Flying Saucer Review - No 06 - 1953 07 15

Magazine Overview

This issue of FLYING SAUCER REVIEW, identified as #6 for December 1952 and printed on July 15, 1953, is published by the First Civilian Research Group and Magazine, established in July 1951. The publication is based in Brooklyn, NY. The cover urgently requests "Latest saucer reports" and provides policy guidelines for submissions. The price is 20¢ per copy or 6 copies for $1.00. The magazine's policy is to consider all reports as originating from extra-terrestrial craft, explicitly dismissing theories involving conventional aircraft, balloons, meteors, mirages, moonbeams, rainbows, radar air inversions, and similar explanations.

Contents

The issue is divided into two main sections: Section 1 lists all reports in chronological order with commentary, and Section 2 includes special reports of interest, including "Korean reports."

Performance of Conventional Objects (Reference Only)

This section provides a comparative analysis of conventional aerial objects:

• Aircraft: Generally T-shaped, with only a few flying wing shapes. Helicopters can hover.
• Balloons: Move slowly, cannot travel at great speed, and cannot maneuver sharply. They are not typically luminous.
• Meteors: Have a short duration (3-6 seconds, rarely 15 seconds), are usually luminous, have a single path, and cannot maneuver. Daytime reports are rare.
• Missiles: Have fuel for a few minutes, are tubular in shape, are not fired over civilian areas due to poor control, and cannot hover.

Section 1 - December 1952 Flying Saucer Reports

This section details numerous sightings from December 1952, with the caveat that absolute authenticity is impossible to judge from clippings alone, but witnesses are generally considered reliable.

