Flying Saucer Digest - No 024

Magazine Overview

Title: FLYING SAUCER DIGEST
Issue: 24
Date: Fall of 1974
Publisher: United Aerial Phenomena Agency (UAPA)
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of Flying Saucer Digest, number 24, presents a collection of UFO sightings and related phenomena from various locations, alongside articles on the occult and astronomy. The cover features a striking illustration of a dinosaur-like creature riding a flying saucer, hinting at the eclectic content within.

Editorial

The editorial, penned by A. Manak, announces the return of Flying Saucer Digest after a period where the publication was known as 'Mystique'. The editor expresses pride in the magazine's history, dating back to 1967, and its commitment to covering all facets of the UFO enigma, including the occult and astronomy, with a goal of being the "biggest and best UFO magazine". The editorial highlights the backing of prominent figures in ufology and lists numerous previous publications by the UAPA staff to underscore their experience. A special subscription offer is made for the next four issues at $2.50.

Contents

The table of contents reveals a diverse range of topics, including:

• Cover Story: Destruction of an alien spacecraft by an unexpected visitor of a planet thought to be lifeless.
• Editorial
• World Round Up
• Unknown Meteor
• Largest Celestial Object
• Where UFO's Are Seen (illustration)
• Fright (illustration)
• Soviet Capsule Lands on Mars
• UFO Retrospective
• Keely Energy Puzzle
• Recent News and Rumors
• Sighting of the Quarter
• Analysis in Astronomy
• Monsters Seen
• Microcosm vs. Macrocosm
• Readers Say

World Roundup by R. Hilberg

This section details numerous UFO sightings reported across the United States and internationally:

USA Reports

• Sullivan, Missouri (February 16): Gordon Matlock reported a silent UFO, approximately four feet in diameter, with an intense light that remained constant. It was observed near the approach pattern of Sullivan Airport.
• Tillamook, Oregon (March 20): Policeman Roy White and two sheriff's deputies observed a bright, shiny object in the sky, described as almost as big as the moon, moving erratically. Air Force radar had no contacts.
• Newport, Oregon (March 20): Two Georgia-Pacific mill workers reported a "real bright silvery glowing object" diving at a steep angle toward the sea, described as cake-shaped and about a foot in diameter.
• Ocean Grove, New Jersey (March 24): Carol Grimes reported a brown, mushroom-shaped UFO, about the size of a helicopter, emitting a grinding sound.
• Lacey, Washington (April 7): Three teenage girls sighted a cone-shaped object with two headlights, four blue lights, and a blinking red light, emitting a high-pitched whine. It was described as about the size of a small airplane.
• Niles, Michigan (April 15): Police reported an object with white, red, green, and blue flashing lights, moving erratically at an altitude of 600 to 700 feet.
• Longmeadow, Massachusetts (April 17): Residents reported a UFO with a flaming quality, noiseless and traveling easterly.
• Marion, Michigan (April 25): A couple reported two intensely bright, rotating objects, about the size of jet planes, emitting yellowish-white light.
• Ketchikan, Alaska (Mid-March): Numerous reports of unusual objects, including a glowing object and a disk-shaped object moving erratically.
• Dallas-Fort Worth Airport area, Texas (May 10): Mrs. Sandra Hodgson photographed a small twisting yellow light. Later, she and a friend witnessed an object that beamed a searchlight into a clearing, leaving a circular scorched area of about 20 feet in diameter.

