Saucer Scoop - Vol 1 No 06

Magazine Overview

Title: SAUCER SCOOP
Issue: Vol. I, No. 6
Date: September 1966
Price: 25 cents
Publisher: IIOUFO (International Headquarters, Auburn, Washington)

This issue of Saucer Scoop presents a collection of recent UFO sightings reported across the United States during the summer of 1966. The magazine aims to inform its readers about the ongoing UFO phenomenon.

Recent Sightings

May 1966

• May 16, 1966 - Ft. Meyers, Florida: Fritz R. Wilke reported two objects, red in color and about the size of a bead, high in the sky. The objects changed colors from red to green, then to bluish-green, and finally to bright gold before switching back to red. They were observed for approximately 10 minutes before fading out of sight.
• May 24, 1966 - Gainesville, Florida: Phil Cantner and a friend observed a round object with a ring of about 10 steady red lights and a pulsating white light in the center. The Gainesville Police Department and University of Florida police also received similar reports. The object was described as noiseless and flying in a northeasterly direction. It was estimated to be flying at 30 MPH at an altitude of 1,000 to 3,000 ft., with a diameter estimated between 30 and 100 ft.
• May 28, 1966 - Orlando, Florida: A group of teen-age girls at a slumber party reported an unidentified flying object over Lake Conway. The object was seen at 4 AM, appeared to change colors, and would stop and then move again.

June 1966

• June 24, 1966 - Palm City, Florida: Ed Menninger, Jr. reported seeing an object described as an inverted pale orange ice cream cone. While driving, he first saw it high in the sky, then it moved out of sight and later reappeared, moving westward.
• June 26, 1966 - Lambertsville, New Jersey: IIOUFO member Alberto Juliano reported a sighting at 11:30 PM. He saw two stars separate, with one descending in a falling leaf pattern. It stopped in mid-air for five minutes, then shot straight up at tremendous speed and disappeared. The object was described as the size of a "very distant star" and bright white.
• Date Unknown (around July 1966) - Cocoa Beach, Florida: A resident reportedly sabotaged the world's first welcome station for occupants of Unidentified Flying Objects by tearing down and throwing a sign into the bushes. Mayor Bob Murkshe suggested he had an idea who the culprit was.
• July 3, 1966 - Brooksville, Florida: An object was first spotted low in the sky as a tiny, stationary speck of light. It became much brighter and changed colors from white to orange-yellow to red. The object made several side-slipping motions, zipping south, and then gradually disappeared in the southwest as a blinking red light.
• July 11, 1966 - Sanibel Island, Florida: Mark Brown reported seeing a "bright, orange light or object" southwest in the sky around 7:20 PM. It was too bright to see any outline. The object disappeared when Mark attempted to get a camera.

