Flying Saucer Review - No 08 - 1954 02

Magazine Overview

This issue of Flying Saucer Review, identified as #8 and printed on January 22, 1953, with a cover date of February 1953, is a mimeographed publication from G. P. O., Box 853, Brooklyn 1, N. Y. It is the first civilian research magazine established in July 1951 by Rockmore. The publication welcomes the latest saucer reports and states that all typewritten copy is copyrighted, with reprint permission obtainable only by writing Elliot Rockmore.

Policy and Standards

The magazine's policy explicitly rejects theories involving aircraft, balloons, littlemen, meteors, mirages, and moonbeams, focusing instead on studying authentic reports based on the premise that they are caused by craft of extra-terrestrial races. It lists standards for evaluating reports, emphasizing factual basis.

Cover Story: Passaic 'Saucer'

The cover prominently features the headline "Is This Object, Seen In Passaic, A 'Saucer'?" accompanied by photographs taken by John H. Riley, a professional photographer from 571 Main St., Passaic, New Jersey. Riley claims to have photographed a disc hovering about 200 feet above the ground near 221 Brook Ave. The object is described as being 30 feet in diameter, grayish in color, with a large dome jutting from its center. It was reportedly traveling southeast at a leisurely speed when first sighted, then stopped and hovered before disappearing. Riley stated the object was near enough to be hit with a rifle and made no sound.

Contents

• The issue is structured into several sections:
• Section 1: Listing of all reports in chronological order with commentary.
• Section 2: Analysis of reports for possible behavior patterns.
• Section 3: Credit for all clippings sent in, with permission to reprint.
• Section 4: Special features of reproduced photos, sketches, clippings, and special reports of landings or alleged landing attempts.

Performance Standards of Conventional Objects

• This section aims to differentiate UFOs from known objects:
• Aircraft: Described as T-shaped, not circular, with few flying wing types. Only helicopters can hover. They cannot maneuver sharply or travel at great speed, and are not typically silvery.
• Balloons: Move slowly, cannot travel at great speed, only at local wind speed, cannot maneuver sharply, and are not silvery.
• Meteors: Duration is about 3-6 seconds (rarely 15), daytime reports are extremely rare, have only one path, cannot maneuver, and are usually luminous.
• Missiles: Have fuel for only a few minutes, are tubular in shape, not fired over civilian areas, have poor control, and cannot hover.

Chronological Reports (February 1-28, 1953)

The magazine meticulously lists numerous sightings from early February 1953, providing dates, times, locations (with coordinates), descriptions, and often brief comments from the editors:

