EVP Newsletter - No 10 - 1978

Magazine Overview

Title: EVP NEWSLETTER
Issue: No 10
Date: December 1978
Focus: Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP)

Editorial and Updates

The editorial in this issue apologizes for its late arrival, explaining that the editor had to wait until returning home for Christmas to print it. A month prior, questions were sent to Jurgenson regarding the previous newsletter's interview, but he declined to answer directly, citing translation issues and misunderstandings. Instead, Jurgenson will be providing articles for the newsletter, which are hoped to clarify these issues. The editor notes that Jurgenson considers the most important question for investigators to be, "why we wish to make these contacts?" The newsletter also announces a new EVP tape from Raymond Cass, detailing his research and including voice samples, available for £5.00. The editor concludes by wishing readers a Merry Christmas and thanking them for their support during the newsletter's first year.

The Phenomena of Friedrich Jurgenson: An Analysis by Prof. Hans Bender

This article, reproduced with permission, provides an analysis of Friedrich Jurgenson's work with Electronic Voice Phenomena. Jurgenson, a Swedish painter and film-producer, began reporting extraordinary voice phenomena on tape in 1959. The Freiburg Institute conducted exploratory experiments in 1964 and a second examination in 1970 with improved equipment, which supported the idea of a paranormal origin. Visible Speech Diagrams were used for objective documentation.

Jurgenson, of Baltic origin, was born in Odessa in 1903 and has lived in Molnbo, Sweden, since 1943. His background includes studies in art and music, and he is known for producing documentary films about Italy and efforts to preserve Pompeii.

In the summer of 1959, Jurgenson made a curious observation while playing back tape recordings of bird voices. He heard a quiet male voice in Norwegian discussing 'nocturnal bird voices,' followed by various sounds. He speculated that the tape-recorder might be acting as a radio-receiver, noting the coincidence of hearing Norwegian bird voices while he was actively looking for them.

Subsequent developments are detailed in Jurgenson's book. He began receiving personal messages on tape, which were inaudible during recording but discoverable during playback as 'quiet recordings.' Jurgenson had to train his ear to appreciate this 'linguistic information.' He experienced 'functional hallucinations,' hearing words and sentences in everyday sounds like rain or rustling paper, which seemed to urge him to 'maintain contact with the machine, 'to listen, please to listen'.

Jurgenson resumed his experiments and succeeded in making recordings in the presence of witnesses, including Dr. J. Bjorkhem and Mr. Arne Weisse from Swedish radio. Parts of this 'public recording' were included on a record issued with Jurgenson's book. The Freiburg Institute received some of Jurgenson's recordings in 1963.

An example event from December 28, 1959, is described: Jurgenson called out 'Now!' and on playback, a male voice interjected 'Poskala' (identified as a Swedish town name, or possibly 'cheek by jowl' in Finnish). An elderly male voice said 'tanto partis' (Italian 'tanto' meaning 'many' and English 'parties'). A female voice, addressing Jurgenson's son, said 'tanner - tanner', to which the response 'I Sverige' (In Sweden) was allegedly heard. Later, a male voice said 'Grecola' (meaning 'little Greek' or 'funk'), and a dialogue occurred where a voice stated, 'So kalt ist in dir' ('You are so cold').

Jurgenson emphasizes that the significance of seemingly meaningless words was often discovered years later, suggesting precognition.

Jurgenson developed a new recording method using radio, with his 'radio-assistant', Lena, guiding him on which wave-length to tune to. 'White Noise' was often recorded and used for producing 'recordings', sometimes with modulated or distorted transmissions and added text. The Freiburg Institute found Jurgenson's recordings difficult to understand without his commentary, raising questions about whether his interpretations were influenced by preconceived ideas.

Other experimenters, like Konstantin Raudive in Germany, also dedicated years to this phenomenon. Raudive's report 'The Inaudible Becomes Audible' appeared in 1968. While Jurgenson's recordings contained multiple languages, Raudive's featured predominantly Latvian, Latgalian, Russian, and German.

In 1964, the Freiburg Institute conducted exploratory experiments at the German Institute for Field Physics in Northeim with physicists B. Heim, H. Bender, G. Vilhjalmsson, and Dr. F. Karger. Various tape-recorders were used. Few recordings were perceptible to participants, but one experiment in a hotel room by Jurgenson, Karger, Vilhjalmsson, and Bender yielded interesting results. During a discussion, a male voice interjected 'von wo' (whence?). A later Voice-Print analysis showed objective evidence of the auditory impression.

The Northeim experiments were a preliminary clarification, concluding that recorded sounds required investigation and that fraudulent manipulation was improbable given Jurgenson's integrity. The investigation initially focused on microphone recordings, with radio recordings presenting the additional difficulty of distinguishing them from ordinary transmissions.

The article outlines counter-hypotheses to paranormal explanations: (a) projection of illusionary semantic content, (b) unconscious utterances, and (c) fragments of radio transmission. To exclude (a), experiments with trained participants and Visible Speech diagrams are recommended. For (b), supplying throat microphones to all participants is suggested. The article concludes by stating it will be continued in the next newsletter.

General Replies - Gilbert Bonner

Gilbert Bonner addresses points raised by 'Mr Andrews,' disagreeing with the suggestion to read books by Watson, Von Daniken, and Wilson before experimenting. Bonner prefers statements from researchers within the newsletter and believes repeating certain experiments, like preventing radio intrusion, is useless. He views Von Daniken's writing as fiction and was unaware of Wilson mentioning voices.

Bonner refutes the idea that his claimed 10,000 recorded voices lack technique or information, stating that neither Dr. Raudive nor he claimed this. He asserts that replies are often in sentences of five to six words, sometimes multiple sentences, and that Jurgenson has claimed dialogues of up to 24 minutes. Bonner argues that EVP would not have survived twenty years if it only yielded banal replies.

Regarding NASA and other organizations, Bonner suggests they might classify data on UFOs. He acknowledges that projects like the Arecibo radio telescope and OMA have failed to obtain replies from space, which he finds interesting. Bonner posits that since EVP voices are obtained on simple domestic equipment, not costly hardware, they are likely 'other dimensional' rather than from 'galactic space.' He agrees that human psychic sensitivity may play a role and notes that NASA engineers questioned Dr. Raudive. Bonner supports Tony Williamson's approach of explaining equipment and exchanging recordings, considering practical information exchange superior to speculation. He also notes that noise can be used to improve voice reception and that voices can be fabricated from noise, suggesting that voices modulating radio material would not be heard if electromagnetic radiation were excluded.

Advertisements and Publication Details

The newsletter includes advertisements for EVP cassettes from Raymond Cass (£5.00) and Gilbert Bonner (£5.00). A book titled 'The Mediumship of The Tape Recorder' by D.J. Ellis is advertised for £1.50. 'The Fortean Times' is available for 75p per issue. The newsletter is printed and compiled by Alan Cleaver, with inquiries from overseas to be sent to a Rugby address.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the nature and investigation of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). There is a strong emphasis on the work of Friedrich Jurgenson and the scientific and parapsychological efforts to understand these phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of earnest inquiry, acknowledging the challenges of interpretation and the need for rigorous methodology, while also hinting at the potential for communication beyond conventional scientific understanding. The importance of the investigator's mental attitude and purpose, beyond pure science, is highlighted by Alan Gregg in his concluding remarks, suggesting that a desire for understanding and harmony is crucial for successful communication with 'other dimensions' or 'spirit world'. The newsletter seems to advocate for open-minded research while also cautioning against misinterpretation and fraud.