Pegasus - Vol 02 No 1 Jan-Feb 1970

Magazine Overview

Title: PEGASUS
Issue: VOL. II No. 1
Date: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1970
Publisher: SURREY INVESTIGATION GROUP ON AERIAL PHENOMENA
Price: 2/- 10p

This issue of PEGASUS, the journal of the Surrey Investigation Group on Aerial Phenomena, focuses heavily on the disbandment of the U.S. Air Force's Project Bluebook and a critical examination of the Condon Report.

Editorial: Project Bluebook Disbanded

The editorial announces the disbandment of Project Bluebook after 21 years and 7,000 sightings. Air Force Secretary Robert C. Seamans stated that UFO research was no longer justified for national security or scientific interest, claiming no evidence of extra-terrestrial craft. The editorial notes this was not a shock to UFO researchers, especially after the American National Academy of Sciences endorsed the Condon Report and Dr. Allen Hynek, a UFO consultant, was dismissed. Project Bluebook, launched in 1948, reportedly cost £½ million. The Air Force claimed UFOs did not display technology beyond Earth's capabilities, with 1952 being the peak year for sightings (1,501 reported). Dr. Hynek, initially skeptical, became a strong advocate for unbiased international UFO investigation. The editorial expresses concern that the public readily accepts reports like the Condon Report due to deference to scientists, suggesting Dr. Condon's reputation was leveraged. It concludes by urging UFO researchers to continue their work to bring evidence to the public and expose the flaws in the Condon Report.

What You Won't Read in the Condon Report: An Inside Look At The UFO Problem

By Professor James E. McDonald

Professor James E. McDonald begins by quoting Dr. Edward Condon's recommendation that teachers refrain from giving students credit for work based on UFO books and magazines, suggesting they channel interests towards astronomy, meteorology, and critical analysis. McDonald shares Condon's concern for critical analysis but finds the Condon Report itself lacking in this regard, filled with fallacious reasoning and inadequate data. He notes the widespread acceptance of the Condon Report, including endorsements from major newspapers and a special review committee of the National Academy of Sciences. McDonald argues that detecting the report's serious shortcomings requires more than a thoughtful reading; it demands detailed case-checking and witness-interviewing, which he claims were not adequately performed by the report's reviewers, editors, or Dr. Condon himself. He asserts that the report's negative recommendations are not supported by its contents.

McDonald paraphrases Mark Twain, suggesting reports of UFOs' demise are greatly exaggerated. He cites the March 17, 1969 sighting of two dozen white oval objects southeast of Lake Havasu, Arizona, observed by two private pilots. These objects were described as not jet aircraft but oval craft flying broadside, with a black edging and a slight protuberance, moving in perfect unison. McDonald states he has interviewed these witnesses and others in the Phoenix area who attest to their reliability. He finds it amazing that a major project could conclude there is nothing of scientific interest in the UFO problem after years of study, especially when evidence points in the opposite direction.

McDonald concludes that the UFO enigma is a problem of extraordinary scientific importance, a conclusion reached by many independent investigators over 20 years. He laments that their urgings for substantial scientific investigation have gone unheard, and that no scientifically adequate study of the full scope of the UFO problem has been conducted, including the superficial studies within Project Bluebook.

He then summarizes salient features of significant UFO reports from credible witnesses:

1. Global Scale: Reports come from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds worldwide, consistently describing similar unconventional aerial objects.
2. Misidentification: While acknowledging that many reports are misidentified natural phenomena or military devices, McDonald criticizes the Condon Report for focusing excessively on this point rather than the genuinely puzzling cases.
3. Credible Observers: The number of credible observers reporting incredible objects is large, involving scientifically and technologically puzzling phenomena. He suggests that ignoring this for 20 years will be an inexplicable failure, and witness ridicule plays a significant role.
4. Object Configurations: While discs and domed discs are common, larger cigar-shaped objects and other baffling configurations have also been well-reported.
5. Daytime Sightings: Despite a preponderance of night sightings, hundreds of daytime observations, including landed UFOs, have come from credible observers.
6. Secret Test Devices Hypothesis: This hypothesis is negated in many ways and cannot account for the volume of reports.
7. Psychological Explanations: Reports from experienced pilots, law enforcement, military personnel, and engineers cannot be explained away by mass illusion, delusion, or hallucination.
8. Intelligent Control: Machine-like objects exhibiting characteristics suggesting intelligent control argue against hypotheses equating UFOs with unknown atmospheric or geophysical phenomena, suggesting they are products of unknown technology.
9. Extra-terrestrial Origin Hypothesis: While evoking scorn, this hypothesis is difficult to find a sensible alternative to.
10. Need for Objective Observation: Present data are inadequate; objective instrumental observations are needed, but the chances of securing high-level scientific attention have plummeted due to the Condon Report's negative recommendations. McDonald stresses the need to scrutinize the Condon Report's methods and conclusions.

