UFO Research Newsletter - 1973 07 08 - Vol 03 No 04

Magazine Overview

This is the July-August 1973 issue (Vol. III, No. 4) of the UFO Research Newsletter, published monthly by UFO Research Associates (UFOR). It covers a range of UFO/UAP reports and related topics, with a focus on recent sightings and historical cases.

MISSOURI-PENNSYLVANIA SIGHTINGS AGAIN HIGHLIGHT REPORTS

This section details numerous recent sightings from early March 1973 onwards, involving witnesses from various professions including a flying instructor, police officer, newspaper reporters, a school teacher, and a radio station manager. Reports come from two states and Australia.

Australian Sightings:

• April 9, 1973, near Bendigo, Australia: Garth Harris, chief flying instructor of Pipeair Flying School, reported piloting his Piper Cherokee aircraft when he saw three brilliant lights "flashed across the sky" two miles in front of the plane. He estimated the object was doing about 3,000 m.p.h. and crossed from right to left in about a minute.
• April 10, 1973, Casterton, Australia: Mr. and Mrs. Les Twigg and their children saw a UFO with a white light on the front and a red one at the rear at 10 p.m. The object emerged from a cloud bank and appeared to be rising as it passed swiftly to the south.
• April 10, 1973, Ballarat, Australia: Four men saw two reddish-yellow lights move across the sky at tremendous speed. The UFOs moved in a straight line and each emitted a vapor trail.
• April 10, 1973, Brighton, Australia: Peter Oglivy saw three objects moving "too fast to be aircraft."
• Mornington, Australia: Jim Broomfield observed two brilliant objects that "were really traveling."
• Sightings from Balmoral and Lang Lang were also reported.

Pennsylvania Sightings:

Reports from Pennsylvania continue to be received by the UFO office, referencing previous issues of the newsletter.

• March 8, 1973, Adamsville, Pa.: James Kerr observed "a clear cut semi-circle of red," above which was suspended "a perfect cross, which glowed a fiery red." Other people reportedly saw the object.
• Since March 12, 1973, Reading, Pa.: Mrs. Sharyn Semmel reported seeing a UFO on half-a-dozen occasions. On one occasion, it was hovering about 50 feet away, rounded in the front with red lights and white lights in the back. She described it as about the size of a small airplane.
• March 27, 1973, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: Mrs. Theresa Kusirka and about half-a-dozen others saw an object with flashing red, blue, green, and yellow lights that emitted a low whirring sound.
• March 29, 1973, Evans City, Pa.: Observers saw a triangular-shaped object with flashing green and red lights, emitting a hissing sound. Harmony Police Officer John Huffman observed it over the Zelienople Greenhouse. William J. Rice stated the UFO came so close he could feel its suction.
• March 28, 1973, Leesport, Pa.: Photographer Larry Alati and a friend saw an object with red, bluish-green lights that rotated counter-clockwise and alternatively dimmed and brightened during a 30-minute observation.
• March 29, 1973, Ontelaunee Township, Pa.: Curtis Lash reported seeing a bright light about 500 yards away that hovered silently. Another object appeared and maneuvered below the first one before both disappeared. Lash described the UFO as having white, red, and green flashing lights that would alternately brighten and dim.
• March 30, 1973, Kingston, Pa.: Witnesses saw UFOs that looked like "reflecting lights traveling around a central figure in a counter-clockwise motion."
• April 24, 1973, Gregg Township, Pa.: Three residents observed a huge, bright disc "with a fluorescent light that almost hurt the eyes." It flew from the north, hovered, changed colors, and revolved.

