SAUCER NEWS

Magazine Overview

Title: SAUCER NEWS
Issue: Non-Scheduled Newsletter #20
Date: July 10th, 1964
Publisher: The Saucer and Unexplained Celestial Events Research Society
Editor: James W. Moseley

This issue of SAUCER NEWS focuses on two significant figures in the UFO community: Frank Scully and General Douglas MacArthur.

Frank Scully Dies

The newsletter reports the death of Frank Scully on June 24th, 1964. Scully was the author of the influential and controversial 1950 best-seller "Behind the Flying Saucers." This book alleged that "little men" in spaceships had crashed in the southwestern desert and that their bodies had been discovered and preserved by U.S. military authorities. The author's informants were unnamed scientists. The magazine notes that "True Magazine" published an expose of the book in September 1952, but it did not settle the matter. Scully never recanted his claims, though the editor, James W. Moseley, met him in late 1953 and found him to be an "unconvincing sort of man." Despite this, they remained on friendly terms, and Scully had contributed two articles and several letters to SAUCER NEWS.

General MacArthur Takes Saucer Secrets to the Grave

This section details General Douglas MacArthur's public statements and potential knowledge regarding extraterrestrial life and UFOs. General MacArthur was noted as one of the few high-ranking military men who publicly expressed a belief in life on other planets.

In May 1962, addressing a West Point graduation, MacArthur stated: "We deal now not with things of this world alone, but with the illimitable distances and as yet unfathomed mysteries of the universe. We are reaching out for a new and boundless frontier. We speak in strange terms of harnessing cosmic energy.... of ultimate conflict between a united human race and the sinister forces of some other planet or galaxy...."

Earlier, on October 9th, 1955, the New York Times reported an interview with Mayor Achille Lauro of Naples, Italy. Mayor Lauro stated that MacArthur had told him that the nations of the earth would someday have to "make a common front against attack by people from other planets." When questioned about this, the General refused to comment.

The article raises the question of whether MacArthur's statements were personal opinions or based on top-secret information available to someone of his rank. The editor suggests that given MacArthur's frank opinions on military matters, which were published after his death, it's plausible he had significant insights into the "saucer mystery."

To explore this further, the editor attempted to secure an interview with General MacArthur in December 1963. A letter dated December 11th, 1963, signed by Douglas MacArthur, is in possession of SAUCER NEWS. In it, MacArthur expresses thanks for the editor's letter and mentions that the editor's father and he were lifelong friends. He also states, "I should like very much to meet his son and will have my secretary call you when the first opportunity for such a meeting arises...."

Unfortunately, the planned interview was postponed due to Christmas and then the General's fatal illness. The editor laments missing the opportunity, noting that had they obtained a "scoop," it would have been kept confidential until MacArthur's death, similar to how reporter Jim Lucas handled an interview about MacArthur's feelings on Korea and Truman.

The article concludes by suggesting that other living generals might possess knowledge about flying saucers, and SAUCER NEWS hopes to cover this in the future.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the legacy of early UFO researchers and authors like Frank Scully, and the potential involvement or knowledge of high-ranking military officials, such as General Douglas MacArthur, concerning extraterrestrial phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry into UFOs, exploring controversial claims and seeking information from credible sources, while acknowledging the speculative nature of much of the subject matter. The editor expresses a desire to uncover the truth behind the "saucer mystery" and hints at future investigations into potential sources of information within the military.