Merseyside UFO Bulletin - Vol 1 No 3 - 1968

Magazine Overview

Title: MERSEYSIDE UFO Bulletin
Issue: Volume 1, Number 3
Date: May - June 1968
Publisher: Merseyside UFO Bulletin
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English

Editorial: We are rational

The editorial, titled "We are rational," outlines the publication's approach to the UFO phenomenon. It states that the Bulletin is one of the few publications that does not seek to force readers to accept UFOs as spaceships from other planets. Instead, the publication adopts a rational stance, believing that persistent reports and sober speculations warrant serious attention from the scientific community. It suggests that any reasonably intelligent person with an open and enquiring mind can find interest and pleasure in studying the subject.

Contents and Articles

UFO Glossary - Part 2 (H to Z)

This section provides definitions for various UFO-related terms. Key entries include:

• Hostility theory: Speculation that UFO activity is a final phase of a plan by superior beings to take over Earth.
• Humanoid Entity: A being resembling a human, reported to emerge from landed UFOs.
• Interplanetary theory: The hypothesis that UFOs are spacecraft from other planets.
• Invisible College: An informal association of scientists interested in UFOs, led by Dr. J. Allen Hynek, who kept their identities private.
• Jellyfish: A dome-shaped UFO with bright streamers, resembling an illuminated jellyfish.
• Landing report: A report of an unidentified flying object landing.
• Ley: Alignments of prehistoric points, potentially connected to UFO activity patterns.
• Martian: A term popularly applied to alleged occupants of UFOs.
• Menzelism: A belief system that dismisses all UFO reports as misinterpretations or hoaxes, refusing to consider other explanations. This term is derived from astrophysicist Dr. Menzel's skeptical attitude.
• Mother ship: A large, usually cigar-shaped UFO from which smaller craft emerge.
• NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena): A prominent UFO organization founded in 1956.
• Operators (or "Occupants"): Strange beings reported to emerge from landed UFOs, with descriptions sometimes coinciding with folklore and mythology. The section notes a divergence in attitudes: some see these as psychological explanations or modern myths, while others believe ancient myths are distorted accounts of actual encounters.
• Orthoteny: A theory by Aime Michel describing alignments of UFO sightings on maps as lying on straight lines, potentially revealing patterns of activity.
• Plantier's theory: An hypothesis involving an unknown form of energy distributed in space, transformable into a field of force for interplanetary machines.
• Project Bluebook: The U.S. Air Force project established in March 1952 to investigate UFO reports, evolving from earlier projects like Sign and Grudge.
• Project Grudge: An earlier, quieter phase of the U.S. Air Force UFO investigation, which attempted to persuade the public that flying saucers did not exist.
• Project Magnet: A Canadian Government UFO investigation from 1950 to 1954, headed by Wilbert B. Smith.
• Project Ozma: A 1959-1960 project at Green Bank, West Virginia, using a radio telescope to search for extraterrestrial radio signals from Epsilon Eridani and Tau Ceti.
• Project Saucer: An unofficial name for Project Sign.
• Project Sign: An early U.S. Air Force project set up in 1948 to investigate UFOs.
• Project Twinkle: A U.S. Air Force project to obtain motion pictures of green fireballs, which was unsuccessful.
• Psychic Projection theory: The idea that one person's belief in seeing a UFO can influence others, or that mental images can be projected as real objects.
• Saturn-shaped object: A UFO resembling the planet Saturn, with photographs taken off Trinidade Island in 1958.
• Shaggy saucer story: A UFO report considered a joke or hoax.
• Sighting form: A printed form for UFO witnesses, often based on the U.S. Air Force form.
• Significant report: A UFO report considered important by serious researchers.
• Silence Group: U.S. Air Force personnel opposed to releasing information on unexplained UFO reports.
• Skywatch: An exercise organized by UFO groups to observe the sky for unidentified flying objects.
• Type classification of UFO reports: A system devised by Dr. Jaques Vallee categorizing reports into five types based on their perceived location and behavior.
• UFO: Unidentified flying object.
• Ufocal: A locality known for numerous UFO reports.
• UFO detector: A device designed to detect sudden changes in magnetic fields, potentially indicating a UFO.
• UFO group: An organization dedicated to studying UFO reports.
• Ufologist: A person who studies UFO reports.
• Ufology: The study of UFO reports and related topics.
• Venusian: An inhabitant of Venus, often associated with benevolent spacemen in "contactee" stories.

