UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Issue: Vol. III, No. 11
Date: March - April 1974
Publisher: UFO Research Associates (UFOR)
Country: USA
Price: $.60 (U.S., Canada and Mexico); $.80 (foreign) for single copies.

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter focuses on "Strange Effects Characterize Sighting Reports," detailing numerous UFO encounters from late 1973 and early 1974. The reports highlight unusual phenomena associated with sightings, including physical effects on witnesses and the environment, electromagnetic interference, and the peculiar characteristics of the objects themselves.

Key Articles and Reports

Patrick Thrush Sighting (December 13, 1973)

Sixteen-year-old Patrick Thrush reported an encounter near Bradenton, Florida. While driving, he saw what he initially thought was a plane but turned out to be a stationary object hovering over the Braden River. The object had a tube leading to the water. Thrush photographed the object, which then ascended and passed close to his car, emitting a bluish-green light before turning red and disappearing. He later found three warm, dry rocks with a lava-like appearance, one of which was being analyzed by Dr. Larry Doyle of the University of South Florida. The report notes Thrush's intelligence and background in science fairs, countering stereotypes.

Mars Walker Sighting (October 20, 1973)

Mars Walker, an art student in Jonesboro, Georgia, described a bizarre sighting involving a "high-pitched, siren-like sound" and a "glow like a watch dial." He observed a round shape from which a "human-like being, standing erect, and it was a sea green opaque like a hologram" emerged. The creature had a "medusa head" and tentacle-like objects. Walker noted the being showed no interest in him, focusing only on observing.

Other Notable Sightings and Effects

• John Dowdy: Witnessed a "bright orange object, going real fast" near Thrush's location.
• George Montgomery: Saw a bright light with two smaller lights that merged and disappeared in Palma Sola Park.
• Mrs. Marti Thiel: Reported her son and his friend saw a large, dark-colored saucer, described as a "big popcorn thing," in Lemon Grove, California.
• Vern McCullough: Investigated a landing site in East Derry, New Hampshire, finding a perfectly round depression with distinct holes.
• John Hanson: Saw a round, bright object hover over Rainbow Lake and disappear into the water.
• Kim and Kevin Potter, Patrick and Sharon Rice: Witnessed an object pulsating from white to orange-red glow over Quechee, Vermont. A police officer also observed it.
• Unidentified woman: Saw a red UFO with flashing lights fly into a hill in Lobster Valley, Oregon, leaving a burned area with strange fungus.
• James Sills and Officer Richard Eubanks: Observed a large, red, round object in Norman, Oklahoma, that blinked white and blue and took off when a spotlight was shone on it. Eubanks, a former air traffic controller, stated it was not a normal aircraft.
• Norman Hearn: Reported his truck shaking and lights blacking out near Lewisville, Texas, as a "12-foot tall saucer-shaped object" hovered over his truck, causing electromagnetic effects.
• Mrs. Nita Smitherman and Brent: Saw a UFO with a "tower type structure" and a "very intensely bright red light" near Calvert, Texas.
• Constable Charlie Delk: Responded to a UFO sighting in Petal, Mississippi, describing an object like an "old-timey wind-up toy" that caused his car's motor to die for 15 minutes.
• Unidentified police officer: Saw a brilliant white light take off from the ground near Manilla, Iowa, and communications with Iowa Police Radio were blocked for about 10 minutes.
• Bill Davidson: An aerial photographer, saw a brilliant, round, white light, described as an "oblong box," over Terre Haute, Indiana.
• Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Hensley, Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas: Saw a "huge, silvery-bluish glow" near Culpeper, Virginia. The object emitted smaller lights that detached from it.
• Mrs. Linda Greene: Reported a "copper-colored, circular" object hovering above the ground in Johnson City, Tennessee, from which a creature attempted to abduct two boys.
• Ruth O'Quinn: Saw a similar object "about the size of a house" near her home in Johnson City, Tennessee.
• Mrs. Agnes M. Wehrle: Saw a bright light hovering over trees in Zeigler, Illinois, which burned her eyes. The fluid in her eyes dried out, requiring medical treatment.
• Police Chief Robert Shumaker, Ralph Noe, and other officers: Photographed a large, round object with flashing red and green lights in Waverly, Illinois.
• Anita Byrd: Saw a "triangular-shaped object" near Black Rock, Pennsylvania, which shot a beam of white light onto her car, causing it to slow down.
• George Kowalczyk: Fired shots at two 7-8-foot tall creatures near a large, ball-shaped orange object that landed in North Union Township, Pennsylvania.
• John B. Moore: Saw a large red disc with a transparent, glowing white center over Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
• Richard Morgan and Donnie Honaker: Saw a UFO land near railroad tracks in Caldwell, West Virginia, emitting a sound and colored lights.
• Larry Smith and Sharon Reeves: Observed a bright white object with multi-colored lights above Keansburg, New Jersey, which interfered with their short wave radio.
• Kevin Bentz: Saw an "upside-down V"-shaped UFO with blue and green lights and an orange light that lit up his house in Wooster, Ohio. The object approached him silently.
• Paul Hess: Saw a hovering UFO flashing red and blue lights near Salem, Ohio, which projected a beam of light onto his car.
• William Martin and Gail Suders: Observed a bluish-green, fish-shaped object that made a "weird screeching noise" in Mount Union, Pennsylvania, and touched a garage roof upon takeoff.

Current Enquirer Panel Operations

Dr. Robert F. Creegan, a philosophy professor and member of the National Enquirer's scientific UFO panel, discusses the panel's activities. He notes that newspaper awards have historically aided scientific exploration. The panel, comprising representatives from the newspaper, NICAP, and APRO, met to establish criteria for selecting cases for further study. They favored reports with "hard data," geometric descriptions, multiple witnesses, and reliable qualifications. Seven reports were tentatively endorsed for additional investigation, including a Middle-Western sighting involving a helicopter crew and a Southeastern photographic case.

Sci-Fi Authors Air UFO Views

This section explores the views of prominent science fiction authors on UFOs. Isaac Asimov expressed skepticism, stating he would "smell his breath first" if someone told him a UFO story. Poul Anderson was more open, saying it seemed "very unlikely" but "possible." Robert A. Heinlein suggested that the evidence points to "something... that is not easily explainable by our science, our technology." Frank Herbert recalled seeing a "red cone" UFO years ago in California, described as an "ice cream cone upside down."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently presents a wide array of UFO sighting reports, emphasizing the unusual and often unexplained phenomena associated with them. The editorial stance appears to be one of documenting and presenting these reports, often with detailed witness accounts and supporting evidence where available. There is a clear focus on the physical effects and characteristics of UFOs, as well as the challenges in investigating such phenomena. The inclusion of scientific analysis (like Dr. Doyle's rock analysis) and the discussion of investigative criteria by panels suggest a serious approach to the subject matter, despite the inherent difficulties and skepticism surrounding UFO research.