UFO Research Newsletter - 1973 05 06 - Vol 03 No 02

Magazine Overview

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter, Volume III, Number 2, published monthly by UFO Research Associates (UFOR), covers the period of May-June 1973. It focuses heavily on UFO sightings reported in Pennsylvania during the first quarter of 1973, alongside reports from other states and foreign countries. The newsletter provides detailed accounts of sightings, witness testimonies, and references to newspaper articles where these events were reported.

Pennsylvania Reports Continue

The lead section highlights a variety of UFO characteristics observed in Pennsylvania during March 1973. These include a UFO with a 'man' suspended in a light beam, a dome-shaped object causing electromagnetic effects, a revolving UFO emitting smoke, an object that reversed course sharply, and multiple sightings of frightened witnesses and objects forming a 'V' shape. Witnesses included a town mayor, control tower personnel, police officers, a newspaper reporter, and a security firm manager.

Hughey L. Woodring's Sighting: On March 2, 1973, near Muncy, Pennsylvania, Hughey L. Woodring reported seeing a pear-shaped UFO flying slowly. It stopped and hovered 1,000-1,500 feet over the GTE Sylvania, Inc., plant at Hall's Station. The object had square windows and flashing lights that Woodring likened to taking pictures. It then departed north at tremendous speed.

John Green's Observation: On March 13, 1973, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, John Green observed two silver objects flying one behind the other over the roadway.

Milton Sightings: On the evening of March 15, 1973, residents of Milton, Pennsylvania, reported a strange odor, followed by sightings of UFOs. Clayton Hulsizer triggered a series of reports. The objects were described as surrounded by a great light, traveling faster than any plane, and making abrupt changes in speed and direction. Some witnesses reported seeing smaller planes chasing the UFOs, and one object veered at a 90° angle to avoid a perceived crash. Milton Mayor Evan C. Williams, state and local police, and Rick Walker, a staff writer for The Daily Item, were among those who observed the objects circling in a holding pattern.

Other Pennsylvania Sightings: Reports continued from West Milton, Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, Watsontown, and Sunbury. A West Milton resident saw three UFOs, and another reported a smell similar to a dentist's office. Todd Jones and a friend reported seeing slow-moving UFOs between 9:05 and 10:05 p.m. on March 22, near Nazareth.

Control Tower Personnel Sight Objects

On March 20, 1973, two police officers in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, responded to a UFO report and observed a rotating red, white, and green flashing object. Lee Albert saw two orange lights crossing over quarry dumps near Bangor. Officials at the Blue Mountain Control Center received about 25 UFO reports. Bushkill Township Police Chief Howard Kostenbader observed three objects at an altitude of at least 5,000 feet. Stroudsburg Assistant Police Chief Richard Wolbert watched a 'tear-drop-shaped' UFO fly between the moon and a mountain. Control tower personnel and Wing Gap police observed objects making abrupt changes in speed and direction and emitting various colored lights.

UFOs Form 'V': On March 23, 1973, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis De Nardo and approximately 10 others saw seven objects, some with spinning lights, over Belfast, Pennsylvania. Six of them formed a 'V' formation, with one acting as a leader.

Floyd Stein's Disagreement: Floyd Stein and about 50 others saw UFOs near Saylors Lake. State police suggested they were helicopters, but Stein disagreed, stating they did not behave like planes or helicopters.

Reading Area Sightings: On March 27, 1973, Mary Harp reported a UFO over Reading that came in, hovered over a home, and then moved west. A young boy reported an object hovering over a cemetery, and a Pear Street resident saw green and red flashing lights. Mrs. Louise Baver watched an object go round and round in a circle.

Saucer Causes E-M Effects

Blacksburg, South Carolina Sighting: On January 3, 1973, an unidentified woman reported a 'domed, saucer-shaped object' flying over her car near Blacksburg, South Carolina. The object had multi-colored lights spinning around its bottom and was larger than an automobile. It descended behind trees, followed the car, and then sped off. The flashing lights rotated counterclockwise, and the object appeared dark except for the lights. When the car's headlights were on bright, they dimmed when the UFO was near.

Blacksburg Revisited: On January 31, 1973, numerous residents in Blacksburg observed a 'silent but brilliantly glowing object.' Assistant Police Chief Robert Childers was called to the Moore home and saw strange white and red lights. Mr. and Mrs. Eston Carroll also reported an object with pulsating colored lights. Doug Lee and his girlfriend saw the object fly toward a mountain, and his brother Frank observed it through binoculars.

