UFO Chronicle - Vol 1 No 4 - 1969

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO CHRONICLE
Issue: Vol.1. No.4.
Date: September 1st, 1969
Publisher: H.E. Hill, Kent, United Kingdom
Cover Price: 50 CENTS / 2/6 U.K.

Main Articles and Content

"Unusual Flight Patterns Of The 1897 UFO'" by Kenneth Lloyd Larson

This guest article delves into early American UFO reports, focusing on two significant incidents from the late 19th century. The first, from November 24, 1896, involved commuters in San Francisco observing an "egg-shaped" object. This object was reported to have paced a ferry across the bay to Oakland-Alameda and then hovered over Alameda before disappearing to the north-east at high speed. The article notes that the object's speed, estimated to be around 1000 miles per hour, far exceeded contemporary aviation capabilities, predating the Wright brothers' first flight by seven years.

On the same evening, a telegram reported similar sightings of an egg-shaped object over Red Bluff, California, approximately 162 miles from San Francisco. The author suggests the object may have traced the course of the Sacramento River between these two locations.

The second incident detailed occurred on April 19, 1897, in Sisterville, West Virginia. Residents were awakened by a "tube-shaped" object with red and green lights hovering over the town and projecting a searchlight onto the ground. The article highlights the significance of the 5 a.m. time and the date, noting a concurrent UFO sighting over Yates Center, Kansas, 800 miles away.

"DATA REDUCTION SYSTEM" by John Keel

This section introduces a proposed system for standardizing UFO sighting reports, developed by John Keel. The DRS aims to provide a numerical shorthand for key factors of a sighting, including:

1. DATE: Coded by year and day of the year (e.g., 69-106 for April 16, 1969).
2. TIME: Recorded in military 24-hour style (e.g., 2200 for 10 p.m.).
3. LOCALE: Pinpointed by area, state, and map coordinates (e.g., NC-G9 for North Carolina, G9 quadrant).
4. MOVEMENT: Coded letters indicating direction and motion (e.g., HN for hovering in the north, M for maneuvered, E for disappeared eastward).
5. TYPE: Classified using Dr. Vallee's system (Type I: unusual aerial object, spherical, discoid, complex form, maneuvering near ground or landing; Type II: cigars, cylinders, strange cloud formations; Type III: unusual object, spherical, discoid, complex form, stationary; Type IV: unusual object or light pursuing a course without pausing).

The article provides a sample DRS code: `69-106-2200--NC-G9-HN,M,E-III`.

"U.K. FIRST NATIONAL SPACE AND UFO CONVENTION" (Report)

This report details the first UK National Space and UFO Convention held on August 19, 1969. The author, while commending the venture by Interplanetary Space Travel Research Group and the efforts of Mike Parry, offers constructive criticism. Key points include:

• Entrance Fees: The difficulty in collecting entrance fees when the event was held in the open, suggesting a gate or enclosed venue for future events.
• Signage: The lack of clear and adequate signage to locate the venue, leading to confusion and wasted journeys.
• Scientologists: A strong objection is raised to the presence of Scientologists at a public UFO and Space Convention, deeming them inappropriate and potentially dangerous to the aims of raising public awareness about serious research.
• Future Conventions: Suggestions are made for electing a representative Convention Committee from participating groups to plan future events, possibly in a southern venue to ensure better organization and accessibility.
• Venue: The benefits of booking a hall are highlighted, including protection from weather, easier fee collection, provision of facilities like tables and chairs, and better public visibility.

The report concludes with a call to action for southern groups to host and organize the next convention.

"IN ORBIT" - Letters from Readers

This section features correspondence from readers, expressing their interest and offering feedback:

• Michael W. Burgess (Lowestoft) praises the magazine's standards and hopes for its continuation.
• Henk J. Hinfelaar (New Zealand) thanks the publication for its information and expresses willingness to exchange publications.
• John A. Keel (Anomaly) notes that many recent events are too bizarre to be publishable and that press interest is low.
• D.C. Hogg (Glasgow UFO Research Society) expresses thanks and wishes he had more time to contribute.
• John Rimmer (Merseyside UFO Bulletin) mentions the upcoming MUFOB and recounts an investigation into a sighting that led to police attention.
• Miss Janet Gregory (Coalville) is impressed with UFO Chronicle and decides to subscribe.
• Lucius Farish (Arkansas) requests complete information about the magazine.