• Feb. 1, 1953: Reports from Washington, Penn. (Fiat with tail pipes), Birmingham, Ala. (filmy streaks), and Georgetown Bay, Tasmania (rotating saucer at 8,000 ft).
• Feb. 2, 1953: Sightings in Pasadena, Calif. (brilliant disc with hole), and Halifax, Nova Scotia (long white streak).
• Feb. 3, 1953: Reports from Winslow, Ariz. (silvery objects changing color), Ville St. Laurent, Quebec (explosion), Sudbury, Ontario (silvery object motionless for 5 min), North Atlantic Ocean (flare from ocean near crash site), and Hartford, Conn. (flash of light, explosion).
• Feb. 3, 1953: Lexington, Ore. (object emitting blue light), and Saugerties, N.Y. (reddish light).
• Feb. 5, 1953: Morbiere, France (bright dot in vapor trail).
• Feb. 6, 1953: Indio, Calif. (two saucer-like objects hovering).
• Feb. 6, 1953: Bridgeport, Conn. (large explosion with flash of light).
• Feb. 8, 1953: Rusape, Southern Rhodesia (brilliant flash, swishing sound, metal cylinder landed), and Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (five saucers at 700 ft).
• Feb. 9, 1953: Franklin, Va. (circular, silvery object with blue-lighted windows, chased by jets), and Cherry Point, N.C. (silvery saucer, pilot saw red lights, object disappeared in flash).
• Feb. 10, 1953: Tujunga, Calif. (saucer-like object changing shape).
• Feb. 11, 1953: Marion, S.C. (flying saucer observed), Myrtle Beach, S.C. (saucer crossed sky), and Surf City, N.J. (huge blue-white ball of fire).
• Feb. 12, 1953: Washington, D.C. (saucer watched near Kensington), Point Arena, Calif. (bright white light), and Palestine, Texas (flying object with red and green lights).
• Feb. 13, 1953: Berkeley, Calif. (bright light hovered for an hour), Monroe, Wisc. (light changed color, moved erratically), Inverness, England (oval grey object darted back and forth), Daly City & Redwood City, Calif. (bright object hovered, moved back and forth), and an unidentified reddish sphere motionless for 15 minutes.
• Feb. 13, 1953: Marion, S.C. (object with bright white light), Marion, S.C. (yellow object with diamond shape lights), Lake View, S.C. (red and white illuminated object with motor noise), Lake View, S.C. (object hovering with motor noise), and Whiteville, N.C. (saucer reported).
• Feb. 15, 1953: Sudbury, Ontario (strange object obscured by blue mist).
• Feb. 16, 1953: Myrtle Beach, S.C. (unidentified object or light flew inland).
• Feb. 16, 1953: Sudbury, Ontario (fiery red object grew larger, then shrank).
• Feb. 19, 1953: Willets, Calif. (saucer at great altitude with tremendous speed).
• Feb. 20, 1953: Sarasota, Fla. (glowing light changed colors, stopped momentarily).
• Feb. 21, 1953: Near Magnolia, Ark. (object resembling burning airplane).
• Feb. 21, 1953: Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. (object with red, green, white lights).
• Feb. 22, 1953: Willets, Calif. (saucer at great height with tremendous speed).
• Feb. 22, 1953: Erie, Penn. (large, shiny saucer moved noiselessly toward Cleveland).
• Feb. 22, 1953: Conneaut, Ohio (spherical object shone brightly over Lake Erie).
• Feb. 22, 1953: Fairport, Ohio (brilliant ball of light disappeared over lake).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Beauvais, France (large, luminous pink, bowlike object flew horizontally).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Montfren, France (circular metallic object hovered motionless).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Coos Bay, Ore. (cigar-like object or spherical object with extensions).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Near Goshen, Ohio (metallic saucer emitting white glow, wobbled).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Southport, Conn. (8 glowing saucers in box formation).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Conneaut, Ohio (strange lights seen).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Nimes, France (unknown object left luminous vapor trail).
• Feb. 23, 1953: Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. (bright light changing colors observed again).
• Feb. 24, 1953: Erie, Ohio (flying saucer seen).
• Feb. 24, 1953: Olean, N.Y. (light glowing in sky changed color).
• Feb. 25, 1953: Blida, Algeria (two unidentified aircraft or objects flew noiselessly).
• Feb. 25, 1953: Seria, Brunei State, Borneo (circular object hovered for 40 minutes, left vapor trail).
• Feb. 26, 1953: Perigueux, France (brilliant cylindrical object followed by shapeless object).
• Feb. 27, 1953: Monroe Township, Ohio (brilliant yellow-white light, elliptical or eyeshaped).
• Feb. 27, 1953: Brantford, Ontario (intense bright light hovered).
• Feb. 28, 1953: Burlington, Iowa (reddish ball of fire or light hovered).
• Feb. 28, 1953: Salem, Ore. (large white light crossed sky, exploded).

Overall Saucer Patterns and Conclusions

• The magazine analyzes the patterns observed in the reports:
• Quality of Activity Pattern: Classifications are approximate due to short observation periods. Shapes can be mistaken at distance (sphere as disc, disc as cigar-shaped). Daytime objects are classified by shape, night objects by color. The analysis includes categories like Saucers, Spherical, Cigar-like, Falling Airplane, Balloons?, and Star?.
• Daytime Reports: The most frequent daytime shape reported is 'Saucer' (33%), followed by 'Falling Airplane' (42%), Spherical (3%), and Cigar-like (4.5%). Balloons and Stars are also considered.
• Night Reports: Colors are more often reported than shapes at night. Yellow to Red is most common (7%), followed by No Color Given (12%), Blue Green (3%), Color Changed (7%), and Meteor? (7%).
• Amount of Activity Pattern: Activity in the South increased significantly. The Northeast shows the heaviest activity, while the Northwest shows weakness. The Southeast and Southwest also have notable activity.

Advertisements

• The issue includes advertisements for other magazines and books related to flying saucers:
• FLYING SAUCER NEWS (England): A mimeographed magazine, 10-20 pages, printed 4 times a year, covering English, European, and Asian reports. Subscription is $1.00 for 4 issues.
• AUSTRALIAN FLYING SAUCER MAGAZINE: A printed magazine, 10-12 pages, 4 times a year, featuring opinions, theories, and reports from Australia, New Zealand, US, and Europe. Subscription is $1.00 for 4 issues.
• FLYING SAUCERS ARE REAL (Pocketbook): A book published in May 1950, considered important for its history of major saucer reports from 1947-1950. It costs $0.30 and is available from Gold Medal Books.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes are the reporting and analysis of unidentified flying objects, with a strong editorial stance favoring the interpretation of these objects as extra-terrestrial craft. The magazine actively seeks to differentiate these phenomena from known conventional aircraft, natural phenomena like meteors, and atmospheric conditions. The detailed cataloging of sightings, coupled with attempts to find patterns in their characteristics and geographical distribution, underscores the publication's commitment to investigating the 'flying saucer' mystery from a scientific, albeit biased, perspective. The emphasis on factual reporting and the exclusion of 'impractical ideas' highlights their attempt at a rigorous, though predetermined, approach to the subject.