Foreign Reports

• Bourget, Ontario, Canada (February 13): Marcel and Helen Turgeon reported a floating object with red lights and a large spotlight, about 100 feet above the ground.
• Darwin, Australia (February 20 onwards): Over a seven-day period, at least a dozen people, including police officers, sighted UFOs. Two welfare officers observed two bright objects, one cross-shaped and one half-moon shaped, moving erratically and flooding the area with white light.
• Parkes, Australia (April 15): Constables Joe Meynink and Ron Fellington responded to a report of a strange object. The objects were described as looking like helicopters with winking landing lights, making a sound like a sewing machine.
• Melbourne, Australia (prior to Parkes incident): Many people reported seeing two mysterious lights in the sky.
• Frankston, Melton, and Russell Street, Australia: Police headquarters reported sightings of mysterious bright lights.
• Melbourne, Australia: Miss Kerry Sheahan reported seeing lights all the way from Coburg to Melbourne. An AAP reporter noted the lights swooped down towards her car.
• Tungkillo and Woodside, Australia (date unspecified): Irene Bajev reported seeing "three beams of light" from an object moving quickly in a southeasterly direction. The object was estimated to be 4,000 to 5,000 feet up, and cars experienced power loss as it approached.
• Luton, England (April 22): Michael Jackson and friends sighted two UFOs and found mysterious scorch marks on Warden Hill, where they believe the objects may have landed. The objects displayed flashing green, red, and white lights and performed complicated maneuvers.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the prevalence and diversity of UFO sightings across the globe, the mysterious nature of these objects, and the potential for physical evidence such as scorch marks. The magazine also touches upon the broader scope of the "unbelievable! weird!" by including mentions of "Monsters Seen" and the occult, as indicated by the editorial's commitment to covering these aspects. The editorial stance is one of open investigation and reporting of phenomena, aiming to be a comprehensive and leading publication in the field of ufology and related mysteries.

Title: UNKNOWN METEOR
Issue Date: June 9, 1920
Publisher: St. Joseph, Missouri News Press

This issue of "Unknown Meteor" delves into phenomena ranging from celestial events to scientific theories and UFO reports.

Meteor Sighting of June 9, 1920

The lead article details a meteor of intense brilliancy that swept across the Southwest on the night of June 9, 1920, lighting up the skies over several states and falling as a burning mass near Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The phenomenon was witnessed by hundreds in Southern Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. In Akmulgee, roads leading to the impact site were clogged with onlookers. C. B. Smith, an astronomy authority at Akmulgee, theorized that the meteor was debris from a destroyed planet between Jupiter and Mars, traveling from west to east. Witnesses reported that nearly a minute elapsed from the meteor's appearance to the completion of its arc. The meteor was seen in St. Joseph, Missouri, passing across the Southern sky. Its flight, described as occupying about two seconds, left a vivid trail of greenish flame and appeared to burst into a shower of stars like a rocket at its lowest point. Local weather observer W. S. Belden noted its unusual size to be visible from over 300 miles away. Astronomers explain that small meteoroids constantly enter Earth's atmosphere but are usually dissipated by friction, though this one was large enough to reach the surface.

Reports from Fort Smith, Arkansas, indicated apprehension among people who believed it had struck near Red Oak, Oklahoma. People from nearby towns traveled to Red Oak to offer aid. Tulsa, Oklahoma, reported the meteor appeared very close to the earth, with a greenish-blue lower portion and a long wedge-shaped tail. As it approached, its head appeared to separate into four parts but remained a mass, and the sky was lit with a blue-green flash. A Springfield, Missouri report described a brilliant light, with newspaper offices receiving numerous inquiries, some describing it as "a light as big as a house falling from the heavens." The Atchison, Kansas Daily Globe reported that Atchison people saw the meteor, initially mistaking it for an explosion in Chicago due to the National Republican Convention. The meteor was seen by people in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. An astronomer reiterated the theory of a destroyed planet between Jupiter and Mars.

UFO Reports and Investigations

UFO Retrospetive: This section, by Rick R. Hilberg, revisits a 1952 report from Canada concerning a UFO vanishing. The report details an event on April 17, 1952, in Hamilton, Ontario, where scores of people saw a mysterious object described as a blimp or disk. Mrs. M. Woodland and four other women observed it from Beach Boulevard, initially thinking it was a dirigible. It appeared stationary, then circular and lighter than the sky. Suddenly, a ring of brownish vapor appeared, and it vanished at what seemed to be a terrific speed. Gordon Cordiner, at a smelt fishing party, corroborated the description, noting it hovered at a low altitude for about thirty minutes, disappeared, then reappeared whiter. The fishermen and others in Hamilton also witnessed the event.

