TUFOIC Newsletter - No 058 - July 1989

Magazine Overview

Title: TUFOIC NEWSLETTER
Issue: Publication No. 58
Date: July 1989
Publisher: TUFOIC
Country: Australia
Language: English

This issue of the TUFOIC Newsletter focuses on the relative quietness of the UFO field in Australia during 1989, contrasting it with previous years. Despite a lack of major media-grabbing events, the newsletter presents several articles and reports on UFO sightings, abduction phenomena, and related investigations.

"No News Is Bad News"

The editorial section laments the lack of significant UFO news in 1989, stating that while the saying "No News is Good News" usually holds true, the opposite is true for the UFO field. The year has produced only a handful of nocturnal light cases and few sightings of high strangeness. However, UFO-related stories continue to appear in the media, including mentions of mystery rings in British cornfields and a TV news report about a Russian probe to Mars filming a mysterious disc-like shadow. Abductions are highlighted as a prominent aspect of the UFO phenomenon, with UFORA (South Australia) collecting information on Australian abduction cases. The article also notes the release of Whitley Strieber's novel "Communion" and its upcoming film adaptation.

Researchers Want UFO Stories

This section, a reprint from The Examiner dated Tuesday, June 6, 1989, reports on UFO Research Australia's efforts to gather information on abduction cases. Researchers in Adelaide are puzzled by the lower number of reported alien abductions in Australia compared to the US and Europe. Keith Basterfield, UFO author and chief researcher, emphasizes that abduction accounts, while seemingly unbelievable, deserve serious scientific attention. The article mentions that while UFO sightings are not uncommon in Australia, few abduction stories have emerged. It cites two cases: a Melbourne woman's claim of rape by a being in 1966 and the disappearance of pilot Frederick Valentich in 1978, suggested as a possible alien abduction. Contact information for UFO Research Australia is provided.

Sightings 1989

This section details several specific sightings from Australia:

• January 14th: Five witnesses on two boats near Macquarie Harbour, West Coast, reported a bright blue-white light with a surrounding cloud or vapour that slowly lost elevation before disappearing.
• January 25th: Two witnesses in Launceston saw a light like a falling star that stopped, moved horizontally with a tail, stopped again, and then disappeared.
• March 5th: Two witnesses on Bruny Island observed a series of lights in the sky, including a bright light blinking on and off.
• March 22nd: In the Midlands, two dogs acted unusually while their owners watched a round orange light pass through trees.
• June 11th: Several witnesses near Kingston saw a large bluish light with a sparkling tail drop from the sky, turn 90 degrees, and head into the southern sky.

"Above Top Secret"

This article, credited to Professor J.D. Frodsham of Murdoch University, West Aust., discusses the significance of the Majestic Twelve document. Professor Wescott's computer analysis reportedly demonstrated the document's authenticity, identifying Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter as its author. The document, leaked in 1984, purports to be a briefing for President-elect Eisenhower about a top-secret intelligence operation established after a flying disk crash in New Mexico in July 1947. The operation involved recovering the wreckage and four small human-like beings, with the incident being covered up as a weather balloon. The article notes that a second disk impacted on Earth on December 6, 1950, near the Texas-Mexico border. Frodsham concludes that the universe is not empty and that superior alien life forms are visiting Earth, warning that public knowledge could cause mass panic and a crisis of authority.

"Above Top Secret" Contd.

This continuation of the article elaborates on the implications of the Majestic Twelve document, suggesting that the creatures were biologically and evolutionarily different from humans. It mentions undecipherable writing found in the wreckage and unsuccessful efforts to understand the disk's propulsion. The document confirmed the results of an extensive investigation involving many witnesses. Frodsham posits that this event is the most significant of the post-war period, forcing the conclusion that humanity is not alone. He questions whether people are emotionally and intellectually prepared to face this truth and notes the US government's decision to suppress this information for over forty years.

Credit for the next item goes to PARANET

This section reports on an unidentified flying object seen in Fyffe, Alabama. Police Chief Junior Garmany and Assistant Police Chief Fred Works observed a fast, silent craft hovering, described as looking like an airplane or a banana with lights. The object was reportedly "bigger than a jumbo jet," covered with green, white, and red lights, and moving at high speed. A local woman described it as banana-shaped with lights. The report also mentions a resident who was concerned about the object scaring his bird dogs.

UFO Research (Aust) Reports

This segment summarizes several UFO Research Australia (UFORA) reports:

• UFORA89014 (March 1989): A bright light was seen in the sky disappearing over a hillside in the Flinders Ranges, SA, followed by the discovery of a doughnut-shaped ring.
• UFORA89006 (May 1989): A 7-year-old boy and his mother in Sydney, NSW, reported seeing a cigar-shaped object moving slowly and then accelerating rapidly.
• UFORA89021 (June 1989): Two pilots tracked an object at 4,000 km/h on an aircraft's weather radar over Dorrigo, NSW. The object travelled from 60 nautical miles ahead to off their screen in four minutes.
• UFORA89022 (June 1989): Two brothers mining opal in Yowah, QLD, saw a large object, about two-thirds the size of the moon, with six smaller objects appearing around it.

Contact information for TUFOIC is provided for readers to submit sightings.

Melbourne Herald Friday Mar 31st: Aliens "Buzzed" Space Shuttle

This article reports claims from American radio hams that aliens buzzed the space shuttle Discovery during its flight. Experts quoted in the London Star newspaper suggested UFOs tracked the shuttle, causing a sudden loss of power. The Discovery crew reportedly informed NASA of the encounter. NASA and Col. John Bhaha have denied any UFO contact.

Suva - Fiji's Civil Aviation Authority issued a UFO warning

This brief report states that Fiji's Civil Aviation Authority issued a UFO warning to aircraft after hundreds of people reported seeing a mysterious silver object over the north of the country. Witnesses described it as small, made of two circles, and transparent when viewed through binoculars.

UFOs puzzle

This section details a sighting in Wellington where two police officers and four other people reported a large bright white object hovering. Radar screens at the airport were clear, and police were baffled, suggesting light reflecting off ice particles as a possible explanation. This sighting occurred after Fiji's Civil Aviation Authority issued a UFO warning.

U.S.A. Police Encounter with Another Finding of Potassium Chloride

This article details an encounter experienced by a law enforcement officer in Dauphin County, USA, on December 4, 1988. The officer saw a bright light hovering over power lines. The object, about 75 feet in diameter and shaped like a flattened oval, appeared to be made of polished silver and emitted a humming sound. The officer experienced physical effects, including watering eyes, hair standing on end, and a jolt. The object moved rapidly and ascended. Afterward, the officer suffered from burning sensations, aches, and disorientation. Another officer reported hearing a strange humming sound around the same time. Unusual powder-like dust was found on the officer's car, which was identified as Potassium Chloride.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently promotes the investigation of UFO phenomena and encourages public participation through reporting sightings. There is a clear interest in documenting cases from Australia, with UFORA and TUFOIC actively collecting data. The issue also delves into the more controversial aspects of the UFO field, such as alleged government cover-ups (Majestic Twelve) and alien abductions, presenting these as serious subjects worthy of scientific attention. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, acknowledging the possibility of extraterrestrial visitation while also being critical of official secrecy and media sensationalism.