FUFOR - 1997 Q1 & 2 - Quarterly Report Jan-Jun

Magazine Overview

This document is a newsletter from the Fund for UFO Research Inc., covering the period of January-March and April-June 1997. It is based in Washington D.C. and focuses on UFO research and related phenomena.

Chairman's Message

Richard Hall, Chairman of the Fund, expresses gratitude for the overwhelming response to their appeal for the Special Awards fund, which exceeded expectations with over $2,500 received. This ensures the continuation of the awards program. He highlights the importance of the Keyhoe Journalism Award and the Davis Memorial Award, thanking supporters for enabling the Fund to maintain these awards at a significant level.

Special Awards

The 1996 Donald E. Keyhoe Journalism Award, including a $1,000 check, was presented to Zack Van Eyck, a staff reporter for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah. His reporting throughout the summer and fall of the previous year covered UFO activity in Utah and elsewhere, including investigative journalism on UFO-related topics. His reporting was noted as fair and balanced.

Nominations for the 1997 Isabel Davis Memorial Award have been made by the Fund board. This award recognizes long-term accomplishments and excellence in promoting rational inquiry into reported UFOs and related phenomena. The nominees are Mr. Ted Bloecher, Dr. Michael Swords, and Ms. Jennie Zeidman. Short biographies of the nominees are to appear below, and an awards ballot accompanies the reports.

Fund Establishes Web Page

On April 22, the Fund launched a web page to describe its activities and goals. They have received many greeting messages, with one exception: a representative from the SETI Institute requested the removal of their link, suggesting a negative view of UFOs. The Fund describes its site as conservative and of interest to rational and open-minded people, including skeptics. Volunteer John Hale is credited with setting up the page, which can be found at http://www.fufor.org.

Fiftieth Anniversary

The Fund prepared news releases and background materials for the 50th anniversary of the Kenneth Arnold sighting (June 24) and the Roswell crash (circa July 8). This was done in cooperation with the UFO Research Coalition. The Fund is soliciting information on whether newspapers or radio-TV stations reported on these events.

Reader's Digest Video

A Reader's Digest videotape titled "Strange Beings and UFOs," part of the "Mysteries of the Unexplained Series," was scheduled to begin airing in Europe in early 1997. The second half of the tape focuses on UFOs and features Fund Chairman Richard Hall. The tape is expected to be available in the United States later in the year.

Turner TV Special

Turner Broadcasting System aired a two-hour special on UFO abductions late last year. It examined four sets of abductees in detail, including Anna and Beth, authors of the book "Connections" (available from the Fund). Several Fund board members have worked with Anna and Beth. The presentation was described as uniquely detailed and sensitively done. Another two-hour TBS special on June 29, at 9:00 p.m. eastern time, covered the history of the UFO subject. The Fund received on-screen credit for both programs.

A&E Specials

Two different production companies are creating UFO documentaries for the Arts & Entertainment network. One, a general history, was scheduled to air in September 1997, while another, focusing on abductions, was to air later. Viewers are advised to watch for local broadcast times.

PGCC Seminar

The 1997 edition of the annual Fund for UFO Research UFO seminar at Prince George's Community College, Maryland, was scheduled for August 23. In recent years, the Fund has produced videotapes of the seminars, and despite some unevenness in lighting and sound quality, improvements are being made. A videotape of the 1996 seminar is available, and proceedings from the 1997 event will also be made available. Impressive UFO witnesses are scheduled as speakers.

The UFO Evidence

Long-time readers of UFO literature will recognize "The UFO Evidence," a 200,000-word documentary report compiled by Richard Hall and published in 1964 by the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). Copies are now scarce and costly. With a grant from the UFO Research Coalition, Hall has prepared a 30+ year update, tentatively titled "The UFO Evidence II." This new volume will be published by Barnes & Noble, along with an inexpensive reprint of the original volume.

