UFO Newsclipping Service - 1971 05 - no 25

Magazine Overview

Title: U.F.O. MAY
Issue: 25
Volume: 1971
Date: May 1971
Publisher: UFO Research Committee
Country: USA
Language: English

Cover Story: An Eerie Ghost Light in the Sky

The lead story, "An eerie ghost light in the sky" by Joe Wolff, details the phenomenon of a "ghost light" reported nightly for three weeks in Clare, Michigan. The light attracted carloads of teenagers and adults, leading to traffic control by State Police. Initially dismissed as a prank, the sightings grew, with people claiming the light appears from 9:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the same general area on Herrick Road. State Police troopers Charles Ludwick and Lon Kenny patrolled the area due to traffic complaints. Spectators like Kim Tyler and Linda Naugle described the light, while Richard Reid called it a "ghost light that appears and disappears." Mrs. Barbara Reid described the experience as "the most weird" she had ever had, noting the light swooped down and followed their car. Francis H. Bauder, a cabin owner on Herrick Road, also reported seeing a "meteorite flash across the sky."

Local Sightings and Reports

Hillsdale, Michigan: The Hillsdale Daily News reported on April 14, 1971, a UFO sighting between Montgomery and Reading, and later over Hillsdale. A Montgomery woman reported her husband saw flashing red lights among white stripes, describing the object as a "large gray cloud." Hillsdale City Police officers John Henry and Steven Baker reportedly did not observe the alleged UFO.

Ashland and Ironwood, Wisconsin: The Ashland and Ironwood Police Departments reported sightings of strange lights and moving objects in the sky. Police officers observed double and single lights that appeared to change positions. One officer described the speed as "fantastic," and another noted the lights were often in formation. Veikko Jarvi, a dam keeper, described seeing objects that were "half moon size, like a disk with windows."

• England:
• Dorking Advertiser: Reported four UFO sightings in the Dorking area, including a bright, slightly elliptical object and a white object resembling a Vulcan bomber. One witness described seeing three lights in a banana shape.
• West Cumberland Times: Reported two UFO sightings, one involving a bright greenish-yellow light seen by farmer Ronald Sterry, and another of two shiny objects spinning in the sky.
• Birmingham Evening Mail: Featured a story about a Perth couple who claimed their car was "attacked" by two fiery globes, one red and one white, traveling at high speed on the South-Western Highway.
• Express & Echo (Exeter): Mr. Philip Abbott reported seeing a symmetrical grey vapor trail, which he believed might be from a flying saucer, describing it as a "searchlight in reverse."
• Hereford Evening News: Reported a bright flash in the sky followed by a bright light that disintegrated, with investigations being inconclusive.

• Australia:
• The Sunday Times (Perth): Discussed theories about a UFO picture taken by photographer Ted Henderson, who emphatically stated the images were not reflections and had an intense blue outline.
• The Illawarra Daily Mercury (Wollongong): Reported on a Perth motorist and his wife who described how two unidentified flying objects "attacked" their car on the South-Western Highway.
• The Newcastle Morning Herald: Reported a sighting of an object shaped like the exhaust of a jet plane, with a fiery, slightly orange glow, that sped earthwards and disappeared.
• Temora Independent: Reported that Shire President Cr. Alan Harper and his wife sighted a bright, silver, circular object over their property. Three Wagga youths also reported seeing strange lights and two similar objects.

• New Zealand:
• The Northland Times (Dargaville): A Waihue woman reported seeing a bright round light with yellow fingers of light, traveling slowly and appearing to have protruding and retracting fingers.
• The Waikato Times (Hamilton): Residents reported hearing a high-pitched whirring noise described as "like a flying saucer," which lasted for hours and seemed to move around.
• Taranaki Herald (New Plymouth): Reported sightings of a bright light off the North Taranaki coast near Urenui.