Where UFO's Are Seen: A map by UAPA illustrates the frequency of UFO sightings across the United States, categorizing areas as 'Continuous', 'Frequent', and 'Occasional'. Large swathes of the Western and Southwestern US are marked as 'Continuous' or 'Frequent'.

Fright: This short piece, by UAPA, is accompanied by an illustration of a UFO and a figure in a room. The text is minimal, with the title and author being the most prominent elements.

Recent News and Rumors: This section touches on several UFO-related topics. It suggests that prominent figures in ufology might be making a comeback. It notes that the previous month was the biggest for UFO activity since October 1973, and that by July 1974, many ufology magazines had folded. Secret organizations are forming to underground ufology, and the CIA is reportedly concerned about "Project Blue Book." The M.I.B. (Men in Black) are discussed, with claims that there is no such entity. This period is marked as the beginning of a "New Era" in ufology, ending a 40-year cycle. Other mentions include new temperature readings from Jupiter, sightings of "Little People," breakthroughs in invisibility and atomic structure manipulation, and objects becoming invisible during travel. Objects seen near the constellation "Big Bear" are described as more star-like. The section also mentions riots in Cleveland, and the combination of baseball games, full moons, and uneasy people as potentially significant. Theories about "Dimensional Fault Zones" and "Alternate Realities" are being revisited.

Space Exploration

Soviet Capsule Lands on Mars: This article from The Plain Dealer (March 15, 1974) reports on setbacks in the Soviet Union's Mars exploration program. The descent capsule from the Mars 6 spacecraft lost radio contact before landing, and the Mars 7 spacecraft passed by Mars due to a malfunction. These events occurred after a seven-month journey covering 300 million miles. The Mars 6 module transmitted some atmospheric data before going silent. The Soviets had previously landed capsules on Mars with the Mars 3 craft (transmitting for 20 seconds) and Mars 2 craft (hard-landed). One of the current capsules was intended to transmit television images. Despite the failures, Tass claimed "new important data" was gathered about the planet's atmosphere, radiation, surface temperature, and soil composition, noting significantly more water vapor than previously thought. The article contrasts this with the US's Mariner 9 mission, which sent back detailed pictures in 1972, and the planned Viking spacecraft in 1975 to search for life.

Largest Celestial Object: This article from The Plain Dealer (August 31, 1974) reports on the discovery of a celestial object, code-named 30236, by three scientists using the Westerbork radio telescope. It is described as a radio galaxy 18 million light years in length and 1.8 billion light years from Earth. It consists of an optical galaxy at the center with enormous radio components of rarified gas. One radio source is larger than the group of galaxies including the Milky Way. The scientists believe it is at least 10 million years old. The gaseous components are protons and electrons moving at high speed in a magnetic field.

John Ernest Worrekk Keely and "Free Energy"

Keely Energy Puzzle: Written by G. Wendelholm, this piece questions whether John Ernest Worrekk Keely was a scientist worthy of note and if his "discoveries" merit rescue from oblivion. Keely claimed to have produced "free energy," a source independent of material means, and developed related machinery. His work garnered both admirers and detractors, with many dismissing it as nonsense. The article suggests that Keely's theories are of concern to those who believe physics and metaphysics are converging, and that finding new energy sources is crucial for humanity's future. Keely's work has periodically resurfaced, baffling scientists and engineers. His fame was largely due to Mrs. Clara Sophia Bloomfield-Moore, who supported him for 15 years and wrote extensively about his work, including a 375-page book titled "Keely and His Discovery."

