the M3 motorway, with a smaller object detaching and landing.
• A photograph taken by Ralph Ditter in Ohio in 1967.
• A brightly lit object photographed from Concorde over Central Africa in 1973.
• Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting of nine "gleaming objects" in the Cascade Mountains, which led to the term "flying saucers."
• A sighting in New Guinea in 1957 involving 37 people.
• Sightings by occupants of three Antarctic bases in 1965.
• A ship's crew reporting a Saturn-shaped metallic object near Brazil in 1957.
• A French lavender farmer's encounter in 1965 with small creatures and a craft, leaving a patch of ground where plants refused to grow.

Various theories are presented, ranging from extraterrestrial visitors to psychological phenomena, and even the idea that UFOs are connected to human evolution or are monitoring Earth's environmental status.

The Credibility Gap and Call for Research

Ufologists often face a "credibility gap," with many fearing being labeled as "crazy." However, the article highlights the dedication of these individuals and the thoroughness of their research. Lord Davies of Leek is quoted from a House of Lords debate, emphasizing the need for serious research into UFO phenomena, regardless of personal beliefs, due to the sheer weight of evidence from numerous witnesses.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes include the increasing number of UFO sightings, the efforts of various organizations to collate and investigate these reports, and the diverse theories proposed by researchers. The article presents a balanced view, acknowledging the skepticism and the "credibility gap" while also giving voice to the earnest investigations and unique perspectives of those involved in ufology. The editorial stance appears to be one of objective reporting on the phenomenon and the people dedicated to understanding it, without fully endorsing any single theory.