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Magazine Overview

This issue of "Historique des Objets Volants Non Identifiés" (History of Unidentified Flying Objects) provides a detailed chronological account of UFO sightings and related events, primarily focusing on the year 1952, with additional entries extending into the late 1960s and early 1970s. The magazine presents a compilation of reports from pilots, radar operators, and eyewitnesses, aiming to document the historical trajectory of the UFO phenomenon.

Key Sightings and Incidents (1952)

The July 1952 entries are particularly extensive. On July 14th, pilots W.B. Nash and W.H. Fortenberry reported encountering six enormous, red-glowing discs flying towards their DC 4 aircraft near Norfolk, Virginia. The objects maneuvered in unison before disappearing.

On July 16th, Shell R. Alpert, a photographer from Salem Air Base, captured images of four whitish lights in formation, which were later publicized. The following day, Captain Paul L. Carpenter observed four lights moving at an estimated 4800 km/h at 6700 meters altitude.

July 18th saw hundreds of witnesses in Veronica, Argentina, observe six discs performing complex aerial maneuvers. The period from July 19th to 26th was marked by the famous "Washington carousel," a series of extensive radar and visual sightings around Washington National Airport, involving multiple objects exhibiting extraordinary speed and agility.

Further incidents in July 1952 included:

• July 27th: Eight witnesses in Manhattan Beach, California, including a former naval pilot, saw a UFO that split into six circular sections.
• July 27th: An unknown metallic object was observed over the Los Alamos atomic factories, evading pursuing fighter jets.
• July 27th: Three F-94s intercepted a fast-moving object in Michigan that changed color.
• July 28th: Residents in the Sanilac district reported UFOs with changing colors.
• July 24th: Two Air Force colonels observed three delta-winged objects near Carson Sink, USA.

Later Sightings and Investigations (Late 1950s - Early 1970s)

The magazine also includes a catalog of UFO observations from later periods, primarily focusing on Belgium and some international cases:

• August 1967: Multiple reports from Belgium, including a large orange sphere observed over Embourg, an oval object over Anderlecht, and unusual evolutions of two large objects over Buret.
• January 1968: Four objects in formation were observed over Duffel, Belgium.
• April 1968: Three white, star-like objects were seen in formation over Laeken, Brussels.
• June 1968: Five detonations were heard and a dark cloud observed over Knokke, Belgium.
• July 1968: Reports from Duffel, Belgium, described objects resembling "flat hats."
• July 1968: Multiple sightings in Bihain, Luxembourg, involving silent, fast-moving objects described as "stars" or "comets," exhibiting irregular trajectories and color changes.
• August 1968: A triangular object was observed over Overijse, Belgium, and a luminous object was seen over Brussels.
• October 1968: A luminous globe was observed over St-Gilles, Brussels, and a lenticular object hovered over Aarschot, Belgium.
• October 1968: Five objects in formation were seen over Duffel, Belgium.
• October 1968: A blue sphere was observed over Brussels, and a radar detected an object moving at 10,000 km/h over Limburg, Netherlands.
• November 1968: Witnesses in Erembodegem and Steenbrugge reported yellow spheres impacting their windshields without causing damage.
• November 1968: A pilot reported seeing several white objects with luminous trails over Brussels.
• November 1968: A luminous disk was observed over Mouscron, Belgium.
• December 1968: A white object with a luminous halo was seen over Brussels, and military personnel reported a light performing ascendant and descendant evolutions over Sainte-Croix-lez-Bruges.
• Autumn 1968: An extraordinary, deafening noise was heard over Luxembourg.
• May 1972: A UFO reportedly caused traffic to brake on the Vienna-bound highway in Austria.
• August 1972: A luminous blue ray was observed over Glasgow, Scotland.

Notable Cases and Themes

The issue highlights the "Washington carousel" as a significant event, involving both civilian and military radar detection. It also touches upon the case of Fred Reagan, a pilot who reportedly experienced paralysis and claimed to have been healed by extraterrestrial beings after his plane crashed.

Morris K. Jessup, a professor of mathematics and astronomy, is mentioned for his research into UFOs and mysterious disappearances. The article also references the "case of the year" in Brazil in December 1971, involving a circular cloud observed by thousands.

Official Reactions and Theories

The magazine notes that while many sightings were reported, official explanations sometimes attributed them to atmospheric phenomena. However, the sheer volume and nature of the reports, including radar confirmations and pilot testimonies, suggested a more complex reality. The article mentions the ATIC's conclusion that thermal refraction could not explain simultaneous visual and radar observations, indicating an "unknown nature."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes throughout the issue are the variety of UFO shapes, colors, and behaviors, the high speeds and altitudes reported, the involvement of military personnel and radar, and the persistent mystery surrounding the origin and nature of these objects. The editorial stance appears to be one of documenting and presenting these historical accounts, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about the phenomenon. The article implicitly suggests that these are not merely misidentifications or atmospheric events, given the consistency and detail in many reports.

