UFO Research Newsletter - 1972 01 02 - Vol 01 No 10

Magazine Overview

This issue of the UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER, Volume 1, Number 10, published monthly by UFO Research Associates (UFOR), covers the period of January-February 1972 and provides a look back at UFO activity and developments during 1971. The newsletter aims to report on unidentified flying objects and is edited by Gordon I.R. Lore, Jr., with Martha D. Hall as Business Manager. Subscription rates and single copy prices are listed.

A Look Back at 1971

The year 1971 was characterized by a perceived decline in UFO interest, attributed to the impact of the Condon report (released in 1969) and the closure of the Air Force's Project Blue Book. However, sightings continued, and UFOR received numerous clippings from smaller publications. Significant developments included the circulation of an Air Force Academy physics textbook chapter suggesting UFOs were likely extraterrestrial surveillance craft, and a Rand Corporation document with similar positive implications. Both were issued after the University of Colorado UFO Project began its studies and called for a serious scientific examination of the subject.

Sighting Report Highlights

Despite the general atmosphere, UFO sightings were still being reported, featuring characteristics such as occupants, physiological effects, electro-magnetic effects, physical evidence, and animal reactions. Several commercial airline pilot reports were also received but could not be revealed. Specific incidents included:

• January 3: A UFO reportedly caused a car engine to fail in Montesano, Washington.
• January 18: A globe-shaped UFO with 14 windows was seen in Quincy, Illinois, illuminating bricks with a light beam.
• January 21: Witnesses in New Meadows, Idaho, heard dogs barking as a UFO flew overhead.
• February: Approximately 40 reports from Swedish Laplands described four-foot-high occupants aiming a "strange beam of light."
• April 6: In Greenhill, Australia, a man was reportedly sucked out of his window by an unknown force after seeing a "saucer-shaped faced man" and a red flying object.
• April 13: Two strange objects reportedly "attacked" a car in Australia seven times.
• April: In Florence, Alabama, two white discs were seen pairing off and following jet aircraft.
• May 16: A Navajo family in Chesterfield, Indiana, reported a huge UFO emitting a sound that caused power and telephone failures and made dogs bark, also causing physical discomfort to the witnesses.
• June 25: In Nevada's Blue Diamond area, UFOs reportedly caused a generator to stop functioning and livestock to become agitated.

English Sightings Highlight Second Half of Year

The second half of 1971 saw a rash of UFO reports from England between May and September. A highly publicized report of a police constable photographing a strange object on August 16 was later revealed to be a reflection from a street lamp. Other reports came from various locations in England. In the U.S., on November 8, numerous witnesses in East Berne, New York, saw a UFO described as "as big as a car" that caused dogs to react fearfully.

AIAA Subcommittee's Stance

UFOR learned that the UFO Subcommittee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) had criticized the Condon report in its publication "Astronautics and Aeronautica" (November 1970), calling the "short-time, one-shot approach of an ad hoc team" uneconomical. Later issues of the journal presented positive coverage of two 1956-1957 reports.

McDonald's Death a First Magnitude Tragedy

In March, Dr. James E. McDonald, a prominent atmospheric physicist and advocate for UFO research, testified against funding for the SST before the House Appropriations Subcommittee. His testimony was dismissed by some due to his interest in UFOs. In June, Dr. McDonald died by suicide in the Arizona desert, a significant loss to the UFO field. Despite this, other researchers like Dr. J. Allen Hynek (planning a "receipt center for UFO reports") and Dr. David R. Saunders continued their work.

Physicists Speak Out

Several physicists publicly supported the study of UFOs. Stanton T. Friedman lectured extensively. John Williams gave pro-UFO lectures, and Dr. Alexander Calandra spoke at a Midwest UFO Conference. Dr. Richard C. Henry, an assistant professor of physics, believed UFOs should be thoroughly studied, noting that the Enstone, England, case had credibility due to multiple witnesses, a permanent record, and a complex object. He suggested UFOs might originate from other stars or solar systems, where advanced technology civilizations could exist.

Dr. Henry also noted that while telescopes offer a limited view of the sky, making UFO sightings rare, scientists consider the search for extraterrestrial civilizations a respectable pursuit. He mentioned a conference in Russia between American and Soviet radio astronomers discussing communication with distant civilizations.

Dr. Sam Greene, head of the Sonoma State College physics department, asserted, "We are not alone!" and suggested the possibility of ET visitors, estimating up to 30 million civilizations in our galaxy. He criticized the Condon report's conclusion as "unscientific." He also believes about half the stars in our galaxy have planetary systems that may support life.

A significant UFO-related breakthrough occurred in September with a conference in Armenia, USSR, on the search for ET life, where scientists discussed civilizations with potentially advanced technology and the possibility of an "interstellar communications club."

