UFO Research Newsletter - 1971 06 07 - Vol 01 - No 03

Magazine Overview

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter, Vol. I, No. 3, published monthly by UFO Research Associates (UFOR) in June-July 1971, focuses on the revision of the Air Force Academy's textbook chapter on UFOs and includes various sighting reports and analyses.

AF ACADEMY TEXTBOOK REVISION

The lead article details the modification of Chapter XXXIII of the Air Force Academy's textbook, "Introductory Space Science, Volume II." Previously titled to suggest UFOs were probably extraterrestrial, it has been retitled "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena." The revised chapter leans more towards the negative conclusions of the University of Colorado UFO Project report, though it still admits that thousands of reports remain "unidentifiable" and about 6% of Project Blue Book cases are "unexplained." The chapter, trimmed from 14 to seven pages, covers the history of UFOs in the U.S., including AF projects, the Robertson Panel report, and the Colorado Project. It also adopted eight hypotheses for explaining UFO sightings, originally set forth by Dr. James E. McDonald. These hypotheses include hoaxes, hallucinations, advanced terrestrial technologies, lay misinterpretations of physical phenomena, poorly understood physical phenomena, poorly understood psychological phenomena, extraterrestrial visitation, and messengers of salvation or occult truth. The chapter notes that confirmed hoaxes are a small percentage of total reports and that multi-observer reports from reliable witnesses make hallucinations unlikely. It also argues against advanced terrestrial technology as a general explanation due to the apparent sameness of UFO technology over 25 years. The textbook states that explaining UFOs by poorly understood phenomena is risky and possibly impossible, and that while lenticular clouds might account for some reports, explanations involving mirages, ball lightning, or anomalous radar propagation are less tenable. It also suggests that while some cults adopt a spiritual mission for UFOs, evidence is lacking, and new official scientific studies are unlikely due to the widespread acceptance of the Condon report's conclusions.

Condon Speaks -- Again (An Editorial Comment)

This section features remarks by Dr. Edward U. Condon, director of the now-defunct two-year, AF-sponsored, half-million dollar "investigation" of the University of Colorado UFO Project. In a speech at the University of Missouri, Condon stated that UFOs might exist as a "most outside likelihood or remote possibility." He described the study as providing an "extraordinary introduction to the errors and eccentricities of what people thought they saw," and remarked that hundreds of people mistook Russian satellites for "little men looking out of spaceship windows." Condon suggested that UFO reports were "mainly fanned by a popular, exaggerated press" but acknowledged that the sheer number of reports made denying their existence difficult. He noted that most Americans now accept the negative conclusions of the project's January 1969 report.

Colorado Report Contradictory

This editorial comment argues that the positive findings within the Colorado report contradict its negative conclusions, citing that about 35% of the cases are listed as unknowns, including reports from pilots, FAA personnel, and astronauts. The editor, who was involved with the project, suggests that Condon, project coordinator Robert Low, and other scientists were negatively disposed from the start, referencing the Low memorandum that proposed conducting the study on a negative basis. Two scientists who disagreed were reportedly fired, and internal dissensions divided the project. The editorial criticizes the media for focusing on Condon's compacted negative conclusions in the first eight pages of the 1,000-plus page report and encourages interested readers to examine the full report.

Scandinavian Eclipse Film Explained

This article discusses a film of two discs over Scandinavia taken during a total solar eclipse on June 30, 1954. Julian Hennessey uncovered evidence suggesting the discs were "reflections." The sighting occurred near Lifjell, Denmark, with about 50 witnesses in an expedition aircraft observing "two shiny discs" fly by. The expedition's chief photographer, John Bjornulf, captured them on film. However, another photographer, Raun Conradi, stated that the objects appeared to be reflections. Professor Eberhart Jensen, Director of the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics at the University of Oslo, Norway, confirmed that the elliptical lights were due to reflections, which were reproduced the next day by Dr. J.V. Garwick and Mr. R. Brahde by turning a plane on the ground in the proper direction relative to the sun. Garwick and Brahde also discounted the UFO theory, with Garwick stating that the pattern could be explained by reflections from a window pane, partially blotted out by a shoulder. Dr. Robert M.L. Baker, Jr., a photographic expert, stated that a photogrammetric analysis of the film would be difficult due to the cloud background and the movie being taken from a moving airplane, making it hard to confirm or refute the reflection allegation.