Scientific Interest and Investigations

St. Louis Globe-Democrat: An article by Lynn Hawkins discusses the "Serious Interest Still Thrives in Space Sightings." It highlights the upcoming Midwest UFO Conference, where scientists and researchers would discuss UFO phenomena. John F. Schuessler, an engineer, stated that in many sightings, objects are real and unexplainable. He also mentioned the possibility of "extra-terrestrial life" and that scientists are keeping an open mind. The article notes that even the Air Force admitted in a book for cadets an "unpleasant possibility of alien visitors or at least alien-controlled UFOs."

The Spectator (Canada): "The UFOs Even Science Could Not Debunk" by Allen Spraggett discusses the opinions of scientists James McDonald and J. Allen Hynek, who believe UFOs likely exist. Hynek, a former consultant to the U.S. Air Force, considers 20% of sightings unexplained. The article references the Condon Report, stating it did not debunk UFOs and conceded that some cases were not discredited, citing the McMinnville, Oregon sighting as a classic example.

• Other Scientific Notes:
• Experimental Balloons: An article clarifies that certain large, round objects seen floating are not UFOs but Satellite Navigation Experiments.
• UFOs 'Attack' Couple: A report from Perth details a motorist's claim of his car being chased by two unidentified flying objects.
• UFOs, Duck Over: An article discusses Captain Cathie's views on UFOs as advanced concepts of space travel, man-made, and utilizing known principles.
• Confusion: Reports on astronaut sightings, including Major Robert White and Gordon Cooper, and the official reluctance to confirm or speculate on their meaning.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the persistent reports of unidentified flying objects across various locations globally, the scientific community's ongoing interest and investigation into these phenomena, and the public's fascination with the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The editorial stance appears to be one of presenting factual reports of sightings while also including scientific perspectives and investigations, acknowledging that while many sightings can be explained, a significant portion remains unexplained, posing a challenge to current scientific understanding. There's an underlying tone that UFOs are a serious subject worthy of investigation, despite the "hysteria" sometimes associated with it.

This issue of "The SUN" (Vol. 216.5, April 15, 1971) from Melbourne, Australia, compiles a series of reports on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and related phenomena from various locations and time periods, spanning from the 1950s to early 1970s. The cover headline, "Petrified by a UFO - driver," highlights a dramatic encounter.

UFO Sighting: Driver Chased Near Sydney

An article details the experience of John Clucas, a 37-year-old insurance salesman from Wahroonga, Australia, who claimed a 3ft. diameter blinding light chased his car for 13 miles from Penrith to Windsor, on the outskirts of Sydney, on January 5, 1971. The light, which appeared outside Penrith, stayed close to his car, either a few feet off his back bumper or about a quarter of a mile behind, regardless of his speed. He stated that at one stage he drove his Mini Cooper at over 80 mph, but the light kept pace. The light illuminated the inside of his car and blinded him when he looked in the rear vision mirror. He had only told one friend about the incident.

Bowlers Sight UFO Over Deniliquin

Another report from Australia describes an incident on Wednesday night in Deniliquin, where about 50 bowlers taking part in a night tournament witnessed a strange object hovering over the bowling club for about three minutes. The object was described as cylindrical, about three to four feet long and two feet in diameter, with a white light in the center. Mr. J. Walsh, the club's secretary-manager, stated the object moved slowly from east to west, about 20 to 30 feet above the club-house, before floating out of sight. While some speculated it might have been a balloon device, no supporting balloon or wires were visible. There was also a report of a meteorite crashing west of Deniliquin on the same Wednesday.

UFO Over Irish Sea

A report from England details numerous sightings of an unidentified flying object over the Irish Sea on the night of April 12, 1971. Coastguards and lifeboatmen from the North West, Isle of Man, and Northern Ireland received many reports. People described seeing a bright flaring light at a great height, followed by a cone-shaped object glowing red. The object reportedly fell at high speed towards the sea and disappeared. A Formby coastguard spokesman confirmed that weather operations, flight paths, and air exercises had been checked, and the object remained a mystery.

