UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Issue: Vol. I, No. 9
Date: December 1971 - January 1972
Publisher: UFO Research Associates (UFOR)
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter focuses on a "TOP REPORT ROUND-UP" of English UFO sightings and an editorial comment on the "SOVIET-AMERICAN EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE CONFERENCE." It also includes a significant article by Dr. James E. McDonald arguing for the extraterrestrial hypothesis and urging new scientific approaches to UFO research.

English Sightings Top Report Round-Up

The newsletter details a series of UFO sightings across England, occurring primarily in August, with some in May, June, and September. These reports frequently mention objects causing animal reactions, exhibiting electro-magnetic (E-M) effects, frightening witnesses, and emitting sounds.

On September 8, hundreds of people reported seeing a "bright light traveling westward" over England, described as sometimes hovering and sometimes moving at high speed. The London Daily Mail reported this event.

On November 28, 1971, the National Enquirer detailed a sighting by Charles Blackwood, a chemist in Leeds. He described an egg-shaped object with a constantly changing, glowing haze, heading south and appearing to search the ground from about 2,000 feet. Blackwood, an experienced pilot, stated it was "not an aircraft" and that it changed from about 50 feet in diameter to nothing in three seconds.

Later the same day, approximately 30 miles south in Sheffield, Michael Castle, an electrical engineer and Air Force veteran, witnessed a similar egg-shaped object. It was "traveling at a fantastic speed" and seemed to stop overhead, glowing and changing color from silvery to fluorescent blue to orange-yellow. Castle described it as pulsating and moving over the scenery as if photographing it before shooting off southwest at high speed, indicating it was "definitely controlled" and "not a normal flying machine."

At about 1 p.m. the same day, Richard Clarkson in Manchester observed a bright, egg-shaped object moving slowly. Suddenly, "orange flames" reportedly came from its back, and it shot across the sky at fantastic speed, disappearing. Clarkson stated its movement was "so definite that it appeared to be under control."
A British Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that they were investigating.

Another report from August 27, near West Mailing, England, involved Garry Harrison seeing a "bright disc" over a river. It later appeared as an oblong-shaped object with rounded ends, silver metallic finish, and a black rim, about 50 feet long, stationary, and then descending slowly behind trees. The Kent Evening Post reported this. Local police had no corroborative reports, but one official mentioned seeing a similar object in Malaya.

On the evening of August 25, Maurice Wakefield, a former Royal Air Force member, fishing with his wife Patricia at Stanford-upon-Soar, saw a "bright disc flying over the river" that reflected twice. He then saw a stationary light and the brilliance zipping across the sky from south to north, which he could not associate with an aircraft.

That same evening, around 9 p.m., numerous citizens reported "mysterious lights... turning to orange and blue and traveling in a southeast to northwest direction" around Formby. The Liverpool Daily Post noted that the objects apparently emitted "strong rumblings" and caused dogs to react.

Around August 12, Mrs. Olwyn Grainger and two other Guide leaders at a camp in Himbleton Manor, Dritwich, Worcestershire, heard a "tremendous roar" and saw an "enormous" UFO that appeared to be crashing, but then hovered lower than the trees with a "red glowing light." The London Daily Mail reported this, noting that the object was cigar-shaped with red and green lights.

E-M Effects Highlight Earlier British Reports

On or about June 26, Mr. and Mrs. Graham Tell near Guernsey saw four spinning "silvery" objects in a cluster that ascended rapidly and disappeared at high speed.

On May 25, Mrs. Eunice Rose, driving near Oddstone and Belchar's Bar, saw a glow in the sky, described as "about the size of a double decker bus." It crossed the road above her automobile, causing the car engine to die, headlights to dim, and her transistor radio to fade out for several minutes. She reported being "so frightened she could feel the hair on her neck bristling."

Reports from the U.S. and Australia included objects described as "sparkling and shimmering," emitting smaller objects, swooping close to the ground, "Mexican hat-shaped," flipping over, and causing animal reactions. Witnesses included a bank president, a newspaper editor, and police officers.