• December 1, 1952:
• Bristol, Connecticut: 30 silvery, shining round objects (like hubcaps) wobbled in a V formation from west to south, observed by two women.
• Huntington, Long Island, NY: A yellowish-green, self-luminous object traveled at a slow speed across the NW sky, observed by a machinist.
• December 2, 1952:
• Stewart, Br. Col., Canada: A saucer-like object traveled at great speed, swooped low into Bear River Valley, and then rose sharply over a hill ridge, observed by 20 lumbermen.
• Denver, Colorado: A vivid, large, round blue light hovered over western mountains for 20 minutes, disappeared, and reappeared briefly.
• December 3, 1952:
• Prince Rupert, Br. Col., Canada: A shining, silvery-whitish spherical object, the size of a plane, crossed the sky heading northeasterly, observed by 12 persons.
• Montreal, Ontario, Canada: Four to five bright, shining circular objects maneuvered with sharp turns for 6 minutes, then flew off side by side at high speed, observed by many children, adults, and a pilot.
• December 5, 1952:
• Derby, Massachusetts: Three fiery circles (resembling Xmas wreaths), about 20 feet in diameter, hovered over the Derby Reservoir before moving south, observed by a local factory foreman.
• December 6, 1952:
• Princeton, Br. Col., Canada: A bright, sparkling fiery object with a long tail crossed the sky from east to west.
• Palmerston North, New Zealand: Green and blue discs were observed crossing the sky.
• Wellington, N.Z.: A circular, blue object with a tiny green light underneath crossed the sky much faster than an airplane, observed by two men on a ship.
• Christchurch, N.Z.: A blue disk made a hissing noise as it crossed the sky with great speed, traveling southward.
• Gore, New Zealand: A blue disc, appearing the size of an orange at arm's length, made a hissing noise as it crossed the sky at great speed in 3 minutes, observed by four people. The report notes that if the times are correct, the object was traveling 600 mph, too slow for a meteor.
• December 6, 1952:
• Finnish-Russian Border: A cigar-shaped projectile raced across the sky, observed by a Finnish schoolteacher.
• December 7, 1952:
• Tahoe City, California: An object resembling a twin-engined airplane with flashing wing lights circled the area during a storm. It later dropped flares and continued circling. A bright blue flash was followed by a roar, with no aircraft missing.
• December 8, 1952:
• Salla Strip, Russia: Several elongated lights became star-like, flashing red, yellow, and green, and moved in elliptical curves and up and down. Later, searchlights were switched on, and an object rose vertically. The report notes the confusing motion and signaling, suggesting it was not their own military aircraft.
• Koputaroo, New Zealand: An unusually bright light, surrounded by a faint red glow, approached noiselessly, appeared football-shaped, and disappeared westward after 5 minutes, observed by 6 persons.
• Elmhurst, Illinois: Several brightly colored lights (like a string of beads) crossed the sky, later ascribed to a flight of 5 small national guard airplanes.
• December 9, 1952:
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: A fiery spherical object crossed the sky and disintegrated, believed to be a meteor.
• December 10, 1952:
• Santa Barbara, California: A large, self-luminous, tubular object moved slowly, appearing luminous when in front of a cloud and glowing through it when behind. It was ascribed to the vapor trail of a high-flying B36.
• Carpinteria, California: A brilliant solid object appeared to shoot flames as it moved northwestward at great height, far out to sea.
• December 11, 1952:
• Santa Barbara, California: Several bright flashes of light occurred at regular intervals in the northeastern sky.
• Karachi, Pakistan: Four translucent, whitish discs trailing smoke crossed the sky in formation, then rose vertically and disappeared.
• Tanana, Alaska: A bright blue light, apparently changing colors, hovered in the sky.
• Big Delta, Alaska: A bright light crossed the sky with great speed, observed by pilots.
• December 12, 1952:
• Santa Barbara, California: Five unusual flashes of light occurred at regular intervals, resembling atomic explosions but with no such activity reported elsewhere.
• San Bernadino, California: Similar flashes were observed.
• Salla Strip, Russia: Elongated lights changed color and flashed as they flew up and down in elliptical curves. Searchlights were switched on, and an object rose vertically.
• December 14, 1952:
• Bendigo, Victoria, Australia: A loud engine noise was heard, and a silvery disc was seen spinning slowly against the blue sky before rising and heading northward. Ascribed to a jet airplane.
• Charlotteville, Virginia: An orange disc, at an altitude of 10,000 feet, hovered for 30 seconds over the airfield, then raced off at "terrific" speed toward the northwest, observed by two pilots.
• December 15, 1952:
• West Orange, New Jersey: A six-foot, silvery cardboard disc with wiring and red bulbs was found. It was identified as part of a dance hall's decorations and was a crumpled disc-like object, 6" thick.
• December 17, 1952:
• Riverhead, Long Island, New York: Two small silvery objects left a long thin vapor trail and crossed the sky at great height, from east to west, not resembling jets.
• December 18, 1952:
• Leduc, Alberta, Canada: A bluish-white oval object with a long white tail moved across the sky southward for several minutes, then rose vertically into the sky.
• Prince Rupert, Br. Col., Canada: Two rotating flying saucers crossed the sky at great speed, followed by three more. Reports mentioned up to 10 objects, observed by hundreds of persons.
• Channing, Manitoba, Canada: An oval object (resembling a football) emitted beams of light in all directions, alternately hanging motionless or moving.
• December 23, 1952:
• San Diego, California: A giant green meteor-like object with a greenish tail crossed the sky eastward. An airport control tower operator described it as the largest meteor he had ever seen. The report notes this was the first of six "giant meteors" in six days, an unusual occurrence.
• December 26, 1952:
• Seattle, Washington: A bluish-white object observed under telescopic examination was a deep orange-flame colored saucer, followed by a smaller ball of fire. They crossed the sky in a large arc in 17 seconds, observed by four persons.
• December 27, 1952:
• Island City, Oregon: Two grayish objects (resembling bullets) made a loud noise as they crossed the sky at great speed from southeast to northwest, observed by four persons.
• Lewiston, Idaho: A huge red and blue fiery ball trailed by a long blue tail crossed the sky in 30 seconds and disappeared in the northwestern sky. The duration is noted as too long for a meteor.
• Seattle, Washington: A bright light resembling a meteor lit up the eastern sky, observed from an airport control tower.
• Lawton, Oklahoma: A bright ball of fire resembling a meteor crossed the southwestern sky, observed by two groups of people.
• December 28, 1952:
• Seattle, Washington: A light resembling a searchlight beam "scooted" across the sky, followed by a heavy explosion that rocked the city. No aircraft were reported missing.
• Ellensburg, Washington: A large greenish fireball was observed, possibly at the same time.
• Spokane, Washington: A large green fireball crossed the sky in 7 seconds.
• Rockwood, Maine: An object resembling a large plane flamed brilliantly and started falling. A flaring light was later seen in the woods. CAA, Coast Guard, and Army stated no aircraft were missing.
• December 29, 1952:
• Denver, Colorado: A blazing flame-colored object, followed by four distinct fingers of flame, crossed the western sky for 3 minutes. The flaming color died down, and a small black object was observed in its place. The report suggests this resembles vapor trails of a bomber at great height, colored by the setting sun.
• Hokkaido, Northern Japan: A fighter pilot observed a mass or cluster of lights for 7 minutes. He extinguished his lights to check for reflection, but the object remained visible.

