UFO Magazine - vol 2 number 4

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO MAGAZINE Combined with Saucer Album
Issue: Volume 2 Number 4
Date: Summer 1965
Price: 25¢

This issue marks the second year of UFO Magazine as a regularly-scheduled professional publication. It features prominent articles on astronaut sightings and historical UFO cases, alongside advertisements for related books and organizations.

Spacemen See Mystery Object

The lead article details the experience of astronauts Edward White and James McDivitt during their space mission. On their 19th orbit, McDivitt reported sighting a celestial object with "big arms sticking out." He managed to capture some footage with a movie camera and a Hasselblad still camera before losing sight of the object. NASA officials suggested it might be the Pegasus 2 satellite, a large unmanned satellite with a 96-foot wingspread, launched on May 25th. The article notes that Russian cosmonauts had also reported seeing unidentified satellites.

The Legacy of Captain Mantell by Allen Greenfield

This extensive article, an excerpt from the forthcoming book "Ufology: An Informal Survey," re-examines the famous case of Captain Thomas Mantell, who died on January 7, 1948, near Godman AFB, Kentucky, while reportedly pursuing a UFO. The author, Allen Greenfield, questions the widely accepted narrative of Mantell's death, suggesting that he may not have died at all. Greenfield argues that the official account is too smooth and that there are inconsistencies in the evidence. He points to the testimony of a friend of Mantell's who described him as a cautious pilot, making his alleged reckless pursuit of an unidentified object questionable. Greenfield also brings up the case of Captain Killian, a civilian pilot who was allegedly silenced after reporting multiple UFO sightings, as an example of how authorities might suppress information.

Greenfield proposes two hypothetical situations for the Mantell case: either the UFO was a conventional phenomenon (like a balloon, though astronomer J. Allan Hynek stated Venus was not visible at the time) or the rumor account of Mantell seeing a "metallic" object of "tremendous size" with "windows" and exclaiming "MY GOD THERE'S PEOPLE IN IT!!" is accurate. He suggests that if Mantell survived, he might have been silenced by the military, similar to the alleged silencing of Captain Killian. The author concludes by stating that while he cannot prove his contentions, he believes there is a case for a living Mantell and hopes his article will encourage further investigation.

Other Reports and Advertisements

Omega

An advertisement for "Omega - The Controversial Phenomena Bulletin" by Lucius Farish is presented, priced at $1.25 in the U.S. and Canada, and $2.00 elsewhere. Orders are to be made payable to Armand A. Laprade.

Special Pre-Publication Offer

An offer for "UFOlogy: An Informal Survey," edited by Allen S. Greenfield and published by American UFO Committee, is available for $1.00 before its October publication, after which it will sell for $1.25. Readers are instructed to send $1. to UFO Magazine Publications.

Flying Saucer Books

An advertisement for "Flying Saucer Books" by John Roby offers new, used, and scarce books, with a catalog available for 25¢.

Hampton Lake, New Jersey Landing

This section details a report from Hampton Lake, New Jersey, where Mrs. Carol Tischuk discovered a circular imprint in the sand. The imprint, approximately 18 feet in diameter, had a blackened, solid rim and an inner circle of fused sand. Mrs. Tischuk's friend, Mrs. Lorraine Moore, reported seeing an "oversized platter"-like object with a cockpit and antennae that matched her car's speed.

Amalgamated Flying Saucer Clubs of America (AFSCA)

An advertisement for AFSCA, a contactee-oriented flying saucer club, promotes their magazine "UFO International." They offer color photos of a 70-foot diameter spaceship taken near Albuquerque, New Mexico, by Mr. A. A. Villa, Jr. The magazine features contactee reports and is available via subscription. Back issues are also offered for sale.

"I Talk With The Space People By Short Wave Radio!"

This section features Bob Renaud's claim of communicating with extraterrestrials via shortwave radio for over three years. He describes viewing them in their spaceships on TV, meeting them, and even walking outside a spaceship in outer space.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of UFO Magazine strongly emphasizes the critical examination of official accounts and the exploration of controversial theories within the UFO field. The editorial, written by Rick R. Hilberg, highlights the importance of a "code of ethics" established at the 1965 Congress of Scientific Ufologists, urging for factual reporting and an end to slander among publications. The magazine's stance appears to be one of open inquiry, encouraging readers to question established narratives, particularly in cases like Captain Mantell's, and to consider alternative explanations, even those that seem fantastic. The recurring theme is the potential for suppressed information and the need for independent investigation into UFO phenomena.