UFO Magazine Annual 1967

Magazine Overview

This issue is the "SAUCER ALBUM UFO MAGAZINE ANNUAL 1967," edited by Rick Hilberg. It presents a collection of articles and reports related to UFO phenomena, UFO investigations, and related mysteries.

The Challenge of the Green Fireballs

Authored by Allan J. Manak, this article examines the phenomenon of Green Fireballs, which are described as globes of green fire with a brightness more intense than the full moon. These fireballs have baffled astronomers and scientists since their discovery in the fall of 1948. Manak highlights that their color, corresponding to a wavelength of 5200 angstroms, is unusual and that copper particles, previously scarce in the atmosphere of 'fireball' areas like Arizona and New Mexico, have since been found there. The article contrasts Green Fireballs with meteors, noting key differences: Green Fireballs travel in straight lines, are silent, and do not break into fragments upon exploding, unlike meteors. Dr. Lincoln LaPaz is quoted stating that normal fireballs are not green and move too regularly and too fast. The article also compares them to 'Lightning Type Fireballs,' which can be electrostatic phenomena occurring during thunderstorms, but argues this is not a sufficient explanation for Green Fireballs. Since 1948, Green Fireballs have been widely reported, leading to the establishment of 'Project Twinkle' by the Air Force to investigate them, though the project eventually failed. The article notes that Green Fireball sightings often coincide with UFO flaps, suggesting a possible relationship between the two phenomena.

Giant Saucer Flap Stirs the Nation!!!

Written by Rick Hilberg, this section discusses a resurgence of UFO investigations after a period of perceived inactivity. Hilberg notes that after 1963, reports began to improve, with significant interest in strange craters found in Charlton, England. The year 1964 is highlighted due to the Lonnie Zamora sighting of an egg-shaped machine, which may have extended into the current flap. The article points out that for the first time in years, the national press has devoted significant space to UFO reports, with a more serious tone than in the past. The Mariner fly-by of Mars is mentioned as a potential factor increasing public interest. The article then presents a sample of UFO reports from July, including a lens-shaped object sighted at the South Pole, which caused electromagnetic interference, and sightings in Argentina and Portugal. In Portugal, strange objects were reported, one described as a luminous flattened balloon that turned into a plate, and another as a cylindrical white object at high altitude. In Marion, South Carolina, a 'real bright object' was seen. In Pepper Pike, Ohio, a brilliant, oblong, metallic object was observed hovering. Greenwood, Indiana, reported two unidentified lights, one cigar-shaped and another round. The article also touches upon sightings in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland, where a weather balloon was initially suggested as an explanation but later dismissed. Other explanations offered included satellites and Venus.

UFO Sightings from Various Locations

The issue details numerous specific sightings:

• Uruguay-Argentina: A four-legged object was reported to have touched down briefly on a beach in Uruguay and then shot skywards. Another report from Buenos Aires described a photographed object hovering over a gas plant.
• Anaheim, California: A woman, her husband, and son reported seeing a round, color-changing UFO that moved in a straight line and emitted 'arms of light.'
• Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming (August): Unidentified 'blips' on radar and visual sightings confirmed UFO activity. The objects were described as having bright lights and varying shapes and movements.
• Wellington, Kansas: Deputy Sheriff Everett Tucker and his wife reported seeing an egg-shaped object moving rapidly, trailing red vapor.
• Oklahoma: Four mysterious craft in a diamond formation were sighted, changing colors from red to white to blue-green and moving erratically.
• Dallas: Lights formed triangular patterns and flashed from red to green to blue-white, criss-crossing the area.
• Colorado State Penitentiary: Tower guards observed a bluish-white light that faded and reappeared brighter.
• Caldwell, Kansas: Two police officers reported seeing a hovering flying saucer, described as a large, white, red, and bluish-green object, possibly egg-shaped, approximately a hundred yards long.
• North Texas: Residents reported a 'flying saucer' landing.
• Hennepin and Anoka Counties, Minnesota: Law enforcement officers reported seeing objects that moved erratically, darted, and traveled northeastward.
• Abilene, Kansas: A truck driver reported being buzzed by a flying saucer, described as round, orange-colored, about 14-15 feet in diameter, emitting flashing reddish rays.

The Great Isosceles Triangle of England

Authored by J. Goddard, this article explores a theory connecting leys (ancient earth energy lines), prehistoric monuments, and UFO sightings. Ufologist Tony Weed's booklet "Skyways and Landmarks" is mentioned, which proposed a connection between leys, alignments, and orthoteny (straight-line patterns of sightings). The article details the discovery of a large isosceles triangle in England, formed by leys, which accurately connects to the Calais-Southend orthoteny. Key ley centers like Arbor Low, Glastonbury, and West Mersea are mentioned. The article suggests that this network of ancient sites, with its precise measurements, implies an advanced technology beyond that of prehistoric ancestors, raising questions about the purpose of UFOs using these leys.

The Overseal Sighting

This section details a significant sighting from September 13, 1962, near Overseal, Derbyshire. Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Jones observed a grey, luminous object, larger than their car, hovering above telegraph poles. The object was curved underneath with a domed top and dark spots around its base, appearing to revolve slowly. It made a 'swishing sound like a rocket' before disappearing. This sighting is considered one of the most important for 1962.

Airliner Chases UFO Over Colorado!!!

On April 1, 1966, a Frontier Air Line pilot was asked by Lowry Air Force Base to investigate a UFO south of Denver. Pilot Warren Heckman spotted colored lights attached to a moving object, which then appeared to land. Speculation arose that it might have been a tower, but the article questions how an Air Force base and an airline pilot could mistake a stationary tower for a moving object.