The article further explores Keely's claim of discovering two unknown forces, "apergy" and another imprisoned within it, released by splitting the water molecule. It discusses the concept of "ethereal space" and "energy fields." The explosion of the first atomic bomb is cited as evidence of enormous captive energy within matter, suggesting potential behind Keely's ideas. The article posits that if the ether fills the space between celestial bodies and matter, it also fills the space between particles of matter. Keely's force is described as contained within the ether, flowing from pole to pole. His machines aimed to tap this "current" for practical use. The author suggests that Keely's experiments, while potentially dangerous, were aimed at controlling these forces, and that recent knowledge makes his work less mysterious. Keely had minor mishaps, possibly due to difficulty releasing energy in small quantities. Information about Keely's secrets was reportedly passed to Count von Rosen and brought to Stockholm in 1912. Mme. H.P. Blavatsky's book, "The Secret Doctrine," devoted a chapter to Keely, calling his "ethereal force" no optical illusion. Blavatsky believed Keely's discoveries were potentially dangerous secrets. The article concludes by posing questions about Keely's understanding of the forces he unleashed and whether future discoveries will shed light on the physical laws governing them.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine appears to focus on unexplained phenomena, particularly UFOs and meteors, alongside speculative scientific theories and historical accounts of unusual discoveries. There's a clear interest in the unknown and the potential for groundbreaking discoveries, whether in space or in alternative energy sources. The editorial stance seems to be one of open inquiry, presenting various accounts and theories without necessarily endorsing them, but highlighting their potential significance. The inclusion of historical reports and contemporary scientific developments suggests a broad scope within the realm of the unexplained and the frontiers of science.

This issue of Flying Saucer Digest, identified as issue number 27, focuses on a significant UFO sighting and explores other unexplained phenomena and astronomical topics. The cover prominently features the headline 'Sighting of the Quarter' and a stylized illustration of an eye observing a UFO.

Sighting of the Quarter

The lead story details a report from Nelson Bland, a reporter for the Mount Olive (North Carolina) Tribune, about his sighting on April 5th. Bland describes an object that was 'oblong shaped about 30 feet long and some 10 or so feet deep' with 'three pulsating (not blinking or flashing) lights'. He states it moved at 'incredible (almost unbelievable) speed' and came within 300 feet, shining a bright spotlight on him and his car. Bland acknowledges that many might find his account unbelievable, noting that even the police giggled when he reported it. He quotes a friend, saying, 'I don't care who believes me. I know two who saw it - me and the Lord'.

Bland recounts driving down Highway U.S. 117 near Faison, North Carolina, when he noticed a strange, erratically moving light. He describes the lights as not blinking but pulsating, and the object appeared to be yellow or orange, with the top part reflecting light onto what seemed to be metal. He managed to take three shots with his camera, though the photos were not good. The object then approached rapidly, appearing about 300 feet away and 75-80 feet in the air, over a field near Scott and Jones Company. During the encounter, an intense, extremely bright beam of light beamed down on him and his car, causing him to feel eerie and almost faint. He dropped his camera and sped away, with the light staying on for about three seconds after he dropped the camera. Bland concludes by stating he has been extremely nervous since the sighting and that the UFO fits the description of others reported recently.

Analysis in Astronomy: The Forbidding World

This section, written by R. J. Pelger, discusses findings from the Mariner 10 spacecraft's close pass to Mercury in April 1974. The planet is described as being loaded with craters, similar to Earth's Moon but flatter and thinner-rimmed, likely formed by asteroid impacts. No mountains were visible, but huge cliffs hundreds of miles long were evident. Straight and winding rills, possibly formed by water, were also observed. The discovery of a weak magnetic field and a thin atmosphere of argon, helium, and other gases is noted, with the atmosphere's existence being a mystery due to the planet's weak gravity.

Short notes in this section cover various space-related items: astronauts returning to space in 1975, Pioneer 11's rendezvous with Saturn in 1979, a mysteriously silent Russian Mars lander, a higher-than-expected water content in the Martian atmosphere, US plans for Viking landers in 1975, Venusian clouds moving 60 times faster than the planet's rotation, and Mercury's orbital and rotational periods (88 Earth days for orbit, 176 Earth days for rotation, making its day twice as long as its year). The possibility of life on Mercury is not dismissed, and descriptions of the sun's apparent movement from Mercury's surface are provided. The article also touches on Mercury's varying distance from the sun.