McDonald's main objections to the Condon Report are:

A. Tiny Sample Size: Only about 90 cases were analyzed out of thousands.
B. Inclusion of Trivial Cases: The report included and emphasized trivial cases (hoax balloons, planet sightings, 'nut and crackpot' cases) that should have been ignored.
C. Absence of Key Cases: Notable puzzling cases, such as numerous airline pilot sightings, were absent, despite the project's obligation to explain them.
E. Specious Scientific Argumentation: The report contains a large amount of specious scientific argumentation.

Finally, McDonald notes that even within the 90 cases, about 30 remain unexplained, with a dozen being particularly impressive and deserving further study. He questions if Condon carefully studied his own report.

McDonald concludes by suggesting that members of the National Academy of Sciences can be "educationally harmed" by being given material like the Condon Report, echoing Condon's sentiment about children being harmed by absorbing unsound material.

The article is a condensed transcript of a lecture given by Professor McDonald at the University of Arizona's Institute of Atmospheric Physics.

UFO SOUNDS BOOKLET

A booklet on UFO sounds, written by SIGAP member Dan Butcher, is available for three shillings. Titled "A Reference Book Of UFO Sounds," the 36-page publication is described as unique and containing information gleaned from numerous UFO publications. A full bibliography is included. It is recommended for every UFO researcher, with one hundred copies initially published.

FACT OR FOLKLORE?

By Dan Butcher

This article explores the characteristics of the ghostly Black Dog of European folklore and draws parallels with details found in UFO reports. Similarities include:

• Eyes: Described as extraordinarily large, glassy, or fiery balls of fire, sometimes replacing the head.
• Size: The entity can grow into a cloud as tall as a tree before disappearing.
• Sounds: Associated sounds include 'barking', 'yelling', 'howling', and 'crackling'. Specific examples include a noise like falling stones (Black Dog of Down St. Mary, Devon) and a peculiar screech or splashing noise from other Black Dog accounts.
• Traces: Scorched ground and the smell of brimstone are noted at locations where Black Shuck (the phenomena in those parts) has appeared, similar to UFO traces.
• Effects on Witnesses: People have suffered burns and even death. A soldier was struck dumb and died after encountering the black "Mauthe Dog". Drivers on Norfolk roads have reportedly "jam[med] on their brakes" when Black Shuck crosses the road, recalling car engine stalls reported by UFO researchers. The Black Dog can also cause paralysis.

DONATION

SIGAP member Richard Colborne donated £3 to the group's funds.

NEW POST

SIGAP Chairman Omar Fowler has been temporarily appointed Investigations Co-ordinator for the British UFO Research Association, replacing Richard Farrow who moved to Norway.

SIGHTINGS ANALYSIS

An analysis of UFO sightings on the files of the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) is to be undertaken. It is estimated that there are between 1,000 and 1,500 reports to examine, dating from 1925 to the present. The number of sightings became significant from 1955, with 1967 being the major contributor. The analysis will determine if the increase in reports indicates more UFO events or greater mass media interest.