Visual Evidence and Reports

The issue includes several photographic and artistic representations of UFOs:

• Unidentified Flying Objects (Buenos Aires): White discs photographed remaining stationary for about 10 minutes before flying away at great speed.
• Eight Black Oval Marks: These marks appeared on a photograph taken near Junction City, Kansas, of sky divers. The photographer did not see the objects at the time.
• UFO? (Oklahoma): An artist's rendition based on an Air Force weather observer's description of a tadpole-shaped object with rotating red lights surrounded by a blue halo, sighted over Oklahoma.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the persistent nature of UFO sightings, the challenges in explaining them with conventional science, and the potential for these phenomena to be related to ancient sites and earth energies (ley lines). The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry into UFOs, presenting various reports and theories without outright dismissal, and encouraging further investigation into these unexplained events. The magazine aims to document and analyze UFO activity, suggesting that these are not mere fantasies but potentially significant phenomena requiring scientific attention.

Title: NEW SAUCER FLAP STRIKES THE MIDWEST!
Issue Date: 1966
Publisher: UFO MAGAZINE
Author: Rick R. Hilberg

This issue of UFO MAGAZINE, dated 1966, focuses on a significant wave of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings that occurred in the Midwestern United States. The article aims to provide a balanced perspective, acknowledging sensational statements while presenting a middle-road approach to the reported phenomena.

Key Sightings and Reports

The report details numerous incidents from March and April 1966:

March 1966

• March 20, 1966 - Ann Arbor, Michigan: Over forty individuals, including twelve police officers, reported seeing an unidentified flying object. Sheriff's deputies described eerie blinking lights rising and dipping, while another policeman reported a formation of four saucers. Patrolman Robert Huniwell stated one machine came within ten feet of his patrol car.
• March 21, 1966 - Hillsdale, Michigan: Farmer Frank Mannor reported observing a football-shaped saucer with a waffled skin and red lights about 500 yards away. His son also witnessed the event. The object reportedly took off with a sound like a ricochetting bullet. The Air Force later attempted to explain such reports as "glowing swamp gas." Separately, a county Civil Defense director, William Van Horn, and eighty-seven coeds observed a hovering saucer for three hours in a hollow. Van Horn described it as round and oblong, while a student, Sara Robechek, compared its size to a house with many lights, which later turned yellowish, with a red light in the center.
• March 25, 1966 - Upper Sandusky, Ohio: Everett Will reported seeing an object resembling an upside-down top or Christmas tree. Sheriff's deputies investigated but found no evidence.
• March 25, 1966 - Lucas County, Ohio: Deputies Robert Schultz and Stanley Nalepa reported seeing a large object with glowing red lights and a halo at tree-top level that vanished when they approached.
• March 28, 1966 - Columbus, Georgia: An airport control tower operator, Doyle Palmer, and six Columbus policemen observed a glowing, oblong, greenish-white, cigar-shaped object maneuvering high in the sky. The object was tracked on radar for over an hour in Columbus and Atlanta.
• Green Bay, Wisconsin: Four police officers and a high school science teacher sighted a glowing green or white saucer.

April 1966

• April 1, 1966 - Berea, Ohio: Two policemen reported seeing an "orange glow as big as a house" floating above trees. They observed it again on the 29th and later sighted it over the Ohio Turnpike administration building.
• April 1, 1966 - Chillicothe, Ohio: Newsman Ted Scott reported seeing two objects in the western sky and one in the east, described as red, green, and blue pulsating lights.
• Springfield, Ohio: A farmer, Charles Schneider, reported a burned spot in his wheat field, about twelve feet long and two feet wide. Neighbors suggested a UFO might be responsible. A neighbor, Dorothy Newsome, reported seeing a large, strange light momentarily in the area.
• April 17, 1966 - Ravenna, Ohio: Deputies Dale F. Spaur and W. L. Neff encountered a blinding white light while investigating an abandoned car. Deputy Spaur estimated the hovering saucer to be fifty to sixty feet in diameter and heard a definite hum. They chased the disk-shaped object with a dome and two spotlights for nearly two hours, covering approximately 60 miles to near Freedom, Pennsylvania. Police Chief Gerald Buchert of Mantua, Ohio took a photograph of the object during the chase. The Air Force later claimed the object was Venus, a claim disputed by the magazine due to Venus's visibility and the chase's direction.

Photographic Evidence

The issue includes several photographs related to UFO sightings:

• A photo taken on November 13, 1966, by Ralph Ditter, a Zanesville, Ohio barber, showing a flying object over his home, taken with a Polaroid camera.
• A photo taken on August 2, 1965, by a television cameraman, Bob Campbell, in Sherman, Texas, showing an unidentified flying object. Campbell, accompanied by Patrolman Pete McCollum, observed the object for 1.5 hours and used a 2-minute exposure on Tri-X film.
• A photograph taken by Police Chief Gerald Buchert of Mantua, Ohio, during the chase of a UFO on April 17, 1966, showing a half-disk at a distance. The magazine claims to possess a screenshot of this photo from television.

UFO Organizations and Subscriptions

The magazine promotes the Cleveland Aerial Phenomena Investigations Club (C.A.P.I.C.), founded in 1964 with a scientific approach to UFOs. Membership and a subscription to UFO MAGAZINE cost $2.00 per year, providing a monthly newsletter and larger, printed magazines with detailed information, articles, and photographs.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The primary theme is the prevalence and nature of UFO sightings in the Midwest during 1966, emphasizing reports from law enforcement and credible witnesses. The magazine adopts a critical stance towards official explanations, particularly the Air Force's identification of a chased object as Venus. The editorial stance appears to favor the serious investigation of UFO phenomena, encouraging a scientific approach through organizations like C.A.P.I.C. and providing detailed accounts of sightings and photographic evidence.