"INFO SOURCES" and "WORLD UNION OF FLYING SAUCER CLUBS"

These sections provide extensive lists of resources and organizations relevant to UFO research:

• Info Sources: Lists various books, bibliographies, maps, pamphlets, and other materials related to UFOs, flying saucers, and related phenomena, including contact information for obtaining them.
• World Union of Flying Saucer Clubs (WUFS C): Lists regular member organizations that undertake to exchange publications. It encourages other research organizations to join to facilitate information exchange. The list includes numerous UFO research groups from the USA, Canada, UK, and Germany, along with their associated publications.

Satellite Re-entries Table

A detailed table lists satellite re-entries from May to August 1969, providing:

• Name of Object
• Date Decayed
• Time in Gut
• Location of Re-entry
• Ballistic Co-efficient

Notable entries include various Cosmos and Titan payloads, Luna 15, and Apollo 11.

Advertisements and Announcements

• UFOARB Special Issue: Announcement of a special report on over 1000 worldwide UFO sightings from 1968, including chronological listings, analysis, graphs, maps, and charts.
• PEGASUS: Announcement of the SIGAP Bulletin evolving into a quarto magazine called "Pegasus", with contact information for the Surrey Investigation Group.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of UFO Chronicle revolve around the historical documentation of UFO sightings, the standardization of UFO data through systems like John Keel's DRS, and the promotion of collaboration and information exchange among UFO research organizations. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry into UFO phenomena, encouraging objective reporting and research, while also being critical of groups perceived as unrelated or disruptive to the field, such as Scientologists at conventions. The magazine serves as a hub for disseminating information about publications, research groups, and significant events within the UFO community of 1969.

This issue of "UFO CHRONICLE" is a quarterly publication from UFO Researchers, based in England, providing the latest UFO information. It is available for 10/- or $2.00 per year. The publication covers a wide range of UFO-related content, including detailed sighting reports from various geographical regions, information on UFO organizations, and listings of upcoming events.

Dateline

The "DATELINE" section provides a schedule of upcoming events for September through March. These include:

• September: Northern Regional Conference of BUFORA in Wakefield with Maxwell Cade as guest speaker; CONTACT lectures at Caxton Hall, Westminster; COSMOS Warminster Project (Skywatch and Contact experiments); SIGAP meeting in Guildford with Ron Toft as guest speaker; a talk titled "The Flying Saucers - Whence Come They?" by Reginald A. Bradbury at Caxton Hall; and a Northern Sky Watching Bureau skywatch.
• October: BUFORA Annual General Meeting in London; CONTACT lectures; COSMOS Warminster Project; another Skywatch by the NSWB; and a meeting and lecture by The Flying Saucers Are Fact Society in Sheffield.
• November: CONTACT lectures; COSMOS meetings; and another Sky Watch by the NSWB.
• December: Publication of "UFO CHRONICLE" No. 5; CONTACT lectures; another Sky Watch by the NSWB.
• January: COSMOS meetings.
• February: COSMOS meetings.
• March: Publication of "UFO CHRONICLE" No. 6.

The editor requests that groups with planned events submit information at least a week before the publishing date.

Browsers

This section lists issues of magazines that can be found in second-hand bookshops, categorized by publication type:

• SCIENCE NEWS: Includes articles on "Flying Saucer Mystery," "More Flying Saucers," "Saucer Eludes Astronomers," "Cause Of The Flying Saucers," "No Visitors From Space," "Temperature Inversion Causes Flying Saucers," "Biblical Flying Saucers," "No Evidence For Saucers," "Saucers Explained," "UFOs Not From Mars," and "UFOs To Be Probed."
• POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY: Features articles such as "What Were The Flying Saucers," "Flying Saucers Are Old Stuff," "Magicians Scoff at Flying Saucers," "How To See Flying Saucers," "Hollywood Builds Flying Saucer," "How To Expose Flying Saucers," "Saucers On Radar," and "Why I Believe In Flying Saucers."
• SCIENCE: Includes listings for "Saucers ?", "Of Spots Before The Eyes," "Those Flying Saucers," "Reply To Dec.19, 1952 article," "Reply To 'Those Flying Saucers'," "Saucers, Pancakes and Such," "Condon To Head UFO Study," "UFOs Merit Scientific Study," and "Physics and Metaphysics of UFOs."
• SCIENCE & MECHANICS: Lists articles like "What Happened At Wanaque," "Ithaca's Terrifying UFO Epidemic - Part 1 & 2," "Condon Report: Fact Or Fiction," and "UFO Photographed By Astronaut Gordon."
• MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED: Features "10 Million Witnesses Can't Be Wrong," "What Project B Will Tell Us About UFOs," "How Flying Saucers Can Hurt You," and "The Man Who Saw Venus."