What Was It? Over Waharoa, New Zealand

Six people in Matamata, New Zealand, witnessed a large glowing object in the sky over Waharoa on Sunday evening, March 28, 1971. A family reported seeing a bright light hovering for about five minutes, after which a "flame" fell off the object and it disappeared. Another couple described an "oblong light" gliding towards Waharoa, from which a "blob" of light fell. Civil Aviation stated that no aircraft were in the vicinity at the time.

Man Claims He Was Sucked Through Window

An unusual report from Greenhill, Australia, details a man who claimed he was sucked or drawn through a window pane in his kitchen by a strange, saucer-shaped face at the window. The man, aged 34, fell seven feet to the ground but was unhurt except for minor cuts. His wife reported hearing glass breaking and seeing her husband's legs and hips disappearing horizontally through the window. The incident occurred after a number of people in Kempsey reported sighting a strange, bright light in the sky.

Flying Saucers in the 50s: A Collection of Reports

The issue includes several older reports, primarily from the 1950s, highlighting the ongoing interest in UFOs:

• Mystery Object Baffles A.F. Experts (Montreal, Canada, Nov. 10, 1953): Air Force authorities were baffled by a mysterious "unidentified flying object" seen over Canada's key air defense establishment. The object, described as a red light, disappeared north at a speed estimated faster than sound and did not register on radar. Accounts varied, with some describing it as a "long red cigar" or a "black ball with a red light."

• AF Hears Less of Flying Saucers (Washington, July 15, 1959): The Air Force reported a decrease in flying saucer sightings in the first six months of 1959 compared to the previous half-year. Their investigation had "provided no evidence to confirm the existence of the popularily termed 'flying saucers' as interplanetary or interstellar spaceships." Most sightings were identified as astronomical bodies or natural phenomena.

• Fast Uru SignTea By Veteran Pilot (Honolulu, July 12, 1959): A veteran Pan American Airways pilot reported seeing an object with extremely bright lights flash by his plane over the Pacific "faster than anything I've ever seen." The object made an abrupt 90-degree turn and disappeared.

• Europe (London, May 1, 1959): A Soviet scientist suggested that the two tiny moons of Mars are artificial space stations.

• Unfamiliar Object Discovered in Sky (San Diego, April 12, 1959): Astronomers announced the discovery of a fast-moving object in the northern sky, potentially an unusual asteroid or minor planet.

• Unexplained Explosion Shakes Up Giles Area (Pearisburg, Va., July 17, 1959): A loud, unexplained explosion jolted the town, with authorities investigating. A jet plane was in the vicinity, but the noise was too loud to be attributed to breaking the sound barrier.

• Flying Discs Reported Over Korea (Washington, Feb. 19, 1952): The Air Force disclosed that two U.S. bombers' crew members had sighted objects resembling "flying discs" over Korea. The objects were described as globe-shaped, bright orange, and emitting occasional bluish light. An investigation was ordered.

• 'Saucer' Over Ontario Identified as Bomber (Ottawa, April 21, 1952): Transport Minister Chevrier stated that an object seen streaking across the sky at high speed over Southwestern Ontario was an RAF Canberra bomber, not a mystery aircraft.

• Reports Rife Flying-Saucer In Germany (Bonn, Sept. 23, 1954): Germans had begun to organize saucer spotters, with many reports of sightings. Max Gerstenberger, a leading UFO investigator, blamed American author Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe for fueling the "myth" behind saucer reports. Some astronomers were skeptical, while others feared the sightings might be related to frenzied Russian rocket and space-ship research.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the widespread nature of UFO sightings across different continents and the consistent descriptions of objects exhibiting unusual shapes, lights, and flight characteristics. The reports often involve eyewitness accounts from ordinary citizens and, in some cases, military personnel. The editorial stance appears to be one of reporting these phenomena, acknowledging official investigations (or lack thereof), and presenting various theories, from natural explanations to the possibility of advanced technology or extraterrestrial origins. The inclusion of older reports suggests a long-standing interest in the subject matter.