Doubt - No 30

Magazine Overview

This issue of "Doubt," the Fortean Society Magazine, Volume II, Whole Number 30, is dated 1931 AD (using the Fortean 13-month calendar) and edited by Tiffany Thayer. The cover prominently features the headline "PEACE IS A RED PLOT!" and is priced at 35c in the USA and 2/- in Great Britain. The magazine is dedicated to reporting and analyzing anomalous phenomena, unusual events, and controversial theories, consistent with the Fortean Society's mission.

Contents and Articles

Peace is a Red Plot!

The issue leads with a series of anecdotes framed around the idea that pacifism is a "red plot." The first prize for a squib is awarded to MFS Keating for a story about arrests for painting a "PEACE - NO H-BOMB" sign. MFS Studer informs the magazine about Jehovah's Witnesses being detained on Ellis Island due to "excessive pacifism." In Philadelphia, two men were arrested for possessing peace literature, and in Milwaukee, a man's back was broken by his workmates for signing a peace petition. These incidents are presented as evidence of a broader suppression or suspicion surrounding peace movements.

Barley Rain

An unusual event occurred on the first Friday of Fort, where barley, mixed with corn and peppered with iron filings, rained down on the top of the Empire State Building for five minutes. "Experts" were baffled, as the wind conditions (5 miles per hour) were insufficient to lift grain to such a height.

Frogs and Fish

Several reports detail anomalous precipitation of aquatic life. Brown frogs, less than an inch long, fell in Dunedin, Florida. In St. Petersburg, Florida, boys seining minnows in gutters caught fish during a torrential rain. The Poundmaster of Berkeley, California, found baby perch on the grounds of the pound, theorizing a seagull dropped them. "Teeny-weeny" fish were also found alive after a rainstorm in Cleveland. Additionally, muddy rain was reported in Richmond and Danville, Virginia, blamed on dust from the West. A chunk of ice tore a hole in a roof in Spokane, Washington, and snakes were found hanging from a locust tree near Troy, North Carolina.

Saucers

The magazine reports receiving 306 items related to unidentified flying objects, referred to as "saucers" or "disks." Drew Pearson's column is cited, suggesting the Navy was developing a "guided missile" that could be steered by "radar echoes." An AP dispatch mentions a model building contest for flying saucers at a public school playground in Philadelphia. The New York Times reported Mayor O'Dwyer's program for atomic bomb shelters, estimating the cost at $450,000,000.

Visitations

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Duane of Monterey, California, reported butterflies visiting their hotel every October or November.

Meteors

A list of meteor sightings is provided, including events over Cleveland, Florida, Oklahoma, New Orleans, and Southern California.

Fortean Cloud

A cloud over San Francisco changed colors (green, red, orange, blue) as it moved into the wind. The Weather Bureau explained it as an "iridescent cloud, caused by refraction of sunlight on extremely fine water particles."

Unusual Lights and Displays

A "giant luminous red pencil of light" was observed in Edmonton, Alberta. Extraordinary auroral displays were visible in England and over Nantucket. A brilliant white display over Nantucket occurred the night before a "hurricane."

Metal-Cored Hail

Hail the size of hen's eggs battered Bennington, Vermont, containing pieces of black or blue metal. Technicians from an industrial plant suggested the metal particles were shot into the air from a coke oven.

Wind-Mill Discovered

A paper presented at a "fourth world power conference in London" suggested that as much energy could be obtained from wind power as from existing and potential water-power resources of Great Britain. Another report advocated for windmills to power railways in Kenya.

Hats Off

This section humorously notes a quote from Robert R. Coles, associate curator of the Hayden Planetarium, explaining a lunar eclipse in 1844 by the moon pulling a rare disappearing act, which had astronomers worried.

Hitler Marches On

Rumors about Adolf Hitler's whereabouts are presented, including claims he was living in retirement in Tibet, killed in Russia, or seen boarding a yacht in Cannes.

No Such Animal

Several brief reports mention sightings of a creature in Loch Ness, Scotland, described by various witnesses and publications.

