EVP Newsletter - No 05 - 1978

Magazine Overview

Title: EVP NEWSLETTER
Issue Date: July 1978
Issue Number: No. 5
Publisher: Alan Cleaver
Country of Publication: England
Language: English
Price: 10p

This issue of the EVP Newsletter, dated July 1978, delves into the fascinating world of Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP). The cover features a simple green line graph, reminiscent of a heartbeat or an electrocardiogram, set against a white background.

Main Articles and Contributions

Strange Events and EVP Voices

The newsletter opens with an account from the compiler, Alan Cleaver, who shares some "rather strange events." He introduces Mr. English, who had recently heard an EVP voice recorded accidentally by his friend, Mr. Salisbury. While playing the Beatles tune "Help," Mr. Salisbury recorded his parents talking, but upon playback, a deep male voice was heard almost completely masking the parents' voices. This voice listed several locations, including "Rink cinema, Silverdale, Queens Hell, Sydenham Road, Penge Empire and the Lewisham Hippodrome," followed by "our school games were fag cards, paint..." The significance of these words remains unclear, but the question is raised whether a "keying sound" in the music "Help" might have facilitated the connection between worlds. The article draws a parallel to the five electronic notes used to contact a UFO in the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," suggesting music's international and interplanetary reach. Richard Sheargold is mentioned as noting a rhythmic similarity between some of Raymond Cass's voices and electronic jingles. Susy Smith's book "Voices of the Dead?" is also referenced, detailing accounts of music received by researchers, including repeated notes "CCAGE" sung by a choir.

The author believes there is something significant in these phenomena and intends to continue research, noting the EVP voice's clarity and loudness compared to the parents' voices. Mr. English offers copies of this voice recording to interested individuals who send a tape and three 7p stamps to his address: 16 Gleneagles Road, Great Sutton, Wirral, Cheshire L66 4NE. Mr. English is thanked for his cooperation.

Index of Contents

The index lists several articles and contributions:

1. Peter Tyler article; R Smith intro. & reply to thoughts on survival.
2. Cyril Luck replies to "Thoughts on survival" etc.
3. Conspiracy of Silence by John Ducroy.
4. Replies General by Gilbert Bonner.
5. An open letter to the Editor of the EVP newsletter.
6. Reply to open letter Alan Cleaver.
Extra Sheet: News about next month's special edition.

Peter Tyler's Contribution

Peter Tyler finds it intriguing that Tony Williamson is receiving a voice calling his name. He speculates that if the voice predates the newsletter's first issue, it suggests an independent intelligence rather than an unconscious thought impressing onto the tape. Tyler suggests this might be a form of link-up and encourages the entity to disclose its name. He believes there's a connection between the researcher's psyche and the voice phenomenon, explaining variable results. He posits that paranormal voices might be generated within the experimenter's environment rather than transmitted. He suggests this could be incipient mediumship and that the phenomenon challenges our orthodox view of physical space.

Richard C Smith's Introductory Piece

Richard C Smith, a 60-year-old Hospital Administrator, Spiritualist, trance medium, and healer, shares his interest in EVP, which began in 1974. He is still experimenting and has not yet achieved dialogue, but he recounts hearing the unmistakable voice of a deceased friend calling his name. Despite being a skeptic, he is waiting for voice printing equipment to become more accessible. He details his extensive equipment, including reel-to-reel and cassette recorders, a homemade diode receiver, and various other receivers. He has not encountered polyglot voices.

Reply to Mr Andrews' Article

Richard Smith replies to Mr. Andrews' article "Thoughts on Survival." He discusses his Guide's perspective on spiritual matters, which does not extend to worldly advice. Smith also addresses the nature of EVP, suggesting that entities might be earth-attracted souls, not necessarily earth-bound, and that communication might not be easily learned. He recounts an experience with Mr. Barbanell and Silver Birch, who stated that love is the channel for communication and cannot be replaced by machines. Smith suggests that "jokers" might appear in EVP just as they do with glass and cards.

Cyril Luck's Reply

Cyril Luck responds to Stanley Andrews' "Thoughts on the Survival of death theory in EVP." Luck believes the entity is near the experimenter and influences their subconscious mind. He contrasts this with ectoplasmic voice boxes, which he expects to produce clearer voices, akin to direct voice mediumship. He questions how an entity knows when a researcher is recording, suggesting that once contact is made, communication continues if specific times and days are adhered to. He asks Alan Cleaver if successful researchers follow such schedules.

