Searchlight - Vol 2 No 06

Magazine Overview

Title: SEARCHLIGHT
Volume: VOL. 2
Issue: NO. 6
Publisher: INTERPLANETARY NEWS SERVICE
Date: (Implied 1966 based on book publication dates)

This issue of SEARCHLIGHT delves into the controversial relationship between Richard Shaver and Ray Palmer, addressing reader inquiries about the authorship and authenticity of the "Shaver Stories." It also features reports of alien encounters and UFO sightings, alongside book reviews and news items.

Shaver-Palmer Debate

Richard S. Shaver addresses the long-standing question of how Ray Palmer influenced his "Shaver Stories." Shaver asserts that while he liked Palmer, there was a fundamental friction regarding the core message. He states that Palmer did not write any of his stories but often made changes, such as altering endings or adding paragraphs that slanted the message towards Palmer's own beliefs about spirits and reincarnation. Shaver's original intention was to expose the factual nature of spiritualistic phenomena as a "smoke screen" hiding a deeper truth about "deros"—entities he believes are actively working to maintain a "stone curtain" behind which they hide. Shaver explains that Palmer's attempts to "soften the blow" or "sugar coat the sour pill of truth" were an effort to make the material more acceptable to spiritualist and occult readers, which inadvertently helped the "deros" maintain their influence.

Shaver expresses his displeasure with the impression that Palmer wrote everything under his name, clarifying that he was raised as a writer and developed his skills organically, influenced by his writer brother and poet mother. He recounts how Palmer's editorializing sometimes felt like an attempt to "make" him as a writer, which he initially attributed to ego or a way to avoid discussing money.

He also touches upon the "dero" influence on editors and publishers, suggesting it makes publishing his factual accounts difficult. Shaver credits Palmer with the courage to proceed despite these influences, acknowledging that Palmer's life was also threatened.

Contactee Reports and UFO Sightings

Sid Padrick Contact Story (Continued): This section continues the account of a scout ship controlled by a mother-ship. The narrator describes an oblong lens and a cigar-shaped "Navigation Graft" approximately 1000 miles out, visible in sunlight. He notes the scout ship's power source was transferred from the larger craft, which handled navigation and manipulation. The craft was described as having a highly polished, non-metallic hull, similar to plexiglass. The spaceman indicated that the craft was used for travel around Earth, not between planets, with a larger ship of 300 feet used for interplanetary travel.

The Photo of Their City: The spaceman showed a photograph of his home planet, depicting rounded, half-moon shaped buildings spaced differently, with roads and foliage. He described their society as having no sickness, crime, or vice, with a strict birth control and a communal living arrangement where everyone lives as one, without money.

How They Live on Their Home Planet: The alien described a society without sickness, crime, or vice, where young individuals are taught jobs early. They have a long life expectancy and strict birth control, living communally without money.

Was Your Encounter Part of a Plan?: The spaceman confirmed the encounter was part of a plan involving religious or spiritual aspects. He took the narrator to a "Consultation Room" with beautiful colors and chairs, where he was invited to pay respects to the "Supreme Deith," which the narrator equated with God. He experienced a profound, electrical, and uplifting feeling of the Supreme Being's presence.

Don Duncan's Super Saucer Saga: This section reprints a story from the Seattle Times about a mechanic who claims to have been aboard a spacecraft. The mechanic, who had lost his teaching job and undergone a sanity hearing after speaking about conversing with aliens, was approached by a "space visitor" named Neosohm. Neosohm claimed his people had examined Mars and Venus, finding no life on Venus and only spore moss on Mars. They were seeking a mineral and had 28 small craft, with 3 lost to accidents, and 300 spacemen on Earth operating a secret plant to extract magnesium from seawater. The aliens reportedly have issues with overpopulation and food shortage and cannot reproduce with Earth humans.

Later, the mechanic was asked to help deliver barrels of oil, leading him to a rendezvous with a spacecraft. He described the craft as a "glorified helicopter" resembling a 1928 automobile, operated by electricity with nine power packs. He noted tables for five, foot pedals, and hand sticks for maneuvering, with a central, ceramic-covered object presumed to be an air intake. The craft had a "giant fan" and a compressor. The pilot spoke Spanish and indicated the craft could not fly particularly fast, and that objects seen at night by saucer believers were not his ships.

The pilot told me he was from the third solar system, that there is a dead system between us. He said it took 18 to 20 years to get here. The mechanic also noted the visitors resembled humans but were shorter and had "wrestlers' necks."

Letters from "M" are mentioned, detailing that the first alien spacecraft visited Earth around 1745. The aliens have found no life on Mars or Venus and are extracting magnesium from seawater. They face problems with overpopulation and food shortage and cannot reproduce with Earth humans. "M" states that the spacemen have no cures for sickness or secrets of eternal life.

News and Notes

Otto Binder's "Our Space Age" Cartoon: Otto Binder's syndicated cartoon feature is highlighted, with the July 4th week's column focusing on the Mel Noel contact story from a previous issue of Searchlight.

United Nations Update: Colman VonKeviczky, INS man at the UN, delivered a press release on June 27th. The Australian Embassy responded, but the U.S. and USSR had not yet acknowledged the possibility of extraterrestrial life or traffic.

INS State Directors to Marry: John Prytz, New York State Director of INS, is engaged to Patricia Ellen Morgan, INS State Director from Pennsylvania. Both are involved in the Air Force and plan a summer 1967 wedding.

Book News & Notes: This section promotes two books: "Well, They're Here: Flying Saucers Serious Business" by Frank Edwards and "Incident at Exeter" by John Fuller, both available for $5.95 each. It also mentions that Fuller is working on a book about the Hill contact case, due in early 1967. Additionally, "The Advent of Cosmic Consciousness" by Bryant Reeves ($6.00) and "Enigma Fantastique" by Wm Allen, a biography of Nicola Tesla ($4.25), are recommended.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the nature of UFO phenomena, the credibility of contactees, and the potential influence of hidden entities or forces (like the "deros") on human understanding and reporting of these events. The magazine presents a range of perspectives, from Shaver's insistence on factual accounts being distorted to the more narrative-driven contactee stories. The editorial stance, as indicated by the inclusion of various viewpoints and the Editor's Note, appears to be one of presenting information for the reader to judge, while also highlighting the controversial and often sensational aspects of UFO research and related phenomena. The emphasis on the "Shaver Mystery" and the debate surrounding it suggests a focus on the historical and foundational elements of the UFO field.