UFO Newsclipping Service - 1981 02 - no 139

Magazine Overview

This issue of the EXAMINER & CHRONICLE, dated February 8, 1981, prominently features a cover story about a woman's alleged flying saucer sighting. The publication appears to be a newspaper or magazine focused on UFOs and related phenomena, drawing from various sources and historical accounts.

Cover Story: "If the lady says she saw a flying saucer, then she saw a flying saucer"

The lead article details the experience of Cindy Gaffney, an eight-months pregnant woman from San Francisco's Richmond District. At approximately 4 a.m., she reported hearing a loud humming noise from her backyard. Upon investigation, she saw what she described as a classic flying saucer, "two of them, upside down and next to each other," approximately four feet high and eight to ten feet long. The object was white with a slight fluorescent glow, with no windows or visible features. It landed in her neighbor's cemented backyard and remained for about ten minutes before departing. Mrs. Gaffney stated she was "100 percent sure" of what she saw, dismissing any possibility of hallucination. Her husband, Cari, also heard the noise and saw a general outline. The object reportedly left a round, whitish mark on the patio. When she called the police, they reportedly did not respond, and the California Academy of Sciences expressed no interest in UFOs. Her neighbor, Ros Makaroff, whose yard was the landing site, had slept in and did not hear the humming, but noted the round spot on his patio, which he said used to be covered with earth and had rose bushes.

Looking Back: A Collection of UFO Sightings

The issue includes a section titled "LOOKING BACK (ALL CLIPPINGS FROM THE FILES OF THE LATE GEORGE F. HAAS; ALL FROM CALIFORNIA PAPERS)" which compiles various historical UFO reports:

• Sunday, June 29, 1947 (San Francisco Examiner): Reports of "Flying Saucers" seen in Oregon, with Mrs. Sidney B. Smith describing a "round" object flying soundlessly.
• Sunday, Dec. 18, 1949 (San Francisco Chronicle): A "Stunting' Disc" sighted by a ship's officer near Victoria, B.C., described as a "bright light" moving erratically.
• Friday, April 28, 1958 (Oakland Post-Enquirer): Co-Pilot Robert Manning of Trans-World Airline reported seeing a "shapeless" object, glowing a dull red, cruise alongside his air liner 2000 feet over Indiana.
• January 23, 1951 (Independent, Richmond, CA): Airlines Pilot Spots Huge Mystery Craft in Iowa Sky. Pilot Larry W. Vinther described a mystery plane "as large or half-again as large" as a B-29.
• August 11, 1952 (Berkeley Daily Gazette): Japanese Report Flying Saucers. A dentist in Beppu, Kyushu, reported seeing two bright circular objects.
• April 4, 1952 (San Francisco Examiner): Mars Acts Up: Strange Formations Seen on Planet. Japanese astronomers reported new observations of strange cloud formations on Mars.
• July 17, 1952 (Berkeley Daily Gazette): Those Flyin' Saucers Are Back Again! Pilots W. B. Nash and W. H. Fortenberry of Pan American Airways reported seeing eight huge discs in formation at supersonic speed near Norfolk, Va.
• July 17, 1952 (Berkeley Daily Gazette): Air Force Starts Probe of Saucers. The Air Force received reports of eight objects seen by two airline pilots.
• July 4, 1952 (FAIRBANKS, Alaska, U.P.): Meteor or Guided Cone, It Has Alaskans Guessing. The Alaska Air Command announced a flaming object was a meteor, but investigations were to continue.

International UFO Reports

Several international reports are also featured:

• Nov. 28, 1980 (KRIGHLEY NEWS, Yorkshire, England): Mark Adams reported seeing "red, green, and white lights" over Broomhill.
• Dec. 5, 1980 (NEWS & ADVERTISER, Lynn, England): More UFO sightings, including a report from Mrs. Julie Williamson about her daughter seeing flashing lights.
• Dec. 5, 1980 (EVENING POST, Doncaster, England): Mr. Wright's Close Encounter at 5 am. Jacky Wright reported seeing a brilliant, stationary light.
• Dec. 12, 1980 (EVENING ECHO, Bournemouth, England): Sky spy spots a wriggle riddle. Reports of UFOs over Christchurch, described as zig-zagging.
• Dec. 6, 1980 (TIMES, Darlington & Stockton, England): UFOS REPORTED IN TEESDALE. Two separate sightings of a silver and red object and a "saucer-like white object" were reported.
• Jan. 17, 1981 (MAIL, Oxford, England): Riddle of the strange UFOS. Reports of bright lights over Oxfordshire, including a dome-shaped object with a searchlight beam.
• Dec. 18, 1980 (EVENING NEWS, Bolton, England): 'Factory in sky' riddle. Sightings of a "multi-coloured object which kept changing shape" over the Bolton area.
• Dec. 18, 1980 (TIMES, Orpington, England): Speedy UFO spotted. Dozens of people reported seeing a bright light moving at fantastic speed.
• Jan. 2, 1981 (INDICATOR, Redditch, England): UFOs. Reports of UFOs flying above Redditch, with one witness reporting her car's windscreen wipers stopping inexplicably.