MYSTERIOUS SUBSTANCE DEFIES ANALYSIS

This section reports on a substance found in Houston, Texas, in December 1968, shortly after a UFO sighting. A chemical analysis failed to identify the substance, described as resembling 'angel hair'. It reportedly floated to earth after two teenage boys saw a UFO hovering on November 6. Professor David Wuliger, a UFO student, reported that a chemist analyzed the substance, finding it fibrous, elastic, relatively strong, somewhat sticky, and white in colour. It did not dissolve in water, alcohol, or sulphuric acid. The chemist's identity and company were not revealed. The substance was to be sent to the Aerial Phenomena Research Organisation in Tucson, Arizona, for analysis. SIGAP thanked the UFO Research Committee of Seattle for bringing the report to their attention and planned to approach the Tucson UFO group.

MEETINGS

This section lists upcoming meetings for various UFO research groups:

• February 28: COS-MOS meeting at Kensington Central Library, featuring a talk by Arthur Shuttlewood on the Warminster scene.
• March 7: BUFORA meeting at Kensington Library for a "mystery night".
• March 10: SIGAP meeting at Guildford, with a talk on meteorological phenomena.
• March 21: COS-MOS meeting at Kensington Library, discussing "The Hoaxers" and the Scoriton, Devon, mystery.
• April 4: BUFORA question time at Kensington Library, including a review of the British UFO scene.
• April 7: SIGAP meeting at Guildford, with a talk on satellites by Tim Childerhouse.
• April 25: COS-MOS meeting at Kensington Library, featuring a lecture by Raymond Drake on "Spacemen From the Past" and his new book.
• May 5: SIGAP's annual meeting.

All COS-MOS and BUFORA meetings start at 7 p.m. at Kensington Central Library (Campden Hill Road, London W.8). All SIGAP meetings are held at 8 p.m. in the canteen of the Plastic Coatings Factory, Guildford.

CAMERA SKY COVERAGE

By Tim Childerhouse

This article discusses the extensive sky coverage provided by organizations like the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's "MOONWATCH" program, which uses Baker Nunn cameras and over 200 telescopes. Despite covering vast areas of the sky, the primary focus is on photographing meteors and re-entries of deep space wanderers, not "flying-saucers". The Prairie Network, with 64 fixed cameras, is highlighted as potentially the most effective UFO watch. The article mentions the recovery of a 22 lb. meteorite from beyond Mars in Oklahoma, which scientists considered valuable. It also notes the co-operation between British satellite-tracking groups and meteor hunters to observe meteors and calculate impact points.

UFO DIRECTORY

The Interplanetary Space Travel Research Group (U.K.) is preparing a UFO DIRECTORY, which will include details of UFO groups and publications worldwide, books on the subject, guidance on starting and running UFO groups, organizing magazines and skywatches, and fundraising ideas.

NEW UFO MAGAZINE

A new glossy magazine, the American Flying Saucer Review (AFSR), is being produced in Oklahoma. Each issue will contain 32 to 100 pages, feature color photographs, and present new reports. It is seen as a bid to capture the subscription market from the leading UFO journal, the British Flying Saucer Review. The AFSR will be published six times a year.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the critique of official UFO investigations, particularly the Condon Report and the defunct Project Bluebook. There is a strong emphasis on the scientific methodology employed (or not employed) in UFO research, with Professor James E. McDonald championing the need for rigorous, objective, and unbiased investigation. The issue also explores the intersection of folklore and UFO phenomena, suggesting potential links between ancient legends and modern sightings. The editorial stance is clearly in favor of continued UFO research and skepticism towards official conclusions that dismiss the phenomenon without adequate investigation. The publication actively promotes UFO research groups and resources, encouraging ongoing engagement with the subject.

PEGASUS, Volume 1, Issue 10, published in 1970, is the journal of the Surrey Investigation Group On Aerial Phenomena (SIGAP). The issue features a variety of articles on UFOs, paranormal phenomena, and scientific topics.

Subscription and Contact Information

The annual subscription for PEGASUS is Four dollars, fifty cents, with a sample copy available for one dollar. Contact information is provided for obtaining the magazine from Oklahoma City, USA. The journal is also available from the SIGAP Secretary in the UK.

UFO Convention

Details are provided for an upcoming UFO and Space Convention in 1970, to be held at Gaxton Hall. Following criticism of the previous year's event, this convention aims to be better planned with a committee of representatives from participating organizations. The date is yet to be fixed. Advertising will be placed in UFO journals worldwide, and money raised after expenses will be donated to charity. Suggestions for the convention can be sent to Mike Parry in London.

