Notizie UFO - No 11

Magazine Overview

This issue of "NOTIZIE UFO" (December 1985, issue 11) is a circular from the Secretariat of the Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici. It announces a new graphic design, a name change to "NOTIZIE UFO," and a rebranding of the association to "CENTRO ITALIANO STUDI UFOLOGICI." The delay in publication is attributed to reorganization and innovation within the Center. The issue aims to continue serving as a reference point for active ufology in Italy and notes an abundance of news due to an unusually active period.

Material Received

The Secretariat reports on a significant volume of material received from various individuals and groups. This includes detailed reports on specific cases, such as investigations into sightings in Pontinia, Osimo, San Casciano, Busalla, Locarno, Povoletto, and Castagnero. Contributors like Flavio GOTTARDI, Mauro GUERRINI, Giovanni MERLOTTI, Vittorio CROSA, Maurizio MIDENA, Paolo TOSELLI, and Enrico BERNIERI have submitted their findings. Members of the Turin office, including Paolo FIORINO and Massimo NEBBIA, have also contributed reports on various sightings and cases, including photographic evidence and historical accounts.

Publications Received

The issue lists several ufology-related publications. "UFOLOGIA" (supplement to CLYPEUS) features articles on ufologists and IFO cases. "CLYPEUS" also released issue no. 85 on space archaeology and science fiction. "IL GOLLUM" covers unusual phenomena in the Marche region with a focus on recent ufology cases. "IL GIORNALE DEL FUTURO" includes reports on Campanian UFO cases. "ZONA DI FRONTIERA" aims to examine the unexplained with a "mathematical" approach. "URIP UFO RESEARCH IN PROGRESS" contains technical-scientific articles in English, including an analysis of luminous phenomena in Italy and a bibliography on hypnosis in ufology.

Archive Press

This section emphasizes the importance of collecting news from non-specialized media for understanding the UFO phenomenon. It highlights that mass media are a primary source of information from witnesses and influence the public's perception of UFOs. The archive section is responsible for collecting and organizing these news items. The article calls for individual contributions to monitor local newspapers and submit UFO-related clippings. It mentions the "NOTIZIARIO ARCHIVIO STAMPA" as a periodic selection of published news, with several special issues released. An index of clippings from January-June 1985 is available upon request.

Call for Translators

Due to the upcoming publication of a new magazine and monographic dossiers, the Center is seeking individuals capable of translating from English and French into Italian, and potentially other languages like German, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, and Swedish.

Activity: Cernobbio Conference

The issue details the UFO conference held in Cernobbio on November 10th, described as the best ufological event of 1985. Organized by Massimo CANTONI and Maurizio VERGA, it featured numerous presentations on UFO phenomena, investigations, and the scientific aspects of ufology. Speakers included Antonio CHIUMIENTO, Edoardo RUSSO, Giorgio PATTERA, Maurizio VERGA, and Paolo FIORINO. The conference also included a display of personal computers with access to UFO databases and a secretariat booth.

Ufological Dissemination

This section highlights the increased ufological activity in the Italian autumn of 1985. The Cernobbio conference received extensive media coverage, including interviews with key figures in national and international media. It also mentions various other dissemination activities by ufologists, including radio and television appearances and newspaper articles. The trend of ufologists directly informing the public through media is noted.

Telephone Secretariat

A 24-hour "hotline" telephone service has been established at the Turin Secretariat to provide a direct contact for UFO sighting witnesses. This initiative aims to overcome the reluctance of some witnesses to write letters and to facilitate communication with journalists. The service has already received over a hundred calls, with many reporting sightings, including daytime objects, close encounters, and recent sightings, particularly from the Piedmont region.

Regional Catalogs

Updates have been received for regional UFO sighting catalogs. Marco BOTTAINI has updated the Tuscan catalog, with data uploaded to an electronic database. Luigi DI RUZZA has provided an update for the Frosinone region's case files.

Operation Origins

Renzo CABASSI has provided archival material from the dissolved CNIFAA, including a catalog of sightings from the 1952 "Il Giornale dell'Emilia" and "Il Mattino di Napoli," as well as a study on the 1950 Italian UFO wave.

ITACAT and TRACA

The ITACAT catalog of Italian landing cases, curated by Maurizio VERGA, is nearing completion and is expected to be published as a substantial volume. The TRACAT catalog of ground traces has received its fifth appendix, adding 10 new cases.

Project Italia 3

Paolo FIORINO has completed the cataloging phase for Italian close encounters of the third kind, with a list of 302 cases and an extensive catalog of archived documentation.

