Saucers vol 5 no 4

Magazine Overview

'SAUCERS' Vol. V No. 4, published Winter 1957/58, is dedicated to documenting the significant "UFO flap" that occurred in late 1957. The magazine is published quarterly by Flying Saucers International, a non-profit organization, with Max B. Miller serving as Editor. The issue features a cover story about a photograph taken by Shinichi Takeda in Fujisawa City, Japan, on August 20, 1957, depicting an unusual elongated object.

The Great Saucer "Flap" of 1957

The issue extensively details numerous UFO sightings and encounters that took place primarily in November 1957, but also includes earlier reports from August and September. The editor notes that this flap was the most significant since the summer of 1952 and aims to present a comprehensive collection of new and dramatic reports.

Early Reports and the Levelland Incident

The flap is described as being initiated by a report of an egg-shaped object landing on a Texas highway, which was mentioned on NBC Radio on November 3, 1957. This report is linked to the "greatest UFO flap since the summer of 1952." The magazine highlights the Levelland, Texas, incident as a key event, where farm hand Pedro Saucedo and Joe Salaz witnessed an object rise from a field, causing their truck's motor and headlights to fail. Sheriff Weir Clem of Levelland confirmed the consistency of witness stories, indicating "there was something."

Sightings Across the United States

Numerous accounts from various locations in the USA are presented:

• Iowa: A Methodist minister reported a man and his wife saw a flash of light that stopped their car's motor and lights on September 1st. On September 4th, a family picnicking in Sioux City observed a "disc-like light" that hovered and then rose rapidly.
• Minnesota: E. R. Lee and his father in Minneapolis spotted a "noiseless, white, featureless" UFO with sharply defined edges on October 1st.
• New Mexico: An engineer, James W. Stokes, reported an "egg-shaped object" making a shallow dive near Orogrande on November 5th. He experienced radio interference and his car slowed down. He felt a "heat, like radiation from a giant sun lamp," and his car's battery was steaming.
• White Sands Proving Ground: An MP Jeep patrol observed a "very bright light" descend to about 50 yards above old A-bomb bunkers on November 3rd. The object was estimated to be 75 to 100 yards in diameter.
• Virginia: Mr. and Mrs. Famous Hairston encountered a "bright red glow" that illuminated the road and countryside on Sunday evening, November 3rd.
• Arizona: Mrs. Mary Cahill in Tucson reported a "large, inverted ice cream cone, glowing with fire" on November 4th. Fireman Wencie E. Higuera and Dominick Cammarano reported seeing a "ball" with a tail and a "white ball with a streak behind it" respectively on November 4th.
• Chicago: Patrolmen Cliff Schau and Joe Lukashek and Fireman Robert Volz observed an "egg-shaped" object hovering over Elmwood Park on November 4th. The object appeared to land and fold like a parachute, then shot up rapidly.
• El Paso, Texas: James W. Stokes reported an "egg-shaped object" making a shallow dive across the sky. He felt heat radiating from it, and his car's battery was steaming.
• Plattsburg, New York: Two unidentified citizens reported phenomena similar to the Texas reports.

International Sightings

The issue also includes reports from outside the United States:

• Japan: Shinichi Takeda's photograph of an elongated object on August 20, 1957, is featured. On October 4th, a "tadpole-shaped" object was observed above Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture, coinciding with the launch of Sputnik I, and "angel's hair" fell from the sky. Weather Observer Yoshiaki Kaneko in Kumamoto City watched an object descend, hover, and crash on October 25th.
• Britain: A UFO reportedly "doused its lights and sped away" when spotted over an atomic bomber base around October 28th.
• South Africa: Two mystery objects hovered over Johannesburg on November 2nd, one appearing disc-shaped.
• Dominican Republic: "Numerous persons" in Barahona observed "disc-shaped UFO's" about three feet in diameter on November 4th.
• Egypt: A small, flaming object made of rubber with three lenses fell into the yard of an engineering school in Alexandria.

