Merseyside UFO Bulletin - Vol 5 No 2 - 1972

Magazine Overview

Title: Merseyside UFO Bulletin
Issue: 5:2
Editors: John Harney and John Rimmer
Date: 1980s (inferred from context and publication style)

This issue of the Merseyside UFO Bulletin is primarily dedicated to exploring ways to improve and rationalize UFO research, largely driven by an article titled 'New Directions for UFO Research' by Peter Rogerson. The editorial strongly endorses Rogerson's proposals, framing them as essential steps towards treating ufology with scientific seriousness.

Editorial: The Right Road

The editorial section begins by acknowledging that Peter Rogerson's suggestions for improving UFO research might be dismissed as utopian or unrealistic. However, it argues that these suggestions represent the minimum requirements for any scientific problem. The editorial highlights the critical need for an efficient data gathering, storage, and retrieval system, noting that this is an unglamorous but vital aspect of ufological work that few are willing to undertake. It criticizes the current state of ufology for lacking a clear distinction between serious students and 'cranks,' contrasting it with the more organized fields like psychic research, where the SPR maintains a sensible corporate nature distinct from spiritualist and occultist groups.

The editorial emphasizes that until serious researchers can be organized and Rogerson's suggestions implemented, ufology will remain on the fringes of science. It asserts that the implications of the UFO phenomenon for science are significant but will not be thoroughly investigated as long as the field is populated by an 'unscientific so-called investigators and 'groups'.' The editorial concludes by stating that the suggestions in Rogerson's article are crucial for the field's legitimacy.

Future Directions for UFO Research by Peter Rogerson

Peter Rogerson's article outlines twenty specific suggestions for advancing UFO research over the past 25 years. He argues that ufologists have been more interested in 'dotty pseudo-sciences' than objective investigation.

Key Proposals:

1. Documentation and Re-investigation: A major effort to document and re-investigate all Type I reports (those involving actual sightings) from published and unpublished sources, with precise date and geographical location data. Regular catalogues and abstracts should be published annually and cumulated every five years.
2. Specialized Investigation: 'Contact' reports, 'MIB' reports, and those involving psychological, physiological, or parapsychological phenomena should be investigated by trained personnel or reliable laymen under specialist direction, not by untrained individuals.
3. Pre-1947 Research: A cooperative effort to systematically search for pre-1947 UFO 'waves' by scrutinizing newspapers and magazines, and considering information from elderly persons. Reports should be published in abstract form, with fuller accounts of selected cases and background notes.
4. Mythological and Folk-lore Context: Continuing to examine the UFO phenomenon as a source of mythological data and folk-lore, encouraging the investigation of 'constants' in traditions.
5. Sociological and Psychological Study: Conducting studies of modern UFO cults, such as the one at Warminster.
6. Impact Study: A sociological and historical study of the social and technological impact of the UFO phenomenon, citing research into the 1913 'airship' wave's potential effect on World War I.
7. Local Group Dissolution: Local groups not conducting valid research should dissolve, with active members meeting informally to discuss and plan research.
8. National Organization Role: National organizations should become documentation centres and research coordinators, holding catalogues, files, and libraries, rather than bodies with corporate opinions.
9. International Coordination: A private international coordinating body should be established to affiliate national bodies and individuals, providing international coordination, documentation, and a translation service. These bodies should not hold corporate opinions.
10. Bibliographical Services: Creation of high-quality bibliographical services, including machine-readable catalogues of UFO reports, indexes of articles, and lists of monographs and journals.
11. Catalogue Publication: Publication of a machine-readable general catalogue of UFO reports, with standardized abstracts in a continuous partwork format.
12. International Scientific Journal: Publication of at least one international scientific journal devoted to ufology, aimed exclusively at the scientific community, without editorial comment, and potentially in multiple languages.
13. National Journals: Encouragement of national journals of a similar nature, either modifications of existing ones or new ventures, and the publication of local 'report' journals.
14. Physical Evidence Investigation: Rapid and in-depth investigation of cases involving alleged physical evidence, landing sites, and photographs by qualified experts. Publication of photographs should be delayed until 'high strangeness' is evident and duplication attempts have failed.
15. Official Files: Efforts to recover material from official files, under conditions that allow access to reputable scientists.
16. Legitimate Activity Definition: Recognition that the only legitimate UFO research is scientific investigation of reports and phenomena, which must be impartial and unbiased.
17. Channeling Newcomers: Efforts to channel the interest of newcomers towards scientific lines, emphasizing the hard work involved in ufology.
18. Countering Sensationalists: Steps to counter the damage caused by sensationalists whose 'lunacies' provide sport for the popular press.
19. Scientific Respectability: Recognition that the subject will only gain respectability if research and speculation are conducted scientifically, with speculation limited to scientifically valid notions.

Rogerson notes that many of these proposals are achievable, with the main obstacles being vested interests within UFO groups and general apathy. He mentions that an attempt at proposal 10 (by John Rimmer and Conrad Hunter) failed due to lack of interest. He is currently engaged in project 1, compiling a card catalogue of Type I reports, and urges researchers to contact him with similar activities or unpublished reports.

Book Review: Legend of the Sons of God

Roger Sandell reviews T.G. Lethbridge's book, 'Legend of the Sons of God'. Lethbridge, an archaeologist, proposes that legends and ancient structures are linked to prehistoric extraterrestrial visits. Sandell notes that Lethbridge avoids the inaccuracies common in such books, but finds his case for extraterrestrial colonists inconclusive. A new element introduced is Lethbridge's belief that aliens built megalithic circles in Britain and imbued them with a mysterious force detectable by a dowser's pendulum. Sandell compares this to the ideas of John Michell and ley hunters, whom Lethbridge seems unaware of. While not qualified to judge dowsing, Sandell suggests that a controlled experiment with multiple dowsers would be necessary to validate Lethbridge's claims, as no such controlled experiment is recorded, leaving room for doubt about the pendulum's response being influenced by the dowser's subconscious impulses.

Publication Details

Publisher: The Editors
Address: 53 Woodyear Road, Bromborough, Wirral, Cheshire, L62 6AY
Telephone: 051-327 2146
Associate Editor: John A. Rimmer, ALA, 6 Norgate Street, LIVERPOOL, L4 ORH
Science Editor: Alan W. Sharp, BSc, Bing, FRAS, FGS, Dip Ed, 22a Fairfield Road, Widnes, Lancashire.
Telephone: 051-424 8860
Printed and published by the Editors.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme of this issue is the urgent need for a more rigorous, scientific, and organized approach to UFO research. The editorial and Peter Rogerson's article both advocate for systematic data collection, documentation, specialized investigation, and a clear separation from sensationalism and unscientific speculation. The editorial stance is one of strong support for Rogerson's proposals, viewing them as essential for the field's credibility and progress. The book review, while acknowledging the author's archaeological background, also implicitly critiques the speculative nature of some UFO-related theories by highlighting the lack of controlled experimentation in validating claims about dowsing and ancient energies.