FUFOR - 1996 Q2 - Quarterly Report April-June

Magazine Overview

This document is a Quarterly Report from the Fund for UFO Research Inc., covering the period of April through June 1996. It details the organization's activities, publications, research projects, and financial status. The report is based in Washington D.C. and is written in English.

Overview of Activities

Several key events marked the Spring months for the Fund. Ongoing projects of the UFO Research Coalition were a primary focus. The Fund also disseminated news releases concerning the 1996 Keyhoe Journalism Award winner and announced the completion of Jerry Clark's research project. Media interest in UFOs remained consistent, with Don Berliner participating in numerous radio and TV interviews, and Richard Hall providing information for upcoming television specials. Notably, for the twenty-third consecutive year, there was no major UFO wave reported in the United States.

The UFO Research Coalition

The UFO Research Coalition dedicated its efforts to distributing the "Unidentified Flying Objects Briefing Document: The Best Available Evidence." This book, authored by Don Berliner, Marie Galbraith, and Antonio Huneeus, offers a comprehensive overview of the UFO phenomenon. The initial print run of one thousand copies was intended for distribution to influential individuals in government, media, and academia, rather than for sale. The book examines visual, radar, and physical evidence from significant sightings, challenging classifications such as "Astronomical," "Manmade," or "Hoax." It also discusses UFO shapes, terminology, the characteristics of "true" UFOs versus identified flying objects, and provides recommended reading. The majority of the book consists of case histories of specific UFO sightings from around the world. By the end of June, most of these briefing books had been distributed.

In addition, the Coalition completed its first "official" publication, the "Final Report on the America West Airline Case, May 25-26, 1995," written by Walter N. Webb. This report details Webb's investigation into a UFO sighting observed by the flight crew of an airliner over New Mexico, supplementing an earlier preliminary report by Webb on the same incident.

Richard Hall, the Fund's chairman, finalized the draft of "The UFO Evidence, Part II." Similar to its predecessor, this volume focuses on UFO sighting reports from 1964 to 1993, encompassing a wide range of cases from visual sightings to radar-visual reports and abduction accounts. Hall noted the discovery of "fascinating patterns" in the data, including correlations between appearance features, performance, and potential propulsion methods.

The Coalition has also been discussing the necessity for instrumentation capable of detecting the onset and conclusion of abductions. This discussion has evolved into an "abduction monitoring project" aimed at assembling one or more instrument packages within 18 to 24 months. A private sponsor has committed funding for this effort. Each package will include active and passive sensors to monitor ambient conditions like temperature and light levels, storing data or transmitting it remotely. These units are designed to be unobtrusive, require no daily servicing, and operate during periods when abductions are believed to occur. The project envisions having several units operational after prototype testing and research protocols are established. Simpler instruments, such as litmus paper, electrostatic detectors, and dosimeters, may also be employed to identify households experiencing unusual abduction-related events, which could then be outfitted with the more complex electronic arrays.

Project 1947

Jan Aldrich's extensive research project to collect UFO sightings from 1947 is nearing completion. The Fund administered the project's finances, which involved extensive travel to archives, newspaper morgues, libraries, and document depositories across the United States and Canada. Jan and assistants screened approximately four thousand newspapers, making this the most thorough examination of the 1947 UFO wave to date. The report's release is scheduled to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Kenneth Arnold's sighting and will incorporate new reports alongside Ted Bloecher's original accounts. Jan Aldrich will continue to provide periodic updates to the Fund.

1995 Keyhoe Journalism Award

Each March, the Fund's executive members select a winner for the Keyhoe Award, which recognizes excellence in investigative reporting on the UFO subject. Entries must originate from mainstream publications or news shows (not UFO-specific venues), be dated within the previous calendar year, and emphasize investigation and new information. Submissions are due to the Fund by February 15th of the following year.

Ms. Gillian Sender of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received the 1995 award for her article "Out of This World," published in the February 1995 issue of Milwaukee Magazine. The article examined the background and education of author and investigator Don Schmitt, revealing that Schmitt had misrepresented himself to colleagues. Mr. Robert Galganski of West Seneca, New York, secured second place for his newspaper article "Scanning the Skies," published in the Dunkirk, NY, Evening Observer on August 20, 1995. This piece focused on an alleged UFO landing in Cherry Creek, NY, in 1965. Galganski's investigation uncovered additional witnesses who reported seeing UFOs shortly after the landing. Cash prizes of $750 and $250 were awarded to the first and second place winners, respectively.

Publication Note

A note from A. F. U. in Norrköping, Sweden, indicates that the Fund publication "Documents and Supporting Information Related to Crashed Flying Saucers and Operation Majestic Twelve" by Bruce Maccabee is no longer available for purchase, despite its listing on the revised documents list. This note is attributed to Rob Swiatek.

Executive Committee

The executive committee members of the Fund for UFO Research are listed as: Richard Hall (Chairman), Craig Phillips (Vice Chairman), Don Berliner, and Rob Swiatek (Secretary-Treasurer).

Website

The Fund has launched a new website at http://www.fufor.org.

Financial Report (April-June 1996)

The Profit and Loss statement for April through June 1996 shows total income of $10,212.81 and total expenses of $10,435.49. This resulted in a Net Ordinary Income and Net Income of -$222.68 for the period.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this report are the ongoing research and documentation of UFO phenomena, the dissemination of findings through publications and media, and the recognition of investigative journalism in the field. The Fund appears to maintain a serious, research-oriented stance, focusing on evidence-based analysis and the systematic collection of sighting data. There is a clear emphasis on rigorous investigation, as evidenced by the Keyhoe Award criteria and the detailed nature of the research projects described. The organization also shows an interest in developing new technologies for studying UFO-related events, particularly abductions.