Scientific and Official Reactions

The magazine notes various reactions and investigations:

• The Associated Press reported on Dr. Heinrich Faust, a German scientist, who suggested the possibility of life on "one thousand trillion earthlike planets."
• Dr. Alexei Pokrovsky, director of a laboratory preparing animals for space flight, was quoted on the prospect of human space travel and contact with "hitherto unknown worlds."
• The Air Force alerted its Air Defense Command radar network to search for UFO's on November 5th, following a report of the Coast Guard Cutter "Sebago" tracking a UFO via radar over the Gulf of Mexico.
• Reports were dispatched to Project Moonwatch headquarters at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
• Edward L. Kramer, an engineer with Bell Aircraft Corp., stated that UFO reports "do not fit in with any of our knowledge concerning mechanics or electronics" and believed the objects were non-terrestrial.
• Mysterious "beep" signals were intercepted by the FCC, RCA, and radio "hams" at a frequency of 14.286 megacycles, appearing to originate in space.

Questionable Stories and Other Reports

The issue also touches upon less credible reports, such as Reinhold Schmidt's claim of meeting people inside an egg-shaped craft, who had a prior conviction for embezzlement. Other sightings include:

• A "gaseous" object rising and vanishing near Monroe, Louisiana.
• A "brilliant red, oval object" sounding like thunder in Knoxville, Tennessee.
• An object three inches square and weighing over a pound hitting a service station entrance in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
• An "orange oblong object" hovering over a farm in McMinnville, Oregon, for nearly half an hour.
• An "egg-shaped" object hovering over Elmwood Park, Chicago, on November 4th.
• A "bright point of light" tracked by radar traveling at high speeds over the Gulf of Mexico.
• A "brightly-illuminated sphere" hovering over a hill near Lake Baskatong, Quebec, Canada, on November 6th, which caused radio reception to stop.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes throughout this issue are the widespread nature of the UFO sightings in late 1957, the variety of reported object shapes and behaviors, and the impact these phenomena had on witnesses and authorities. The magazine adopts a stance of documenting these reports, presenting them as credible accounts from various observers, including military personnel, scientists, and ordinary citizens. The editorial emphasis is on collecting and disseminating information about these unexplained aerial phenomena, suggesting a serious interest in the possibility of non-terrestrial origins for some of the observed objects.

This issue of SAUCERS magazine, dated Winter 1957/58, focuses on the significant "Saucer Flap of 1957." It meticulously documents a surge of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings reported globally during that period, presenting a comprehensive collection of witness testimonies, official statements, and preliminary analyses.

The Saucer Flap of 1957: A Global Phenomenon

The issue opens with an account of a sighting near Everett, Washington, where a craft allegedly landed, and witnesses described unusual interactions and the craft's movement. The report includes details of the craft's appearance and the peculiar experience of the witnesses.

Reporter Carson Brewer and photographer Bill Dye of the Knoxville News-Sentinel documented a peculiar imprint in the grass, described as a "fat cigar or slender egg," approximately 24 feet long and five feet wide, left by the craft.

On November 6, 1957, Dr. Donald H. Menzel, a vocal critic of UFO existence, offered explanations for the sightings, which were widely echoed in the press. However, Air Force PIO Colonel Dean Hess initially expressed a desire for more information regarding the origin of these objects, though his stance later shifted towards skepticism.

The Air Force officially proclaimed on November 6, 1957, that "There is no physical or material evidence, not even a minute fragment, that a so-called flying saucer was ever found."

Further reports detail sightings from various international locations:

• South Africa: At Dunnottar, Transvaal, a large cylindrical object was tracked by searchlights on November 5th and withdrew behind clouds.
• USA (California): Edwin G. Leadford of Anaheim reported a "small blimp" that disappeared and reappeared, which he photographed. The object was described as cigar-shaped, flickering with a reddish cast light, and observed around midnight on November 6th.
• USA (Illinois): Two "experienced state troopers" pursued a "brilliant flying object" for about 15 miles, experiencing inexplicable radio failure during the chase.
• Australia: In Bathurst, misidentifications of the planet Venus led to two RAAF Sabre Jets being scrambled. The object was later identified by the crew of a Qantas Super-Constellation.
• Other US locations: Reports also came in from southeastern Michigan, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Sputnik II and Related Phenomena

The issue also touches upon the "Sputnik II's 'little brother'" phenomenon, where Japanese astronomers observed a tiny object preceding the Russian satellite. Astronomers from Chicago and UCLA confirmed similar observations.

