Saucers, Space & Science - No 20

Magazine Overview

This issue of "SAUCERS SPACE & SCIENCE," dated May 1961 and identified as Number 20, is edited by Gene Duplantier and published from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The cover prominently features the headline "CANADIAN PILOT SILENCED?" accompanied by a map illustrating the flight path of a Trans-Canada Airlines plane.

Canadian Pilot Silenced?

The lead story details an incident on December 10, 1960, when Trans-Canada Airlines pilot Captain C. Ward reported observing a spectacular "aurora-like" phenomenon in the skies over eastern Canada and New York state. The sighting, which lasted about 20 minutes, was described as a circular, reddish aurora with a diffuse white cloud formation above, which became brighter toward the center and radiated outward. Captain Ward's report was corroborated by the crew of a Lufthansa flight 420 and an unidentified RCAF CF-100 interceptor, as well as by personnel on another TCA flight and the Quebec City airport tower operator. The phenomenon reportedly began with a red center and flashing radiating rings, which then gave way to a steady red glow before fading. Captain Ward was puzzled by the lack of any public report of the occurrence.

Investigator Ronald Anstee contacted TCA and was told Captain Ward was free to speak. Anstee also attempted to get information from the Montreal tabloid "MIDNIGHT," which had published an article titled "TCA PILOT SPOTS FLYING SAUCER?" on December 20, 1960, claiming "top secrecy" had been clamped on the report. The article described Captain Ward as a reputable pilot who observed an object with a long blue tail traveling at a moderately fast speed on a horizontal path. The initial reaction from Dorval airport was that it might be a meteor, but the presence of a solid overcast at 4,700 feet and the object's altitude made this explanation unlikely.

Questions are raised about a possible connection between the "MIDNIGHT" report and the RCAF interceptor sighting, and whether Air Force Intelligence has control over TCA air crews.

Space Travel in Reverse

This section discusses the U.S. Air Force's stance that there is no such thing as "space travel in reverse," a theory held by those who believe flying saucers are visitors from other planets. A 164-page book by Lt. Col. Tacker is cited, which argues that flying saucers are conventional objects or aerial phenomena seen under confusing conditions. The article then references Enrico Fermi's question, "Where is everybody?" in the context of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and quotes Dr. Ralph S. Lapp on the possibility of life evolving at different rates on other planets.

What Have Astronomers Seen Since 1955?

Written by Riley Crabb, this article questions the "thunderous silence" from American astronomers regarding the use of an image-intensifier attached to the telescope at Lowell Observatory since 1955. The author criticizes the "contempt of the leaders who keep us in ignorance" and quotes a U.S. Air Force manual stating, "The idea that Americans have a right to know what is going on is foolish." The article references George Van Tassel's claim from 1954 about astronomers observing the moon crater of Lichtenberg and seeing "little people replacing the lens over the city located underneath," and suggests this was a reflection of a new lens being put into place. It also mentions an incident in 1957 where the steel dome of the government astronomical observatory at Rome, Italy, burst into flame and disappeared, causing the death of Professor Nomellini, who suffered a heart attack.

Human or Inhuman?

By Leslie Smith, this article begins by quoting a newspaper report about Lockheed Aircraft Corporation paying fines for delivering inadequately inspected Electra planes. The author argues that human error, rather than extraterrestrial causes, is often responsible for plane crashes. The article lists several instances of faulty inspections, including finding a vacuum cleaner in a fuel tank and missing bolts. It suggests that inspectors, and even the screeners of inspectors, may not be particular enough, leading to potential dangers. The author concludes that air accidents are more often due to the "human element" than people like to admit.

Brief Bits and News Notes

This section provides a collection of brief reports and news items related to UFO sightings and related phenomena from various locations and dates:

• Jan. 14, 1961: Clifty Falls, Indiana - An executive saw a huge white light with two exhausts hover for 45 minutes.
• Feb. 9, 1961: Galt, Ontario - Cecil Woods reported seeing a silvery, larger, and brighter-than-a-star UFO nightly for several nights.
• Feb. 27, 1961: Tokyo, Japan - Violent earthquakes rocked the eastern coast of Japan.
• Mar. 2, 1961: Russia's Sputnik VII burned up in the Earth's atmosphere.
• Mar. 2, 1961: Cincinnati, Ohio - An object flashed across the sky, recorded as a meteor.
• Mar. 2, 1961: Ontario, Canada - A loud 'boom' shock built up and rattled glass across an area extending from London east to Stratford, Mitchell, and St. Mary's.
• Mar. 5, 1961: London, England - A large white object trailing a shower of sparks flashed across central and southern England.
• Mar. 17, 1961: Los Angeles, California - A flaming object flashed across southern California.
• Mar. 17, 1961: Eastern Iris County - A blast shook buildings, theorized to be a 'brontide'.

