Itufor10

Magazine Overview

Title: ITALIAN UFO REPORTER
Issue: No. 10
Date: June 1989
Publisher: Italian Center for UFO Studies (C.I.S.U.)
Country: Italy

This issue of the Italian UFO Reporter is largely composed of English language abstracts from C.I.S.U.'s "UFO Information Review" (Issue No. 7, June 1989). It features a comprehensive article by Marcello Pupilli titled "BOOKS ON UFOS: Forty Years of UFO Literature in Italy," which compiles a bibliography of UFO and related subject books published in Italy.

Books on UFOs: Forty Years of UFO Literature in Italy

Marcello Pupilli presents a monograph published by CISU, attempting to establish methodological criteria for cataloging UFO literature. The criteria for inclusion involved separating monographic texts from periodicals and ensuring the texts had reached some diffusion (i.e., not unpublished manuscripts). Typological criteria defined the argument as "the UFO issue and derivated subjects," including contactees and ancient astronauts.

Books were classified into five classes (A-E) based on the amount of space dedicated to the argument: A) UFO books in the strictest sense, B) texts on UFO-derivated subjects, C) texts on other subjects with at least one chapter on UFOs, D) less than a chapter but with some pages on UFOs, and E) a page or less on UFOs. For classes C, D, and E, the main argument of the book was also indicated.

A first analysis cataloged 384 texts for the period 1948-1988. Of these, 114 were strictly ufological (class-A), and 90 were derivated subjects (49 on ancient astronauts, 41 on/by contactees). The remaining 179 books covered topics such as forteana/psychic phenomena, astronomy/exobiology, occult/magic/astrology, archaeology, and miscellaneous subjects. 118 books had at least a full chapter on UFOs (class-C).

Regarding authors, there were 187 Italian authors and 118 foreign ones. The most published authors in the 'ancient astronauts' field were Peter Kolosimo, Eric von Daeniken, and Walter Raymond Drake. The most published ufologist was Antonio Ribera.

Publishing data revealed 99 publishers, with the top ten accounting for over half the total. Specialistic publishers released 138 books, compared to 56 by big publishing houses. Armenia, SugarCo, and Mediterranee were the most active publishers. The collapse in UFO publications after 1980 is attributed to four publishers ceasing their UFO interest. Notably, 15 texts were privately published by authors, and 40 by UFO organizations.

Distribution by Year

The period 1971-1980 saw the greatest number of published UFO books in Italy (228 items, 59.3%), with a peak in 1978. This trend is linked to an increase in UFO sightings and media interest. Before 1971, ufology was a niche interest, but the monthly "Giornale dei misteri" in 1971 helped precipitate public interest. This led to the formation of numerous UFO buff groups and a surge in reported sightings until 1978. After the peak, public interest and occult magazine sales declined.

UFOS AT THE TURIN BOOK EXHIBITION

Gian Paolo Grassino reports on the second Turin Book Exhibition in May 1989, noting a decline in published UFO books in the 1980s. New titles included "Il Contattato" about Eugenio Siragusa. While some older books were still available, publishers like Fanucci had shifted to SF and fantasy. Armenia's publications like "Light Years" and "Intruders" were poorly received, indicating a lack of European interest in USA-style "story" UFO books. The last strictly ufological books mentioned were from 1984. The rise of "Nuovi Autori" publisher, which charges authors for publication, is also noted as a sign of the market's difficulties.

Possible reasons for the decline include the "amateurism" of publishers in the "unexplained" market, who lacked planning and turned elsewhere when interest waned. A shift from pragmatic interest in the unexplained to a more spiritual, individual knowledge (astrology, divination, psychic healing) also occurred, moving away from ufology. The need for resources to research and circulate ufological information is highlighted.

A FIRE IN THE SKY: The Luminous Phenomena of March 21, 1989

Paolo Toselli investigates a luminous phenomenon observed by thousands across Northern and Central Italy, Switzerland, and Southeastern France on March 21, 1989. Testimonies describe a bright trail, explosion into a cloud, and various shapes. The Italian Center for UFO Studies (CISU) collected over sixty testimonies, noting times between 19:10 and 19:40. The phenomenon had two phases: an initial bright point exploding into a white cloud with a star-like shape, followed by a second brighter cloud. Photographs were taken, showing a cone-shaped spiral smoke trail and a tube-shaped blue mass. Newspapers covered the event, with interpretations divided between UFOs and missiles, with the missile hypothesis eventually prevailing.