This issue of 'inforespace', volume 16, dated 1969, focuses on UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) and UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) sightings reported primarily in Belgium during that year. The magazine presents a catalog of individual sightings, often with detailed witness accounts, locations, dates, and descriptions of the objects and their behavior. It also includes a special investigative report on a specific case.

Catalog of Sightings (1969)

The bulk of the magazine is dedicated to a chronological listing of sightings, numbered from 255 to 286. These accounts span various regions of Belgium, including Hainaut, Liège, Brabant, West Flanders, and the Brussels region.

• January 1969:
• Jemappes (Hainaut): M. Alfred Demouselle reported a spherical, bright yellow object with a red pulsating light on January 16th, observed at an elevation of 40-60 degrees, with an estimated altitude of 200-300m. He reported a similar luminous object on January 19th.

• March 1969:
• Anvers: Four women observed a large, dark, ray-fish-shaped object with a bright red front, moving at approximately 1000 km/h towards Katelijne West.

• April 1969:
• Seraing (Liège): M. Hallet observed an object whose indistinct shape became clear and oval, with blinking red-orange lights. It ascended with jumps and disappeared at high speed.
• Woluwé-Saint-Pierre, Brussels: Two anonymous witnesses described a fusiform object, about 6 cm in apparent size, dark blue with five bright white rectangular windows. It moved silently and horizontally from NNW to ESE.

• May 1969:
• Weert-Saint-Georges (Brabant): M. Hoogstoel observed an orange disc with a clear, bright rim, the apparent size of Venus, moving slowly north, then south, leaving a white trail.
• Bruxelles: M. J. Louis observed a clear blue globe at 80 degrees elevation, moving regularly from NNE to SSE.
• Etterbeek, Brussels: M. Patrick Ferryn observed a blue 'half-moon' object moving at high speed from ESE to WNW, leaving a fugitive trail and gradually fading.

• June 1969:
• Jemappes (Hainaut): M. Alfred Demouselle observed a bright yellow pulsating 'big star' object (2-5 cm apparent size) at an altitude of 500m.
• Laeken, Brussels: M. and Mme Bertmans observed a crescent-shaped object for 10 minutes, with bluish-white extremities, moving from NNW to SSE at an altitude over 800m.
• Weert-Saint-Georges (Brabant): M. Hoogstoel observed an orange light moving from west to zenith, followed 6 minutes later by a second orange light moving from east to west.
• Jodoigne and Orp-le-Grand (Brabant): A witness in a car observed a slow-moving, greyish-white object for 2-3 minutes, making a sound like a "car starting," before ascending.

• July 1969:
• Heist-sur-mer (West Flanders): M. N. and a friend observed a strange phenomenon, including a pyramidal object 3.50m high and 50-70cm wide, white and illuminated, hovering motionless above the ground.

• August 1969:
• Jemappes (Hainaut): M. A. Demouselle observed a sphere with an indefinite contour, twice the apparent size of Venus, yellow in color, moving at about 100m from the ground, slower than a jet plane.

• September 1969:
• Braine l'Alleud (Brabant): An anonymous witness observed a round, flat, silver object with a "sun-like" shine, rotating silently for 30 minutes.
• Fosses-Lac de Bambois (Namur): M. and Mme Z. and their children observed 6 objects: three triangles (one with a curved base) and three spheres that merged into one of the main objects.
• Zellik, Brussels: M. Camille Breeus, an architect, observed two silent, fluorescent triangles near the hippodrome, which remained motionless.
• Kessel-Lo (Brabant): A couple and their daughter observed a luminous "Christmas tree" (triangle) formed by red and yellow blinking lights, which disappeared.
• Vilvorde, Brussels: A witness reported an accumulation of red, orange, and violet lights moving towards Ganshoren and Zellik at 200m altitude, emitting a sound like "10 circular saws."
• Seraing (Liège): M. Lambert observed a truncated disc and several scintillating objects for about 4 minutes. The disc disappeared like a comet, but not before tilting.
• Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels: A young man observed an object moving silently from east to west, emitting a white flash every second.
• Hennuyères (Hainaut): M. Ghequière observed a silvery-white luminous object moving rapidly from north to south for 3-5 seconds.