Computerized Ufological Network

A group called "Rete ufologica computerizzata" has been formed to better organize the use of personal computers in ufology. Its immediate objectives include coordinating text input for a new magazine and uploading regional and provincial sighting catalogs to databases.

Recent Sightings

Following a peak in August and September, the rate of UFO sighting reports has decreased but remains higher than in previous years. Several cases from October and November are briefly mentioned, including a discoid object in Sanluri (CA), a luminous figure in Cortona (AR), multiple luminous bodies in Porcia (PN), an unidentified object detected by radar near Padua, a cubic object in Godia (UD), a luminous globe in Casellina (FI), a truck-shaped object near Syracuse, a pear-shaped object in Traversetolo (PR), an irregular dark object filmed in Rome, and multiple luminous objects in Villamagna (FI) and Civenna (CO). A sighting of ten red lights near Ancona is also reported.

"UFO-SOLAR" Banned

The Minister of Industry has ordered a ban on the sale of "UFO-Solar" toy balloons due to safety concerns for air navigation, following an investigation into a sighting by a Greek airline pilot.

UFOs in Parliament Again

A parliamentary inquiry regarding UFOs has been addressed to the Minister of Defense, questioning the policy of "systematic denial of inexplicable facts" and calling for the declassification of UFO documentation from military archives.

UFOs, Coups, and Blackouts

An article links a 1973 blackout in La Spezia to the appearance of a UFO, with later revelations suggesting it was a diversionary tactic related to a planned coup attempt by a right-wing group.

The Return of Siragusa

Italian contactee Eugenio SIRAGUSA responds to an interview about contactees, asserting his acquittal in a fraud case and protesting what he perceives as defamatory remarks. The article notes a wave of protest letters from his followers and sympathizers.

New Association in Marche

A new ufological research organization, "OMIU" (Organizzazione Marchigiana d'Indagine Ufologica), has been formed in the Marche region to fill a gap in local ufological activity.

Congress in Catania

The "1st National Congress" on "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is scheduled to take place in Catania on April 5-6, with registration fees and deadlines specified.

Brief Personal Notes

Updates on personal addresses and requests for specific books are provided for Bruno MANCUSI, Paolo TOSELLI, Francesco APICELLA, and Flavio GOTTARDI.

Foreign

"SPECIALE ITALIA" is a special double issue of the Franco-Swiss magazine "OVNI PRESENCE" dedicated entirely to Italian ufology. It features articles by prominent Italian ufologists and covers various aspects of Italian UFO cases and research. The issue is available for purchase.

Other Italian Articles Abroad

Italian ufologists' work is being recognized internationally. A summary of Italian UFO events in 1984 prepared by Edoardo RUSSO has been published in major international ufology magazines. Theoretical articles by Paolo TOSELLI and Maurizio VERGA are being included in a French anthology. Massimo GRECO, Maurizio VERGA, and Paolo TOSELLI have also had articles published in various foreign periodicals.

Hynek Seriously Ill

Joseph Allen HYNEK, founder of the CENTER FOR UFO STUDIES, has undergone surgery for a brain tumor in San Francisco and is reported to be seriously ill. The Center sends its best wishes for his recovery.

"A.P.R.O. Bulletin" Closes

The "APRO Bulletin," a long-standing ufological publication, has ceased publication with its July 1985 issue due to the declining health of its editors, Coral and Jim LORENZEN.

Translations in German

The German group CENAP is seeking individuals willing to translate Italian UFO and IFO reports into German or English for their publication "CENAP-Report."

Foreign Books

The Center's foreign secretariat offers photocopies of several notable but hard-to-find foreign books on ufology, including works on alien abductions, UFO observation, UFO phenomena and behavioral scientists, physical traces associated with UFO sightings, UFO reports involving vehicle interference, and the UFO controversy in America.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the reporting and investigation of UFO sightings, the dissemination of ufological knowledge through publications and conferences, and the challenges faced by the ufology community in maintaining its scientific credibility against misinterpretations and sensationalism. The editorial stance appears to be one of promoting serious, scientific ufological research while combating misinformation and the conflation of ufology with fringe or mystical beliefs. There is a clear emphasis on the importance of accurate documentation, rigorous investigation, and open communication within the field.

This document is a letter announcing the formation of a new association, the Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici (CISU), dated sometime in late 1985 or early 1986, as it outlines plans for 1986. It is addressed to "Cari amici" (Dear friends) and signed by Gian Paolo Grassino, the Secretary. The letter details the reasons for the split from the previous organization, the Centro Ufologico Nazionale (CUN), and outlines the mission and structure of the new CISU.

Formation of the Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici (CISU)

The letter begins by informing its readers about the establishment of a new association, the CISU. It explains that for the past two years, the internal situation within the CUN had become increasingly tense due to disagreements over priority activities and personal issues, creating a rift between the directive council and the secretariat.

