MUFON Minnesota Journal - No 149

Magazine Overview

Title: MUFON Minnesota Journal
Issue: #149
Date: May/June 2011

This issue of the MUFON Minnesota Journal features a variety of articles on UFO phenomena, historical investigations, government secrecy, and the search for extraterrestrial life.

UFOs – Touching Is Knowing

By Dick Moss, MUFON MN

This article explores accounts of individuals who have physically interacted with landed UFOs and the subsequent physical and psychological reactions they experienced. It begins with an account from the Canadian wilderness where a Polish immigrant touched a landed UFO, which then ascended with a blast of heat, scorching his clothes and causing him to be ill for five months. Another case involves a South American aeronautical engineer who inspected the inside of a landed flying saucer on the Argentine Pampas, leading to lingering physical reactions. The article also recounts a Pennsylvania incident from 1933 where a man encountered a bell-shaped object, approximately ten feet in diameter and six feet high. He entered the craft, noting its metallic interior, tubing, dials, a curious coldness, and an ammonia-like odor. He reported no after-effects, but kept the experience secret for thirty years. A separate incident from 1972 describes two young boys spotting a tiny, agile object that moved erratically. Later, the same object was seen at rest in a rice field, emitting a bluish light. A flash picture taken of the disk caused it to move upwards.

Minnesota MUFON Meetings

Details are provided for MUFON Minnesota meetings on Saturday, May 14th, and Saturday, June 11th, from 2 pm to 5 pm at the New Brighton Family Service Center. Information includes the address and parking details, noting the building is non-smoking and has an elevator.

In this Issue

A table of contents lists the articles featured in this issue, including "UFOs-Touching is Knowing," "APRO Bulletins Posted," "Secrecy Autonomous?", "CE4 Corner," "SETI Suspended," and various other reports on UFO incidents and inquiries.

Open Minds posts extensive APRO Bulletin collection

By Antonio Huneeus, Mar 16, 2011

This section highlights the acquisition of a nearly complete set of The APRO Bulletin by Open Minds. APRO, founded in 1952 by Coral and Jim Lorenzen, was a significant organization in ufology, investigating humanoid cases, close encounters, and abductions, areas often ignored by official projects like Air Force Project Blue Book and NICAP. The Lorenzens moved to Alamogordo, New Mexico, and later Tucson, Arizona, where they continued their work. Wendelle Stevens, retired from the USAF, worked closely with them. The APRO Bulletin collection spans from 1954 to the early 1980s. The article emphasizes APRO's legacy in professional, scientific documentation of cases, noting that MUFON started as an offshoot of APRO in 1969. APRO also pioneered incorporating foreign representatives and recruiting scientists and technical consultants, including chemists, space experts, biologists, engineers, and psychologists.

SECRECY NEWS from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy

Vol. 2011, Iss. No. 26, March 21, 2011
By Steven Aftergood

This article questions whether the secrecy system functions autonomously and beyond the rule of law. It argues that while not entirely autonomous, there is a disturbing pattern of evidence showing the secrecy system resists external control and does not reliably fulfill presidential commands. Examples include the Department of Defense's non-compliance with President Obama's executive order on classification policy and agencies' refusal to implement automatic declassification of 25-year-old records. The Secretary of State is also cited as being in violation of the Foreign Relations Act of 1991 for failing to ensure timely publication of U.S. foreign policy records. The article concludes that the failure of law and policy to influence classification practice is alarming, suggesting that reformers cannot rely solely on new laws or executive orders.

The CE4 Corner – May/June 2011

Changes, Paranormal Fallout and Dead Watches
By Craig R. Lang, MS CHt

This section discusses recent calls and emails from individuals experiencing unexplained phenomena. The author notes a spike in these reports and explores "secondary effects" of close encounters, such as paranormal fallout and the emergence of psychic abilities. A case study of "Evelyn" is presented, who experiences electrical sensitivity causing devices to fail, including a collection of dead watches. She also reports issues with computers and light bulbs, and clocks shifting time. The article notes that many experiencers describe similar phenomena, including electrical sensitivity, psychic events, and telekinetic movement. A particularly concerning side effect is the emergence of prophetic, often apocalyptic, dreams, which experiencers feel compelled to act upon to prevent potential calamities.