Missouri Sightings:

• March 14, 1973, Piedmont, Mo.: Mrs. Maude Jefferis, a school teacher, photographed a gyroscope-like object above a drive-in movie screen during a 10-minute night exposure. Dr. J. Allen Hynek suggested it was a "first class lens flare," but photographers for the Post-Dispatch disputed this, noting a lens flare would spread differently.
• March 27, 1973, Piedmont, Mo.: Mrs. Jefferis joined an expedition to photograph a UFO. Accompanying her were Dennis Holvis (manager of KPWB Radio), Dennis Kenney (KPWB announcer), Carl Laxton (real estate broker), and William Clark (staff writer for the Detroit News). They observed a dim red light low in the sky, which Holvis called a "docking."
• March 23, 1973, Annapolis, Mo.: Dave Williams and his sister, Mrs. Darlene Colyott, saw an object with red, white, and green lights. Dave used a scope gun on the UFO as it cruised above the treetops and disappeared.
• April 19, 1973, northeast of Esther, Mo.: Reporter Jim Lange and friend Bud Parker saw a bright UFO. Lange took pictures as the object moved backward, then northeast, and later south. Lange described the yellowish object as oval-shaped and three times the size of a satellite. He noted the maneuverability ruled out conventional aircraft.

LUNAN CLAIMS SPACE MESSAGE RECEIVED

Scottish astronomer Duncan Lunan claims to have deciphered a message from extraterrestrial beings transmitted to Earth 40-45 years ago. He announced that "echoes" had been sent from an unmanned space probe near the Moon, originating from the star Epsilon Bootes. The probe lay dormant until the 1920s when Earth began sending radio waves. The message content, as deciphered, is:

"Start here. Our home is Epsilon Bootes, which is a double star. We live on the sixth planet of seven. Check that -- the sixth of seven counting outwards from the sun, which is the larger of the two. Our sixth planet has one moon. Our fourth planet has three. Our first and third planets each have one. Our probe is in the position of Arcturus, known in our maps."

Leonard Carter, BIS executive secretary, stated that Lunan plotted the "echoes" as dots outlining constellations, but they were slightly distorted. Lunan believes the distortion relates to the constellations as they were about 13,000 years ago.

Dr. Ronald N. Bracewell of Stanford University has exchanged information with Lunan and expounded a similar theory for the mysterious echoes. He suggests that if Lunan is correct, the material contained a message indicating the entities came from the constellation Bootes. However, Bracewell notes that Lunan's representation of the dots as constellations from 13,000 years ago might not be precise, or it might not be a message at all.

SIGHTINGS AT SEA - A DILEMMA OF YESTERYEAR

This section presents historical UFO reports from maritime encounters, predating the airplane and modern spacecraft.

• October 11, 1492, South Atlantic: Christopher Columbus observed a light glimmering at a great distance on his flagship, Santa Maria. The light disappeared and reappeared several times, bobbing up and down.
• 1638, Near Boston, Mass.: While sailing down the Muddy River, James Everell and two others observed a large light descend upon them, drawing their barge upstream against the tide. The light occasionally shot out sparks and flames.
• June 18, 1845, North of Malta: The crew of the British brig, Victoria, saw three brilliant, shining discs rise from the ocean.
• March 22, 1870, Mid-Atlantic: The American bark, Lady of the Lake, encountered a strange circular object with a semicircle near the center and four arm-like appendages.
• March 19, 1887, 57 W. Longitude: Two fast-moving UFOs approached the Dutch bark, "J.P.A." The objects looked like two "balls." One fell close to the vessel, causing it to almost capsize. Lumps of ice fell on the decks, and the decks and rigging became coated with an icy crust.
• August 29, 1890, 75°43' W. Longitude: The captain and crew of the German vessel, Doris, saw a UFO that stood perfectly still, then slowly rose and separated into two parts.

SIGHTING CAPSULES

This section provides brief summaries of additional UFO sightings.

