Phenomena - No 07 - 1992 01

Magazine Overview

Title: Phénomèna
Issue: No. 7
Date: January-February 1992
Publisher: SOS OVNI
Country: France
Price: 25 F
ISSN: 1157-4704

Main Cover Story: SOS OVNI vs. Ministry of Defense

The cover prominently features the headline "SOS OVNI contre le Ministre de la Défense : les tribunaux tranchent en notre faveur," indicating a significant legal victory for the UFO research organization SOS OVNI. The issue delves into the legal battle to obtain official documents related to a UFO incident, highlighting the challenges faced in accessing information from governmental bodies.

Article: 18 mars 72... Roswell-en-Provence

This article revisits the controversial "crash" case in Provence, France, drawing parallels to the famous Roswell incident. The investigation began in the late 1980s, prompted by rumors of an extraterrestrial craft crashing near Saint-Geniez on March 18, 1972. The authors detail how initial reports of a mysterious phenomenon were linked to the experimental launch of a Tibère rocket from the Landes Test Center on the same evening. Despite witness accounts of a reddish object and subsequent investigations by gendarmes, no definitive evidence of a crash was found. The article highlights the difficulties in obtaining official police reports (procès-verbaux), which were initially denied by the Ministry of Defense. SOS OVNI pursued legal action, eventually compelling the administrative tribunal to grant access to these documents. The investigation concluded that while an incident occurred, it was likely related to the rocket launch and a fire, rather than an extraterrestrial crash, though the initial secrecy surrounding the event fueled UFO speculation.

Article: Dordogne : les suites

This piece provides an update on a previous case covered in Phénomèna no. 6, involving radar detections, visual observations, and ground residues associated with a mysterious cloud in the Dordogne region. Initial hypotheses suggested an insect swarm, but doubts were raised by entomologists and meteorologists. The research extended to military circles, where it was learned that important military maneuvers had taken place. Confirmation came from the Atlantic Air Region, stating that a release of "paillettes" (chaff) had been experimentally conducted on October 3, 1991. Subsequent analysis of the residues by the "Analyse des Matériaux" department of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de St-Etienne revealed that the filaments were composed solely of aluminum. This case is presented as an example of how military activities can be misinterpreted as UFO phenomena.

Article: L'affaire Alfarano : un mauvais film

This section, accompanied by the subtitle "exit le F117A !", suggests that the Alfarano affair, likely related to the F117A stealth fighter, is being debunked or re-evaluated.

Article: Année faste en Norvège

This article reports on a significant number of UFO sightings in Norway during a particular year, suggesting it was a "banner year" for such events in the region.

Article: En France et dans le Monde

This section provides a roundup of UFO-related news from France and around the world. It includes details about the formation of the first American-Soviet Federation for the Study of Aerial Anomalies, involving organizations like MUFON. It also mentions the work of Félix Zigel, a Soviet precursor in UFO research, and the availability of rare books on various esoteric and scientific topics through Jean-Luc Proust. The section touches upon criticism faced by the Belgian Society for the Study of Spatial Phenomena (SOBEPS) from the press. Additionally, it notes the observation of crop circles in Lethbridge, Canada, and mentions the "Catalogo Nazionale Delle Segnalazioni di Awistamento Ufo in Italia," a catalog of Italian UFO sightings compiled by the Centra Italiano Studi Ufologici, highlighting statistics such as the most active year (1978) and the most frequently "visited" region (Emilia-Romagna).

Bloc-notes

This section contains various short news items and updates:

• Federation Formation: The establishment of the first American-Soviet Federation for the Study of Aerial Anomalies is announced, with key objectives including creating a chronological and geographical database of Soviet UFO cases, translating Félix Zigel's work, and compiling a directory of researchers.
• Book Service: Jean-Luc Proust is presented as a contact for obtaining rare books on science, philosophy, esotericism, ufology, folklore, and religions.
• Belgian UFO Press Controversy: The Belgian Society for the Study of Spatial Phenomena (SOBEPS) is reportedly facing criticism from the Belgian press, possibly related to a publication.
• Lethbridge Crop Circles: The crop circles reported in Lethbridge, Canada, are mentioned again, noting they occurred during a particularly active period for such phenomena in Canada.
• French Military Missile Test: The Centre d'Essais des Landes conducted an experimental launch of the M45 ballistic missile on December 10th. This event, observable across the southwest of France, is noted as potentially being mistaken for a UFO.
• Italian UFO Sightings Catalog: The "Catalogo Nazionale Delle Segnalazioni di Awistamento Ufo in Italia" is received, providing statistics on Italian UFO reports, including the peak year (1978) and common observation times.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently explores UFO phenomena with a critical and analytical approach, emphasizing rigorous investigation and scientific analysis. It highlights the importance of obtaining official documentation and scrutinizing military activities that might be misinterpreted. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, challenging dogma, and seeking factual evidence, as demonstrated by the legal pursuit of documents and the detailed analysis of physical residues. There's a clear effort to debunk sensationalism and focus on verifiable data, while acknowledging the complexities and potential for government secrecy surrounding unexplained aerial phenomena.