Further International Sightings and Incidents

• UK: A quarter-pound, "white hot" object crashed into a school playground near London, initially reported as "white hot" and later substituted as "white quartz."
• USA (California): At Edwards AFB, six Air Policemen reported an "orange ball low on the horizon," which was attributed by "authoritative sources" to the star Arcturus being unusually bright. Other sightings were potentially linked to jet bombers dropping photoflash bombs.
• USA (Colorado): The North American Air Defense Command admitted receiving 46 UFO reports on November 5th, with only three deserving further study, including a claim by Reinhold Schmidt of an encounter with saucer occupants speaking "high German."
• USA (California): Edward J. Ruppelt, former head of Project Blue Book, commented on past reports of "radiation and induction fields" and stated that recent reports by "skilled observers" added a new dimension to UFO investigation, refuting the inversion-refraction theory.
• USA (Mississippi): The Gulfport City Council considered proposals to make "Martians" check weapons and prohibit mysterious object landings.
• USA (East Coast): RCA Communications detected an unidentified radio signal on 108 MC, the frequency for the Vanguard satellite program.
• USA (Tennessee/Mississippi): Truck driver Malvin Stevens reported a large, egg-shaped object blocking a road, from which "three queer-looking people" emerged.
• USA (Virginia): A farmer reported stumbling upon two men in a "long grey object with windows."
• South Africa: Residents of Coalbrook, Freestate, watched a UFO for two hours, observing it change shape from cylindrical to spherical. Another UFO, the apparent size of the moon, appeared briefly over Boksburg.
• Australia: Astronomers at the Commonwealth Observatory observed a bright pink object moving leisurely, estimated to be no higher than 1,600 miles.
• Argentina: Dr. Juan Olsacher identified a "celestial body" that fell in Parana as man-made, composed of aluminum, lead, silicon, iron, and copper, similar to alloys used in aviation.
• USA (Indiana): Mrs. Louise Wood reported sighting a "large butterfly-like object with wings six to 10 feet wide."
• USA (Pennsylvania): Numerous UFOs, many triangular-shaped, were reported over Hazleton and McAdoo, with phenomena including fading television sets and helicopter-like sounds.
• Sweden: A Swedish Army Captain described an object as a flattened sphere circling moonwards with a flickering glow.
• USA (California): Witnesses near Barstow reported a "brilliant object" resembling a silver dollar.
• USA (California): Thousands saw a "brilliant ball of fire" shoot across the sky, described as a "bluish light, exceptionally bright."
• Germany: A silvery object fell in a swampy region near Hamburg, thought to be a Sputnik rocket carrier.
• USA (Alaska): A huge fireball reportedly fell 100 miles SE of Fairbanks.
• USA (Arizona): An unidentified scientist observed a "green-burning" meteorite.
• USA (Alabama): A hole 48 feet long and smaller holes developed with a "loud roaring racket," and barbed wire was fused.
• USA (North Dakota): Fragments of an object that fell on a haystack exhibited magnesium oxides not found in meteorites.

FCC Admits Mysterious Beep Sound

In Seattle, Washington, the FCC admitted that a mysterious low-keyed "beep" sound was being received on short-wave radios nationwide, with its frequency unidentified and its origin unknown.

Conclusion of the Flap

The issue concludes by stating that the "Saucer Flap of 1957" may be the most important in ufology due to the extensive evidence presented, including electrical induction fields, possible landings, and observations by qualified astronomers. The writer expresses thanks to numerous individuals who contributed clippings.

Mystery Foil Found in Japan

A separate article details a mystery foil found in Choshi City, Japan, on September 7, 1956, after a flying saucer was spotted. The foil, described as tinfoil-like, was analyzed and found to contain aluminum, lead, silicon, iron, and copper. The composition, particularly the lead content on membraneous viniel, was noted as not yet produced in Japan. The US Air Attache in Japan provided an unofficial statement that the metal was "American," but offered no further explanation.

Short Shots & News Notes

This section includes brief mentions of:

• A new book, "3-0 Blue," by Leonard H. Stringfield.
• A University of Detroit study on radiation and gravity, with claimed Air Force support.
• Dr. Bernard F. Burke's determination that radio waves from Jupiter might be associated with its surface.

Special Book Sale

A list of available books on UFOs and related topics is provided with discounted prices, including titles like "The Secret of the Saucers," "Aboard a Flying Saucer," and "The UFO Annual."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently presents a pro-UFO investigation stance, meticulously documenting sightings and evidence while also reporting on official skepticism and attempts at debunking. The editorial tone leans towards validating the experiences of witnesses and highlighting the persistent mystery surrounding UFO phenomena. The recurring theme is the sheer volume and diversity of reports during the 1957 flap, suggesting a significant, unexplained event. The magazine aims to provide a comprehensive record of these events, encouraging further research and open-mindedness.