Section 2 - Korean Reports

This section addresses the theory that flying saucers are Russian missiles or aircraft. A check of reports found only 10 over the general area of Korea, with many being doubtful. The section highlights a report from 1893 that resembles later reports.

• February 24, 1893:
• Near Quelpart Island, South Korean Coast: Several lights appeared globular in shape, moving northward for two hours. They were observed high in the sky between a ship and an island.
• February 25, 1953:
• Near Port Hamilton, China Sea: Lights hung over the horizon, traveling northward. They appeared as reddish globes emitting smoke. The report dismisses mirage and electrical phenomena theories due to the objects' brilliance, longevity (up to 7 hours), and shape.
• September 30, 1950:
• Near Seoul, Korea: A silvery disc traveled several times faster than a jet plane across the sky in 3 minutes, observed by a marine officer and sergeants. The duration is too long for a meteor, and the speed rules out balloons.
• October 2, 1951:
• Korea: Several groups of red lights, resembling a chandelier, hovered in the sky over Station KUOM. No aircraft carrying such lights or able to hover were known.
• January 29, 1952:
• Sunchon, Korea: An orange, self-luminous, pulsating, spherical object with a blue halo moved with a revolving motion parallel to a B29 bomber for one minute.
• Wonsan, Korea: An orange, self-luminous, pulsating spherical object with a blue halo moved at 200 mph for 4 minutes parallel to a B29 bomber at 20,000 feet, then made a sharp turn and disappeared. Observed by two B29 crewmen.

Further Reports and Commentary

• July 10, 1952:
• Korean Coast: Two silvery, saucer-like objects maneuvered in the sky, observed by 40 crewmen and officers of the Canadian destroyer 'Crusader'. Their position was checked by radar, placing them 7 miles away and 10,000 feet high. They were visible from night until dawn.
• July 12, 1952:
• Korean Coast: A saucer-like object was observed by radar. Its maneuverability in one spot and remaining in one area for hours makes the balloon theory doubtful. Radar observation rules out astronomical objects.
• April 17, 1953:
• Korean War Front: Several luminous objects traveling at supersonic speeds of 800 mph were observed and tracked by radar. The report notes that Saberjet and Mig-15 speeds are around 700-720 mph, and they are not luminous except for exhaust. The speed is too slow for a meteor, and radar tracking rules out astronomical objects.
• April 17, 1952:
• Korean War Front: A white, rounded delta-shaped object, about 5 to 7 feet in diameter, crossed the sky with a vibrating motion at 60 to 80 mph over Red territory, observed by four aerial observers. The shape is unlike a balloon, and the speed is too slow for a jet or missile. While delta-wing airplanes exist, they are not mass-produced or combat-ready.

Atmospheric Phenomenon in the North China Sea

A report from HMS Caroline describes unusual lights observed on February 24th, 1893, near Quelpart Island. The lights appeared globular and were seen in an irregular line, like Christmas tree ornaments, or as a bright mass. They moved northward for two hours. The ship's officers observed them again on February 25th, appearing as reddish globes emitting smoke. The author, Chas. J. Norcock, suggests they might be St. Elmo's fires due to atmospheric conditions.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently emphasizes the extra-terrestrial origin of flying saucers, dismissing conventional explanations. The editorial stance is to present detailed reports of sightings, often with commentary that supports the extraterrestrial hypothesis by highlighting the limitations of other theories. There is a focus on witness credibility and the unusual characteristics of the observed phenomena, such as speed, maneuverability, and luminosity, which often exceed known technological capabilities. The issue also touches upon the Cold War context, with speculation about Russian technology, but ultimately leans towards an extraterrestrial explanation.