Flying Saucer Review vol 2 no 7

Magazine Overview

Title: FLYING SAUCER REVIEW
Issue: No. 7
Volume: Vol. 2
Date: JULY 1956
Publisher: Civilian Flying Saucer Intelligence
Country: United States
Price: 30¢

This issue of Flying Saucer Review, dated July 1956, presents a collection of reports on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and interplanetary spacecraft sightings. The cover boldly proclaims "WE ARE NOT ALONE" and "A REPORT ON INTERPLANETARY SPACECRAFT," setting the tone for the contents.

Editorial and Publication Information

The magazine is published monthly by Civilian Flying Saucer Intelligence, with its editorial and advertising office located at 5108 Findlay Street, Seattle 18, Washington. Subscriptions and correspondence are also directed to this address. The price is 30¢ per copy, with a yearly subscription in the U.S., U.S. possessions, and Canada costing $3.00. Foreign subscriptions are $3.50 for third-class mail and $4.50 for first-class mail. Foreign subscriptions and sales require remittance by International Money Order in U.S. funds, payable at Seattle, Washington. The publication is copyrighted 1956 by Robert J. Gribble, Editor and CFSI Director. The magazine welcomes information about current or past sightings of unusual phenomena, assuring that all names are held strictly confidential unless otherwise instructed.

Key Articles and Reports

"AIR FORCE CONFIRMS REPORT!!" - FLYING DISC'S OVER PRATT, KANSAS

This article details the Air Force's confirmation of flying disc sightings over Pratt, Kansas. Approximately two dozen witnesses were interviewed by Air Force officers, who compiled a detailed report for higher headquarters. The service reportedly expressed reluctance in confirming the story due to fears of triggering a wave of imagined sightings. Trained Ground Observer Corps members on duty at the observation post in Pratt reported the phenomenon to the Filter Center at Hutchinson, Kansas. The discs were described as resembling two saucers back-to-back and were seen on the nights of May 7th and 8th. Four were observed flying in formation at 8:30 p.m. on the first night, initially spotted by people at a drive-in theater. A single disc was seen at 12:30 a.m., and a pair at 1:30 a.m. The Air Force acknowledged that while it doesn't censor tales, it avoids spontaneous announcements to prevent a surge of imaginative reports. The story gained wider attention when Lt. Ken Schartz, commander of the Filter Center, confirmed the sightings at a Lions Club meeting in Pratt. He stated, "They certainly had seen something." The discs were described as glowing pink with shadings of orange and green and reportedly headed northeast. The report also notes that lighted craft were seen for six successive nights in Pueblo, Colorado, prompting investigators from Colorado Springs to be sent, one of whom also saw a craft described as triangular.

Mystery Flying Object Sighted By Prospectors

Three uranium prospectors from Salt Lake City, Utah, reported seeing a large, silvery, elliptical object "spinning or floating" in the western part of Millard County, Utah, on May 10, 1956. Harvey Mecham, one of the prospectors, described the UFO through binoculars as "no light or reflection, absolutely not," and likened its shape to "the bottom of a saucer except that it was elliptical rather than entirely round." He added, "It was the brightest, silvery thing I have ever seen." The object remained stationary for about four or five minutes before rising at a 75-degree angle and disappearing. The men reported being about 3,000 feet high, with the UFO approximately 3,000 feet above them. They attempted to contact Utah Civil Defense authorities but were unsuccessful.

Spacecraft Seen Over Tarrytown, New York

A Tarrytown, New York, woman, Mrs. Thomas Taxter, reported observing a spacecraft for 45 minutes on May 7, 1956. She and her husband watched the craft from 11:30 p.m. to midnight. Through field glasses, it appeared as a bright star with a red glow, triangular in shape, with red and green lights. At midnight, the craft shot upward and disappeared.

UFO Over Albuquerque, New Mexico

A woman in Albuquerque reported seeing an unidentified flying object on May 10, 1956, which was hovering in the sky and then disappeared in a flash. She expressed defiance against potential ridicule for reporting such an event.

Cigar Shaped Craft Over Argentina

Correspondent Olavo Fontes reported from Salta City, Argentina, that on May 8, 1956, newspapers published accounts of cigar-shaped craft seen on March 15, 1956. National Intelligence officers were reportedly investigating the incident. The craft were described as flying overhead at daylight, performing amazing maneuvers, and stopping motionless in space. Photos were taken, and observers reported them as cigar-shaped, without wings or tail, and noiseless, dismissing the possibility of them being jet planes. Correspondent J.R. Perry also reported from Buenos Aires that an aluminum, cigar-shaped craft was spotted flying at great speed over northern Argentina on April 13, 1956. More than 50 persons in Salta province reportedly saw the craft, which flew north to south and disappeared in less than three minutes, leaving a miles-long trail of white vapor.