• March 8, 1973, Adamsville, Pa.: James Kerr and others observed a "clear-cut semicircle of red" with a "perfect cross" glowing fiery red.
• March 8, 1973, North Bay, Ontario, Canada: Mr. and Mrs. Harry Waghorn and daughter observed a rotating light move slowly west, stop, then move on.
• March 11, 1973, Russellville-Littleville, Ala., area: Numerous witnesses reported a bright, stationary object with red and green lights.
• March 14, 1973, Temple, Okla.: Allen Ray Hooper, James Collins, and Creech Richardson saw a large object with two red lights on each end and a bluish-green light at the center, shining a bright light on a field.
• March 19, 1973, Devonport, Tasmania, Australia: Mrs. Anne Roberts and Mrs. R.H. Griffiths observed an object that flashed red, green, and orange and appeared to "jump" up and down.
• March 20, 1973, Millersburg-Keyesport, Ill., area: Juanita Babb and daughter saw a "fiery orange object" that lit up a neighbor's yard.
• March 20, 1973, Hamburg, Pa.: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Jacoby observed an object blinking red, green, and blue lights that hovered, then moved away.
• March 21, 1973, Mifflinville, Pa.: An unidentified youth reported seeing a "red and yellow circle-shaped object in the sky" that vanished within a minute.
• March 22-23, 1973, Riverside, N.J.: Mrs. Ruth Schmidt saw a "cross with very bright lights" travel from west to east.
• March 23, 1973, Manchester-Stockport-Oldham, England: Robert Bogle, Richard Hamblet, Clifford Metcalffe, and others saw "a brilliant, green-coloured shape with a tail."
• March 23, 1973, Saylors Lake-Stroudsburg-Lancaster, Pa., areas: Police Officer Robert Wurtz, Sheila Jones, Elizabeth Burnett, Mrs. Shirley Pipher, and son Howard, and Janice Young observed "blue lights, shaped like teardrops or raindrops."
• March 23, 1973, Sunbury, Pa.: Numerous witnesses saw UFOs. Police Officers Wade Brown and David Duff watched a "glowing red" object that "shot across the sky like it was shot out of a slingshot." Dallas Lenig observed about 10 objects with flashing lights that "would stop in 'mid-air' and move rapidly in all directions."
• March 23, 1973, Wellingboro and Mount Holly, N.J.: Joseph J. Passarelli, Scarlet Singleton, Karen Evans, and Larie Smith saw "a big thing, flying low and flashing bright lights of red, green, purple and light yellow." The object hovered over the Air Force radar facility in Moorestown for five minutes.
• March 27, 1973, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: Mrs. Theresa Kusirka and others saw an object "flashing green, yellow, blue and red lights and making a soft whirring sound."
• March 27, 1973, Pierpont, Ohio: Mrs. Betty Taylor watched a large disc displaying "a myriad of colors ranging from red and green to purple and orange" move slowly from the northeast to the southeast for two hours.
• March 27-28, 1973, Sunbury-Paxinos-Hoover's Landing, Fisher's Ferry, Pa., areas: John and Shirley Wetzel and others observed white, red, and green lights that hovered and zig-zagged.
• March 28, 1973, Heywood, England: Witnesses watched a "star" with red and blue flashing lights for approximately 30 minutes.
• March 28, 1973, Allentown, Pa.: Burt Swayze and others saw an object that "blinked red and green" and "wobbled."
• March 28, 1973, Dover-Kempton-Adventure Bay, Australia: Numerous observers watched a reddish light which, at one point, "rose up and disappeared toward the east."
• April 2, 1973, Kutztown-Fleetwood-Maidencreek Township, Pa., areas: Police Chief Alton L. Boyer, Patrolmen Paul B. Wary and Ronald Gardner, and other police officers saw "flashing red, white and green lights" that changed colors and rose slowly.
• April 3, 1973, Hackettstown, N.J.: Paula Landsberger observed a square-shaped, brown-yellow-red-white object that "was rotating around and every three seconds it would flash."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently reports on a wide variety of UFO/UAP sightings, emphasizing the unusual characteristics of the objects observed, such as high speeds, unusual lights, and complex maneuvers. The inclusion of historical sightings suggests a long-standing phenomenon. The article on Duncan Lunan's message indicates an interest in potential extraterrestrial intelligence and communication. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious investigation and documentation of these phenomena, presenting witness accounts and journalistic reports without overt skepticism, although some reports include possible explanations like planetary illusions or aircraft. The newsletter also highlights the difficulty in obtaining official acknowledgment or action, as indicated by the quote from Representative Bill D. Burlison regarding contacting Washington.