A Witness Describes His Sighting

Written by R. Conway Jones, this section details a personal encounter on November 22, 1968, in Georgia. The author, a supervisor of consumer sales, was driving when his radio went to static and his car stopped functioning as an oval-shaped, yellowish-white body of light appeared about 100 feet in front of him and 50-75 feet above the road. A beam of light was emitted from the object, striking the front of his car. The car's lights also went out. After about two or three minutes, the beam retracted, and the object changed to a reddish-orange, fire-like color and rapidly ascended out of sight. Upon sitting back in his seat, the author found his car was running again and the lights and radio were working. He reported the occurrence to local law enforcement and it was investigated by the U.S. Air Force, NICAP, and APRO, with no explanation offered to date. The witness states he is now fully convinced UFOs are a real problem.

Illinois-Missouri Light Beam Reports

This section compiles several reports from the Quincy, Illinois-Taylor, Missouri, area. On January 18, a Quincy woman and her son reported a globe-shaped UFO with 14 windows emitting a bright beam of light. On March 19, Walter Davis saw an object described as "like a large wiener, with a shallow bowl bottom," with an orange-yellow light. On April 9, Harold Barkley and his son reported a triangular-shaped UFO with three red lights that emitted a blinding blast. On April 23, Herb and Gladys Rupp saw a brilliant circle of light emit a circular beam. These incidents involved frightened witnesses and bright beams or blasts of light.

"Satellite" Object Over New Jersey

On May 7, 1971, in East Paterson, N.J., Richard Pashman reported seeing a "square of eight or nine rows of lights... flashing in order." The lights went out, and two meteor-like objects separated and disappeared. Simultaneously, Dennis Matera and "20 or 30 other people" saw a similar UFO with a ring of "satellite" objects or lights around it, described as "larger than a low flying airplane" with spinning lights.

A Worldwide Roundup

This section presents a roundup of UFO reports from January to mid-March 1971, contributed by George D. Fawcett. Reports include:

• January 6, Bastia, France: Oval-shaped object with illuminated portholes.
• January 22, Willard, Ohio: UFO 25 feet in diameter with red and white lights, a dome, and visible "persons" inside.
• January 28, Topeka, Kansas: Bright object emitting light near a tractor, with a small figure moving outside.
• February 4, Columbia, Kentucky: A lighted UFO caused a dog to bark furiously and its back to bristle.
• February 18, Vader, Washington: An orange object emitting a humming sound flew close to a trailer house.
• February 21, Koillissanomat, Finland: Six witnesses photographed a UFO that hovered for 90 minutes.
• March 15, Galvin, Washington: A round UFO with red blinking lights flew at a low altitude.

Sighting Capsules

Additional brief reports include:

• October 1, 1970, Adelaide, Australia: A round object about "half the size of the moon" that gave off intense light.
• May 12, 1971, Clarion, Iowa: A brilliant, triangular-shaped, orange object hovered for several hours and turned various colors.

A Town Reacts

This article by Gordon I.R. Lore, Jr., discusses strange lights reported by residents of Clare, Michigan, in April and May. While some residents initially dismissed them as pranks, the sightings continued. Witnesses described fast-moving, erratic lights, some with a white light in front and a red one in back, and others as multi-colored objects that "beep and boop." The article explores the unusual reactions of some residents, including eccentricities of a 73-year-old man named Floyd Soper, who suggested "swamp gas" as an explanation, and mentions the local legend of a "deer man." The author notes that some residents were taking out guns to shoot the objects down.

The "swamp gas" explanation is revisited, referencing Dr. J. Allen Hynek's earlier explanation for sightings in Dexter and Hillsdale, Michigan. The article suggests that the Clare lights, seen around swamp areas, could be swamp gas released with the spring thaw, and that while UFOs cannot be completely discounted, the citizens' reactions and legends might be more indicative of the situation.

Dog Expires After Sighting

A witness in Dade City, Florida, reported seeing a "big white ball" with pulsing light that ascended and disappeared. The witness became ill with flu-like symptoms, and her dog, an Irish setter, died three months later, having turned gray and weakened.

Pilots See Maneuvering Object

Two Convair pilots reported seeing a UFO execute a fast ascension and hover during a flight from San Diego, California, to Fort Worth, Texas, in August 1952. The object, initially appearing like a landing light of a plane, quickly climbed to 20,000-25,000 feet and hovered.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently presents a skeptical yet open-minded approach to UFO phenomena. It highlights official investigations and revisions of previous conclusions (like the AF Academy textbook and the Condon report), while also detailing numerous witness accounts of sightings. The editorial stance appears to favor rational explanations, such as reflections or atmospheric phenomena (like swamp gas), but acknowledges that some cases remain unexplained. The publication aims to document and analyze UFO reports, encouraging further study and critical examination of the evidence. There's a clear emphasis on reporting on scientific and official perspectives alongside anecdotal evidence.