Stop Press

This section contains various news items and announcements:

• Representatives: The publication is seeking keen individuals to act as representatives in the North-West (Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska) and South-Central (Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas) United States.
• Truman Bethurum: The passing of Truman Bethurum, an early contactee and author of "Aboard A Flying Saucer," is reported.
• Too Outspoken: Dr. J. Allen Hynek's contract as chief UFO consultant to the United States Government has apparently not been renewed.
• Acknowledgements: Several exchange magazines are acknowledged, including Spaceview, UFO Medic, Journal of Paraphysics, DAPRO Journal, Saucer News, UFOs Unlimited, Panorama, Kansas Newsletter, AURO Journal, and GUFORS Newsletter. The publication will discontinue sending copies to magazines not sending an exchange copy.
• Objects In Orbit: According to the Volunteer Flight Officer Network, there are 1754 objects in space, comprising Earth orbiting payloads, debris, space probes, and space debris.
• First Convention: The first National UFO and Space Convention was held at Woburn Abbey, attended by one to two thousand people, with eleven stands representing various UFO research groups.
• NAPO Ends: The National Aerial Phenomenon Organisation, which published UFO Media, has closed down.
• Another Casualty: "UFO Phenomenon," the magazine of Aerial Phenomena Investigations and Research Center, has published its last issue.
• Skywatch Site: DAPRO has established a permanent skywatch site at map reference O.S. 161-523923.
• Rower Inspected: John Fairfax, who rowed across the Atlantic, stated he saw two flying saucers while at sea.

United Kingdom Sightings

This section details UFO sightings reported in the UK:

• July 25th, 1969, Bradford, Yorkshire: An object travelled slowly, stopped, then moved off. It reflected the sun's rays and was thought to be a helicopter but without noise.
• July 17th, 1969, Glasgow Airport: A disc was sighted hovering near the airport, followed by two more silvery discs. One approached a small plane before disappearing into clouds.
• July 10th, 1969, nr Bristol, Somerset: A disc-shaped object was observed hovering for at least 20 minutes, possibly accompanied by a vapour trail.
• July 8th, 1969, Aldingham, Lancashire: An object was seen hovering, described as round with coloured lights and leaving a smoke trail.
• July 7th, 1969, Parkstone, Bournemouth: A bright red object was seen travelling steadily, described as a long light in the sky.
• July 4th, 1969, nr Darlington, Yorkshire: Three bright lights (red, blue, white) were seen for about half an hour, moving slowly and rocking.

Continental Sightings

This section reports UFO sightings from outside the UK and North America:

• July 6th, 1969, Tunisia: Two unidentified objects appeared, one exploding like an atomic bomb, and another described as a blue spherical ring and later as a "blue sphere."
• June 6th, 1969, Husnes, Norway: A round shining disc was seen moving slowly, stationary above trees, then moving again and disappearing, later returning and observed for an hour with vertical and horizontal movement.
• June, 1969, Majorca: Mysterious sounds believed to have emanated from strange unidentified objects seen over Majorca.
• June, 1969, Santiago, Chile: Two electricians saw a flying saucer described as a cylinder shape, illuminated with fluorescent light.
• April 13th, 1969, Naadam, Holland: Big, bright, yellow-orange, noiseless lights were seen 15 degrees above the horizon.
• January 10th, 1969, Siggerud, Norway: An object travelled slowly from northeast to southwest, silently and with a pulsating motion, appearing as a "garden-table" with a diameter of 1.50 m.
• January 1st, 1969, Linkoping, Sweden: A strange phenomenon looked like a meteor but flew upwards from the ground with a pulsating light, seen for 45 minutes.

North American Sightings

This section details UFO sightings reported in North America:

• July 26th, 1969, Vancouver, BC, Canada: Strange lights were observed over Vancouver from 12:30 am to 3:30 am.
• July 23rd, 1969, Topeka, Kansas: A very bright star-like object was seen coming from the south and going north, stepping and wavering before disappearing.
• July 14th, 1969, Mattoon, Michigan: A star-like object was seen flashing and moving in unusual patterns, with red, green, and blue flashing lights, and detected vertical movement.
• July 9th, 1969, Danville, Pennsylvania: A blood-red light emanated from a brilliant floating object about the size of a bushel basket, making a noise similar to a jet motor.
• July 8th, 1969, South Topeka, Kansas: A very bright white light was seen coming from the east, travelling at a very high speed with no sound.
• July 2nd, 1969, nr Moscow, Michigan: An unidentified object appeared semi-round, elongated like a blimp at times, and round at others, stationary for a period, then took off.

