SIGAP Bulletin - No 21 1969 02

Magazine Overview

Title: SIGAP BULLETIN
Issue: No. 21
Date: February 1969
Publisher: Surrey Investigation Group on Aerial Phenomena (SIGAP)
Price: 1/-

Cover Story: Andes Explorers Investigate "Cosmodrome"

The cover of the February 1969 SIGAP Bulletin highlights an upcoming expedition to the Andes to investigate a mysterious platform. This platform, composed of 10-ton blocks of volcanic rocks, was discovered in September but an initial investigation was halted due to harsh weather. Local peasants and villagers claim to have seen flying saucers taking off and landing near the site, and have reported other unexplained phenomena such as cars restarting without mechanical attention, an unusual smell of burning, and fruit trees blossoming out of season. Scientists have scanned the area with a Geiger counter, finding no anomalies other than a strange heat that may have caused the premature blossoming. The platform is located in the mountains between San Clemente, Chile, and San Rafael, Argentina, approximately 142 miles southeast of Santiago. Humberto Sarnataro Bounaud, a 32-year-old businessman and painter, will lead the second expedition, utilizing helicopters and additional equipment.

Is There Water on the Moon? Was Adamski Right?

This section revisits the claims of George Adamski, noting that some of his statements, initially considered absurd, have been confirmed in recent years, such as American astronauts describing "fireflies in space." Adamski had also written about rivers on the moon in his book "Inside the Space Ships." While recent moon photographs might seem to contradict this, the possibility of lunar water has been speculated upon. A recent article in "New Scientist" (January 2nd edition) by three researchers from the University of California (S. Peale, G. Schubert, and R. Lingenfelter) analyzed photographs from Lunar Orbiter 4. They claim that over 80% of the moon's sinuous rilles, which are river-like channels, are located on the margins of circular mare basins or craters with mare-like floors. The significance of this finding is that these rilles, some up to 1000 km long and a few km wide, provide strong evidence for the presence of a fluid, likely water, on the moon.

ECHO 2 Explains A Curving U.F.O. (S.138)

Tim Childerhouse from the Space Department at R.A.E. Farnborough explains how the behavior of the Echo 2 satellite could account for a UFO sighting reported in the previous month's newsletter (No. S.138). David Chaloner reported seeing Echo 2 (northbound) on December 2nd at 6:15 pm, and Childerhouse also observed the satellite near the moon. The article explains that satellite transits form a curved path in the sky, with the curve appearing greater for lower passes. An additional factor is Earth's rotation, which causes it to rotate one degree every four minutes, accentuating the curved path of the satellite across the sky.

Author to Give Talk on FEB 11th

Norman Oliver, co-author of "The Scoriton Mystery" and "Sequel to Scoriton," and an authority on UFO contact cases, has formed a new group called COS-MOS (Contact Space-Men Or Saucers). He is scheduled to give a talk to SIGAP on February 11th at 8 pm in the canteen of Plastic Coatings Ltd, By-Pass, Guildford.

Tønsberg Latest

Newspaper cuttings from 'Tønsberg Blad' (Norway) have been received and are being translated. Latest news from January states that 40 bright UFOs were seen in the area during 1968. Full details are expected in the March edition.

DOG MEETS UFO: A BRIEF SURVEY (Part II)

This section, authored by D. G. Butcher, continues a survey of UFO encounters involving dogs.