Isabel Davis Award Nominees

Short profiles of the 1997 Isabel Davis Award nominees are provided:

• Mr. Ted Bloecher: Author of "Report on the UFO Wave of 1947," active in C.S.I. of New York in the 1950s, and instrumental in the publication of U.S. Air Force Project Grudge and Blue Book Reports while on the NICAP staff. He led studies of UFO occupant cases and compiled "The Humanoid Catalog" with David Webb.
• Dr. Michael Swords: A board member of CUFOS and former editor of the "Journal of UFO Studies." His research includes notable reports such as "Science and the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis in Ufology" and "The University of Colorado UFO Project: The 'Scientific Study of UFOs.'" His archival work with UFO document collections is described as legendary.
• Ms. Jennie Zeidman: A pioneer UFO investigator from Crested Butte, Colo. She began her career in the late 1940s as an assistant to Dr. J. Allen Hynek, professor of astronomy at Ohio State University and chief scientific consultant on UFOs to the U.S. Air Force. She is known for her thorough investigation of the Coyne helicopter case.

Abduction Implant Analysis

In early July 1996, the Fund received a report from an abductee who claimed to have sneezed out a metallic sphere from her nasal passage, believing it to be an alien implant. A meeting was arranged on July 12th at the Fairfax, VA, home of Robert and Susan Swiatek. The executive committee audiotaped the interview and took close-up photos of the object. The Fund decided to have the sphere professionally tested.

Finding a suitable laboratory for both biological and materials/metallurgical testing proved difficult. Arrangements were made, and funding was approved. Laboratory Director Harry A. Taylor PhD of MidLantic Medical Laboratory Inc. received the item on November 22, 1996. His final report was completed on April 10, 1997.

Dr. Taylor described the object as "a small silvery metallic spheroid." The surface had paper fibers, and small pits contained a brown substance identified as clay soil. The sphere was subjected to various solvent baths, and the "supernatant fluid" was placed on growing media at various temperatures, but nothing grew, which was considered extraordinary given that the item had been handled by many people. Radiation testing was negative. A small piece of the sphere was sacrificed, revealing three melting points consistent with a lead BB shot. Dr. Taylor concluded it was a lead BB shot, but noted the lack of viable bacteria or fungi suggested it might have been cleaned with a biocidal agent, and the absence of protein or tissue cells indicated "a very small possibility" it had been in a human body.

The Fund was left bewildered, as parts of the lab results were inconsistent with the explanation of a prosaic object, particularly the lack of sterility despite handling. The only positive outcome was establishing a relationship with a capable laboratory.

New Publications

The following new items are offered for sale by the Fund:

• Spacemen, Demons, & Conspiracies by Jerome Clark (40 pp., $16.00 plus $1.00 postage and handling): Examines the evolution of human reactions to UFO sightings and hypotheses, reviewing the history, literature, and sociology of the UFO field.
• Spaceships or Mirages Over Washington National Airport, 1952? (74 pp., $15.00 plus $2.00 postage and handling): Complete transcript of the 1952 Samford press conference held by the Air Force regarding UFO sightings over the nation's capital, bound with a 1969 Air Force report on mirages.
• Project 1947: A Preliminary Report on the 1947 UFO Sighting Wave by Jan L. Aldrich (213 pp., illustrated, $20.00 plus $2.00 postage and handling): An overview of the first modern UFO wave, including retyped 1947 newspaper accounts from the U.S., Sweden, Finland, France, and Australia.
• Volume 3 of Mysteries of the Sky: The UFO Phenomenon (1:40, VHS, $16.00 plus $5.00 postage and handling): Highlights of talks given by Fund associates at a Washington, D.C.-area community college in 1996, featuring Don Berliner, Richard Hall, Rob Swiatek, and Susan Swiatek.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently promotes the Fund's mission of supporting rational inquiry into UFO phenomena through awards, publications, and public outreach. There is a clear emphasis on journalistic integrity, scientific investigation (as seen in the implant analysis), and historical documentation of UFO events. The Fund positions itself as a source of credible information, welcoming skeptics while maintaining a focus on the UFO subject. The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded but critical investigation, aiming to provide accurate and well-researched information to the public.