UFO Research Newsletter - 1972 09 10 - Vol 02 No 06

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Issue: Vol. II, No. 6
Date: September - October 1972
Publisher: UFO Research Associates (UFOR)
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter focuses on a surge of UFO sightings reported during the summer of 1972, with a particular emphasis on reports from Kansas. It details witness accounts, physical evidence, and expert opinions on the phenomenon.

More Kansas Sightings Beef Up Summer Reports

The lead article details a series of UFO encounters in Kansas during August 1972. A policeman in Overland Park reported a circular UFO that lit up incandescently in blue-green light and disappeared. In Hays, police dispatcher Jim Girvan logged multiple reports on August 15th, including a "big red light" object that ascended vertically and disappeared. One witness described a white object falling from the red object, accompanied by an explosion sound like fireworks. On August 16th, two Hays policemen observed a "red blinking thing" that sometimes turned white or greenish, hovering and moving at varying speeds. Russell, Kansas, reported a UFO with a red light emitting camera-flash-like bursts. Hays saw more reports on August 17th and 18th. On August 19th, Officer Paul Carter in Hays witnessed a "very big" UFO with bright red, green, and white blinking lights hovering low over a pasture, which he described as "eerie" and changed his opinion about UFOs.

Further Kansas reports include an incident on July 29th in eastern Wisconsin where police saw a bright orange object the size of a volleyball zig-zagging. Frank Markley, a photographer from New Jersey, captured an image of a UFO hovering near a house, described as a round structure with a flat bottom and bright lights, which spun and sped away. The article also mentions a former comic artist spotting a UFO in Oregon and police seeing one in Wisconsin.

A potential explanation for some of the Kansas sightings is offered: June Friedman, owner of an Army-Navy surplus store in Wichita, sold 100 large weather balloons filled with hydrogen or helium and equipped with flashlights, which purchasers used to scare neighbors. While acknowledging these balloons might account for some sightings, the article notes that police discarded the balloon theory for others due to the UFOs moving "too fast."

Other reported incidents include a family in Kennydale, Washington, awakened by a roaring noise and seeing a round, brown object. Near Clear Lake, Oregon, commercial artist and author Russ Morgan witnessed a "real bright light" that dove and darted at high speed.

Instructors State UFOs Are Real

This section features statements from two educators who believe UFOs are real and potentially extraterrestrial visitors. Dr. Max Edwards, a Canadian university professor, initially a skeptic, became convinced after reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses. He supports the "grid theory" proposed by Bruce Cathie, suggesting a global grid system for UFO navigation. Edwards claims a UFO destroyed an orchard in Blenheim, New Zealand, and that the U.S. has a secret station there. He also believes James Lovell's mention of Santa Claus was a code for a UFO observation and that governments withhold UFO information because control of alien propulsion technology would grant global power.

Ronald Smith, an astronomy instructor at Santa Ana College, California, believes UFOs have been observing Earth for some time, but communication is difficult due to vast distances. He suggests that space travel at light speed could be possible in the future, making the numerous flying saucer reports difficult to dismiss as fiction.

Delphos Case Details

The Delphos, Kansas, landing case of November 2, 1971, is presented as a classic UFO report with significant elements: a large object landing or hovering, impressive physical evidence, physiological effects on witnesses, and animal reactions. Dr. Robert F. Creegan and Dr. James Harder investigated the site where young Ronnie Johnson saw the object. Surface and depth samples of an eight-foot glowing ring left by the object were taken for analysis. The ring is protected by a fence. A white, fibrous substance found at the site remains unexplained, with indications of an "absolutely unknown" element.

Physiological effects were noted: Mrs. Johnson touched the glowing soil and experienced numbness in her fingers and leg, which persisted for weeks. Mr. Johnson also felt numbness. Ronnie suffered eye irritations and headaches. Investigations are ongoing for others reporting similar effects. The soil itself has unique properties: it does not absorb water, plants do not grow in it, and it has a drying effect. A scientist suggested that the effects could be attributed to high-power electromagnetic fields, possibly microwaves, but no single area could account for all described effects.

Impressive animal reactions were also documented. The Johnson dog refused to return to the ring and damaged screen doors to stay inside. The sheep bellowed during the sighting and later jumped fences, with some giving premature births to lambs that did not survive.

Huge UFO Paces Train

Richard Marell reported an incident in Washington state in 1955 where a UFO, estimated to be one city block in diameter, paced a train for about an hour. The object was described as dull blue-grey, with three sections and indented windows. It altered its position and sped away. After the encounter, a substance resembling "cotton candy" fell to the ground.