Title: Phénomèna
Issue: Janvier-Février
Date: 1992
Publisher: SOS OVNI

This issue of Phénomèna delves into the controversial Alfarano UFO case, critically examining the media's rapid conclusions and presenting a detailed investigation into the evidence. It also covers a range of UFO-related events from Norway and other locations, alongside reader contributions and a review of current ufological literature.

The Alfarano Affair: A Bad Film

The lead article, "L'affaire Alfarano : un mauvais film" by O Renaud Marhic and Gilbert Rolland, scrutinizes the widely publicized film of a triangular UFO taken by Marcel Alfarano in Belgium on March 31, 1990. The authors argue that the investigation into this case, particularly by media outlets, was marred by bias and a rush to judgment, attempting to fit the phenomenon into pre-conceived hypotheses.

Alfarano, a resident of Brussels, filmed what appeared to be three white lights in a triangle formation, with a blinking red light, from his dovecote at 2:15 AM. This film quickly gained international attention, with some immediately identifying it as an F117A stealth fighter or other advanced aircraft.

The article details the investigative efforts, including the reconstruction of the object's trajectory by SOS OVNI, which suggested a path leading towards the Brussels-National aerodrome. This raised two key questions: why was the phenomenon not observed by air traffic control, and could it have been an aircraft preparing to land?

Patrick Ferryn, a video specialist who investigated the film, reported that pilots he consulted found the images unconvincing for identifying an aircraft. However, he noted that aircraft can display various lights, and a pilot could choose to illuminate up to 18 different lights, potentially creating a triangular formation.

The article critiques the media's approach, particularly magazines like VSD and Science et Vie, which quickly concluded the object was an F117A American stealth fighter. It points out discrepancies, such as the F117A's landing lights being retracted and covered during flight, and the specific arrangement of lights on the F117A not matching the Alfarano film. Science et Vie later suggested the object might be a TR3A Black Manta, a claim also questioned by the authors.

The authors highlight the lack of rigorous verification and the tendency to jump to conclusions, suggesting that the media's desire for a scoop overshadowed objective analysis. They also mention a confirmation from French military sources regarding a similar "flying triangle" case.

UFOs in Norway: A Productive Year

Another section details UFO events in Norway during 1991, as reported by the group UFO-Norge. The year saw a "mini-wave" of luminous, silent phenomena observed over the fjords near Trengereid, initially thought to be aircraft, but with a small percentage remaining unidentified.

In March 1991, seven people in the Haukeli region reported observing a luminous phenomenon descending towards the ground. The next day, they discovered ground traces consisting of three spirals, with analysis of the soil showing fewer living organisms within the trace area compared to a control sample. The origin of these traces remains under investigation.

On October 3, 1991, three women filmed a luminous, oval-shaped phenomenon with blinking lights over Lake Sverjesjoen, visible for over two hours. The sound recorded on the video, described as a "crackling" noise, led investigators to consider the possibility of a rare atmospheric phenomenon.

Norway also experienced an "epidemic" of crop circles in September 1991, with eleven specimens found near Tonsberg. These were quickly attributed to deer during their mating rituals.

Finally, on October 25, 1991, two boys in the Raufoss region observed an object emitting colored lights and a "beep-beep" sound. The object flew towards them before disappearing behind trees. The following day, ground traces were found, consisting of four marks approximately 30-40 cm long, separated by about 3.50 meters.

Review of the Press

This section provides a roundup of ufological news from various international publications:

• USA: Jerome Clark critiques Jacques Vallée's book "Revelations: Contact extraterrestre et duperie de l'humanité," accusing Vallée of postulating "manipulators" behind UFO phenomena and of having a poor understanding of the UFO dossier.
• Belgium: Inforespace magazine features articles on "triangles" and the Belgian UFO wave, with one article by M. Bougard aiming to correct misconceptions.
• Denmark: UFO-NYT magazine covers topics like crop circles, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, the Atlantis shuttle launch, and events in Cergy-Pontoise.
• France: Interviews with Jacques Vallée about his book "Confrontations" and with Jean-Pierre Petit about his recent revelations are highlighted.
• USA (Orbiter): An article discusses a photograph presented by Soviet Air Force Colonel Marina Popovich, claiming it shows a cigar-shaped object filmed by the Phobos 2 probe, but attributing it to a photographic artifact from the Termoskan device.
• Poland: The "UFO" magazine is praised for its quality and content, including articles on Polish UFO cases and profiles of Polish researchers.
• Italy: Giornale dei Misteri reports on a third-type encounter with traces in Sardinia and refutes a military maneuver hypothesis for the famous Trancas case.
• Germany: Dornier Post and Northern UFO are mentioned.
• Spain: Cuadernos de Ufologia is commended for its comprehensive content.