Santa in News

This section highlights instances where religious figures, specifically Baptist ministers, preached against Santa Claus, viewing him as an "anti-Christ" or a pagan symbol. One minister was removed from his parsonage for this stance.

Lightning No Sport

Lethal lightning appears to target sportsmen, with records of baseball games, golf, and picnics being struck.

Russell's Best

Dr. Wegener, Deputy Food Minister of the Rhineland, explained that Germans became fatter because they had less food. The Church of England Youth Council sent out a "service" that included a passage asking forgiveness for imperial history, greed, intolerance, and injustice, but later requested the passage be deleted.

Polio and Tonsils

A significant portion of the magazine is dedicated to the theory that tonsillectomy is a principal cause of polio. The author expresses suspicion that organized medicine is engaging in a public relations campaign to cover up its alleged "crimes and ignorance." The magazine questions the timing of tonsillectomies, suggesting they are performed in summer when polio epidemics are prevalent, and posits that polio is not a germ or virus disease but a result of severing nerves. Data from various locations (Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Birmingham, Glasgow, New York, Welling, Milwaukee) are presented, suggesting a correlation between immunizations (diphtheria, whooping cough) and polio, or between tonsillectomies and polio. A letter from the Fortean Society to Warm Springs Foundation inquiring about statistics on patients with and without tonsils is included, along with a reply stating no such statistics are available.

Drosnes-Lazenby Free

The Pittsburgh cancer clinic case involving Philip Drosnes and Lillian Lazenby, who were persecuted for manufacturing "biologically processed foods," is reported as ended with their acquittal.

Carlson PMPH 25¢

MFS "Ajax" Carlson has donated copies of a pamphlet by himself on Science, Education, and the Future of Man to the Society.

Shake That Thing

Dr. Hugo Benioff announced that there would be only "about" one earthquake a year, but the Earth has continued to experience seismic activity.

The Double Rotation of the Earth - The End of Copernicanism

By Dr. Ernst Philipp Barthel, this article challenges the Copernican model of the solar system. Barthel argues that the earth has a double rotation: a daily rotation around its north-south axis and an annual rotation around the axis of the ecliptic. He suggests that the magnetic poles are evidence of this double rotation and that the earth is a large body of universal space, not a small globe. The article critiques modern astronomy's reliance on mechanics and advocates for a new understanding based on crystallographic and geometrical laws. It also mentions photographs from the U.S. Navy at White Sands, New Mexico, which allegedly do not show the curvature of the Earth.

Named Nominee

Justice L. Greenberg of the South African Court of Appeals is nominated for the Fortean Fellowship for his declaration that the "truth" drug, sodium amytal, should not be countenanced in criminal investigations.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The editorial stance of "Doubt" magazine is clearly critical of established scientific and medical authorities, as well as conventional political and social movements. The magazine actively seeks out and promotes anomalous phenomena, unexplained events, and controversial theories that challenge mainstream narratives. There is a strong undercurrent of skepticism towards government and institutional claims, particularly in areas of science, medicine, and international politics. The "Peace is a Red Plot!" theme suggests a distrust of pacifist movements, potentially linking them to communist or subversive agendas. The extensive coverage of the polio and tonsillectomy controversy highlights a willingness to challenge medical orthodoxy and explore alternative explanations, even if they are considered fringe. The magazine appears to champion the Fortean Society's principle of investigating anything that is unusual or unexplained, regardless of its perceived credibility by conventional standards. The inclusion of numerous member contributions ("Cr" followed by a name) indicates a community-driven approach to collecting and disseminating these unusual reports.

This issue of DOUBT magazine, published by The Fortean Society, features a prominent section titled 'More Notes of Charles Fort,' which presents chronological transcriptions of historical phenomena from Charles Fort's manuscript notes. The magazine also includes contemporary reports from 1950, covering a range of unusual events, and offers commentary on topics like Dianetics and atmospheric phenomena.

