Data Net - No 26 - 1969

Magazine Overview

Title: DATA-NET REPORT
Issue: NO. 26
Date: MARCH 1969
Publisher: Data-Net
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the DATA-NET REPORT, a newsletter for radio amateurs interested in the UFO problem, is dated March 1969. The publication is managed by the control station WB6RPL, with Michel M. Jaffe as Controller and J. J. Clark as Editor. Membership is $4.00 a year, and all rights are reserved.

Publisher's Note

Michel M. Jaffe, the publisher, notes that due to circumstances beyond his control, WB6RPL has lost access to the photocopy machine. He has taken over the printing and mailing of this issue to prevent delays. He asks that all complaints and feedback be directed to the "Ole Controller," WB6RPL.

News and Reports

• Madrid UFO Explained: The February-March 1969 issue of "UFO INVESTIGATOR" reported that a pyramid-shaped UFO over Madrid in September 1968 was actually a French meteorological balloon. DATA-NET had previously informed its members of this in its November 1968 issue, stating that a triangular-shaped balloon belonging to the French was shot down by the Spanish Air Force, thus providing the information to D-N members 3 to 4 months before NICAP members were notified.
• WB2VFF Report: A report from WB2VFF indicates there has not been much UFO activity in their area, with a possibility of increased activity later in the year.

Editorial

The editorial discusses the polarized views of UFO "non-believers" and "believers," arguing that both groups often make up their minds without regard for facts. It criticizes the reliance on degrees as a guarantee of objective intellect, suggesting that self-motivated learning can lead to greater intelligence. The editorial strongly criticizes "THE CONDON REPORT," calling it a waste of time and money, and a failure as an objective UFO study, despite its scientific presentation, due to its lack of factual substance.

It mentions that David R. Saunders felt compelled to write a book disagreeing with the Condon committee's investigation. Dr. James E. McDonald is quoted as stating that the Condon Report exhibits bias by presenting incomplete evidence or misrepresenting it. Roseco Drummond, writing in the Christian Science Monitor, also found the Condon report inconclusive and expressed skepticism towards those who flatly doubt the UFO problem. The editorial concludes by emphasizing the value of an open mind and the importance of considering all available evidence.

Theoretical Discussion: Extraterrestrial Motivation

The issue presents a lengthy theoretical discussion on why extraterrestrials might be observing Earth so carefully without attempting direct communication. Several explanations are considered and critiqued:

• Scientific Curiosity: The vast expense of sending craft and personnel to study Earth is deemed too high for purely scientific curiosity.
• Mental Inferiority: The idea that humans are too primitive to communicate with is dismissed as "rubbish," arguing that intelligent beings would recognize and attempt to communicate with other intelligent life.
• Preparation for Contact: The suggestion that visitors are studying potential adverse effects before making overt contact is questioned due to the long history of UFO sightings and the apparent lack of urgency.
• Invasion Preparation: This is dismissed due to the long period of observation without any hostile action, suggesting that if invasion were the goal, it would have occurred when Earth's defenses were weaker.

The author then proposes a new possibility: that UFO occupants may be mentally inferior to humans. This theory suggests that these beings, having developed advanced technology over centuries, might be surprised and potentially threatened by humanity's rapid technological advancement in recent decades (e.g., nuclear bombs, rockets, TV). This could lead them to observe Earth closely, perhaps to assess whether humans will improve the universe or spread destruction, as their own future might depend on humanity's actions. The author suggests that if this is the case, they might be observing from a distance, disguised, and avoiding direct contact to prevent alarming humans or being studied themselves.

Debunking UFO Claims: The Brad Steiger Incident

Philip J. Klass reports on an investigation into a claim made by Brad Steiger, a pseudonym for a college professor, regarding three men mysteriously cremated to death at three widely separated locations at the same moment on April 7, 1938. Steiger suggested these deaths were the work of extraterrestrial visitors.

The investigation, initiated by Klass, involved checking maritime records and contacting police departments. The US Maritime Administration, Lloyds of London Register, and the US Coast Guard found no record of a ship named S. S. ULRICH, which was supposedly involved in one of the incidents.

Police in Upton-By-Chester and Nijmegen were contacted. The Nijmegen police could not check 1938 records due to destruction during World War II but noted that the first Volkswagens did not arrive in Holland until 1947, years after the alleged incident. The Upton-By-Chester police confirmed a truck crash where the driver was burned to death, but corrected several details: the driver's name was Edgar Beattis, not George Turner; the accident occurred on April 4th, not April 7th, around 5:00 p.m., not 2:14 p.m.; and crucially, the entire truck was consumed by fire, with the door handle too hot to open.

This detailed investigation by Klass effectively debunks Steiger's sensationalized account, highlighting the importance of fact-checking and the potential for misrepresentation in UFO literature.

Theoretical Propulsion System

Jerry Johnson, Assistant Controller from WAARON, proposes a theory on the propulsion system of unidentified aircraft. He believes UFOs are mechanical craft motivated by physical processes, not mysticism. His theory centers on the idea that a craft can be lifted by manipulating air molecules using a magnetic field, forcing them downward. Horizontal movement could be achieved by changing the field and forcing air backward. This system, he notes, would work in a dense atmosphere but not in space, similar to helicopter propulsion.

