1957 11 18 - Saucerian Bulletin - Vol 2 No 4

Magazine Overview

Title: THE SAUCERIAN BULLETIN
Issue: Vol. 2, No. 4
Date: November 18, 1957
Publisher: Saucerian Publications

This issue of The Saucerian Bulletin, dated November 18, 1957, focuses heavily on a widespread "saucer scare" that gripped the nation, coinciding with the launch of Russia's Sputnik II. The publication aims to arouse public interest and break what it perceives as a "brass curtain" hiding U.S. Air Force secrets regarding UFOs.

SAUCER SCARE HITS NATION

The lead story details a series of events beginning in Levelland, Texas, on November 2, 1957. Numerous frightened observers flooded police switchboards with reports of a huge phantom object, described as egg-shaped and "a big light." Individual accounts highlight a peculiar phenomenon reported in Texas: drivers buzzed by these objects experienced their car's electrical systems being cut off and motors dying.

Levelland, Texas Incidents:

• Pedro Siado, a Mexican farm hand, reported driving with a friend near Levelland when a "torpedo-shaped" object passed directly over his truck, causing his lights and motor to die. He felt heat and heard a sound like thunder.
• Ronald Martin, an 18-year-old truck driver, described a "big ball of fire" that dropped onto the highway, changed to a bluish-green color, then rose straight up and disappeared. His truck's lights and engine also failed.
• James D. Long, a truck driver from Waco, encountered an object "sitting on the road" about four miles west of Levelland. The object shot 200 feet into the air, after which his car's electrical system functioned normally.
• Newell Wright, a Texas Tech student, also reported a similar occurrence. Hockley County Sheriff Weir Clem and Deputy Pat McCulloch observed a "strip of brightly colored light" crossing the highway, described as "like a neon sign" and "the color of a setting sun, a brilliant red." The Sheriff's cruiser did not experience motor trouble, and the object was also seen by two highway patrolmen. No physical evidence was found.

New Mexico Sightings:

From Levelland, the focus shifted to adjoining New Mexico. James Stokes, a missile engineer from the AF Missile Development Center at Holloman AF Base, reported to the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) that no less than 10 autos were stopped on a desert highway (U.S. 54) between White Sands Proving Grounds and Alamagordo. Drivers saw a strange, unidentified object flying from the northeast. Stokes's auto radio faded and his engine stopped, as did the others. He described the object as "brilliant colored egg-shaped," making a shallow dive, and passing over the highway not more than two miles ahead before moving toward White Sands. Stokes felt a "heat wave, like radiation from a giant sun," but heard no noise. The object's surface looked like "glowing mother of pearl," and no vapor trail was visible. Stokes exhibited symptoms of sunburn.

Birmingham, Alabama Incident:

A milkman, James Moore, reported a large, immense object, estimated at 600-feet long and 150-feet wide, hovering about 200 feet above the ground. His ignition system conked out when the "sky lit up." He described it as "took a look and left."

Earlier Accounts Emerge:

These widespread reports encouraged others to share earlier experiences, such as Mrs. Robert Moudy of Covington, Indiana, who described a flat, oval-shaped object, about 200 feet long with a large ball of fire in the center, zooming over a farm near Foster, Indiana, causing her husband's car engine to die.

In Urbana, Illinois, state troopers Calvin Showers and John Matulis reported that the radio in their cruiser car went dead while they were chasing a brilliant flying object that outdistanced them.

Antarctica and Power Failures:

The magazine speculates whether recent big-scale power failures, like the one in New York, could be related to saucers. It also notes engine failures in Antarctica involving Navy DC3s and Neptune aircraft, as well as issues with Air Force Globemasters, with trouble often located in generators.

White Sands Proving Grounds Revisited:

Two separate military police patrols at White Sands Proving Grounds, N.M., independently reported similar events. One patrol saw a huge oval object, "nearly as bright as the sun," hovering near bunkers used in atomic bomb tests. The object descended to about 50 yards above the bunker. First Lieut. Miles F. Penney described the object as 75 to 100 yards in diameter and egg-shaped, suddenly becoming very bright before disappearing. The second patrol saw an object about 50 feet above the bunker, estimated to be "200 or 300 feet long" and very bright.

Gulf of Mexico Sighting:

The Coast Guard cutter Sebago reported a dramatic radar sighting of a 1000 mph UFO, also seen visually. The object was tracked for 27 minutes, flitting on and off the screen, and at one point hovered stationary over the water. Crewmen described it as a "bright point of light with no definite shape, resembling the Planet Venus." The radar signal was a "good strong blip."