Animal Reactions in East Berne

On November 8, in East Berne, New York, the event began with dogs howling. Mrs. Harry M. Fries witnessed a "blinding bright" object with revolving blue-white and red lights, hovering about 50 feet from her home, appearing to be made of "dull metal" and about as big as a car.

Earlier that day, at 6:48 p.m., John A. Zakutny in nearby Colonie saw a glowing "rim of white light" about four feet in diameter moving at high speed. Albany County Sheriff's deputies investigated the Fries home sighting, noting the dogs were still jumping and barking.

The Klamath Valley Sightings

On October 8, Nelson E. Divine in Denny, California, saw a "Mexican hat-shaped" UFO outside his home, with three bands of lights, slowly circling and changing shape.

Three days later, in Willow Creek, Mrs. Mary Ann Wegner saw an "extremely bright light" hovering over the river, which she described as a "flying saucer" with windows around the middle. She was scared but saw the large, round object.

Around October 10, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Spiro near Columbia City, Washington, saw a motionless, blimp-like object with three bright lights spread out widely, appearing as if a bright light had been turned on in the clouds.

Object Swoops Down Near Witness

On September 21, near Wayne City, Illinois, Kimmy Gammon, 11, saw a boomerang-shaped UFO with a wingspread of 50-60 feet and a center section about eight feet high. It appeared to be trying to land and "swooped to within 20 feet of the ground." It then pivoted, rose up, and took off, appearing blue on one side and red on the other. Harlan Yates and Tom Mathews also witnessed the object. Kimmy's mother and others also saw it.

Soviet-American Extraterrestrial Life Conference

This section, an editorial comment, discusses the Soviet-American scientific conference on the search for extraterrestrial (ET) life held in Byurakan, Armenia, in September 1971. Jointly arranged by the U.S. National Academy of Science and the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, the conference concluded that modern science is advanced enough for "serious and detailed investigations" of electro-magnetic activity in space. A joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. working group was formed to direct further study.

Drs. Carl Sagan and Frank Drake of Cornell University suggested that advanced ET civilizations might exist, potentially making earthlings appear primitive. They also hinted at the possibility of faster-than-light travel. Sagan argued that UFOs could not be ET craft because they are "uneconomical," and radio astronomy is the most effective vehicle for cosmic exploration.

The scientists criticized the U.S. government for underfunding ET intelligence research, contrasting it with the Soviet Union's construction of a large radio telescope for this purpose.

Lack of Scientific Scrutiny a Curious Phenomenon

This section, attributed to Dr. James E. McDonald, discusses the scientific community's reluctance to seriously investigate UFOs. McDonald argues that the evidence increasingly points to the extraterrestrial hypothesis as the most probable explanation, yet it is often met with neglect or ridicule. He criticizes the history of official and scientific responses to UFO reports, including the USAF's Project Bluebook, which he describes as superficial and incompetent. He also expresses skepticism about the University of Colorado's study, citing negative bias and lack of rigorous investigation.

McDonald emphasizes that the search for "life in space" by the American space program has ignored the possibility that "life" may have already found us. He calls for a broader base of scientific recognition of the UFO evidence, suggesting that the current neglect is a "scientific scandal."

New Sensors for UFO Research Urged

McDonald advocates for more scientists and engineers to review UFO evidence and design new sensors, particularly for electromagnetic effects. He also urges the scientific community to scrutinize existing radar networks for systematic UFO patterns. He calls for exploratory programs, even small ones, to establish a broader scientific recognition of the "astonishing nature of the existing UFO evidence."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently highlights witness accounts of unexplained aerial phenomena, emphasizing unusual characteristics, behaviors, and effects. There's a strong undercurrent of criticism towards official investigations and the scientific community's skepticism regarding UFOs. The editorial stance leans towards the belief that UFOs represent a significant phenomenon worthy of serious scientific inquiry, with the extraterrestrial hypothesis being a prominent consideration. The issue also promotes the idea that advanced scientific understanding could lead to faster-than-light travel and the discovery of extraterrestrial civilizations, while simultaneously lamenting the lack of progress in UFO research due to scientific and governmental inertia.