THE EXPLANATION

The phenomenon was identified as a ballistic S-3 missile launched from the military base at Biscarosse, France. The missile is 14 meters long, weighs 25.8 tons, and can travel up to 3,000 kilometers. The reported double explosion was due to the two stages separating. The missile reached an altitude of 1,000 kilometers before descending into the sea. The visibility was due to sun-illuminated exhaust vapors.

ANOMALOUS CASES

Some witnesses reported "anomalous" descriptions, including a missile emerging from a hill, a yellow ball of light, and a bright multi-colored body seen by a British Island Airways flight. An Air Force pilot reported a bright trail from a "metallic-looking object" near Florence. One report from Balestrino described the phenomenon as a "celestial sign."

OPERATION "ELECTRE": A UFO Called "Tibère": Antecedents in the '70s

This section details the February 23, 1971 event where a TWA airliner and a private plane reported a bright ball of fire falling in the Alps. This was later identified as the re-entry of the French "Tibère" missile. The launch was part of a scientific study of electrical phenomena during rocket re-entries. Similar events, including UFO flaps, were linked to yearly launchings from Biscarosse between 1965 and 1989. The article also mentions a 1972 launch with sightings and EM interferences, and a 1974 sighting at Pont-de-Chéruy involving a hovering object and an "S"-shaped trail.

THE CANARY ISLAND UFOS

This box discusses three massive sightings with photographs in the Canary Islands (June 22, 1976; November 19, 1976; March 5, 1979), confirmed to be due to missiles launched by Soviet submarines.

U.S.S.R.: THE SECRET BASE

This section identifies the Petrozavodsk "flying jellyfish" of September 20, 1977, as the launch of Kosmos-955 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, used as a cover for covert military activities.

HUMANOIDS IN THE EARLY YEARS: Italian CE-III's between 1900 and 1950

Paolo Fiorino examines early CE-III reports from Italy, dating back to the first half of the century. Many of these reports were collected years later and may have been influenced by contemporary UFO stereotypes or science fiction. Cases mentioned include the "Facchini case" (1950), Monguzzi's fake photos (1952), and others from Lucca and Modena. Older, collected cases include Johannis' (1947), Fara di Cigno (1948), and Monte Benichi (1930). The article notes the absence of CE-III mentions in contemporary media, contrasting with reports of "ghosts" and "Beloved Virgin Mary" sightings.

BORDERLINE CASES

Two reports with press sources are included as borderline cases: fishermen seeing a "flame" descending on their boat in 1946, and motorists encountering a woman-shape surrounded by a blue halo in 1946. Other "borderline cases" from the pre-"UFO stereotype" era are discussed, including an "abduction" in 1933 and a similar alleged event in 1944. Cases from the 1930s and 1940s are also presented, such as the "Boiling River" incident (1927), the "Go-Kart and the Fairies" (1943), and the "Martians" Arrive" (1945 or 1946).

ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHER "BEINGS"

Three reports of entities without UFOs are included: a "monstruos being" with "hen-like legs" (circa 1900), a "metallic looking robot-like humanoid" (1940), and "dwarfs" collecting something (1948-1950).

SOME REFLECTIONS

Evaluating CE-III reports from the 1930s and 1940s is difficult due to their late reporting and potential influence from contemporary culture. The witnesses were often children from rural families. The article notes that while some terms suggest external influence, witnesses maintained the events were real, often interpreting them in folkloric contexts.

OPERATION ORIGINS: "Flying Saucers" and the Press in Italy, 1946-1954

Giuseppe Stilo details a research project analyzing the beginnings of the UFO issue in Italy. The study focused on newspaper testimonies from 1946-1954, revealing a higher media interest than expected and a greater number of previously unknown sightings reports. The project aims to analyze the information circulated about the UFO saga in its early days.

THE MEDIA

Daily newspapers played a fundamental role in diffusing UFO news, initially collecting information from the USA during the "Marshall plan" period (1947-1950). The growth of newspaper format also contributed to the increase in UFO items. Radio had less importance.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue include the historical development of UFO literature and reporting in Italy, the analysis of specific UFO cases and their explanations (often military in origin), and the challenges of documenting and interpreting early UFO reports. The editorial stance appears to be one of critical investigation, seeking factual explanations for phenomena while acknowledging the existence of unexplained cases and the historical context of UFOlogy. There is a clear emphasis on distinguishing between factual reporting and speculative or folkloric interpretations.

This issue of "UFO" (issue 12) delves into the early history of UFO phenomena in Italy, with a particular focus on the media's role in reporting sightings and the mathematical analysis of how information spread. The content is primarily in English, with a strong emphasis on Italian UFO events and their international context.