• October 26, 1967, Ringstead Bay, UK: A UFO hovered overhead. The witness' Alsatian dog was distressed and refused to 'sit', urging its owner to move. The dog showed similar distress on four subsequent visits.
• September 26, 1954, Valence, France: A dog named Dolly barked and howled miserably when a UFO and its occupant were seen. The witness fled, and the dog continued to howl, joined by other village dogs, remaining trembling for three days.
• Monza, Italy: A man set his Boxer dog on a UFO entity in a diver's suit, but the dog bit its master. The author suggests this might indicate severe fright, disorientation, or a defensive action by the UFO entity.
• Austria, 1951: A contactee's memory was preserved because a dog's barking frightened away a UFO occupant.
• September 30, 1954, Valence, France: A woman with a dog encountered a UFO occupant 'swathed in cellophane'. The dog's presence caused the occupant to retreat into the UFO, which then took off.
• October 15, 1954, Perpignan, France: A customs official attested that a reddish object landed, and a man emerged who seemed scared by barking dogs before departing.
• October 17, 1954, Corbierres, France: A hunting dog approached two beings emerging from a UFO and subsequently became partially paralyzed.
• October 14, 1954, Manosque, France: Similar to the Corbierres incident, a dog became semi-paralyzed after approaching a UFO.
• October 21, 1963, Trancas, Argentina: UFOs landed near a railway line and directed beams of light at a house, terrifying the occupants and their three fierce dogs.
• January 10, 1967, Point Pleasant, Ohio Valley, USA: Barking dogs alerted a witness to a UFO descending a hill near kennels.
• Autumn 1966, Point Pleasant area, USA: Three dogs disappeared, coinciding with UFO appearances in the region.
• November 6, 1957, Everittstown, New Jersey, USA: A gnome-like ufonaut associated with a luminous egg-shaped object told a man, "We are peaceful people. We don't want no trouble We just want your dog." The dog was barking furiously and frothing at the mouth.
• Same day, Dante, Tennessee, USA: A boy's dog was seen with other dogs near an elongated egg-like object. One of the associated men grabbed at the dog, which growled, and then picked up another dog which bit him.

Traces of a Giant Dog

This section discusses two incidents involving traces of a giant dog, linked to UFO sightings:

• December 14, 1963, Vereeniging, South Africa: Two men saw an "exceptionally large dog...as big as a buck." Later, they were buzzed by a UFO at the same spot.
• January 19, 1967, Interstate Highway 64, West Virginia, USA: A large metal sphere hovered above the road. Three months later, John Keel examined the site and found "very strange footprints in the mud" resembling huge dog tracks, but deeper, suggesting an animal weighing 200 to 400 pounds. Wildlife authorities could not identify the tracks.

The author notes the coinciding elements of a UFO, a road, and a giant dog trace in these cases, drawing parallels to 'Black Dog' legends. The article also briefly compares these tracks to alleged 'Surrey puma' footprints discovered near a 'puma' sighting on Hurtwood Common.

Volunteer Flight Officer Network (V.F.O.N.)

Further information is provided on the Volunteer Flight Officer Network (V.F.O.N.), established in the autumn of 1963. Its purpose is to create a global observing network of commercial airline crewmen who report sightings of unidentifiable phenomena. Directed by Herbert E. Roth of American United Air Lines, the project involves 118 airlines in 54 countries, with 39,000 flight crewmen covering over 2.6 million air route miles. V.F.O.N. has processed 1,346 reports to date, categorized as: 1127 Meteor sightings, 39 Reports of satellites, balloons and launch vehicles, 73 Reports on 28 different satellite re-entries, 34 U.F.O. type reports, 37 Reports of uncatalogued debris, and 36 Reports still in process.

New Members - January

The bulletin lists new members who joined in January: Rev. Dr. N.J. Cockburn, J. Dunkley, M.C. Holt, and S. White.

Spreading The Word

Omar Fowler and Graham Raine gave a talk on Surrey U.F.O.'s to the W.I. at Milland, Sussex, on January 8th, using color slides and tape recordings.

A Report from Wales

A report from Monmouth, sent by SIGAP member D. Toombs, details a sighting by Mr. P. Davies on Sunday, October 13, 1968, at 8:45 pm. While observing the constellation Draco, he spotted a bright red light, brighter than Mars. As it passed overhead, a shaft of white light was seen protruding from its right side. Seven friends also witnessed this light, which appeared to be shining onto thin cloud. The object then disappeared into thick cloud at 30 degrees above the S.E. horizon.

Editorial Notes

The newsletter was produced by O. Fowler, with contributions from R.C. Beet and D.G. Butcher. Editor Mr R. Toft is welcomed back for the next issue.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The SIGAP Bulletin consistently focuses on UFO sightings and related phenomena, with a particular interest in unexplained aerial events and potential extraterrestrial contact. This issue highlights investigations into physical sites (the Andes 'cosmodrome'), detailed accounts of encounters, and scientific analysis of astronomical data (moon water). The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, presenting reports and findings from members and external sources, encouraging further investigation and discussion within the UFO community. The recurring theme of animal reactions to UFOs suggests an interest in the impact of these phenomena on terrestrial life.