SETI Institute Suspends Search For Aliens

By Lisa M. Krieger, 04/25/2011

Mountain View's SETI Institute has suspended its search for extraterrestrial signals due to a lack of funding. The Allen Telescope Array has been put into hibernation because of inadequate government support. This suspension comes at a time when astronomers have announced the discovery of numerous potentially habitable planets by the Kepler telescope. SETI Director Jill Tartar expresses irony that while many planets are being discovered, the funds to listen for signals are unavailable. Senior astronomer Seth Shostak compares the suspension to putting ships in dry dock, emphasizing the need for continuous operation. The article mentions that a small contribution from taxpayers could fund the search. The SETI Institute's mission is to explore the origin, nature, and prevalence of life in the universe. Funding for SETI has historically been a challenge, with NASA bankrolling early projects and Congress questioning its cost-effectiveness. While private funding from donors like Paul Allen helped build the array, ongoing operational costs remain a problem. The program requires about $5 million over the next two years, and astronomers are concerned about the hiatus, calling it a setback.

Iran Unveils Flying Saucer

Fars News Agency, 16th March 2011

Iran has unveiled a home-made unmanned flying saucer named Zohal, along with a light sports aircraft, at an exhibition of strategic technologies. Zohal, designed and developed jointly by Farnas Aerospace Company and IASIA, is intended for various missions, including aerial imaging, and is equipped with an auto-pilot system, GPS, and dual imaging systems. The second project unveiled was a light sports plane developed by Dorna Aerospace Company.

CIA Cover-Up Alleged In JFK's 'Secret UFO Inquiry'

By Natalie Wolchover, April 21, 2011

This article discusses a newly surfaced memo, allegedly written by JFK on November 12, 1963, ordering the CIA to organize its intelligence files on UFOs and debrief him on "unknowns." The memo's authenticity is questioned by some archivists, as it has not been found in the JFK Library's presidential archives. The article contrasts it with another document, the "burned memo," which is widely considered a fake. Lester, the paranormal researcher who obtained the memo, believes JFK was probing the CIA about UFO intelligence for reasons related to Soviet misinterpretation of UFOs, interest in space travel, and general concern about UFO incidents. The article notes that historians generally consider the "burned memo" to be a fake, and even if the new memo is real, there are logical reasons for JFK's inquiry beyond a UFO cover-up.

FBI Destroyed Thousands Of UFO Reports, 1949 Memo Reveals

By Ian Sample, Science Correspondent, 11 April 2011

This report reveals that the FBI routinely destroyed UFO reports in the 1940s due to a lack of filing space. A memo from August 1949 to J Edgar Hoover outlines this policy, stating that reports were discarded if they contained "nothing of FBI interest." The documents are part of a batch released through the FBI's online records database. An intriguing note from March 1950 details information from special agent Guy Hottel about three "so-called flying saucers" that allegedly crash-landed in New Mexico, with recovered alien bodies. Another incident describes a sighting of a falling silver object in Utah, which the US air force office of special investigations linked to B-29 bombing runs.

Aliens Revealed in InfoChimps' UFO Sightings Dataset

By Garrett Wilkin, April 22nd, 2011

InfoChimps has released a dataset of over 60,000 UFO sightings, accessible via a RESTful API. This dataset allows for visualizations and pattern analysis of sightings. The article encourages readers to sign up and use the API for mashup projects.

Historian Richard Dolan: UFO & extraterrestrial disclosure to occur in 5 years

By Alfred Lambremont Webre, 04/30/2011

In an interview, historian Richard Dolan estimates that authentic UFO and extraterrestrial disclosure will occur in approximately five years from 2011. He describes ET disclosure as a paradox, where human controllers have little motivation to disclose but societal changes, particularly in computing and information technology, will force disclosure. He suggests that organizations like Wikileaks could impact disclosure within five years. Dolan also addresses ET abductions, calling them one of the most explosive aspects of the extraterrestrial situation and stating that public pressure, including from abducted humans, will be necessary to force disclosure.

UFO files reveal 'Rendlesham incident' papers missing

By Neil Henderson, BBC News, 02 March 11

Intelligence papers related to the reported UFO sighting known as the "Rendlesham incident" have gone missing from the National Archives. These files pertain to mysterious lights seen by US servicemen at RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk in 1980. The disappearance came to light with the release of 8,000 previously classified UFO documents. Officials found a significant gap where defense intelligence files for the case should be. The article also mentions the release of other MoD files on UFOs, including eyewitness reports and sketches, and a report of an RAF Tornado encountering an unidentified object over the North Sea.

Russian rocket

This brief section notes that documents are being released into the National Archives, including eyewitness accounts and sketches of UFOs.