Frank Lee's Testimony: Frank Lee described the object as so bright he couldn't make out its shape with glasses, glowing brightly but not emitting a beam. Curtis Martin, son of a Cherokee County deputy sheriff, also saw the object. Harry Cook, monitoring police reports, also saw it. Craig Reynolds and Bobby Davis at a truck stop saw two UFOs hover and then depart.

UFO Lights Up Homes

North Carolina Sightings: In Mt. Airy, North Carolina, two families reported a 'sudden flash of brilliant red light' that lit up their homes. The Williamses saw an object 'move up into the sky.' The Joneses described it as a 'blood-red circular' object, 18 feet in diameter, emitting smoke or exhaust, and revolving as it moved up from ground level.

California Sighting: Three youths in Los Angeles saw a 'glowing sphere' near Point Dume, California. It was sphere-shaped, hung in the sky, and then moved with the sound of low-pitched jet engines. The object changed to a half-sphere, showed a red light, and descended. It hovered, flashed on and off, and then moved sideways at incredible speed, disappearing into the fog.

Object Heads Toward Witnesses

California Sighting (Continued): The 'glowing sphere' near Point Dume descended to about 1,000 feet, then hovered. It flashed on and off twice, then moved sideways across the bay at incredible speed, heading for Los Angeles Harbor and disappearing into the fog. The witnesses emphasized it was not a balloon, airplane, helicopter, kite, or any of those things.

Huge UFO in South Africa

South Africa Sighting: On January 1, 1973, near Penhoek Pass, South Africa, Mr. and Mrs. W. Sucknow reported a 'long train' of orange light, about 30 meters in diameter with 'portholes,' moving slowly. It hovered, then took off at speed before slowing down. The object glowed with an orange light and emitted orange smoke. The inside of the car became icy cold, and Mrs. Sucknow stated, 'They have to be seen to be believed.'

"Man" Seen Suspended in Light

South Australia Sighting: On February 11, 1973, near Kimba, South Australia, Brian Hunt and Sharyn Finckler saw an orange light about 10 feet high and five feet across. A 'man' resembling a 'modern-day astronaut,' dressed in a white space suit, was suspended 2-3 feet above the ground in the middle of the light. Police investigated but found no trace of the object.

DELPHOS CASE RECEIVES ENQUIRER REWARD

This section discusses the National Enquirer's $5,000 reward for the best UFO evidence submitted in 1972, which was awarded to the Johnson family for the Delphos, Kansas, case (November 2, 1971). The newsletter references previous issues where this case was discussed.

The Reward Panel: The panel consisted of Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Dr. Robert F. Creegan, Dr. R. Leo Sprinkle, Dr. Frank Salisbury, and Dr. James Harder. They unanimously decided that no case warranted the $50,000 offer for proof of extraterrestrial probes, but the reward offer was renewed for 1973.

Hynek Explains Vote: Dr. Hynek explained the panel's decision, highlighting the 'great number of individual items of 'strangeness'' in the Johnson case, which remained unexplained after extensive scientific testing. These included the luminous object, a ring of soil of altered chemical composition that glowed and resisted water, and surrounding trees whose bark also glowed.

UFO "EXPLODES," PACES CAR

California Sighting (1967): On February 2, 1967, near Orland, California, Mrs. Ruth Phillips, Nita De Agio, and Mrs. Margaritta Espinosa reported hearing an explosion and seeing a brilliant flash of white light. They then observed a cigar-shaped, metallic-looking UFO, 2-3 times the size of an automobile, which 'ballooned into view.' It had square portholes and emitted a bright light. The object rose quickly at a 45° angle and paced their car for six miles, turning close to the vehicle. It then zoomed upward at high speed toward Sacramento.