Luck also addresses the question of whether voices are heard on new tapes before use. He notes that sometimes a question is asked and a brief reply is received, but it's impossible to rule out messages from the same entity on different tapes. He leans towards Mr. Andrews' suggestion that voices are a "cry for recognition" and that their erratic nature might indicate technical barriers or an unconventional communication method. He expresses concern about the social dangers of mechanical mediumship.

Suggested Aims for Newsletter Readers

Cyril Luck proposes four aims for newsletter readers:

1. Obtain irrefutable proof of the origin of the voices.
2. Establish equipment and researcher requirements for voice reception.
3. Obtain recorded two-way conversations providing positive information about the life beyond.
4. Share this information with religious denominations, scientific institutes, and organizations.

Conspiracy of Silence by John Ducroy

Sent by Gilbert Bonner, this article discusses Dr. K. Raudive's work and visits from American engineers working on the space project. It mentions that Soviet scientists and Americans have detected intelligent signals from space using "biotransducers." John Keel is cited regarding NASA space probes being troubled by strange voices in unknown languages, raising the question of whether this is polyglot speech or something else. Bonner cautions against confusing extraterrestrial signals with voice phenomena. The article references the dates of the first space probes in 1957 and the effects of atom bomb detonations in August and September 1958 on the Earth's radiation belt and telecommunications. Bonner has recorded a voice that plainly states its distance from the researcher, which is presented as a significant piece of information.

Further Contributions and Replies

Gilbert Bonner's "Replies General" section discusses that polyglot voices are no longer characteristic of EVP, with voices speaking more naturally in sentences of around 10 words. He states that research offers answers, not debate. David Foster's quote from "The Intelligent Universe" is included, describing the universe as a construction of waves and vibrations with inherent meaning.

Bonner also discusses the study of various scientific fields to understand psychic phenomena from a scientific perspective. He suggests that high frequencies might be involved in EVP, drawing parallels with the hearing ranges of dogs and bats, and proposes that these voices could be transmitted on higher frequencies and then relayed to humans via radio amplification.

Experiences with Pets

Several researchers share experiences involving pets:

• Mrs. Onesti (London): Reported unique EVP experiences through her budgerigar(s).
• Michael Vinter (Aylmenton): Achieved numerous class A recordings and attributes his success partly to the loving care of his birds, including macaws, parrots, and budgerigars.
• Simon Stark (Folkestone): Had successful results when visiting a friend in Amsterdam, where they received messages for 25 minutes. Stark believes the cats present contributed to the good reception.

The newsletter invites researchers to share details of any pets they have and whether Jurgenson or Raudive had animal contacts.

An Open Letter to the Editor

Don George writes an open letter to Alan Cleaver, the compiler. He expresses concern that the newsletter might be becoming a platform for "committed psychics" who already accept the phenomenon, rather than a forum for unbiased research. He argues that singular personal experience lacks validity unless examined collectively and that a researcher's bias can inhibit facts. George recounts an instance where his observation was dismissed as "rubbish" by Mr. Bonner. He also mentions a correspondence with Mrs. Onesti, who suggested he might lack the "special aural ability" to interpret phenomena.

George concludes by stating his preference for the newsletter to be a platform for researchers to present their respective unbiased ideas and opinions, rather than a medium for committed psychics.

Reply from the Compiler (Alan Cleaver)

Alan Cleaver replies to Don George, stating the newsletter's object is to unite people interested in EVP and print anything of interest. He argues that it's impossible for any article to be entirely unbiased, as even scientific approaches can operate with a bias against subjectivity. He defends the majority of readers who accept EVP as genuine, stating they have reached this conclusion through experiment or research, and it would be absurd to investigate and then remain unbiased. Cleaver prefers not to be called an editor, as he publishes all contributions, allowing readers to form their own conclusions from the collection of biases. He believes a purely spiritual or purely scientific paper would be wrong. He notes that while not all members are "committed psychics," the representation is unequal due to the membership size, but it is increasing.

Cleaver humorously adds that he didn't know entities from the fourth dimension read the newsletter and invites them to send their subscriptions.

Printing Information

The newsletter is printed by Alan Cleaver at 12 Lime Tree Avenue, Old Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22 7QT, England. It is available monthly for 10p, with an annual subscription of £1.20.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

Recurring themes in this issue include the nature and origin of EVP voices (deceased, extraterrestrial, subconscious), the role of music and technology in communication, the importance of scientific methodology versus personal experience in research, and the challenges of achieving unbiased investigation. The editorial stance, as expressed by Alan Cleaver, is to provide a platform for diverse viewpoints and allow readers to draw their own conclusions from the collected contributions, rather than imposing a single editorial line.