Air Force Reaction and Project Blue Book

The Air Force's reaction to the "big saucerflap" was one of "great interest and concern," but with little change in their usual minimizing attitude. The magazine notes that the AF was preparing to issue a new statement, presumably similar to Project Blue Book Special Report #314, which declared that less than 3% of sightings remained unexplained. Dr. Leon Davidson has arranged a reprint of "PROJECT BLUE BOOK SPECIAL REPORT NO. 14" due to pressure on the AF, making it available for $1.50.

AF investigators were sent to New Mexico and were also looking into Texas sightings. The AF reported that in the first half of 1957, 250 sightings were processed, with only 1.9% remaining "unknown."

Interplanetary Theory and Other Sightings

Major Donald E. Keyhoe reiterated his belief in the interplanetary theory, suggesting saucers could be secret weapons made on Earth or extraterrestrial. The issue notes sightings from abroad, including a brilliant white vapor trail seen in Centralia, Washington, and an object landing with a "whistle and a thump" in Sunbury-on-Thames, England, which was labeled a meteorite by an Air Ministry official but disputed by a meteorite expert.

"Whatnicks" in Fairmont, West Virginia:

In Fairmont, W. Va., numerous calls were received about UFOs, with Police Capt. Basil Hawkins describing one as a "comma," a round ball with a small tail attached, which was not moving and later vanished.

Contactee Cases

The issue includes accounts of alleged encounters with "space people."

• Reinhold Schmidt, a grain dealer from California, reported meeting German-speaking space people near Kearney, Nebraska. He described a "silvery, huge and cigar-shaped" object with a door that opened, revealing two men in ordinary business suits. He was invited inside a "gadgety-filled interior" and met two women. The spokesman hinted ominously about knowing "all about it in a couple of weeks." After Schmidt was ushered out, the craft took off like a helicopter and blended into the atmosphere. Police Chief Thurston Nelson investigated the site and found imprints of posts and traces of greenish oil. However, officials considered it a hoax after finding a can of the same oil in Schmidt's car and learning of his past embezzlement conviction. Schmidt refused a lie detector test.
• Everett Clark, a schoolboy from Knoxville, Tennessee, reported a "long round spaceship" landing in a cow pasture. Two men and two women, speaking like German soldiers, emerged and kidnapped his dog, Frisky. Authorities suspected the boy had heard Schmidt's story on the radio, but his father defended him. A "peculiar imprint in the grass" was found.
• In New Orleans, Louisiana, "little green men" allegedly landed in a yard, robbed a resident of his billfold, and entered his home, taking articles.

Hoaxes and Their Impact

The article discusses how these "contact" cases, whether hoaxes or not, could serve as a drawback to proper investigation, providing an easy way to ridicule accounts and dismiss the phenomenon.

The Saucerian Bulletin and its Editor

The editor addresses a letter claiming James W. Moseley, editor of SAUCER NEWS, was an AF plant designed to confuse the public. The Bulletin publishes photostats of a hoax letter and a routine letter from Moseley, concluding that Moseley wrote the hoax letter himself, suggesting a plan of "organized confusion."

The publication offers back issues of SAUCER NEWS for sale and announces that the defunct COSMIC NEWS has been taken over by the editors of the new publication, THE UFO HOTWIRE.

Book Sales and Special Reports

The issue includes a lengthy advertisement for books available from Saucerian Headquarters, covering a wide range of UFO and related topics, including works by George Adamski, H. T. Wilkins, E. J. Ruppelt, M. K. Jessup, DeWitt Miller, Dan Fry, Frank Edwards, Jimmy Guieu, Charles Fort, Aime Michel, Gavin Gibbons, Carl Anderson, Montague Summers, Geo. H. Williamson, Franklin Thomas, Phylos, Israel Norkin, Dana Howard, and Orfeo Angelucci.

Other Reports and Developments

• Wayne S. Aho turned over tape recordings allegedly from Venus to the Pentagon.
• New Orleans radio stations broadcast instructions to space people.
• A cigar-shaped object reportedly landed on a California beach, stopping car motors.
• A Venusian message allegedly contained information about landing in November.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The Saucerian Bulletin consistently promotes the reality of UFOs and the existence of a government cover-up. The editorial stance is one of advocacy for UFO research and skepticism towards official explanations, particularly those offered by figures like Dr. Donald H. Menzel. The publication actively seeks news and information from readers and promotes books related to the UFO phenomenon. There is a clear belief in the extraterrestrial or interplanetary origin of many sightings, and a frustration with the lack of official transparency. The issue also highlights the challenge of distinguishing genuine sightings from hoaxes, which the editors believe hinder serious investigation.