1967 02 00 True John Keel

Magazine Overview

Title: TRUE
Issue: February 1967
Publisher: Fawcett Publication
Price: 50 CENTS

This issue of TRUE Magazine, subtitled "The Man's Magazine," features a prominent cover story on "UFO PILOTS: Are They Really Landing As 'Witnesses' Insist?" alongside a piece on "THE SECRET NAZI SURRENDER" with Allen Dulles telling the OSS story. Additional cover headlines tease articles on "INDIAN WEAPONS FOR FIGHTING AND HUNTING," "HOW DRIVERS ARE SWINDLED BY WORTHLESS INSURANCE," and "IS YOUR BOSS- OR YOUR WIFE-SPYING ON YOU?"

UFO Pilots: Are They Really Landing As "Witnesses" Insist?

The lead article, "NEVER MIND THE SAUCER! DID YOU SEE THE GUYS WHO WERE DRIVING?" by John A. Keel, illustrated by Kyo Takahashi, explores the growing number of UFO sightings and encounters with beings inside these craft. It highlights the case of William "Eddie" Laxton, an electronics engineer from Temple, Oklahoma, who, on March 23, 1966, encountered a large, brilliantly-illuminated, cigar-shaped flying contraption on a highway. Laxton described a human-looking pilot, weighing about 180 pounds and standing five feet nine inches tall, wearing what appeared to be a mechanic's cap and green coveralls or a two-piece suit. The craft, estimated to be about 75 feet long, had four brilliant lights and a plastic bubble in front. Laxton reported that the object lifted off the ground and disappeared within seconds.

The article notes that Laxton was interviewed by numerous military and scientific personnel, including generals and Air Force officers, who reportedly suggested putting down that he saw a helicopter. The piece also mentions other witnesses, such as truck driver C. W. Anderson, who corroborated seeing something unusual.

Further into the article, it discusses other reported encounters with human-type pilots. Mrs. Ellen D. Sylvester of Adelaide, Australia, described seeing an oval object on three legs with a six-foot-tall being in a uniform and breathing apparatus inspecting its landing gear. The article includes a photograph from 1952, taken by Italian engineer Gianpietro Monguzzi, showing a flying saucer and a spaceman. Monguzzi claimed to have photographed a circular machine with a transparent dome landing on a glacier, and a spaceman-suited being emerged. However, critics suggested it was a tabletop hoax due to its perfect appearance.

The piece also touches upon the alleged experience of Professor Joao de Freitas Guimaraes, a Brazilian lawyer, who claimed to have joyridden in a flying saucer with two fair-haired men in tight green coveralls. Another case involves Sidney Padrick, a California TV repairman, who reported a humming sound and a strange machine landing on a beach, from which nine normal-looking men in bluish-white uniforms emerged.

Encounters with beings described as "little men" are also mentioned, such as police officer Lonnie Zamora's sighting of an egg-shaped UFO in Socorro, New Mexico, with two children or small adults in white coveralls. The article also recounts reports of small, black monsters and beings with "melon-shaped" heads and large, widely-spaced eyes.

John F. Reeves, a retired longshoreman from Florida, reported seeing a circular craft on four legs and a being described as about five feet tall, wearing a tight, grayish-silver garment with a transparent globe over its head. The being produced a black box that emitted a blinding flash. Reeves' account was investigated by the Air Force, which classified it as a hoax despite his passing lie detector tests.

The article concludes by noting that the U.S. government has assigned scientists at the University of Colorado to investigate UFO phenomena, acknowledging that the origins and motivations of these creatures remain speculative but that millions of people are convinced something is happening.

The Secret Nazi Surrender

This section, featuring Allen Dulles telling the OSS story, is mentioned on the cover but not detailed in the provided pages. It likely discusses the clandestine operations of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II, specifically concerning the surrender of Nazi forces.

Other Articles

Brief mentions are made of articles on "INDIAN WEAPONS FOR FIGHTING AND HUNTING," "HOW DRIVERS ARE SWINDLED BY WORTHLESS INSURANCE," and "IS YOUR BOSS- OR YOUR WIFE-SPYING ON YOU?" These topics suggest a diverse range of content within the magazine, catering to a male readership interested in practical advice, historical accounts, and potentially sensational topics.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around mystery, unexplained phenomena (particularly UFOs and alleged alien encounters), historical events (the secret Nazi surrender), and practical concerns such as insurance fraud and personal surveillance. The magazine appears to adopt a stance of presenting intriguing, sometimes sensational, accounts while also referencing official investigations and skeptical viewpoints, particularly concerning UFO sightings. The inclusion of witness testimonies, expert interviews, and photographic evidence (even if disputed) suggests an effort to explore these topics with a degree of journalistic inquiry, albeit within the context of popular magazine reporting.

The article on UFOs, in particular, highlights the growing public interest and the increasing number of reported sightings, while also acknowledging the skepticism and the challenges in verifying such accounts. The mention of scientists delving into the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the quote from Dr. Lee A. DuBridge underscore the broader scientific and philosophical implications of these phenomena.