South American Sightings

This section reports UFO sightings from South America:

• May 3rd, 1969, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A large unidentified flying object moving at ultra-fast speed, emitting blue, green, orange, and yellow light, was seen over Rio. It was described as twice the size of a full moon and maneuvered over the mountains before disappearing.
• May 1st, 1969, Puerto Rico: An unidentified flying object was seen at 21,000 metres by numerous witnesses, including personnel from the air traffic control tower.
• February 2nd, 1969, Chillan, Chile: Two cars mysteriously moved about 50 metres without leaving traces. A strange explosion and blinding light occurred, followed by a huge silver ball rising over the mountains. The car engines were found running, but batteries were disconnected.
• December 29th, 1968, Puebla, Mexico: A round object, about the size of Venus, was seen at the Popocatepetl Volcano, described as white and making no sound. It was later seen coming from the north towards the volcanoes.
• December 4th, 1968, Fortaleza, Brazil: A strange object flying over Iracema beach turned up again, making an impression on everyone who saw it for nearly four minutes before heading off for an unknown destination.
• May 31st, 1969, Sao Paulo, Brazil: A luminous ball was seen in the sky, causing a car to stop abruptly. The UFO emitted a little ball, and then the UFO and its ball disappeared.

For Sale and Wanted

This section lists books and publications related to UFOs that are available for purchase or wanted:

• For Sale: Includes titles such as "Flying Saucers Through The Ages," "My Contact with Flying Saucers," "The Flying Saucer Story," "The Sky People," "Inside The Spaceships," "Road In The Sky," "Other Tongues - Other Flesh," "The Saucers Speak," "The Scoriton Mystery," "The Warminster Mystery," "Spacemen In The Ancient East," and "The Uninvited Visitors."
• Recommended: Lists J. Vallee's books "ANATOMY OF A PHENOMENON" and "CHALLENGE TO SCIENCE."
• UFO CHRONICLE: Back issues are available for Vol.1. No.1, Vol.1. No.2, Vol.1. No.3, No.53, Vol.2. No.3, and July/August,69.
• The Humanoids: Edited by Charles Bowen.
• Wanted: Includes titles like "Flying Saucers Are Real," "Flying Saucer Conspiracy," "Flying Saucers Have Landed," "Coming Of The Saucers," "Flying Saucers: Fact Or Fiction," "Piece For A Jigsaw," "Flying Saucers Come From Another World," and "Twenty Years Of Flying Saucers."
• Reports: References a nine-page report from the Oklahoma Dept. of Public Safety in 1965 and minutes from the April 5th, 1966 Hearings of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Advertising Rates

Details are provided for advertising rates in the publication, with options for page blocks and per-word costs.

Other Publications and Organizations

This section provides information on various UFO-related magazines and organizations:

• "Understanding": Edited by Dr. Daniel W. Fry, available for $2.50 per year.
• Three French UFO Organisations: G.E.O.C.N.I., G.E.M.C.C., & C.E.R.E.I.C. jointly produce "Phenomenes Inconnus," costing 23 Francs.
• "UFO Potpourri": An exchange magazine available from John F. Schuessl.
• United Aerial Phenomena Agency: Publishes "Flying Saucer Digest," a quarterly magazine available for $3.50 per year.
• A.O.A.: Publishes a bi-monthly magazine in Spanish called "Espacio."
• "UFORC Bulletin": An exchange magazine edited by Rob. B. Dyke.
• The Ohioian UFO Investigations Network: Publishes a bi-monthly magazine "Eyewitness," available for $3.50 per year.
• "Skylook": An excellent, information-packed monthly magazine with about 24 pages, available for $3.00 per year.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of "UFO CHRONICLE" are the reporting of UFO sightings from around the globe, the promotion of UFO research through various organizations and publications, and the sharing of information about upcoming events and resources. The editorial stance appears to be one of active engagement and information dissemination within the UFO community, encouraging participation and the exchange of data. The publication serves as a central hub for UFO enthusiasts to stay informed about sightings, research, and related activities.