European Working Team - Issue 03

Magazine Overview

This issue of NOTICE, Volume 1, Number 3, dated March 1982, is produced by GESAG and edited by Jacques BONABOT. It is published by the GROUPE DE TRAVAIL EUROPEEN / EUROPEAN WORKING TEAM and distributed from Belgium. The issue features a list of members and contributors, including Vicente Juan BALLESTER OLMOS, Jacques BONABOT, Michel COSTE, Michel FIGUET, Alain GAMARD, Anders LILJGREN, Jean-Luc OVERAL, Jenny RANDLES, Peter ROGERSON, Jean-Pierre TROADEC, and Maurizio VERGA. It also highlights Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon as authors of 'Le Premier Dossier des Rencontres Rapprochées en France'. The publication is for restricted diffusion and requires author acknowledgment for reproduction.

Physical Traces in UFO Events: A Critical Examination

The core of this issue delves into the complex subject of physical traces left by UFO events. Maurizio VERGA, in his contribution, discusses his personal experiences and findings from investigating numerous landing cases between 1974 and 1981. He notes that a significant portion of these cases yielded no apparent traces, while others were explained as misperceived helicopters. The remaining unexplained cases, though often considered 'low value,' sometimes involved direct effects on witnesses or the environment, such as burn marks or destroyed electronic equipment.

Verga details the Risley, Cheshire incident as a particularly interesting case, even though no UFO was directly involved. In this event, a white amorphous figure was observed, which caused burns to a witness and destroyed their radio transceiver. He emphasizes the importance of not jumping to conclusions, citing the example of a flattened patch of grass near the Risley site that was likely unrelated to the sighting and was instead associated with a rubbish tip.

Jenny RANDLES, in her section, also critically examines physical trace evidence. She highlights the difficulty in identifying traces, suggesting that many reports are explained by natural or artificial origins, making definitive identification often impossible. Randles questions the scientific validity of some investigation reports due to extreme subjectivity and emotional involvement of investigators. She posits that the phenomenon might be primarily psychological, though she does not entirely dismiss the possibility of real material phenomena leaving traces.

Randles expresses skepticism about trace evidence alone proving the alien nature of UFOs, stating there is an enormous gap between a phenomenon being real and it being alien. She advocates for a scientific approach, suggesting that research should focus on the 'apparently unknown residue' of high strangeness reports.

Listing of French Cases with Entities

A substantial portion of the issue is dedicated to a detailed listing of 275 French UFO cases involving entities. This catalog, compiled by Alain GAMARD, provides crucial data for each case, including:

• Type: Classification of the case (e.g., HUMCAT, or 'X' for cases not fitting the classification, '?' for insufficient data).
• Quality: An indicator of credibility ('n' for negative, 'd' for doubtful, 'e' for high credibility).
• Date: Day, month, and year, with 'A' preceding dates where precision is lacking.
• Hour: Time of observation.
• Location: Place of observation.
• DT: Department number.
• WTIS NAME: Name of the primary witness or number of witnesses (indicated by '+').

The listing spans multiple pages and covers a wide range of dates and locations across France, offering a valuable resource for researchers interested in entity-related UFO encounters.

Editorial Stance and Future Research

The issue concludes with a postscript from Jenny Randles, who emphasizes the preliminary nature of her work and calls for input from the European Working Team (EWT) members. She poses a series of questions to stimulate discussion, focusing on:

1. Knowledge of physical traces.
2. Sufficiency of current knowledge for significance.
3. Whether physical evidence can prove the physical reality of the UFO phenomenon.
4. If traces can fit within traditional interpretative models (e.g., ETH).
5. The likelihood of traces being explained by unknown natural/artificial phenomena or hoaxes.
6. The meaning of traces associated with presumed UFOs.
7. Personal experiences investigating trace cases.
8. The role of physical traces in the overall UFO enigma.
9. Methodology for trace case investigation.
10. How trace effects should be studied.
11. Whether a single cause explains the wide range of trace effects.

Randles stresses the need for courage to rethink basic assumptions and move beyond belief towards understanding, particularly in developing a serious field of research. She also notes that her future research will focus on a selected sample of high strangeness reports.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the critical analysis of physical evidence in UFO phenomena, the challenges of rigorous investigation, and the distinction between subjective perception and objective reality. The editorial stance, particularly from Jenny Randles, is one of cautious skepticism, advocating for scientific methodology, a critical evaluation of evidence, and a willingness to question deeply held beliefs. The publication aims to foster a more scientific approach to ufology by encouraging detailed case analysis and open discussion among its members.