This document is a clipping from the Neosho Daily Democrat, dated Tuesday, August 26, 1952, featuring a report on a 'flying saucer' sighting. The main headline announces that a 'Flying Saucer' with Men Inside was Seen by a Pittsburg Radio Employe. The issue's primary focus is the detailed account of Bill Squyres' experience.

'Flying Saucer' With Men Inside Seen by Pittsburg Radio Employe

The article details an encounter by Bill Squyres, a radio entertainer on station KOAM in Pittsburg, Kansas. Squyres reported seeing an unidentified object on his way to work early in the morning, hovering in a wooded area seven and a half miles northeast of Pittsburg. He described the object as resembling a 'turtle shell' or 'platters joined together,' with a 'whole bunch of propellers' in the middle. The object had a dull aluminum appearance and emitted a blue light from a window in the front. Squyres claimed to see a human being behind this window, stating, 'I definitely saw a human being through the window.'

Squyres approached the object, and it suddenly rose straight up in the air like a 'light cord,' making a sound described as 'like a covey of a hundred quail taking off.' He also noted the motors were idling and throbbing. The object was approximately 75 feet long and two-thirds as wide. The rapid, vertical ascent ruled out any known US aircraft.

Following the sighting, Squyres, along with station announcer George Massey, chief engineer Leo Stafford, and salesman Marcel Stewart, visited the site. They observed where the weeds were beaten down, suggesting the object had been there. Samples of the weeds and surrounding earth were sent to Pittsburg State Teachers College for testing for exhaust marks or other unusual signs.

Similarities and Authenticity

A special feature section on page 12 discusses the 'Pittsburg, Kansas Landing' within the context of the August-September 1952 period, which was noted for an unprecedented number of saucer reports. The article acknowledges that Squyres' sighting was made by only one person, but local newspapers described him as modest and not prone to flights of fancy. It also mentions that Air Force was impressed by his report, considering it quite reliable. Another writer who interviewed Squyres noted that he was not well-educated, making a detailed hoax seem unlikely.

The report is compared to other similar sightings:

1. Dissimilarity to Featureless Saucers: Unlike most reported saucers, this object had distinct features.
2. Resemblance to Chiles-Whitted Report: It slightly resembled the July 1948 Chiles-Whitted report from Alabama, which also featured large transparent windows and a rocketship-like shape.
3. Rotating Extensions: Similar to objects mentioned in review #27, but dissimilar in shape to other reports.
4. Bright Blue Glowing Windows: This feature is rarely mentioned and is similar to the 1948 Chiles report. The article speculates such lighting might be used by a spaceship from a blue-white star or a planet close to the sun.
5. Observation of a 'Human Being': This is noted as a new feature, rarely reported since 1947. However, the article suggests it was more likely a 'human-like' form, and that 'All present data and logic points to only non-humans in saucers.'
6. Throbbing Sound: The unusual sound of idling motors is noted, possibly powering propellers while the main engine operates at supersonic speeds.

The conclusion states that this report appears to be the most authentic of the landing reports from the important August-September 1952 period, and the humanoid descriptions are considered the most authentic made in recent reports.

Other Mentions

The article briefly mentions Captain C.S. Chiles, an Eastern Airlines pilot, whose report of a rocket-shaped object with jet exhaust in 1951 is presented as a contrast to the typical saucer shape. It also references a book by Keyhoe and notes that no one from the Air Force or FBI had contacted Squyres yet, though he expected them to.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine's stance appears to be one of serious investigation into UFO phenomena. The editorial team highlights the significance of the August-September 1952 period for landing reports and dedicates space to discussing and analyzing individual cases. There is a clear interest in credible sightings, particularly those with physical evidence or eyewitness accounts of occupants. The publication seems to lean towards the idea that occupants of these craft are non-human, despite Squyres' description of seeing a 'human being.' The article emphasizes the authenticity of Squyres' report and its contribution to the growing body of evidence regarding UFO landings and potential occupants.