Magonia Supplement - No 11 - 1999 01

Magazine Overview

MAGONIA Monthly Supplement, Issue 11, dated January 1999, is presented as a monthly publication that is freely available on the Internet, offering more up-to-date and quicker reactions to events than the quarterly print magazine, Magonia. It continues the series started with ETH Bulletin and covers topics discussed in Magonia, broadening its scope beyond just the evidence for the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH). The editor is JOHN HARNEY. Readers without internet access can request printed copies free of charge.

The Fitzgerald Report

This section delves into a new edition of a 1959 report concerning a UFO sighting by Mrs William Fitzgerald in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. UFO researcher Robert J. Durant provided the report, which is compared to an account by Dr Menzel. Mrs Fitzgerald reported seeing a dull aluminium disc with a hump, about five feet off the ground, moving north across her lawn. The object was estimated to be 20-22 feet in diameter and 6 feet high. It emitted smoke from openings in its rim and made a noise like 'a jet engine warming up'. Her ten-year-old son also witnessed the object.

The case generated controversy, with two Project Blue Book sergeants investigating. Their conclusion was that moving lights, train noise, and weather conditions (misty rain, haze, smoke) created an illusion. However, the article questions how Mrs Fitzgerald could be so mistaken given her detailed description. The controversy is amplified by the fact that two investigations occurred: one by Project Blue Book and another by a local UFO research group, which accused the Blue Book sergeants of an amateurish investigation. Robert Durant, in the new edition of the report, claims one of the Air Force sergeants was drunk during the interview.

The article contrasts the accounts of Durant and Menzel regarding the investigation. Menzel alleges Mrs Fitzgerald, with the aid of a local UFO group, prepared a coherent account. Durant, however, claims he was asked to leave the interview room because he was frustrating the sergeants. Durant's version is that he led a sergeant out of the yard because the investigators seemed uninterested in the sighting location, and he alleges one sergeant was intoxicated.

Further points of contention include the origin of the smoke and the noise. The report suggests the smoke might have come from a steelworks about 1.5 miles away, but the article argues against this, citing wind direction and the unusual behavior of smoke plumes. Menzel explains the noise as a passing train, but Mrs Fitzgerald stated it was unlike any train noise she had heard.

Astronomer Dr Thornton Page is quoted, stating that the case is complex and that it is as false to claim it was a flying saucer as it is to claim she saw nothing. He places the onus on ufologists to prove no other explanation exists.

The article concludes that due to the age of the incident and disagreements between investigators, general agreement on its explanation is unlikely, but comparing it with similar reports might be useful.

References are provided for The Fitzgerald Report, Menzel's book, and Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14.

Hudson Valley UFOs

Philip Klass sent articles and press cuttings about the Hudson Valley UFO reports, prompting a closer look. The article suggests that the reason ETH ufologists are not interested is that they already know the explanation: amateur pilots practicing formation flying at night. These displays, which improved with practice, presented an impressive sight and generated reports with exaggerations. Instead of critical analysis, ufologists asserted that some sightings were genuine UFOs, aided by witnesses who claimed they could distinguish between aircraft and UFOs.

The article highlights the distinction made by ufologists that UFOs hovered silently, unlike light aircraft. It counters that if aircraft are higher and moving against the wind, they can appear to hover silently. The authors of 'Night Siege' are criticized for taking witness descriptions as accurate without considering estimation errors in distance and size. The irrational behavior of witnesses chasing objects in cars is also noted, with Allan Hendry being an exception for commenting on this absurdity.

The main value of the Hudson Valley sightings, according to the article, is their use in studying the development of the UFO myth in a limited area and time, potentially supporting the psychosocial hypothesis. However, the strong desire of American ufologists to believe in ETs is seen as a barrier to this.

References are provided for 'Night Siege' and Allan Hendry's 'The UFO Handbook'.

Satanism Update

This section briefly mentions Roger Sandell, who previously provided information on the Satanic child abuse scare in Britain. He was unable to obtain details of a disturbing case in Pembroke, south Wales, due to a seven-month trial and legal restrictions. Journalist Byron Rogers investigated and published his findings in The Sunday Telegraph.

The Pembroke case involved a nine-year-old boy's accusation of sexual abuse against his father, leading to stories of orgies and ritual slaughter. Subsequently, a 14-year-old girl accused her father of abuse. These events led to children being taken into care and several adults arrested, with some convictions despite recanted statements and dubious evidence.

Odds and Ends

Chthonic fantasies

This subsection criticizes some British ufologists for indulging in fantasies about secret underground bases, possibly concealing aliens or crashed saucers, especially when there's a shortage of UFO reports. It mentions the real underground bases, including one near RAF Rudloe Manor, which has been opened to the media. The fantasy about an underground railway from Rudloe Manor to Downing Street is linked to the proximity of the Box Hill railway tunnel.

The maniac on the platform

This piece references a 1985 Magonia article by Michael Goss about the folklore of a 'maniac' pushing women under trains. It notes that shortly after the article, a similar incident occurred at Wimbledon station, and a recent event on the New York subway involved a woman being decapitated after being pushed off a platform.

UFOtrash

This section humorously describes the Magonia editorial team's 'Crap Detector' being overloaded by a Channel 5 program, 'Stranger than Fiction: The Great UFO Conspiracy'. It lists Stanton Friedman, Wendelle Stevens, Bruce Maccabee, Nick Pope, Timothy Good, and Robert Oechsler as participants who were discussing 'utter garbage'.

The magazine is available on the Magonia website, with printed copies sent to a select few. Contact details for the editor are provided.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue include a critical examination of UFO investigations, a skepticism towards conventional ufological explanations, and a focus on providing alternative, often mundane, explanations for reported phenomena. The editorial stance is one of critical analysis, questioning witness testimony and official conclusions, and highlighting potential biases and flaws in research methodologies. There is a clear preference for rational explanations over speculative ones, as seen in the dismissal of 'chthonic fantasies' and the critique of the Hudson Valley UFO reports being attributed to amateur pilots. The magazine also engages with broader societal issues, touching upon the Satanic child abuse scare and the darker aspects of urban folklore, framing them within a context of media sensationalism and psychological phenomena.