SAUCER NEWS

Magazine Overview

Title: SAUCER NEWS
Issue: NON-SCHEDULED NEWSLETTER #23
Date: August 10th, 1965

This issue presents a confidential report on a "contact" claim investigated by the SAUCER NEWS Editor and associate editor Richard E. Wallace in a large Eastern city. The report details an investigation into a flying saucer research group where a member, referred to as 'Nick,' allegedly experienced 'space contacts' where his body was taken over by extraterrestrial entities during trances.

Investigation of a "Contact" Claim

The build-up to the event involved months of stories about Nick's trance experiences, during which his body was supposedly controlled by beings from outer space. Mysterious lights were reportedly seen by outsiders during some of these sessions. A New York area researcher had previously visited the group, witnessed the trance phenomenon and lights, and was reportedly frightened, cutting short his investigation.

On July 9th, 1965, the SAUCER NEWS Editor visited Nick's home, accompanied by Richard E. Wallace. Also present were a co-researcher named Ed and other group members. Nick entered a trance, during which his body was allegedly taken over by a space being named Zayron. Ed narrated the events as Nick reportedly strutted around, overturned objects, and threatened others, acting like a "poor imitation of a bad science-fiction movie."

Nick's friends claimed he exhibited unusual characteristics during trances, such as eyes rolling back, insensibility to pain, ability to take injurious falls without harm, and knowledge far beyond that of an ordinary mortal.

Editor's Skepticism and Findings

However, the SAUCER NEWS Editor quickly concluded that the events were an act, and a "rather poorly-contrived one." The mysterious lights reported by others failed to appear during the visit, although photographs were shown which the editor found to be unconvincing due to a lack of reference points. Furthermore, the editor found that the details of Nick's actions were exaggerated. Nick did not exhibit unusual knowledge, and the controlling entity, Zayron, contradicted himself on several points. Zayron provided no information that could not be obtained through guesswork by someone familiar with flying saucer literature.

Specifically, Zayron, who claimed to be from a planet either 2 million or 200 million light years away (he was unsure), stated that there is no intelligent life in our solar system. This contradicted Nick's own claims, learned later, of having made trips to Mars via astral projection and discovering a highly-advanced civilization there with buildings "one to two miles in height" covered by non-reflective domes.

Conclusion and Editorial Stance

Initially, the editor suspected that Nick and Ed were collaborating in a hoax to gain attention for themselves and their club. However, subsequent correspondence indicated that Ed had apparently been sincerely taken in by Nick's act and was only beginning to see through it. The report concludes by stating that this "whole line of nonsense, which is an insult to the intellectual capacity of any intelligent person," should cease. The group is urged to give up these "weird experiments" and return to serious UFO research.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The primary theme of this issue is the critical examination of alleged "contactee" experiences and the potential for hoaxes within the UFO research community. The editorial stance is highly skeptical of sensational claims, emphasizing the need for rigorous investigation and critical thinking. The author expresses a strong belief that the reported trance phenomena were fabricated and calls for a return to more grounded and serious UFO research, distancing the publication from what it deems "nonsense."