Monsters Seen

This section reports on an incident in the Katmandie, Nepal area, where a 19-year-old girl was reportedly attacked and knocked unconscious by a 'two-tone "hairy beast"' near the base of Mt. Everest. While shepherding her yaks at 14,000 feet, she encountered a creature described as a 'Yeti' or 'Abominable Snowman'. The Yeti allegedly killed five of her yaks by twisting their horns. The girl described the creature as being about four to five feet high, with thick black hair below the waist and brown hair above, long fingers with very long nails, and a heel turned forward.

Microcosm vs. Macrocosm

Authored by A. J. Manak, this article delves into the phenomenon of 'little flying saucers' or miniature UFOs. It traces reports back to October 12-13, 1943, in Germany, during a US Air Force bombing run over Schwienfort, where airmen reported seeing and firing upon these small discs. Some described them as transparent and able to pass through bomber wings without damage. Both German and US forces were reportedly confused about their nature. The article notes that during the early years of modern UFology (1947-1954), many reports of small objects were recorded. It criticizes the Air Force's early explanations, such as 'aircraft mail bags', 'Venus', 'balloons', or 'practical jokers', comparing them to modern explanations like 'moon dust' or 'swamp gas'.

Several anecdotes of miniature UFO encounters are presented: a 3-foot diameter mini-saucer that vibrated and flew away; a strange disc-shaped object seen on a dirt road that shot into the sky; a pilot's mock dogfight with a small ball-like object; a couple finding a 2-foot diameter saucer on a camping trip that vibrated and flew away after being picked up; and a young boy finding a 6-inch silver disc in a schoolyard. The article also mentions a 5-inch saucer-shaped object found in Europe that disappeared from a napsack. It raises the question of whether these small objects could be responsible for some tragic air crashes or if they are monitors or spy equipment, or even manned by 'mini cosmonauts'. The author ponders the concept of 'life as we don't know it', suggesting that just as there are giant stars and planets, there could be extremely small planets with beings of minuscule size, potentially developing advanced technology and spaceships.

The article concludes by referencing recent physics experiments measuring sub-atomic particles and posing the question of whether planets could exist at such small scales and if life could exist there.

UFO Grab Bag and Notices

Advertisements and notices are present throughout the magazine. One notice offers a 'UFO Grab Bag' with every new subscription, valued up to $3.00. Another section promotes 'Flying Saucer Material', including classics, maps, and illustrations, with a special offer for purchasing all three sets. There is also a notice for 'Mystique - Special Sale' on back issues of the magazine, with an offer expiring on December 15, 1974.

Readers Say

This section features letters from readers and editorial responses. T.S. from Pittsburgh, PA, requests more cases like Gorman, Mantle, and Washington, D.C. The editor notes these have appeared in previous issues. D.D. from Los Angeles, CA, inquires about 'green fireballs' and 'ball lightning', with the editor recommending Vincent Gaddis's book, 'Mysterious Fires and Lights', and clarifying the distinctions between these phenomena and St. Elmo's fire. T.T. from Toronto, Canada, praises the magazine and requests back issues, to which the editor responds positively. W.L. from New York, N.Y., compliments the magazine's new look and informative content. B.M. from Tampa, Fla., asks about the most common type of UFO sighting, with the editor responding 'Light or star like'. C.M. from Toledo, Ohio, offers to send in a questionnaire from years ago, but the editor states it is too late, as the results were read into the minutes of the 1970 Congress of Scientific Ufologists. A new questionnaire for subscribers is announced.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently focuses on UFO sightings, unexplained phenomena, and related topics. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, presenting reader accounts and scientific or speculative discussions without outright dismissal. There is a clear effort to provide a platform for UFO enthusiasts, evidenced by the 'Readers Say' section and the various materials offered for sale. The magazine also touches upon broader astronomical and potentially cryptozoological topics (Yeti), suggesting a wide-ranging interest in the unusual and unexplained. The emphasis on historical accounts and the critique of official explanations indicate a skeptical but curious approach to mainstream narratives surrounding UFOs.