He draws parallels to concepts like "gravity fields" and the movement of air via magnetic fields when ionized. He references articles from "POPULAR SCIENCE MAGAZINE" about propelling ocean craft with magnetic fields and Warner von Braun's ideas on using magnetic fields as a braking force against ionized atmospheres. Johnson speculates that a similar method could propel a craft if the air were made electrically conductive.

He cites UFO cases where witnesses report fuzzy light or "electrical fire" surrounding the craft, such as the Ravenna, Ohio police chase. Officer Dale Spaur described the propulsion as a "stream of light" that came out behind the craft, which was a concentrated point rather than a diverging beam, resembling a cloud of light or glowing gas. The diagram suggests ionized plasma forced downward and to the rear, with ionization produced by RF energy or electrostatics, and directed by a magnetic field, possibly powered by magnetohydrodynamic generation or nuclear fusion.

Scientific News and Investigations

• Fixing Saucer Probe Provides No Evidence: A report from the Associated Press details a secret, two-year Air Force-financed investigation of flying saucers led by Dr. Eduard U. Condon at the University of Colorado. The study, costing $500,000, concluded there was no scientific evidence to indicate that UFOs are spaceships from another world. While not disproving the possibility of extraterrestrial life, the report found no evidence to support claims of alien visitors. The 1,000-page report was reviewed by a special committee of the National Academy of Sciences and was to be released after being kept under tight security.
• Texans Star Discovery Opens Astronomy: An announcement from the University of Texas details an important breakthrough in astronomy: the optical sighting of mysterious pulsars. Dr. Marion Smith, director of the McDonald Observatory, described it as one of the most exciting astronomical events of the decade. The sighting, a joint effort by the University of Texas and the University of Arizona, opens new realms in physics concerning stellar collapse and general relativity. While initial speculation suggested pulsars might be signals from intelligent beings, this was later ruled out by scientific evidence.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The Data-Net Report consistently promotes a rational, evidence-based approach to UFO phenomena, encouraging open-mindedness while critically examining claims. The editorial stance is skeptical of sensationalism and unfounded theories, emphasizing the need for scientific rigor and objective analysis. The criticism of the Condon Report highlights a distrust of official, potentially biased, investigations. The publication also explores theoretical possibilities regarding UFO propulsion and extraterrestrial intelligence, encouraging readers to consider new ideas but to evaluate them based on available evidence. The inclusion of news from other UFO publications and astronomical discoveries suggests a broad interest in related fields.

This document appears to be a clipping from the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, dated March 16, 1969. It contains two distinct articles: one on astronomical discoveries and another on a scientific tip for preparing poultry.

Pulsar Discovery The first article reports on the confirmation of an optical sighting of a pulsar, which is described as a neutron star in its final stages of dying. Dr. Smith is quoted stating that pulsars are practically certain to be neutron stars. These stars are incredibly dense, with a diameter of only 10 miles, and composed of matter comparable to a single, giant atomic nucleus. Astronomers had theorized about neutron stars for over 30 years but expected them to be too faint to observe.

On the night of January 15, astronomers W. John Cooke, Michael J. Disney, and Donald J. Taylor from the University of Arizona, using a 36-inch telescope at Kitt Peak, observed a flashing star in the Crab Nebula in the same position as a previously reported pulsar. To verify their findings, they contacted R. E. Nather and Dr. Brian Warner at the McDonald Observatory on Mount Locke. Nather and Warner had been working for over a year to perfect an electronic viewing instrument for optical pulsars, making their observatory well-equipped for this observation.

Dr. Smith noted that thanks to Nather and Warner, they had the best observatory in the world to look for optical pulsars. The official confirmation of the sighting occurred on January 19. News of this discovery quickly spread through the astronomical community. Nather and Warner have written a technical article for the British scientific journal, Nature, and their results were also discussed at a scientific conference held at the Kitt Peak observatory in Arizona.

Chicken Tenderness Tip The second article, attributed to Gobind Behari Lal, Science Writer for the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, offers a "scientific cooking tip" for making "Coq au vin" more scrumptious: be nice to your chicken before you chop its head off.

This advice comes from Canadian biologist Dr. A. W. Khan, who has conducted in-depth research on the subject. Dr. Khan's findings suggest that anxiety and stress, combined with muscular activity, in chickens just before and during death lead to tougher meat. This is because anxiety and muscle activity increase the production of lactic acid in the muscles, and lactic acid causes toughness.

Dr. Kahn stated that the key to tender chicken meat is the prevention of stress and muscular activity immediately before and during death, implying a need for more humane slaughtering methods. The article humorously suggests that perhaps beef would be tenderer if treated similarly.

DATA-NET Information Following these articles, there is a notice from DATA-NET. They are offering a $25.00 reward for an authentic photograph of a flying saucer, requesting as much pertinent information as possible. Books from the DATA-NET library are available to members free of charge on a loan basis. Interested individuals can also contact DATA-NET for lunar photos from their surveyors and Martian photos from their Mariner mission.

The message is signed by Michel M. Jaffe from Control Station, DATA-NET.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance The issue touches upon cutting-edge scientific discoveries in astronomy, highlighting the collaborative efforts of scientists and the technological advancements enabling such observations. The tone is informative and celebratory of scientific achievement. In contrast, the second article adopts a more lighthearted and practical approach, applying scientific principles to culinary arts and animal welfare. The inclusion of the DATA-NET section suggests an interest in UFO phenomena and space exploration, potentially catering to a readership interested in a broader range of unexplained or speculative topics alongside established science.