News Notes include:

• Anthony Rudmann resigned as co-ordinator of ODUROO.
• Circle Delta Light Center has a new address.
• Soviet scientists are reportedly investigating a rocket to go downward into the Earth and a furnace that can produce three times the heat of the sun's surface.
• The Earth's rotation has slowed down and then sped up between 1955 and 1958.
• Photos of a shooting star over Kharkov, Russia, falling at 56 miles per second, caused thunder.
• Author Darl Stanley Gardner is exploring Baja California and found evidence of crashed planes and animal bones.
• Radiation was present over Mildura, Australia.
• It is speculated that humans may land on Venus after algae have made the plants' atmosphere suitable.
• A cigar-shaped craft, 70 feet long and 10 feet in diameter, is under study in California.
• A Russo-Chinese expedition reported finding a "graveyard" of gigantic dinosaurs and other ancient beasts in the Gobi Desert.
• Three scientists claim that wax extracted from a meteorite points to the existence of life on other planets.
• A new hoard of 70 Dead Sea scrolls were recently uncovered.

From Mars: A Tested Remedy for Our Economic Ills

This satirical piece, written by Bruce Hutchison, presents a fictional account of a visiting statesman from Mars discussing Earth's economic problems. The Martian explains that Mars once faced unemployment but cured it by "unbalancing the budget on a strictly scientific formula, swamping the market with refunding bonds, inflating the currency." They also implemented policies of prohibiting imports and preventing trade between provinces and cities, which led to wars that employed people and facilitated reconstruction. Eventually, they "smashed" the machine, leading to a society where everyone makes their own goods by hand, thus eliminating unemployment.

The Craft From

This article by Robert J. Gribble critiques "contact" books, claiming that 95% of their information comes directly from non-terrestrials and is "fantastic and ridiculous." Gribble argues that the explanations offered in these books, such as aliens being here to save humanity from war or earthquakes, are not supported by evidence, citing the Korean War and recent earthquakes as counterexamples. He suggests that aliens are here on a "defensive mission" to prevent humans from endangering the planet or themselves.

Conventions

This section lists several upcoming conventions and events related to space craft and science fiction, including:

• Fourth Annual Space Craft Convention in Mountain View, Missouri (June 24-26, 1961).
• Borderland Sciences Research Assoc. meeting in Harmony Grove, Calif. (July 1-4, 1961).
• National Conclave of Faithists in Montrose, Colorado (June 21-28, 1961).
• Annual Science-Fiction Midwestcon in Cincinnati, Ohio (June 23-25, 1961).
• Planetary Congress in Hayama-cho, Kanagawa-ken, Japan (date undecided).
• Symposium of Space Flight in Louveciennes, France (June 19-21, 1961).

Sudan Villagers See Flying City

Reports from western Sudan indicate that villagers in four villages believe they saw a city flying through the air, described as "complete with high buildings and trees."

Sky Mysteries Unidentified

An air ministry spokesman in London stated that the ministry has been unable to take further action regarding mysterious objects reported over western England due to a lack of authenticated reports and detailed information.

How Does Outer Space Man Smell?

This piece discusses the Fourth International Unidentified Flying Object Congress (FIUFOC) held in Bonn. It notes that a leading German rocketter claimed no fewer than 70,000 people had witnessed a saucer. The author questions this low number given the widespread sightings and suggests that navigators from outer space may prefer the sparsely populated Californian desert. An anecdote is shared about an ambassador from Mars named Kumar, who reportedly landed in California in 1935 and smelled of ozone.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently questions official explanations for UFO phenomena and highlights instances of alleged government secrecy and the suppression of information. There's a recurring theme of skepticism towards overly simplistic or fantastical explanations for UFOs, while simultaneously acknowledging the reality of unexplained aerial phenomena. The editorial stance appears to favor open investigation and the public's right to know, criticizing military and scientific bodies for withholding information. The issue also touches upon the broader implications of potential extraterrestrial contact and the challenges of understanding and interacting with non-human intelligence.