SIGHTING CAPSULES

This section provides brief summaries of various UFO sightings reported across different locations and dates:

• October 29, 1972: Wrightstown, Pennsylvania - A UFO described as 'continuous flash bulbs going off' sped across the sky, with red and green lights at the ends and a rotating light in the center.
• November 1, 1972: Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada - A round, red UFO with little lights around its center was observed.
• November 4, 1972: Gainesville, Georgia areas - 'Strange lights' were seen (probable explanation: deflating weather balloon).
• November 8, 1972: Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada - A 'light traveling in a clockwise oval-shaped pattern' covered about a quarter of a mile.
• November 15, 1972: Santa Susana, California - A light resembling a 'large plastic pillowcase' rose and dropped to the ground.
• November 17, 1972: McIvers, Newfoundland, Canada - Three residents reported a 'ball of fire splash into the Bay of Island' (probable explanation: aircraft ditching).
• November 25, 1972: Saints Bay, England - An unidentified woman saw a 'small aircraft edge-on' fly noiselessly.
• November 25, 1972: Twin Falls-Buhl, Idaho - Witnesses saw a 'bright light' enter the atmosphere and speed toward the ground (possible explanation: meteorite).
• November 27, 1972: Near Buck Creek, Alberta, Canada - A 'brilliant, cigar-shaped object with lights flashing and exhaust quickly vanishing' was observed.
• November 27, 1972: Napa, California - Residents saw lights with 'eerie' glows (probable explanation: hoax balloons).
• November 29, 1972: Toronto, Ontario, Canada - A 'white ball with an orange light on top' hovered, then took off much faster than a plane.
• November 30, 1972: Stony Rises, Victoria, Australia - Two bright red lights moved up and down.
• November 30, 1972: South Lake Tahoe, California - A missile-shaped object with 'reddish, white flames spurting out' traveled at great speed.
• December 2, 1972: Near Santa Barbara, California - A pilot reported a 'hot dog shaped pink streak' that changed color and disappeared.
• December 2, 1972: Near Saline, Michigan - A 'cigar-shaped object flying north' was seen.
• December 4, 1972: Whitburn-Bathgate, England - A mysterious object 'skimmed the rooftops of houses' and was tracked on radar.
• December 15, 1972: Lawrence, Kansas - Police officers saw a 'star with unusual surface activities' (possible explanation: planetary illusion).
• December 18, 1972: Burney, California - A 'reddish-yellow glow' shot across the sky.
• December 21, 1972: New Norfolk, Tasmania, Australia - A 'huge' object and about six smaller ones were observed.
• December 27, 1972: Aston, England - An orange, ball-shaped object appeared to be 'sliced in half' (possible explanation: breakup of a meteor).
• January 1, 1973, etc.: Lake Michigan - U.S. Coast Guardsmen, police, and others saw 'strange glows... almost nightly.'
• January 2, 1973: Hudson, North Carolina - Reporters saw an erratic-moving 'star' unlike any familiar aircraft.
• January 4, 1973: San Mateo, California - A large, white, luminous object with 'showers of sparks' was seen falling to earth (possible explanation: meteorite or satellite re-entry).
• January 4, 1973: McAlester, Oklahoma - Two police officers and others saw a UFO for 25 minutes.
• January 14, 1973: Near Chillicothe, Ohio - A 'football-shaped object' with red, yellow, and green lights hovered over a trailer court.
• January 14-15, 1973: Nerang-Southport, South Australia - A 'peculiar, variegated light' with a plane of lights encircling it was observed.
• January 17, 1973: Portsmouth, England - A green object 'like a ball' came at high speed from the west (possible explanation: meteor).
• January 17-18, 1973: Near Ligonier, Pennsylvania - Members of a UFO Study Group observed a large orangish-red spherical object and later a bright white oval-shaped object.
• January 19, 1973: Stockton, Kansas - Three school bus drivers saw a 'big, bright object.'
• January 21, 1973: Muhlenburg, Pennsylvania - A 'huge light' circled the area, remained motionless, then ascended and disappeared.
• February 1, 1973: Near Stanthorpe, New South Wales, Australia - A 'huge wing' with a dazzling light and a cigar-shaped object between the lights were seen.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the persistent reporting of UFO/UAP sightings across various geographical locations, the diverse descriptions of these objects (shapes, lights, behaviors), and the involvement of credible witnesses such as law enforcement and public officials. The newsletter consistently presents these reports as factual accounts, often citing newspaper sources, and includes analyses or possible explanations from authorities, while implicitly validating the witnesses' experiences. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious investigation and documentation of unexplained aerial phenomena, encouraging skepticism but also openness to the possibility of unknown craft. The focus on detailed reporting and witness accounts suggests a commitment to gathering evidence and understanding the phenomenon.