'More Notes of Charles Fort'

The 'More Notes of Charles Fort' section, spanning pages 44-47, is a continuation of a series transcribing Charles Fort's extensive collection of records on anomalous phenomena. The notes are presented chronologically, beginning with the year 1800 AD, and are drawn from 32 boxes, alternating between records of non-human phenomena (Box 2) and records of persons (Box A). The material is noted as being difficult to read due to handwriting and the use of personal shorthand and symbols. The notes cite various sources, including 'Reports of the British Association for the Advancement of Science' (BA), and encourage readers to consult their local libraries for these reports.

The transcribed notes cover a vast array of events, including:

• 1858: Reports of meteors, auroras, quakes in Naples and other locations, and phenomena such as 'ice cloudbursts' and showers of stones and frogs in Birmingham, England. There are also mentions of a 'bear-man' and a hairy creature in North America.
• 1859: Accounts of detonating meteors, violent storms, hail, and showers of small fish and toads in various locations across Europe and North America. The issue also notes the appearance of Donati's comet.
• 1868: Further reports of dense clouds, showers of stones and frogs, and violent thunder storms, particularly in Birmingham, England. There are also accounts of ice falling and a meteor seen before a storm.
• Later 19th Century: The notes continue to document a wide range of events, including quakes in various European and Asian locations, meteors, auroras, volcanic eruptions (Mount Vesuvius), and unusual atmospheric conditions like dry fogs and 'sulphurous substances'. Specific incidents include a 'bear-man' near Thessalon, Ontario, and a hairy creature in Charlotte, Michigan.

Contemporary Reports (1950)

The magazine also features contemporary reports from 1950, highlighting several unusual occurrences:

• Stenches: Seven cities along the Mississippi River, including Moline, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa, experienced a strong, foul odor on the morning of July 7-8, 1950. The cause was speculated to be a leak from a drum on a passing truck, though no official explanation was given. The Moline Daily Dispatch is noted for its human-interest coverage, while Hearst's INS and the Associated Press are criticized for sensationalizing the event as a potential 'Russian gas bombing'. Similar 'garlic gas' incidents were reported in Los Angeles.
• Bangs and Explosions: Several unexplained bangs and explosions were reported in various locations, including Welland, Ontario ('like a dynamite explosion'), Seattle ('shock vibration, low rumble'), Liverpool, England (loud explosion), San Francisco ('explosion with shaking'), and Tucson, Arizona ('muffled explosion'). The U.S. Air Force offered an explanation for such phenomena, attributing them to sound waves from jet fighter planes breaking the sound barrier.
• Land Beasties: Reports describe unusual creatures, including a 'bear-man' near Thessalon, Ontario, who was allegedly attacking farm animals, and a hairy creature with a flesh-colored face seen near Charlotte, Michigan.

Commentary and Other Sections

• Dianetics: The magazine comments on L. Ron Hubbard's book 'Dianetics,' noting its enthusiastic reception but questioning the author's presentation style, suggesting it might be overly influenced by recollection and presented in a stream-of-consciousness manner. The commentary draws a parallel to Knut Hamsun's work.
• Old Hat: This section addresses explanations for atmospheric phenomena. It mentions the Weather Bureau's use of 'ice crystal-refraction' to explain iridescent clouds and bright arcs around the moon, citing examples from San Francisco and Reading, Pennsylvania.
• Foreign Relations: A brief mention of Pakistan Affairs, a publication from Pakistan in the U.S., highlights the travel of Pakistan's Prime Minister and his wife in the U.S. aboard the 'SACRED COW' airliner.
• Book Reviews/Advertisements: The back page features advertisements for books, including 'Order Glacial Period and Drayson's Hypothesis' by John Millis, 'America NEEDS Indians' by the author, 'Chakotin's RAPE OF THE MASSES,' and a compilation of 'The Books of Charles Fort' (The Book of the Damned, New Lands, Lo!, Wild Talents) with an introduction by Tiffany Thayer.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the meticulous cataloging of anomalous phenomena, a critical stance towards sensationalized or unsubstantiated news reporting, and a skeptical yet open-minded approach to unexplained events. The editorial stance appears to favor rigorous documentation and a questioning of conventional explanations, particularly evident in the commentary on Dianetics and the presentation of the Charles Fort notes. The magazine positions itself as a repository for the unusual and unexplained, encouraging reader contributions and providing a platform for diverse reports.