Letters to the Editor

This section features a lengthy letter from Eric Maillot of Monthermé, responding to previous articles and comments, particularly from Renaud Marhic. Maillot disputes the calculation of acceleration (40G) in the Belgian UFO wave case, arguing that the time frame used (1.58s) was arbitrary and that expert calculations yielded different results (810G and 920G, or even 72G if using a different time frame).

He criticizes the lack of coherence and equity in how his points are addressed and questions why his concerns about the time display of real-time data were not adequately answered. Maillot suggests that military secrecy might be a factor in the lack of transparency.

The editorial response from Phénomèna defends its publication of Maillot's letter, stating it was a response to a request for reader input and that the letter's tone and arguments were problematic. The editors clarify that SOS OVNI did not take a definitive stance on the nature of the detections during the March 31, 1990, incident, but rather pointed out errors in the calculations presented by others. They also address specific points raised by Maillot regarding the FR3 report and M. Daéron's calculations.

Another letter from Jean Sider discusses animal mutilations, referencing his book "Le Grand Carnage" and citing Dr. John H. Altshuler's findings that suggest extraterrestrial factors might be plausible explanations for unexplained mutilations, given the circumstances of their discovery.

Michel Granger also comments on animal mutilations, referencing his book and agreeing that no investigation has definitively established a link between UFOs and mutilations. He suggests a sociopsychological explanation, where farmers might simulate vandalism due to insurance issues, with extraterrestrial scapegoats playing a role.

Errata

An erratum corrects a previous statement about crop circles, changing the number from "800 circles" to "200 circles" and noting that 1800 circles were missing from a count. It also corrects the number of Lyon Encounters from the fifth to the sixth.

Announcements

• The sixth edition of the European Encounters of Lyon (Rencontres Européennes de Lyon) is announced for May 1-3, 1992, focusing on reflection and dialogue between ufologists and scientists.
• A contact number for SOS OVNI is provided.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue consistently promotes a critical and analytical approach to UFO phenomena, questioning sensationalist media reports and demanding rigorous evidence. The editorial stance appears to favor in-depth investigation over hasty conclusions, encouraging debate and scientific scrutiny. There is a clear emphasis on debunking popular but unsubstantiated claims, particularly regarding aircraft identifications for UFO sightings. The magazine also highlights the importance of reader contributions and diverse perspectives within the field of ufology, while maintaining a standard for factual accuracy and logical argumentation.

This document is a promotional announcement for a book titled 'Vague d'ovnis sur la Belgique - Un dossier exceptionnel' (UFO Wave Over Belgium - An Exceptional File). It is presented as an exclusive distribution for France, implying it is part of a magazine or newsletter related to ufology.

Book Announcement The announcement begins with an enthusiastic "You were waiting for it? It's finally here!" to introduce the newly published work from the Société Belge d'Etude des Phénomènes Spatiaux (Belgian Society for the Study of Spatial Phenomena). This book, which the publication has frequently mentioned, is described as a significant contribution to ufology. It spans over 500 pages and includes more than 200 illustrations, some in color, focusing on one of the most peculiar UFO waves of recent decades. The content comprises analyses, commentaries, and investigations conducted by their Belgian colleagues.

Ordering Information Readers are urged to order the book immediately due to a limited print run, which is entirely supported by SOBEPS. SOS OVNI is highlighted as the sole distributor for France, ensuring it cannot be found elsewhere. The price for the book in France is 180 francs, with an additional 20 francs for port and packaging, making the total cost 200 francs. The announcement includes a form to fill out with the buyer's name and address, and a note to include the payment of 200 francs. It specifies that the check should be made out to '906 OVNI' and sent to B.P. 324, 13611 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 1, France. A special instruction is given to make a separate check for this book if the buyer also has a subscription or renewal.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance The document strongly promotes the book, emphasizing its comprehensive nature and the significance of the Belgian UFO wave it covers. The editorial stance is clearly pro-ufology, presenting the book as a must-have item for enthusiasts. The exclusive distribution and limited print run are used as marketing tactics to encourage immediate purchase. The language is persuasive and aims to generate excitement and urgency among the readership.