CAUS Bulletin - No 11

Magazine Overview

Title: CAUS BULLETIN
Issue: 11
Date: September 1988
Cover Headline: TOP SECRET U.F.O.

This issue of the CAUS Bulletin delves into various aspects of UFO phenomena, historical accounts, and official responses. It features a report on a peculiar electrical occurrence in Venezuela, a detailed account of a UFO sighting in Ohio, and correspondence regarding the controversial topic of Nazi involvement in advanced aerial technology.

Curious Phenomenon in Venezuela

The issue begins with a letter to the Scientific American from Warner Cowgill, a U.S. Consulate official in Maracaibo, Venezuela, dated November 17, 1886. Cowgill recounts a strange meteorological occurrence on October 24, 1886. A family of nine, sleeping in a hut near Maracaibo during a rainy and tempestuous night, were awakened by a loud humming noise and a vivid, dazzling light that illuminated the interior of their house. The occupants, terrified, believed it was the end of the world. They were immediately interrupted by violent vomitings and developed extensive swellings, particularly around their faces and lips. The light was not accompanied by heat but had a smoky appearance and a peculiar smell.

The following morning, the swellings subsided, leaving large black blotches on their faces and bodies. Nine days later, the skin peeled off, and these blotches transformed into virulent raw sores. The hair on the side of their heads that was underneath during the phenomenon fell off, and the same side of the body was more seriously injured. Remarkably, the house itself was undamaged, with all doors and windows closed. No trace of lightning was found, and the family reported no detonation, only the humming noise.

An additional curious detail is that the trees around the house showed no signs of injury until the ninth day, when they suddenly withered, coinciding with the development of the sores on the occupants. Cowgill notes this as a potential coincidence but finds it remarkable that the same susceptibility to electrical effects, with the same time lapse, was observed in both humans and plants. He visited the sufferers in a hospital and, despite their horrible appearance, expressed hope that the injuries would not be fatal.

AN EARLY ODDITY

This section, likely an editorial note, explains the inclusion of the Venezuela account. The editors note that they forgot they had the clipping, but its inclusion is justified for three reasons: it predates the Cash/Landrum story by 94 years, it details specific types of injuries, and it was filed by a U.S. Consulate official. They speculate whether official reports were sent to Washington and suggest it might be an interesting project for readers to find the first evidence of government attention to strange aerial phenomena. They mention that the "Battle of Los Angeles" incident might have been the first, but they are investigating earlier incidents near the Canadian border before WWI.

Nazi UFOs and Skepticism

This section features correspondence regarding theories about secret Nazi aircraft projects and flying disks during World War II. Jean Sider, from France, writes to the CAUS Bulletin, and a letter from Hans-Werner Peiniger of GEP e.V. (Gesellschaft zur Erforschung des UFO - Phänomens) in Germany is enclosed. Peiniger expresses a skeptical view on the topic.

Peiniger states that GEP does not have information about "Hitler's secret Weapon's." He mentions that the Flying Discs from engineer "Schriever" are demonstrable not to fly due to constructional faults, citing a journal article. He believes that secret weapons like Flying Disks did not progress beyond the theoretical development phase. Peiniger suspects that reports about these Flying Disks are merely rumors spread by organizations like SAMISDAT, which he characterizes as disseminating "NAZI propaganda-material" (neonazistisches Propagandamaterial). He indicates that GEP will publish an article on this problem in their journal. In his opinion, there are no serious, definite hints or evidence of "NAZI secret Flying Disks" from WWII.

A "CAUS NOTE" appended to this section thanks Jean Sider for the letter and reiterates the skeptical opinion regarding Nazi involvement with flying saucers. It poses a rhetorical question: if the Nazis had perfected such devices, why didn't they win World War II or fight back harder at the end?

U.S. Coast Guard UFO Records Request

This section details a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and response concerning U.S. Coast Guard records on Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) operating in coastal waters. Major Ret. Colman S. VonKeviczky, Director of Project Intercontinental U.F.O. Galactic Spacecraft Research and Analytic Network, sent a letter on April 22, 1988, requesting declassification of these records.

The response, dated June 7, 1988, from M. D. Smith, Chief Yeoman and FOIA Coordinator for the U.S. Coast Guard, states that there are "no records responsive to your request." It clarifies that this is not a refusal to disclose but rather notification that "there is no information to disclose."

A "CAUS NOTE" highlights the amusement in this response, especially in light of another document reproduced in the same issue (on page four) detailing a Coast Guard document on a March 4, 1988, UFO incident at Eastlake, Ohio. This incident was being investigated by Rick Dell'Aquila and Dale Wedge of MUFON. The note points out that the Coast Guard's Washington office denied having any UFO information three months *after* the date of the Ohio incident report. The CAUS editors express doubt about a deliberate cover-up, but use it as an example of how government agencies' "official" statements under FOIA can be unreliable, suggesting that file searches may not be thorough or may not be done at all, and that there isn't a strong government desire to inform the public about UFO activity.

INCIDENT REPORT: UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (Eastlake, Ohio)

This section provides a detailed report, likely from the U.S. Coast Guard (COGARD STA FAIRPORT OH), concerning an incident on March 4, 1988. At 2035 LCL, the station received a call from Sheila Baker reporting a large object hovering over a lake near the CEI Power Plant, descending slowly, and approximately 1/4 mile up. The object had a white light.

Before Coast Guard investigators arrived, two more calls reported that the large object had dispersed into 3-5 smaller flying objects that were moving rapidly. These smaller objects had red, green, white, and yellow lights that strobed intermittently and could stop and hover. When Coast Guard Mobile 02 arrived, they observed the same activity. They watched for about an hour as the large object descended closer to the ice, causing it to crack and rumble. The object lit up with multi-color lights at each end as it apparently landed. Its lights went out momentarily, then came back on, then went out again, and the rumbling and ice movement stopped. The smaller objects then began hovering in the area where the large object landed, appearing to scout.

Mobile 02 reported that one object moved toward them at high speed and low to the ice. They backed down a hill, and when they returned, the object was gone. They noted that the objects could not be seen if their lights were turned off. One small object turned on a spotlight where the large object had landed, but nothing was visible, and the object then seemed to disappear. Another object approached Mobile 02 about 500 yards offshore, about 20 feet above the ice, and moved closer as Mobile 02 flashed its headlights before moving off to the west.

The Coast Guard crewmembers were unable to identify any of the objects using binoculars. After contacting local police and airports, the unit was unable to identify the objects and recalled Mobile 02. The report is timestamped TOR-03:05:14:44.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The CAUS Bulletin consistently focuses on unexplained aerial phenomena, historical accounts, and the potential for government secrecy or inadequate investigation. The editorial stance appears to be one of critical inquiry, encouraging reader participation in research (e.g., finding evidence of government attention to UFOs) and highlighting discrepancies in official statements. There is a clear interest in historical cases, as evidenced by the inclusion of the 1886 Venezuelan incident, and a healthy skepticism towards sensationalized theories, particularly concerning Nazi UFOs, while simultaneously acknowledging the possibility of government obfuscation regarding UFO information. The publication seems to act as a platform for sharing diverse reports and fostering discussion within the UFO research community.