Flying Saucer Digest - No 137 - 1997

Magazine Overview

Title: FLYING SAUCER DIGEST
Issue: NO. 137
Date: SPRING 1997
Publisher: UNITED AERIAL PHENOMENA AGENCY (UAPA)

This issue of Flying Saucer Digest delves into various UFO sightings, investigations, and related phenomena. It features a mix of historical and contemporary accounts, alongside information about the UAPA's activities and publications, and a discussion on psychological studies concerning memory.

On The Cover

The cover features a quote from Morris Jessup, author of "The Case For The UFO" (1955): "I am fully convinced that huge ice swarms are moving around in space, in orbits like those of meteors. Somewhere in space there is a border line beyond it the sun's rays will not melt ice on the sunward side of the line."

The cover illustration depicts a cluster of asteroid-like objects with radiating light effects, hovering above a partial view of Earth.

UAPA Membership and Publications

The United Aerial Phenomena Agency (UAPA) announces that it is once again open for membership. For $17.95 per year, members receive a personal membership card, 4 issues of Flying Saucer Digest, special back issues, 4 illustrations suitable for framing, 4 large UFO maps, a confidential UFO form, and special flyers and event information. This package is valued at $30.00. Membership closes after June 1, 1997.

Additionally, the UAPA is promoting its new publication, "Northern Ohio UFO Casebook," compiled by Rick R. Hilberg. This casebook offers an overview of UFO reports from northern Ohio, including incidents from before the modern UFO era up to the present, with a focus on personally investigated cases. It is available for $4.95.

UFO Bits and Pieces

This section, compiled by Allan J. Manak, presents a series of brief UFO reports and related items:

• 1964 UFO Case with Radiation: Near Grand Valley, a blue-white ball of light was observed, and a radiation count of about five times normal was detected at the site using a precision scintillator. The count jumped from a normal background of 10 microroentgens to approximately 140 in spots within a 75-yard circle. The scintillator was tested and found to be accurate.
• Russian Mars Probe Crashes: Russia's Mars '96 probe failed shortly after launch due to a fourth-stage rocket booster malfunction, burning up over the South Pacific.
• Texas Mystery Lights: An account from the middle 1920s describes five balls of light bouncing over mesquites in a field at dusk. A later account from the same area mentions lights appearing on the border of a canal at night, moving and bouncing over the field.
• Green Fireballs Again: In Italy, witnesses reported a strange green light from a luminous sphere near Rome's main airport. Air traffic controllers suggested it was an optical illusion, and police found nothing on the ground.
• 1978 Underwater Light: In Oshawa, Canada, a pulsating white light, about 10 feet wide, was observed in a pond. The light reacted to a thrown stone, intensifying. It was observed again the following night.

Collectors Corner

This section lists various magazines and publications available for purchase, including "Fortean Times Magazine" from England, "A.P.C.I.C. News Bulletin," "The Paraufologist," "Creature Chronicles," "The New Millennial Star," "Environments Out There" by Isaac Asimov, and "UFO Update." Several issues of "Science In Russia Magazine" and "AURA-Z Magazine" are also offered. A special offer is made for "The Hidden World," a book-magazine by Ray Palmer, described as a classic of the inner world and hollow earth theories.

Extremely rare or unique publications are also listed, such as "Perpetual Motion Journal," "Aids To Identification of Flying Objects" (a U.S. Government Printing Office publication), and various issues of "Forum Magazine" by Ray Palmer. A selection of paperback and soft-bound books on UFOs and related topics are also available.

Around and About the Saucer World

This article by Rick R. Hilberg introduces the "Northern Ohio UFO Casebook" and provides a teaser excerpt. The excerpt details an eyewitness account from August 24, 1970, in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, where two figures in glowing orange suits with conical headresses and carrying disc-like objects were observed. A car stopped briefly for them, and later, disturbed grass and paths were found at the location. Children reported seeing a bubble-like object descend and the figures enter it before it disappeared.

Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh Dies

Clyde Tombaugh, the astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto, died at the age of 90. He was a professor at New Mexico State University and had admitted to seeing an unidentified flying object in 1949, describing eight rectangular greenish lights that disappeared over the horizon.

New Study Says False Memories Easily Planted

This section discusses a study by Daniel Haney of the Associated Press, detailing how psychologists can plant false memories in people's minds. Experiments show that with minimal prompting, adults can be convinced they remember childhood events that never occurred. Psychologists Henry Roediger III and Elizabeth Loftus are cited, explaining that memory is malleable and susceptible to contamination. Young children, the elderly, and those with short attention spans are considered most vulnerable, but even college students can be tricked. The study highlights how these false memories can become fixed, with individuals refusing to believe they are not real.

Several Sight Unusual Objects in Midwest

This section reports on two separate sightings in the Midwest:

• Paddock Lake, Wisconsin: Marcy Effinger and her son observed a large, oval-shaped object, described as a huge light, hovering over a field. It was later seen moving towards Lake Geneva.
• Antioch, Illinois: Debbie Mumm reported seeing very bright, white lights moving erratically and at high speed, which she initially thought might be a helicopter but described as a "weird-shaped light."

Neither woman reported the sightings to the police, and no unusual radar activity was reported.

Bright, Circular UFO Spotted in North Carolina

On October 2nd, a homeowner in Watauga County, North Carolina, witnessed a luminous, solid, translucent white circular object hovering silently over his property before shooting off at high speed. The witness had previously seen a similar object in 1993. Sheriff Red Lyons reported no unusual sightings in the county.

Several Report Lighted Object Over Franklin, Tennessee

On October 7th, residents and law enforcement officers in Williamson County, Tennessee, reported seeing an object with red and green lights hovering for about an hour. The object made no sound and was observed at an altitude of approximately 5,000 feet. Authorities checked with Nashville International Airport, which reported no unusual radar activity. The object was classified as an unidentified flying object.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue include UFO sightings, investigations into anomalous aerial phenomena, and the UAPA's role in documenting and disseminating information on these subjects. There is also a notable inclusion of psychological research into memory, suggesting an interest in the human perception and recall of events, which can be relevant to eyewitness testimony in UFO cases. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into UFO phenomena, presenting various accounts and research without definitive conclusions, encouraging readers to engage with the material and potentially join the UAPA for further involvement.