UFO Potpourri No 301

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO POTPOURRI
Issue: no. 301
Date: January 9, 1986

This issue of UFO POTPOURRI delves into a range of reported unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings and public perceptions, primarily focusing on events in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.

Britons Believe in UFO's

The lead article highlights a significant shift in public opinion in Britain, with a recent survey indicating that the majority of the British people believe an alien invasion of Earth is imminent, possibly within five years. This belief is partly fueled by the British Ministry of Defense's acknowledgment of serious attention given to UFOs, following pressure from the House of Lords, which led to the release of data to the British UFO Research Association. The article notes an increase in UFO sightings across the UK during the fall of 1985, with reports coming from various regions.

Several specific incidents are detailed. In the Carleton area, a 14-year-old boy was reportedly temporarily blinded after seeing a brightly lit object, and a similar report was given by an eight-year-old boy. A particularly notable event occurred on August 14, 1985, when several witnesses reported a UFO that hit or nearly hit a radar station on the moor, causing several days of excitement.

Two taxi drivers, Leonard Parker and Paul Jones, reported seeing a brightly lit, cone-shaped object with a blue spotlight and yellow lights on its underside hovering about 200 feet above them in Deeside in late January 1986. The object was described as totally silent. In February 1986, another taxi driver, Gerry Hum, and his passenger, Danielle Mansbridge, spotted three blazing orange, very big and bright lights in the sky over the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. Mansbridge noted there was no noise. A police spokeswoman commented on the growing public involvement with UFOs, relaying an account of a girl in Wymondham who had a close encounter with a bright light that followed her home, with the reporting officer emphasizing the credibility of the witness.

The article concludes by posing the question of what Britons are seeing, suggesting that the widespread sightings contribute to a sense of anticipation for a potential space invasion.

Strange object spotted by Coronadans

This section reports on an incident in Coronado, California, USA, where three individuals—Mona O'Keefe, Rosemary Thelen, and a North Island worker known as 'Herb'—spotted an unidentified flying object landing in front of them after leaving the bingo hall at Sacred Heart Church. They described the object as a clear plastic "bubble" about three feet in diameter, containing approximately 80 small lighted candles. As one of the witnesses approached, the object ascended and flew over Orange Avenue and Olive Avenue towards the ocean, in the flight path for North Island. O'Keefe initially thought it was a large decoration. The witnesses stated that people they told about the sighting did not believe them, and police reported no official reports of unidentified objects in the area.

UFO seen hovering for 2nd straight night

This article from The Toronto Star, dated January 15, 1986, details a sighting near Kingston, Canada. An unidentified flying object with multi-colored lights was observed hovering for a second consecutive night. June Potter, a greenhouse business operator in Odessa, reported that three police officers joined her family to watch the object for about three hours. Potter described the object as square with colored lights on each corner: fluorescent green, pink, bright blue, and white. Police and Canadian Forces at Trenton could not identify the object. The Potters noted it moved and was not a star. June Potter estimated it was less than six kilometers away initially, then rose above the roof and moved south toward Lake Ontario.

UFOs hover over county

Reported by Donna Daniels, this article from an unspecified publication (but dated May 1, 1986, based on a stamp) covers sightings in Summit County, Colorado, USA. Over twenty calls were received by the Summit County sheriff's department and local police departments. Kremmling police officer Scott Koch witnessed stationary, colored lights in the sky directly over Kremmling. He was then informed of sightings near Green Mountain Reservoir. Law enforcement officers from Grand and Summit Counties observed objects with lights on their outer edges, described as triangular in shape. These objects were seen to hover and then move southwest. A particularly striking observation was an evasive maneuver by a jet plane that veered around one of the objects. The witnesses, described as trained observers and professional men, were reluctant to discuss the event but did not deny that something strange occurred.

Fireball Something explodes in night sky

This Associated Press report describes a bright fireball that streaked across the nighttime sky and exploded above southwestern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Washington state, USA. An astronomer, David Dodge of the Southam Observatory, described the object as a brilliant magnesium-blue flare-like object that emerged from the constellation Leo and passed under the Big Dipper before exploding. He explained that such an event, technically a bolide, occurs when a sizable rock enters the atmosphere, creating intense heat and light due to friction. Dodge doubted that any part of the object reached the ground, as no sonic boom was heard. Police received no reports of falling debris.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the increasing public belief in UFOs and the potential for extraterrestrial contact, the official acknowledgment and investigation of UFO phenomena by government bodies, and the detailed reporting of specific sightings across different geographical locations. The editorial stance appears to be one of presenting these reports and observations without overt skepticism, allowing the accounts of witnesses, including law enforcement and credible individuals, to speak for themselves. The inclusion of scientific explanations for phenomena like fireballs alongside anecdotal UFO reports suggests an attempt to cover the breadth of aerial anomalies and public interest in them.