• October 1969:
• Hamme (Brabant): M. J. Van Brussel and friends observed a white-yellow enormous triangle, motionless in the northern sky, with a blurred base.
• Oteppe (Liège): A couple observed an object resembling a "non-curved banana," very luminous and silent, moving at high altitude for 5-6 minutes.
• Overijse (Brabant): A couple observed a luminous, blinking object moving silently from east to west at high altitude.
• Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels: A young man observed a red object moving from south to north.
• Hollogne-aux-Pierres (Liège): M. Yerna observed two luminous objects, one of which joined the other while emitting light flashes. They passed to his left, one behind the other.
• Loncin (Liège): M. Daniel Reyter observed a globe with an incandescent trail moving rectilinearly from east to west.
• Enghien (Hainaut): M. Brismez and two friends observed a golden sphere under the clouds, moving towards Tournai. An airplane approached the UFO, which then disappeared at high speed.

• November 1969:
• Baudouin highway (Anvers): An anonymous witness observed a hemispherical, yellow-grey object for about fifteen seconds.
• Hallaar (Anvers): M. Dillen reported a long red and white trail moving slowly from south to north.
• Molenbeek, Brussels: Mme d'Haevelopse observed an oval object with a clear outline, white metallic, hovering motionless to the left of the Basilica of Koekelberg.

Special Investigation: The Bouffioulx Case

This section details an event from May 16, 1953, involving Hermann Chermanne, a professional photographer, who captured two photographs (photos 15 and 16) of an unusual phenomenon near Bouffioulx (Charleroi).

Chermanne was on a small road near Bouffioulx when he heard a strange noise like "sheet metal being shaken" and "dry detonations." He then saw a large, bright object surrounded by a whitish halo, from which white "particles" were falling. The object ascended into the sky, leaving a twisted trail of blue and white smoke. It moved slowly, rotating on itself, appearing sometimes oval and sometimes round. After hovering for about 20 seconds, it accelerated and disappeared silently towards the southeast.

Chermanne's photographs were taken with a "Linhof Technika" camera on glass plates. The images show the object with a whitish halo and dark spots below it, which Chermanne attributed to solarization. He was later interviewed by military authorities in Brussels.

Another witness, Roger Michel, a carpenter from Bouffioulx, saw the object from Chamborgneau (about 1500m away) and was struck by the absence of noise. The report mentions that some witnesses might have perceived a "dull and violent explosion."

Further investigation by M. G.C., a retired engineer, revealed that the area where the object might have landed, known as "La Sibérie," showed signs of unusual tree damage. A dozen poplars near a Solvay plant reservoir had dried out and become spongy. This transformation was attributed by some to the lime-rich water from the plant, but the selective nature of the damage raised questions about a potential landing.

The report also notes that the site is located near geological faults, a factor that researcher Fernand Lagarde considered significant in UAP phenomena.

The magazine thanks M. Chermanne for providing an original print of his photos and expresses hope that further testimonies from the Bouffioulx region might emerge.

Other Reports

• Des visiteurs inattendus (Unexpected Visitors): This section recounts an experience of Mme Duchène in Linsmeau-Racour in March 1968. While sitting by her kitchen window, her dog began barking ferociously at the door. She observed two gelatinous, disc-shaped objects resembling "medusas" on the wet patio. When she approached them, she received a strong electric shock. Later, the objects had shrunk, and their gelatinous parts had "melted." She collected the objects, which were surprisingly light, but they disappeared from a shed by the time her husband returned.

• Un OVNI au-dessus de Laeken (A UFO above Laeken): This report details an observation by 18-year-old Marc Smeets in Laeken on the night of June 13-14, 1971. He saw a distant luminous point moving regularly from northeast to southwest. The object then changed direction, heading directly towards him with a whistling sound. It stopped directly overhead, emitting a noise like a "blower." Smeets noticed a circular object with no discernible details, but perceived a strong, unpleasant heat radiation and an odor of sulfur, which he later recognized from a metalworking shop. He felt chills and tremors and, after being ignored by a police officer, sought medical attention. He later experienced a similar, though less intense, sighting of three distinct points of light in a triangle formation.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the detailed documentation of UFO/UAP sightings, emphasizing witness testimonies and physical descriptions of the objects. The magazine appears to adopt a serious, investigative stance, presenting cases with a degree of skepticism but also openness to unusual phenomena. The inclusion of photographic evidence and detailed case studies, like the Bouffioulx incident, suggests a commitment to exploring the subject matter thoroughly. The editorial stance leans towards presenting factual accounts and encouraging further research, as indicated by the call for more testimonies from the Bouffioulx region and the acknowledgment of the intriguing nature of the "unexpected visitors" case.