SIGAP Newsletter No 20 1969-01

Magazine Overview

The SIGAP Bulletin, Issue No. 20, dated January 1969, is a monthly publication from the Surrey Investigation Group on Aerial Phenomena. Priced at 1/-, it is edited by Ron Toft, with Omar Fowler as Chairman and Richard Beet as Secretary. The bulletin covers a range of UFO-related topics, including a major exhibition, historical cases, international reports, and local sightings.

B.U.F.O.R.A. Exhibition at Olympia

The lead story reports on the significant public interest generated by a B.U.F.O.R.A. stand at the New Year Show in Olympia. On Friday, January 3rd, over 1500 people per hour visited the stand, with an estimated total of 10,000 visitors by the end of the day. The exhibition showcased 'saucer' photographs and UFO detecting equipment. The stand featured contributions from the SIGAP group, including paintings by Dan Butchers and statistical graphs by Dick Beet. The event resulted in a number of new sighting reports and is expected to boost B.U.F.O.R.A.'s membership.

The Captain Mantell Case

A visitor to the Olympia exhibition shared personal knowledge of the Captain Mantell case, which occurred in the USA on January 7th, 1948. The visitor, who had connections with the U.S.A.A.F. at the time, stated that Captain Mantell was one of several pilots scrambled in P.51 Mustang fighters (which lacked oxygen equipment) to chase a disc-shaped object. As the object moved higher, all but Mantell's aircraft turned back. Mantell's aircraft then crashed. Theories about the cause include a 'Skyhook' balloon leading to oxygen deprivation, or a UFO encounter. The visitor also mentioned that marks, including lines of equally spaced holes, were found on the crashed aircraft remains, and that Captain Mantell's body had not been recovered, adding to the mystery. The SIGAP group intends to interview this individual further.

UFO Flap in Norway

Exciting news from Tonsberg, Norway, is reported, where a local paper, 'Tønsberg Blad', documented sightings of glowing balls, approximately 2 feet in diameter. These objects were seen chasing a car and hovering over a house. In one incident, a driver of a water taxi investigated a light near a local island, only to find it was a UFO that moved towards him, prompting a hasty retreat. A Norwegian UFO study group is reportedly investigating these incidents.

UFO Activity in Norway and Denmark

The magazine 'Norsk Ukeblad' also detailed UFO activity in Norway and Denmark. It mentioned transparent balls that have been observed following people. Similar phenomena were reportedly seen during World War II and were referred to as 'Foo Fighters', known for their ability to fly into aircraft.

The Local UFO Scene

• Several local sightings are reported:
• S.138: On Monday, December 2nd, David Chaloner, a pupil at Royal Grammar School Guildford, observed a star-like object near the moon around 6:15 pm. The object moved in a wavering motion towards the North, then changed course to the North East. The report notes this could be a satellite and will be investigated.
• S.130: Mr. R. Amos of Guildford reported seeing a bright pink light flickering near the Cathedral, moving North or North East. The light varied in height and vanished behind trees after 30 seconds. Local aircraft noise prevented determination of any sound.

Aerial Phenomena Investigation and Research Group (A.P.I.R.G.)

The bulletin acknowledges receiving sighting reports from A.P.I.R.G., a society of young people in Surrey. While noting the reports sometimes lack detail, they are considered interesting. An example, S.133, describes Mr. K. Swift seeing two lights shining from the sky near Tatsfield, Surrey, between 6:30 and 7:30 am. The lights were moving in the opposite direction to the witness, appeared as beams similar to car headlights but closer together, and shone from a dark shadowy object. The incident lasted about five minutes. Mr. C.A. Ward, Chairman of A.P.I.R.G., investigated and vouched for Mr. Swift's reliability. Ward noted that Tatsfield is near the wartime airfield of Biggin Hill. He considered the possibility of a night flying aircraft but highlighted factors against it: aircraft lights are usually inclined 30° to the horizontal, whereas these were seen at 70°, and no sound was heard, which would be expected from an aircraft at 2,000-3,000 ft.

List of New Members

A list of new members who joined in December 1968 is provided, including P. Parkinson (Purley), D. M. Price (Leatherhead), C. R. Breese (Dorking), C. A. Ward (Tatsfield), R. C. Jarvis (Guildford), and R. Drefke (Guildford).

Dog Meets UFO: A Brief Survey

Part 1 of a survey by D.G. Butcher, drawing from 'Flying Saucer Review' and Aime Michel's 'Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery', explores encounters between dogs and UFOs. The article categorizes these encounters into four main headings:
1. Cases of fright: (a) Mild alarm (barking, howling drawing attention) and (b) Severe fright.
2. Cases of defiance: (a) Fear shown by UFO entities towards dogs, and (b) Defensive action by UFO occupants against dogs.
3. Attempted abduction of dogs by UFO occupants.
4. Traces of a giant dog in the vicinity of a UFO sighting.

Typical examples of mild alarm include dogs baying at a 'great cloud cigar' in France (1954), a barking dog drawing attention to a UFO entity in France (1954), a dog awakening a witness to a luminous ball in Canada (1964), and dogs awakening a man in Florida (date unspecified) who was then knocked unconscious.

Instances of dogs howling are cited from the 1896-7 'airship' sighting in Paris, Texas, and reports from Australia in August 1965 where howling dogs awakened boys during UFO sightings. In Clifton Hampden, UK (1966), dogs whined at the sight of a UFO.

Borderline examples of severe fright include a dog whose hair stood on end in Runcorn (date/1967) and a dog in Morriston, South Wales (August 25th, 1965), that became frightened by a bright light and refused to go out for ten minutes. At Quarouble, France (September 10th, 1954), a dog howled loudly when a UFO was seen on railway lines, and later barked at UFO occupants.

Late UFO Report

Mrs D. Withall of New Haw reported seeing two grey, saucer-shaped objects with white domes flying low over Grange School on a Friday morning, returning home from shopping. She initially thought she was seeing things, noting they seemed to be following each other and travelling very fast. This report will be followed up by SIGAP. The source is cited as 'Surrey Herald' 13/12/68.

Satellite News (Decays)

• Warnings have been issued by the Volunteer Flight Network regarding satellites re-entering Earth's atmosphere. A short list of known decays is provided, including:
• January 13th, 1968: USA 1963/3a FTV Payload, and 1965/82np USA Titan debris.
• January 16th, 1968: USSR Cosmos245 Payload.
• January 17th, 1965: 1965/82by USA Titan 3 c4 debris.
• January 23rd, 1965: 1965/82op USA Titan 3 c4 debris.

Editorial Note

The newsletter was produced by O. Fowler, as Ron Toft was away on a short course.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The bulletin consistently focuses on UFO sightings and investigations, with a particular emphasis on local reports from Surrey and surrounding areas. There is a clear effort to document and analyze these phenomena, even when details are sparse. The inclusion of the Captain Mantell case and the survey of dog-UFO encounters indicate a historical and behavioral approach to the subject. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, presenting reported incidents and expert opinions while acknowledging the need for further investigation and verification. The publication also serves as a platform for membership recruitment and information dissemination within the UFO community.