The Split from CUN

Without delving into the specifics of the controversy, the letter recalls an assembly on October 5th in Florence where a part of the CUN, aligned with the old directive council (Cingolani, Malanga, Neri, Pinotti), decided to adopt a corporate, strongly hierarchical organizational model. Their stated aim was to act as a counterbalance to political and military authorities and to stimulate the creation of an official ufological commission in Italy. Crucially, this move also reversed the policy of free information circulation that had characterized the CUN's archives managed by the Turin secretariat, making the center's material no longer freely available.

This new direction, despite opposition from the base of the CUN, was imposed through questionable methods, primarily aimed at excluding dissenting members, including the vice-president, Antonio Chiumiento.

In a subsequent assembly on December 15th in Turin, convened by Chiumiento and attended by the majority of members who supported the secretariat's work, strong disagreement with the new direction was expressed. The assembly reaffirmed a commitment to investigative, archival, and study activities as organized in recent years.

Transition to CISU

Given this apparent division within the CUN, and to avoid further paralyzing controversy over which CUN was "legitimate," the December assembly decided to "freeze" all activities within the CUN. These activities would instead continue under the umbrella of a newly founded organization: the Centro Italiano Studi Ufologici. The CISU effectively takes over the CUN's entire peripheral structure (local offices, coordinators), ongoing activities and projects (regional catalogs, computer networks, ITACAT, Progetto Italia 3, Operazione origini, etc.), publications (Notiziario archivio stampa, Servizio documentazione estera, Computer UFO Newsletter, Secretariat circular, etc.), statutes, and essentially the vast majority of the active base of the CUN.

This decision was not taken lightly, given the abandonment of a well-known acronym for which many had worked and believed for years. However, it became necessary for practical and functional reasons. The letter notes that the old directive board, after the failure of an "adventure" with the publisher Violin, had shown no interest in resuming the publication of "Notiziario UFO." Their inability to manage the center had led to paralysis, blocking new member appointments, dissolving local branches, and canceling all assignments at a time when interest in ufology was experiencing a resurgence and many new collaborators were seeking to join.

Rationale for the New Association

The need to renew the structure and revitalize Italian ufology clashed with the perceived inability of those who had become "ufology politicians," more concerned with maintaining their leadership roles than with the association's actual problems.

The CISU's focus will be on working "in the field," promoting the study of UFO phenomena, maximizing the free circulation of information among interested parties, and coordinating national activities. The new association aims to value the contributions of new members, resume national ufological publications, and help Italian ufology regain its standing, comparable to other nations, without needing to rely on politicians and military figures.

The letter acknowledges that this sudden change of name might cause confusion, especially for new collaborators. However, it assures that all previously conducted activities will continue as before. The change is described as largely "cosmetic" and intended to stimulate new initiatives that had been previously blocked.

Founding Members and Future Plans

Almost all active Italian ufologists have joined the initiative. Among the founding members listed are Lorenzo Bartoli, Marco Bottaini, Renzo Cabassi, Antonio Chiumiento, Alessandro Cortellazzi, Renato Fedele, Paolo Fiorino, Riccardo Germinario, Gian Paolo Grassino, Massimo Greco, Massimo Nebbia, Massimo Pigliucci, Edoardo Russo, Luigi Sorgno, Piero Tolomei, Paolo Toselli, Massimo Valloscuoro, Giuseppe Verdi, and Maurizio Verga.

The first directive council of the new Centro is composed of Chiumiento, Grassino, Greco, Russo, and Verga. Gianni Settimo, a pioneer of Italian ufology, is the honorary president.

The program for 1986, the first year of the CISU's operation, will focus on continuing existing activities and consolidating the new structure. Plans also include the publication of a magazine (two issues per year) and the organization of conferences and study meetings. Further details will be provided after the first directive council meeting in late January.

Membership and Call for Engagement

Individuals who were ordinary members of the CUN will be immediately accepted as ordinary members of the CISU. Others can join as collaborators by paying the membership fee. Starting in 1987, the directive council will select new members from the collaborators. A national assembly will be held at a date and location to be determined.

The letter concludes by inviting all interested parties to request a copy of the statutes and further information, and to submit proposals, suggestions, and potential memberships.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The primary theme is the organizational restructuring of Italian ufology, driven by a desire for more effective research, open information sharing, and a professional approach. The editorial stance is critical of bureaucratic stagnation and internal politics within established ufological organizations, advocating for a more dynamic, field-oriented, and collaborative model. There is a clear emphasis on continuing and expanding past research efforts and revitalizing the national ufological community.