Enquirer Panel Details Reports

The National Enquirer's UFO reward panel has detailed five sighting reports. These include: a series of sightings by police in the Dighton, Scott City, Kansas area; a "high-speed ballet" of three UFOs seen by hundreds in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1966; a "bright red object" with a "silhouette of three human-like people" seen over Lake Movil, Minnesota, in 1962; six UFOs in formation seen by pilots and passengers off an airliner's wing near Labrador in May 1953, with a larger object appearing and absorbing the others; and a "silver-white" UFO observed by German soldiers near Epinal, France, in 1944, which was fired upon but its fate unknown.

The article also mentions John Balfour's recent field reports from South Africa on sightings there, including a case where policemen and a farmer shot at a UFO. Information and drawings from John P. Brownfield regarding a sighting near George Air Force Base in June 1972 have also been submitted to the panel.

Sightings from Indiana

Reports from the Indianapolis area include a 1969 incident where P.H. Brown and his family were awakened by an "ear splitting noise" and witnessed a bright light that hovered for over 10 minutes before ascending. Three cows were found dead from radiation poisoning the next morning. John W. Haase reported seeing three objects, one a saucer and another cigar-shaped, between 1957-59, describing them as capable of amazing speed and maneuverability, emitting a "whoosh" sound, and hovering. He concluded that the government knows UFOs are real.

Sighting Capsules

This section provides brief summaries of numerous sightings from April, May, and June 1972, across various locations:

• April 14, 1972: Kinmundy, Illinois: A bright object 80-100 feet long moved east with a bright light and exhaust flames (possible meteor).
• April 16, 1972: Sumner, New Zealand: Two swan-shaped objects converged and parted (possible meteor).
• April 16, 1972: Runanga and Paparoa, New Zealand: A UFO like a "big street lamp" hovered in the sky.
• April 17, 1972: Carlyle, Illinois: A red, flashing light shot across the sky, stopped, and hovered.
• April 19, 1972: Tokoroa, New Zealand: A bright, yellowish-green "ball of light" traveled low, then exploded (possible meteor or satellite reentry).
• April 19, 1972: Croydon, Queensland, Australia: A "bright silver body the shape of a telegraph pole."
• April 24, 1972: Georgetown, Tasmania, Australia: A "bright orange round object" seen on two occasions.
• April 26, 1972: Brighton, Tasmania, Australia: A white craft, "about the size of a jet," with an "orange red light on top."
• April 30, 1972: Paddy's Knob, New Zealand: An astronomer saw a green light "equal to about five car headlights."
• April 30, 1972: West Melton, New Zealand: A "bright, yellow object" observed (probable explanation: Venus).
• April 30, 1972: Maple Ridge, New Brunswick, Canada: A red object resembling a flashing neon light observed for 30 minutes (possible explanation: aircraft).
• May 5, 1972: Grants Pass, Oregon: A "large green light in the sky that exploded in a large flash" (possible explanation: breakup of meteor).
• May 6, 1972: Willowby, New Zealand: A "red flaming object with a short white tail" fell behind trees (possible explanation: meteor).
• May 6-7, 1972: Oriska, North Dakota and Detroit Lakes, Minnesota: A balloon-shaped object tracked on radar at high altitudes (possible explanation: balloon).
• May 7, 1972: Palmerston North, New Zealand: A flashing, star-like UFO moving at high speed.
• May 9, 1972: Ashland, Oregon: A "bright light with forks of light" observed.
• May 10, 1972: Timaru, New Zealand: A large, brilliant UFO with flashing lights that shot up beams of light.
• May 13, 1972: Waterbury, Connecticut: A red light hovered, then seemed to disappear (possible explanation: planetary illusion).
• May 18, 1972: Kaikoura, New Zealand: A "white fluorescent trail" traveled and burst into a flame (probable explanation: Royal New Zealand Air Force flares).
• May 18, 1972: Napier, New Zealand: An object with "beams of white light" that searched the bush.
• May 23, 1972: Christchurch and Ashburton, New Zealand: A brilliant white object with a green tail fell toward the ground (probable explanation: meteorite).
• June 4, 1972: Gumly, New South Wales, Australia: An object with a flashing light observed for 40 minutes (possible explanation: planetary illusion).
• June 6, 1972: Maidstone Town, England: An object with "all its headlights blazing," flashing lights, and a sound similar to an aircraft engine (probable explanation: aircraft).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the prevalence and variety of UFO sightings, the detailed accounts from witnesses including law enforcement, the investigation into physical evidence and physiological effects, and the ongoing debate about the nature and origin of these phenomena. The editorial stance, as indicated by the newsletter's focus and the inclusion of expert opinions, is one of serious inquiry into UFO reports, presenting evidence and witness testimony for the reader's consideration, while also acknowledging potential conventional explanations for some sightings.