Scientific Skepticism and Cryptids

• Jan. 4, 1981 (SUN, Toronto, Ontario, Canada): "Unidentified flying rubbish." Dr. Robert Hudek, a science teaching master at Seneca College, dismisses UFOs as hoaxes, attributing sightings to misidentified natural phenomena or psychological reasons. He is skeptical of abduction claims and the lack of clear photographic evidence.
• Jan. 2, 1981 (TIMES, Hereford, England): Mystery of the lights on the 18th. A golfing party reported a strange formation of lights over Kington Golf Club.
• Jan. 7, 1981 (CITIZEN, Gloucester, England): UFO seen over Forest? Albert Chamberlain reported seeing an object move towards Cinderford Hill and descend into a wood.
• Jan. 12, 1981 (MAIL, Oxford, England): Couple's star turn. A Berinsfield couple reported a bright, flashing light over Benson that changed color and disappeared.
• Dec. 21, 1980 (SUNDAY TIMES, Capetown, South Africa): 'Cloud-like' UFO seen over the Cape. Residents reported an object that looked like a cloud but emitted a brilliant light.
• Jan. 13, 1981 (MAIL, Oxford, England): Riddle of lights in the sky. Further reports of bright lights over Oxfordshire, with one sighting described as an "oval shape" with a "yellow jet" coming out of the back.
• Jan. 15, 1981 (WESTERN TELEGRAPH, Haverfordwest, Wales, U.K.): UFO sighting from the past. A former schoolteacher defends UFOs, recounting her late husband's encounter with inhabitants of a spacecraft in 1952.
• Dec. 10, 1980 (HERALD, Bellingham, WA): Man says sasquatch tracks located. Jon Beckjord of Project Bigfoot reported finding tracks believed to be from a juvenile sasquatch.
• Dec. 10, 1980 (EVENING MAIL, Birmingham, England): A juvenile bigfoot? Reports from China about the search for a man-beast called "fei fei."
• Feb. 15, 1981 (JOURNAL, Albuquerque, NM): Mutilation Mystery Inspires Gripping Tale. A book review of "The Cattle Mutilators" by John J. Dalton.
• Feb. 13, 1981 (NEW MEXICAN, Santa Fe, NM): Hidden story behind mutilations. An article discussing the investigation into livestock mutilations and a potential "stealth" explanation.
• Jan. 28, 1981 (COURIER-POST, Hannibal, MO): Legendary man-beast target of China search. Further details on the search for "fei fei" in China.
• Dec. 26, 1980 (MAINICHI DAILY NEWS, Tokyo, Japan): Man Barely Missed 'Chinese Monster'. A report of a "monster" sighted in Tianchi Lake, China.
• Feb. 13, 1981 (RECORD, Columbia, SC): Strange light baffles cadets at The Citadel. A mysterious light was reported in a student barracks at The Citadel.
• Jan. 16, 1981 (JOURNAL, Milwaukee, WI): Bigfoot basher. An expert dismisses Bigfoot sightings as hoaxes and discusses the lack of evidence.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are UFO sightings, eyewitness accounts, and the ongoing debate between belief and skepticism. The publication appears to lean towards presenting a wide range of UFO reports, from classic saucer sightings to more ambiguous lights and phenomena. It also includes articles on other cryptids like Bigfoot and mysterious events such as livestock mutilations. The inclusion of scientific skepticism, particularly from Dr. Robert Hudek, provides a counterpoint to the numerous eyewitness reports, suggesting a balanced, albeit UFO-focused, editorial approach. The "Looking Back" section highlights the historical nature of UFO reporting and the persistence of these phenomena in public consciousness.