UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER

Magazine Overview

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter, Volume III, Number 7, dated November-December 1973, focuses on a significant surge in UFO activity and public awareness, termed 'the UFO flap.' Published by UFO Research Associates (UFOR), the newsletter covers numerous sightings, encounters, and alleged abductions reported across the United States.

The UFO Flap is On

The lead article highlights the growing UFO phenomenon, citing an admission from U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. George S. Brown that UFOs 'plagued us in Vietnam during the war.' Brown recounted a 1968 incident near the demilitarized zone where UFO sightings led to an air-sea battle involving an Australian destroyer, and another incident near Pleiku in 1969 involving shooting, with no evidence of North Vietnamese involvement. The newsletter notes that this period represented the biggest sighting flap in terms of public interest and media coverage since 1966, and the largest wave of sightings since 1967. The article lists a variety of reported characteristics of UFOs, including being photographed, causing electromagnetic effects, eliciting animal reactions, emitting sounds, and frightening witnesses. Reports came from at least 18 states since February, with witnesses including governors, mayors, police officers, and media personnel.

Creatures Abduct Fishermen

A prominent case detailed is the alleged abduction of Calvin Parker and Charles Hickson from a pier in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on October 11, 1973. They described a 20-foot long, oblong UFO emitting a bluish haze, from which three five-foot tall, reddish creatures with large eyes and crab-like hands emerged. The witnesses were taken aboard the craft and examined by what they described as an 'eye-like scanning device.' They reported communication via a humming sound and were later released unharmed. The incident was investigated by Sheriff Fred Diamond, and Dr. J. Allen Hynek and Dr. James Harder conducted hypnosis sessions with the men. Harder concluded the experience was traumatic and not faked, while Hynek stated the UFO was from an extraterrestrial civilization. The men were checked for radioactivity at Keesler AF Base with negative results, and a psychologist confirmed their conviction. Hickson passed a polygraph test.

UFO Causes E-M Effects on Oil Rig

Several other incidents are reported. On September 7, Mrs. Mary Grady in Oak Grove, Mississippi, saw a UFO that hovered and then sped off. In Louisiana, sheriff's deputies chased five orange-red UFOs that 'almost attacked a police car.' On October 17, a UFO reportedly caused an electrical blackout on an offshore Chevron Oil Co. rig near Crowley.

Georgia Sightings and Senatorial Request

Georgia experienced numerous sightings. On August 31, Robert Welch, a Camilla police radio dispatcher, saw objects with zig-zag patterns and rotating lights. Fire Chief Dabney Crosby and his son saw a red object branch off from a larger UFO. Democratic State Sen. Franklin Sutton humorously requested a Senate committee investigation into UFOs, citing their 'reckless' behavior and alleged interference with crop dusting planes and even silos. He also jestingly mentioned rumors of UFOs rustling cows for a beef shortage.

Object Forces Military Police Car Into Ditch

On September 8, military policemen Burt J. Burns and Randy Shade near Hunter AF Base, Savannah, Georgia, had their patrol car forced into a ditch by a saucer-like object that dove at them at high speed. The object reappeared 15 minutes later. That same evening, a Savannah policeman observed a large circular craft with a spotlight changing colors. On September 9, a WAGA-TV camerman recorded a hovering object. Mrs. Virginia Smith of Morrow reported seeing a shiny object with pipes extending from it.

Governor Carter's Experience

Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter shared his own UFO experience, stating he no longer laughs at such stories because he saw one himself about three years prior. He described an object about 30° above the horizon, as large as the moon, which changed color and size.

Alabama and Pennsylvania Reports

Alabama also had reports, including a yellow-orange disc pacing a car near Lexington on February 20, and a huge disc hovering over a cemetery in Carrville on September 7. In Pennsylvania, residents continued to report sightings, including a disc with colored lights observed in West Chester on September 5.

California and Ohio Sightings

California reported a 'flying ashtray' in Vallejo, a silver-yellow-orange saucer near Long Barn, and a triangular-shaped UFO with multi-colored lights in Maryland. Ohio saw at least 15 sightings on October 10, including objects with red, green, and blue lights. A Dayton resident reported an object that landed and killed two cows.

Other Fantastic Incidents Reported

Further reports include a UFO hovering over a house for three nights in Louisiana, a landing in Oakland, California, radar tracking and jamming in Mississippi, a car being stalled by a 'searing light' in Missouri, and a helicopter pursuit of a UFO by Delaware state police. Students at the College of the Ozarks saw a 'ghost-like, bearded creature.' A Columbus Evening Dispatch photographer took pictures of objects in the sky over Ohio.

Soviet Signals

The newsletter notes that unusual radio signals from space, 'of a type never heard before,' have been received by Russian scientists, possibly from the upper atmosphere. Soviet scientists have ruled out satellites and suggest the signals may be from a technically developed extraterrestrial civilization.

Sighting Capsules

A section of 'Sighting Capsules' provides brief reports from Iowa, Colorado, Ontario, and Montana, detailing various objects with different lights and behaviors.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the widespread nature of UFO sightings across the United States in late 1973, the variety of reported object characteristics and behaviors, and the increasing public and official attention to the phenomenon. The newsletter presents these reports without overt skepticism, often quoting witnesses and investigators. The editorial stance appears to be one of documenting and disseminating information about UFO phenomena, suggesting that these events are significant and warrant serious consideration, particularly with the mention of potential extraterrestrial contact and the Soviet signal reports. The publication itself aims to keep readers informed about the ongoing 'flap' and promises more reports in the next edition.