July 1966

• July 15, 1966 - Washington D.C.: The Air Force announced its intention to contract with selected universities to provide scientific teams to investigate unidentified flying objects. A scientific advisory board recommended this action to strengthen probes of UFO reports.
• July 8, 1966 - St. Petersburg, Florida: Two young boys reported seeing a glistening silvery object with no visible wings, windows, or contrail, soundlessly speeding through the skies. It flew faster than any airplane, came from the north, and disappeared into the clouds to the west. It hovered into view around 12 noon, initially looking like a tube, then appearing fatter when it turned.
• July 19, 1966 - Orbit (Gemini X): Astronauts on Gemini X reported seeing two bright objects. Newspapers in New York initially reported this, but the article was later deleted from page 26 of the New York Times, replaced with new content.
• July 27, 1966 - Chattanooga, Tennessee: While driving south between Chattanooga and the Georgia border, an object was spotted that was dark, disc-shaped with a knob on top and bottom. It wobbled as it rose vertically in the west, stopped, hovered briefly, then moved south with an up and down oscillating motion before disappearing behind trees. It was in view for about 15 seconds.
• July 29, 1966 - St. Petersburg, Florida: Two boys reported seeing an orange-rod disc-shaped object about 300 ft. altitude, going east to west around 10:30 PM.
• July 29, 1966 - Brooksville, Florida: IIOUFO member Wallace McNeil reported an extremely bright, white light seen directly over power lines. Another object of the same description joined the first, and then both flew off together. On the same date, two orange-red disc-shaped objects were reported, seen one at a time, going straight down in the vicinity of the John Reeves' contact case.
• July 29, 1966 - New Jersey: Carl Direspena reported sighting an object that hovered and moved in a circular motion for about five minutes, with green and red pulsating lights on either side. He took a polaroid snap of the object. Mrs. Kostiuk reported high tension wires in the area might be attracting UFOs. The object was described as about 50 ft. in diameter and was sighted around the time of a power failure near Lakehurst.
• July 31, 1966 - Erie, Pennsylvania: The Air Force was investigating reports of a "man having Saucer and a creature for Outer Space" sighted near there. Betty Jean Klem reported seeing a formless creature with a head and shoulders (about 6 ft. tall) emerge from bushes and approach their automobile. The creature disappeared without a trace, but officials were checking strange markings, like a claw, found in the sand nearby. Two triangular impressions, 18 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches wide, were photographed, and plaster casts were made.
• July 31, 1966 - New Jersey: Residents of Midland Park, Weidwichk, and Ridgewood reported seeing a bright red object overhead. G.E. Townsend reported a bright object moving slowly from the east above his house toward the Waldwick area. It was described as a big, pinkish, red ball that made no noise. Waldwick patrolman Jay Stafford also saw the object, describing it as a bright, red, round ball that remained motionless for 5 to 10 minutes before disappearing.

August 1966

• August 3, 1966 - New Jersey: Residents of West Bergen and Passaic Area reported sighting a white object over Patterson for two consecutive nights. The object was described as nine times as large as a star. On August 7, residents of Hawthorne, Waybe, and Ringwood reported a red object streaking through their skies, with some reporting it hovered for up to an hour.
• August 3, 1966 - Sandusky, Ohio: Three red and green flashing lights, identified as unidentified flying objects, hovered over the Sandusky area near the Soldiers Home. The objects were also seen by Perkins Township police and hovered for about 40 minutes before taking off like a jet. Near Milan, police reported RADAR registering 95-100 mph readings when no cars were moving in the area.
• August 3, 1966 - Niles, Ohio: Residents witnessed "flying saucers" early in the morning. One woman viewed the spectacle for nearly an hour before the objects disappeared. The objects were described as "quite clear, blinking, and 2 of them were bright and silvery and quite large." A third object was smaller with flashing lights of blue, red, and orange. Four or five others were also seen in formation above the eastern horizon.
• August 3, 1966 - Brooksville, Florida: Numerous reports of sightings were coming in from across the country on this date.

Editorial Comments

The editorial comments suggest that the United States has experienced an "unusual flap" of UFO activity, which many had predicted. The editor notes that landings have become a "big thing" and poses questions about the origin and intentions of these entities. Key points from the editorial include:

1. They Want to Be Seen: The entities appear to want to be observed.
2. Patterns of Appearance: They are appearing over power lines, water reservoirs, military installations, and lakes. The editorial questions why they are now giving "the second time around" and if they are trying to send a "signal" through formations resembling ancient Greek symbols, such as a three-object formation in a delta shape.
3. Interest in Water Supply: The editorial questions the significance of the interest in "water supply."
4. High Radiation Incidents: Incidents involving high radiation are being reported.

The editor urges readers to "dust off their thinking caps" as a solution will be necessary.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the widespread and frequent sightings of unidentified flying objects across various locations in the USA during the summer of 1966. The editorial stance is one of serious concern and active investigation into the UFO phenomenon, suggesting a deliberate and possibly communicative intent behind the sightings. The magazine positions itself as a source of information for those interested in the global UFO situation.