CDSC Reports - Vol 2 No 1

Magazine Overview

Title: CDUFO REPORTS
Issue: Vol. 2, No. 1
Date: November 25, 1960
Publisher: Capitol District UFO Council
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of CDUFO REPORTS, a newsletter published irregularly, focuses on recent UFO manifestations and related phenomena, alongside organizational news within the ufology community.

New England UFology Centre Formed

The lead article announces the formation of the New England UFology Centre (NEUC), a region-wide organization established by William J. Cunningham of Salisbury, Massachusetts. The NEUC aims to "actively futher the cause of ufology" and make the term "ufology" worthy of its implications, striving for a "genuine scientific attempt at resolving a question." The organization commenced operations in November with over one hundred members.

To achieve its goals, the NEUC plans a four-point program:
1. A round-the-clock skywatch to detect, photograph, and plot UFO flight patterns.
2. Weekly UFO news releases distributed to the press free of charge.
3. Publication of a monthly club magazine.
4. Gathering sighting reports and forwarding them to larger national and international UFO associations for evaluation.

Current plans include dividing New England into regions for administrative purposes and meetings.

Mysterious 'Sky-Quakes' in Dominica

A report from New York City details a strange occurrence on Dominica, a volcanic isle in the British West Indies. Since September 1959, faint earth tremors, described as 'sky-quakes,' have been a near-weekly event around the town of Roseau. British seismologists G. R. Robson and K. G. Barr, writing in the scientific journal NATURE, noted that these tremors were "quite unlike (ones) produced by earthquakes or explosions on land or at sea." Investigations into potential artificial sources like factories and quarries, as well as the island's active thermal springs, have eliminated them as causes. The peculiar nature of these shocks is highlighted by the fact that they could only be recorded within a few miles of Roseau. Despite the opportunity for scientists to determine their causes due to their frequency and duration, the origin of these quakes remains an enigma.

UFOs Over Albany?

Albany, New York, experienced a rare aerial display on the pre-dawn hours of October 20th. Witnesses described an object of extreme brightness that shifted from one color to another over several minutes. Mrs. Lena Schoenborn of Guilderland reported being awakened by "something" and thought it was daylight, describing the object as "a large ball of fire, pinkish-red" that "changed to a blue-white." Another witness, Mrs. Charles Ryan of Veeder Road, saw a "pale blue" light around 3:45 A.M. that later changed to "reddish-pink," resembling "a fire in the distance."

• Several explanations were considered:
• Dudley Observatory: Suggested the Northern Lights, which had drawn telephone calls earlier that morning.
• The Weather Bureau: Proposed that rain and clouds might have obscured the Northern Lights, but the light could have been lightning in the Poughkeepsie vicinity.
• Hal Kallenburg, staff reporter for the Albany Times-Union: Brought up the possibility of "flying saucers," a term considered forbidden by "reliable authorities."

As of the writing of this article, no positive identification of the unusual light had been made.

CDSC Changes Name

The Capitol District UFO Council (CDSC) has been renamed the Capitol District UFO Council following a decision by its executive council at an October meeting. The council stated that the word 'saucer' "carries undesirable connotations which serve to create an adverse public impression of the group and its activities." To prevent such a public image, they decided to substitute the word 'UFO' in the club's title.

Publication Information

CDUFO REPORTS is identified as a newsletter published irregularly by the Capitol District UFO Council, located at 142 North Brandywine Avenue, Schenectady 7, New York. The phone number listed is Fr-2-8933. The staff includes Editor Anthony Rudmann, Copy Editor Mary Fitzgerald, and Associate Editor Mary Buckley.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around unexplained aerial phenomena (UFOs) and unusual geophysical events (earth tremors), highlighting the ongoing mystery and the efforts of ufological organizations to investigate and document such occurrences. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry, aiming for a scientific approach to ufology, as evidenced by the formation of the NEUC and the renaming of the CDSC to distance itself from sensationalism associated with the term 'flying saucer'. The publication serves as a platform for reporting sightings, scientific observations, and organizational news within the ufology community of the time.