Magazine on Leys: 'The Ley-Hunter'

For those interested in 'leys' and their connection to UFOs, Paul Screeton edits a new magazine called "The Ley-Hunter". His address in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, County Durham, is provided.

Disbanded Magazine: 'Saucer Scoop'

UFO researcher Joan Whritenour, known for her UFO paperbacks, has ceased publication of her magazine "Saucer Scoop", which SIGAP received on an exchange basis. The reason for this decision is not known.

Hunting the Sasquatch

Canadian Rene Dahinder is actively hunting the legendary Sasquatch, described as a hairy humanoid reported to be eight feet tall. Dahinder plans to use various methods, including jeeps, boats, an aircraft, and tranquiliser darts. He reports having found "more than 1,000 clear tracks in fresh snow".

Space Scientist Believes in Supreme Being

Dr. Wernher von Braun, the German-born space scientist credited with master-minding the Apollo moon-landing programme, is quoted as saying he finds it difficult to understand scientists who do not acknowledge a "superior rationality" behind the universe's existence, or theologians who deny scientific advances.

Active Volcanoes on the Moon

According to Russian astronomer Professor Nikolai Kozyrev, the moon possesses active volcanoes. Kozyrev claims to have detected the luminescence of lunar rocks in the Aristarchus crater in 1955. Three years later, he obtained a spectrogram of gas ejected from the Alphonsus crater. By comparing these spectrograms with those from terrestrial volcanoes in Kamchatka, he asserts he has proven the presence of active volcanoes on the moon.

SIGAP Editorial and Membership Information

The journal "Pegasus" is edited by Ron Toft, with articles welcomed from readers. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the SIGAP Executive Committee. Individual copies are available from the Secretary. Advertising rates are provided for classified and display ads.

Key SIGAP personnel include Chairman Omar Fowler, Secretary Dick Beet, and Treasurer Mrs. Jean Fowler, along with other committee members. Membership inquiries should be directed to the Secretary, while UFO reports go to the Chairman. Ordinary membership is 15s per year, with a junior membership for ages 14-16 at 7s 6d.

The SIGAP Board of Consultants includes experts in Optical Physics, Space & Satellite Research, Theology, Psychology, Meteorology, and Exobiology, featuring individuals like John Adams, Tim Childerhouse, Rev. Norman Cockburn, Stuart Miller, Ronald Pilkington, and Professor Frank B. Salisbury.

Advertisements

The issue includes several advertisements:

• UFOLOG: A publication containing information on UFO sightings in the UK and abroad, obtainable from Mrs. K. Smith on the Isle of Wight. It is published monthly at 10/6 for 12 issues.
• MINER and BRUCE: Advertised as suppliers for HONDA or BSA motorcycles, located in Guildford, Surrey.
• FLYING SAUCERS ARE FACT: A quarterly UFO magazine published by the Flying Saucers Are Fact Investigation Society. Subscription is 10/-, from C.N. Rose in Sheffield.
• SPACELINK: Described as a must-have magazine for UFO news and views, featuring historical, contact, and reference sections. Single copies are 3/6, obtainable from Miss C. Henning in London.
• FLYING SAUCER REVIEW: Mentioned as the world's leading UFO journal, recommended by researchers worldwide. The bi-monthly subscription is 30/-, from an address in London.
• CRANLEIGH REPROGRAPHIC SERVICES: Offers lithographic printing, electronic stencil cutting, and duplication services, located in Cranleigh, Surrey.
• JOIN SIGAP: An invitation to join SIGAP to receive PEGASUS by post, with access to free meetings and a library of investigation literature. The subscription is 15/- and should be sent to the Secretary in Cranleigh.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around UFO phenomena, including conventions, publications, and sightings. There is also coverage of related fringe topics like Sasquatch and 'leys', alongside scientific discussions on space and astronomy. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these subjects, as evidenced by the variety of articles and the inclusion of scientific perspectives, such as Dr. von Braun's statement and the SIGAP Board of Consultants. The magazine actively encourages reader contributions and membership.