Flying Disc's Over Wilmington, California

Manuel Alvarado, a disabled veteran from Wilmington, California, reported seeing "8 to 10" orange-hued discs in the sky on May 7, 1956, while driving near his home. A witness, Hazel Farrington, confirmed seeing them as well. The discs moved erratically and vanished when an approaching jet plane appeared. Alvarado stated the discs seemed to be over Long Beach, quite high.

UFO Baffles East St. Louis, Illinois Residents

Residents of East St. Louis, Illinois, reported seeing an object on May 7, 1956, that baffled weathermen, astronomers, and the military. Professionals calculated the UFO to be about 90,000 feet high, moving slowly on a northwest to southeast course. Spokesmen at Scott Air Force Base declined to confirm reports of it being a weather balloon. Observers agreed that the object looked metallic.

Bright UFO Seen Near Pryor, Oklahoma

Several Pryor, Oklahoma citizens witnessed an unidentified flying object described as slightly oblong, moon-shaped, and colored orange and red. It hovered in the sky east of Pryor for about two hours before darting off at high speed. Observers included bankers Lynn Hudson and Roy Lawson, Herb Brown, Jack Lawson, park board chairman Baylis Graham, Don Rhodes, and Lowell Powell. Roy Lawson described one side as "blood red." Herb Brown reported the UFO had two spots on it and hovered from about 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Another witness, pilot Cecil Harding, reported a UFO with a bright light that appeared about dusk, looking "the size of a reading lamp, plainly marked by a cross through the center."

May 11th, UFO Day Over Oklahoma

Residents in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, witnessed an unidentified flying object that remained stationary for almost 14 hours. City manager Ed Barber saw the UFO "even after the sun set," noting it glowed and reflected the sun's rays. Pilots at the Pauls Valley municipal airport attempted to observe the UFO but found it at an altitude too high to reach. At Dibble, Oklahoma, about 100 persons saw a UFO described as "cylinder-shaped and red on the bottom," with a transparent top. It hung around for about ten hours before moving east. A weather balloon was later found at 50,000 feet over Purcell, but it was noted that upper air currents would have blown a weather balloon out of the state.

UFO's Observed Over Seiling & Erick, Oklahoma

Two unidentified flying objects were seen on May 13, 1956. At Seiling, highway patrol trooper Fred Burns and others watched a UFO for over an hour with binoculars. It was described as "round, white and shiny" with the top two-thirds being transparent material and the bottom part milky white. Near Erick, about 15 people reported an object resembling an upside-down light bulb, sighted about 15 miles northwest of Erick, traveling northwest and having a reddish glow on the underside, with the rest of the object being silver colored.

Bowling Green, Ohio Residents See Flying Disc

Residents and a school principal in Bowling Green, Ohio, observed a craft resembling a flying disc on May 16, 1956. Marshall Sherer saw a craft east of the moon traveling east at a high rate of speed. He watched it for about 20 minutes. Mrs. James H. Kern of the Ground Observer Corps reported no strange craft sightings at her station. Astronomer Leslie Pelter stated he saw nothing resembling a flying disc during his sky watch. A Bowling Green scientist, who wished to remain anonymous, believes there is a basis to the reports, recalling seeing a formation of 14 UFOs in Michigan a couple of years prior.

New Books Section

This section reviews several books related to flying saucers and UFO phenomena:

• The UFO Annual, edited by M.K. Jessup: This report analyzes important UFO sightings from 1955 from a scientific viewpoint, with M.K. Jessup's comments highlighting conclusions that space life exists. It mentions events like the "angel hair" epidemic in upstate New York, a cloth from the skies that burned a hole in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a Kentucky family fleeing "little green men," and a visitor to the state Department who was fur-clad. The book is published by The Citadel Press, priced at $4.95 for 375 pages.
• Flying Saucers and Common Sense, by Waveney Girvan: This book aims to cut through the nonsense surrounding flying saucers and offers a valuable contribution to the topic. It is published by The Citadel Press, priced at $3.50 for 157 pages.

The issue also lists numerous other books available from Borderland Sciences Research Associates and Flying Saucers International, including titles by Edward Ruppelt, Harold Wilkins, Donald Keyhoe, George Adamski, M.K. Jessup, O. Angelucci, Leonard Cramp, Dan Fry, Frank Thomas, Truman Bethrum, and Frank Scully. It also promotes various bulletins and newsletters such as the W.C.G. RESEARCH BULLETIN, COSMIC NEWS, and TELONIC RESEARCH BULLETIN.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is the prevalence and variety of unidentified flying object sightings occurring in 1956, with a particular focus on May of that year. The magazine presents these reports as factual accounts, often quoting witnesses directly and detailing specific observations regarding the objects' appearance, behavior, and flight characteristics. The inclusion of an Air Force confirmation lends credibility to the subject matter. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious investigation into UFO phenomena, encouraging public reporting while assuring confidentiality. The publication also highlights the growing interest in space and the potential for interplanetary visitors, as evidenced by the book reviews and the overall tone of the magazine.