1947: The UFO Phenomena Comes to Italy

The issue begins by noting the relative inactivity of Italian ufologists in the early days and the initial reluctance of Italian dailies to cover flying saucers. This attitude reportedly "collapsed" following media attention in other countries, mirroring Réné Thom's "theory of catastrophes." The text discusses the diffusion of various "rumors" in waves, such as the "ghost-car" and "religious apparitions," suggesting a model for testing "two rumors time diffusion."

An analysis using Claude Gaudeau's "nearest neighbour" method on Italian press coverage of the 1954 wave confirms that a single newspaper can act as a focus, and that nearby dailies can form a "contagion network." This process is likened to gas diffusion, leading to an "epidemic" spread of "flying saucer" information. The issue aims to test this hypothesis on the 1950 Italian wave.

A qualitative analysis of 1947 newspapers revealed a cumulative process of UFO beliefs, starting with the arrival of saucers in Europe, a crashed saucer in the USA (July 9, 1947), the first Italian report (July 12), the mention of the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (December 29, 1949), the first Italian wave (March-May 1950), the first Italian photo (May 6, 1950), and the arrival of foreign ufologists like D. Menzel and D. Leslie. The complex inter-relationship between hoaxes, jokes, rumors, advertising, and science-fiction movies since 1950 is also noted.

The "ghost-rockets" of 1946 are presented as a control group, showing a longer delay between Scandinavian reports and Italian sightings compared to the 1947 US flying saucers, attributed to the greater "weight" of American news.

Specifically regarding 1947, the issue states that "flying saucers" appeared in Italian national newspapers on July 8th, often as front-page news from the USA. Smaller items appeared in Italy on July 4th-6th, before the "New York Times" alerted Italian correspondents. On July 8th-9th, sightings reached Europe (UK and Denmark) concurrently with "atomic phenomena" and "U.S. secret weapon" theories. K. Arnold is not mentioned, but the Maury Island incident was reported. The prevalent term used was "flying disks," with "flying saucers" used only in the first week, after which "flying disks" became the standard term in Italy.

On July 9th, the Roswell crashed-saucer was prominently featured. Four days later, the first Italian sighting at Bologna was published on July 12th. The "saucer-mania" peaked, with over 100 articles before subsiding, only to re-emerge in 1950.

The 1950 Wave: Mathematical Models

Approximately 160 Italian sightings were recorded in 1950, marking the first large Italian UFO wave. Indicators suggest the "UFO myth" was already established. Keyhoe's and McLaughlin's articles in "True" generated the first mention of the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) in Italy. The wave is distinguished by two sub-waves: March 13th to April 1st, and April 5th to April 24th. The curve shape of these sub-waves aligns with S. Dodd's and C. Gaudeau's models.

"Hard" items in the central part of the curve include a crashed saucer and alien body found in Texas (May 11/12) and H. Taylor's radio broadcast about US-made saucers (April 5th). A "psychosis" ensued, causing traffic jams from people staring at UFOs, Air Force press releases denying a UFO committee, and comments from intellectuals. Commercial advertising began using "saucers" and "humanois." On July 8th, 1950, flying saucers entered the House of Senate via a parliamentary interrogation. Over 2,000 news items were published in 1950.

A Lexicological Approach to "E.T."

French sociologist Jean-Bruno Renard's study on the evolution of the term "extra-terrestrial" in French is discussed. Initially spiritualistic, it became a substantive and materialistic term referring to a place of origin when applied to flying saucers, retaining an exotic and "superiority" connotation. In Italy, the term was used by intellectuals since 1952, while witnesses and reporters often referred to them as "Martians" until the 1960s.

Contagion from Abroad

Edoardo Russo formulated a working hypothesis in 1984: the UFO phenomenon was introduced to Italy in 1947 as a journalistic event, primarily news from abroad, with Italian sightings being vaguely characterized. The "flying saucer myth" in Italy truly began in spring 1950 with the first wave, again following foreign news. The 1954 wave also "followed" news about the French wave before developing autonomously. After five years of research, these hypotheses have been confirmed, though research is ongoing.

All ITUFOR abstracts, translations, and mistakes are attributed to Edoardo Russo.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the historical analysis of UFO phenomena in Italy, the influence of international media on domestic reporting, and the application of mathematical and sociological models to understand the spread of information and belief. The editorial stance appears to be one of rigorous, data-driven investigation, utilizing quantitative methods and historical press analysis to understand the UFO phenomenon's diffusion and impact.