Minister's request

This section reiterates that key documentation relating to the Rendlesham Forest incident has disappeared, and some researchers consider it a classic "close encounter" example. The incident occurred near RAF Woodbridge in 1980, involving servicemen reporting strange lights.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the tangible and often unsettling aspects of UFO encounters, moving beyond mere sightings to physical interactions and their consequences. There's a strong emphasis on the historical documentation of UFO phenomena, particularly through organizations like APRO, and a critical examination of government secrecy and the slow pace of declassification. The potential for extraterrestrial life and the challenges faced by scientific endeavors like SETI are also prominent. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry into these phenomena, presenting documented cases and expert opinions while acknowledging the complexities and unanswered questions surrounding UFOs and potential extraterrestrial contact. The journal advocates for transparency and the release of information, as seen in its coverage of the JFK inquiry and the FBI's past handling of UFO reports.

This issue of "UFOs and the Paranormal" from May 2011, published by Minnesota MUFON, focuses on government investigations, witness testimonies, and paranormal research. The cover highlights a parliamentary debate on UFOs and lists various related program schedules.

Government Investigations and Official Thinking

The article "Investigating Found Marks on the Ground and Damage to Vegetation" details how the Ministry of Defence (MoD) received a request for its own records in 2000, only to discover a significant gap in defence intelligence files related to a specific incident. An official speculated that the files might have been taken home, or even deliberately eradicated. Further revelations in 2009 showed that former Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hill-Norton had speculated in 1985 that an unauthorized aircraft might have entered UK airspace. The MoD also received a request in 2002 from Lord Hill-Norton regarding reports of a UFO sighting by HMS Manchester in the 1990s, though the ship's log for that period was lost, and the captain could not recall anything unusual.

The issue also touches upon official thinking regarding the paranormal, noting that concern about UFOs reached senior levels and lasted for several years. Officials were dismayed in 1977 when the Prime Minister of Grenada, Sir Eric Gairy, proposed setting up a UN unit to investigate the phenomenon, fearing it would drag the UN into disrepute. Britain persuaded him to withdraw the proposal, but he went on to designate 1978 as "the year of the UFO" before being deposed in a coup.

A significant portion discusses the single debate on UFOs in the UK Parliament, which occurred in the House of Lords in 1979 during the "winter of discontent." The government spokesman, Lord Stabolgi, summarized the official position: "There is nothing to convince Her Majesty's government that there has ever been a single visit by an alien spacecraft." He added that while strange phenomena are reported by rational people, "a wide range of natural explanations" exist.

Witness Accounts and Personal Experiences

Minnesota UFO Reports

A detailed account from Oakdale, Minnesota, describes a sighting on October 16, 2010, at 7:36 PM. The witness, who had spent nine months researching UFOs, saw two lights near Jupiter while driving. The lights faded simultaneously over one second. The experience evoked intense joy, described as "pure bliss," and later a feeling of warmth, love, and wholeness, reminiscent of the movie "Contact."

Niara Terela Isley Presentation

Niara Terela Isley was scheduled to present at MN MUFON on May 14, 2011, on the topic "Experiences & Insights MILABS, Extraterrestrials, and Inquiry into the Nature of Reality." Her presentation was to cover her experiences with "missing time" at Area 51, hypnotic regression by Budd Hopkins revealing childhood abductions, and her journey toward spiritual awakening.

MUFON Information and Resources

The magazine includes contact information and websites for Minnesota MUFON, including State Director Lorna Hunter and other officials. It provides links for meeting agendas and event information. The Minnesota MUFON Journal (MMJ) is advertised as a free PDF publication available via email or download. A national MUFON hotline is also provided for reporting UFO news and sightings.

Program Schedule

A detailed program schedule for "UFOs and the Paranormal" is presented, listing various episodes with their producers, sources, and broadcast dates and times across different channels (CTV15 Roseville, North MetroTV Blaine). Featured programs include "Secret of Redgate," "Ancient American Cultures II," "Reptilian ET Contacts," "Alien Abduction in the UK," and "Legacy of NAZI UFO Research."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are government secrecy and the handling of UFO information, personal accounts of UFO sightings and alleged abductions, and the ongoing efforts of organizations like MUFON to investigate and disseminate information. The editorial stance appears to be one of presenting both official skepticism and detailed witness testimonies, alongside resources for further research and engagement within the UFO community. The emphasis on natural explanations by official spokespersons contrasts with the profound personal experiences reported by witnesses and researchers.