UFOR Interviewed Mantell Case Witness

In its May/June newsletter, UFOR reported on an interview with former AF Lt. Col. E. Garrison Wood, a witness to the Thomas Mantell case, shedding new light on the incident. The same issue also reported on Dr. J. Allen Hynek's potential involvement in designing the first lunar observatory.

Mare Finde Significant

Promising space explorations focused on Mars, with scientists like Dr. Carl Sagan revealing similarities between Martian areas and Earth's Great Lakes and North African desert. However, "super hurricane-force winds" could explain dust storms and color changes. The Mariner 9 mission provided close-up views, and Soviet probes (Mars 2 and 3) searched for "oases" that might contain life, suggesting a search for a "biosphere" in warmer, low-lying areas.

UFO Symposia

A UFO symposium was held at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. Another scientific UFO symposium took place at the University of Arizona, sponsored by the UA student chapter of the AIAA and APRO. Dr. Frank Salisbury stated that it's "almost incomprehensible that earth is the only place there is life," and that life can exist under extreme conditions. Biophysicist John C. Munday discussed cases involving physiological effects on witnesses, including one fatality possibly due to radiation. He noted that many UFO witnesses exhibit no "abnormal" psychological conditions.

Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle, a psychologist, commented that while people wish to believe in UFOs, caution is necessary, and that 90% of sightings are likely unreported.

Speculation for the Future "Difficult"

Speculation about future UFO activity is difficult, though some ufologists predict a major sighting wave in 1972. The newsletter emphasizes that the UFO subject is far from dead and that 1972 will likely add more evidence. It urges ufologists to remain optimistic, noting the possibility of ET observation and the impetus from international searches for ET life. However, it stresses the need for a full-scale scientific investigation, which the Colorado Project failed to provide.

Marylanders Sight Strange Objects

In December, two separate UFO sightings were reported in Maryland. On the 13th, game wardens saw two objects with flashing lights over Easton, confirmed by a state police officer. Officials at naval air bases stated no aircraft were in the area, though radar detected "something." On the 2nd, near Adamstown, witnesses saw a UFO with three bright lights hovering, described as a dome-shaped object with four vertical tubes, appearing as large as the moon. It later flew southwest.

UFOs -- Atmospheric or Extraterrestrial?

This section, by the late Dr. James E. McDonald, critiques meteorological explanations for UFOs, arguing that they often stem from a lack of understanding of atmospheric phenomena and an effort to support the view that UFOs are misinterpreted natural phenomena. McDonald challenges explanations like those proposed by Dr. Donald Menzel and Philip J. Klass, particularly regarding the Arnold sighting (mirage) and the Chiles-Whitted sighting (meteor). He argues that these explanations fail to account for key characteristics of UFO reports, such as their apparent technological nature, ports, and appendages, and that Klass's "plasma-UFOs" theory doesn't fully resolve the mystery.

Sighting Capsules

This section provides brief summaries of various UFO sightings reported to UFOR:

• December 13-14, 1971: Cavetown, Md. - A large white light with flashing red lights was seen over the town.
• October 27, 1971: San Antonio, Texas - A "tiny point of light blinking on and off" was observed.
• October 21, 1971: New Mexico - Witnesses reported a "fireball" crash and small fires, with some seeing an object ascend and explode.
• October 14, 1971: Braintree-Hanover-Chelsea-Weymouth, Mass. - An object "about the size of a basketball and flaming red" was seen falling into woods.
• October 13, 1971: Near Elwin, Ill. - A cigar-shaped object looking like "shiny aluminum reflecting the sunlight" was observed heading north.
• September 14, 1971: Coogee Bay, New South Wales, Australia - Three nurses saw a round, orange-red object that changed to white and flashed.
• September 10, 1971: Near Decatur, Ill. - A "small silver disc" that seemed to be reflecting sunlight was reported.
• September 7, 1971: Near Decatur, Ill. - Two objects with "flashing colored lights" were seen, with small white lights resembling stars flying around them.
• September 7, 1971: Near Decatur, Ill. - Three sheriff's deputies reported "a bright light" in the sky.
• July 27, 1971: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - "Two light trails with a flattened ball shape" were seen traveling very fast.

"Gazette" Article Editorializes Tucson Symposium

An editorial in the Phoenix, Ariz., Gazette discussed the UFO symposium held in Tucson, noting that curiosity drives people to seek answers to unanswered questions. It suggested that UFOs might serve as a point for exchanging ideas that could lead to breakthroughs in other fields, regardless of whether flying saucers exist.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently reports on UFO sightings and related research, often highlighting cases that defy conventional explanations. There is a clear skepticism towards purely meteorological or conventional explanations for UFO phenomena, as evidenced by the critique of Dr. Menzel and Philip Klass. The publication advocates for serious scientific investigation and expresses a belief in the possibility of extraterrestrial life and visitation. The editorial stance is one of open inquiry, encouraging readers to submit reports and supporting the ongoing search for answers to the UFO mystery, while acknowledging the challenges and discouragement faced by some researchers.