The glossary also notes that some terms are vague or frivolous, and invites reader suggestions.

UFO Documentary

This section reviews a BBC Television documentary on UFOs narrated by Dr. Stephen Black, a neuro-physiology researcher. Dr. Black focused on witnesses he deemed sincere. The program highlighted:

• Captain Howard's sighting: A famous sighting from a BOAC airliner on June 29th, 1954, where witnesses felt a "bond of affection" and a "very strange and powerful feeling."
• Lonnie Zamora of Socorro: Dr. Black and Dr. Hynek agreed Zamora saw what he reported, with Dr. Hynek calling it one of the most interesting cases.
• Joe Simonton (Eagle River case): Claimed to have received four pancakes from spacemen.
• Brian Winder's lecture: On a flying saucer model based on an atomic power source.
• Dr. William Hartman's work: Investigating photographic evidence for the Condon Committee, highlighting the difficulty of obtaining acceptable proof and comparing it to the Kennedy assassination.
• The Betty and Barney Hill abduction story: Dr. Benjamin Simon, a psychiatrist, initially puzzled by the Hills' story, concluded it was a dreamlike experience, possibly stemming from Betty's prior nightmarish dreams. He suggested Barney might have absorbed details subconsciously. Both Hills were identified as deep trance hypnotic subjects.

Dr. Black discussed mechanisms that can make lights appear to move due to brain responses to flickering light, and suggested that a combination of deep trance hypnosis, suggestion, and group reactions might explain some UFO sightings. He noted that deep trance subjects do not hallucinate spontaneously and require hypnotic suggestion. He also mentioned that only 5% of the general population are deep trance hypnotic subjects, and his preliminary tests suggested a statistical connection between convincing UFO witnesses and this trait.

Chaos at Colorado

This section details troubles surrounding the Condon Committee's UFO project. It references an article in the May 14th, 1968, issue of "Look" magazine by John G. Fuller, titled "Flying Saucer Fiasco." The core of the trouble stemmed from a memo by Robert J. Low, the project co-ordinator, which suggested the study would focus on the psychology and sociology of observers rather than the physical phenomena, aiming to present an image of objectivity to the public while privately discrediting UFOs. This approach disturbed project members. Dr. Condon's public speeches, described as "frivolous" and mocking the "crackpot fringe" of ufology, led NICAP to withdraw its cooperation. NICAP's statement indicated that only a small fraction of their cases were investigated, and they broke ties with the project due to Low's proposals and the firing of Drs. Saunders and Levine. The article concludes that the Condon Project's findings are unlikely to be taken seriously by experienced ufologists.

Local UFO Reports

• Moore, near Warrington, Lancashire (June 3rd, 1963): Mr. Ruan Riley reported seeing a "fiery-red object" that appeared to be in three sections and disappeared. The object was described as silent and unlike any aircraft.
• Walton, Liverpool (June 4th, 1968): Mrs. Griffith described a "fireball" about twice the diameter of the sun with a plume of black smoke, descending vertically. Mr. George Griffith corroborated the sighting. Mr. Stanley Butcher also reported seeing what looked like a rocket.

Other Sections

• Acknowledgement: Gratitude is expressed to Mr. J.J.A. Hennessey of NICAP for providing extracts from Robert Low's memo.
• Letter to the Editor: Dr. J. Cleary-Baker of BUFORA Journal responds to a letter from Lionel Beer, denying any willingness to "suffer fools gladly" and clarifying BUFORA's membership and disciplinary actions.
• Largest British UFO Organisation: An update stating that CONTACT U.K. is now the largest UFO organization in Britain, with over 1,000 members and 54 branches.
• Radio Merseyside Interview: A clarification regarding an interview with the Editor of the Bulletin broadcast on "Mersey-go-Round."
• Merseyside UFO Bulletin Contact Information: Details for the Editor (John Harney), Assistant Editor (John A. Rimmer), and Science Editor (Alan W. Sharp).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue include the definition and classification of UFO phenomena, the investigation of UFO reports by official and private organizations, and the critical analysis of witness accounts and evidence. The editorial stance is clearly one of rational inquiry, emphasizing scientific attention to credible reports while maintaining a skeptical but open mind, avoiding sensationalism or dogmatic conclusions. The publication also highlights the importance of distinguishing between genuine phenomena and misinterpretations or hoaxes, as demonstrated by the discussion of the Condon Committee's controversial approach and the analysis of the Betty and Barney Hill case.