UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Issue: Vol. IV, No. 11
Date: April - May 1976
Publisher: UFO Research Associates (UFOR)
Country: USA
Language: English

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter focuses on a collection of bizarre UFO characteristics and initial sightings reported during the Bicentennial year of 1976. It details numerous encounters from various states and foreign countries, involving witnesses from diverse professions.

Bizarre Characteristics Stamp Initial Bicentennial Year Reports

The newsletter opens with a summary of early 1976 UFO reports, noting witnesses who experienced physiological effects, memory loss, and other unusual phenomena. Objects were tracked on radar, caused electro-magnetic effects, and elicited animal reactions. Sightings included objects hovering over nuclear power plants, making sharp turns, emitting sounds, and approaching witnesses closely. The reports came from at least six states and three foreign countries, with witnesses including an air traffic controller, police, security guards, a rescue squad member, and a photographer.

Specific Sightings from Early 1976:

• January 15, Middle River, Md.: Jerry Ricker observed a round, white object moving rapidly, accompanied by a whistling noise. His dog became very excited.
• January 15, Timonium, Md.: Mrs. Rita Avara and her son saw a large, dull-white, oval-shaped object joined by two others. These objects performed sharp 90-degree turns and then vanished.
• January 20-21, Apex, N.C.: Sheriff's deputies, police, and security guards observed strange lights over the construction site of a nuclear power plant. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controller also spotted a UFO on radar.
• January 7, Central, S.C.: Officer Mike Perry observed a reddish, bright, round object that ascended rapidly after he pursued it. He heard a loud, high-pitched sound.
• January 6, Stanford, Ky.: Mrs. Mona Stafford, Louise Smith, and Elaine Thomas saw a large, house-shaped object with rotating red lights that caused headaches.
• February 12, Liberty, Ky.: Witnesses reported a car driving at 85 m.p.h. without the driver's foot on the accelerator, and they experienced memory loss and burns on their necks.
• February 22, Great Falls, Mont.: Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Hegele observed a seven-foot tall humanoid and a gray, oval-shaped object hovering nearby.
• January 29, Las Vegas, Nev.: Johnny Sands encountered a cigar-shaped object and two figures in silver and black uniforms.
• January 5, North Bay, Ontario, Canada: Dave Stewart and Lloyd Stanley saw three extremely bright globe-like objects hovering about 10 feet above their heads.
• January 12, Brantford, Ontario, Canada: Ed Morrison observed a rocket-like object with a bright purple light that hovered and kicked up snow.
• January 29, Kitkiojoki-Parkajoki, Sweden: Herman Rikkola and his family saw a bright shining object that blinded the driver and ascended rapidly.
• January 30, Benacazon, Spain: Miguel Fernandez Carrasco saw a brilliant, huge, star-like object land, and beings in dark suits emerged. He was knocked unconscious.

New UFO TV Program An Objective Appraisal (A Review)

This section reviews a television program titled "The UFO Connection," part of a series called "The Unexplained." Produced by David L. Wolper and directed by Don Horan, the 30-minute film is described as a "tightly-knit jewel" that incorporated objective information. The host-narrator was Leonard Nimoy. The program featured interviews with Travis Walton, who claimed abduction, and former astronaut James McDivitt, who discussed a UFO he saw during an orbital flight. Dr. J. Allen Hynek also stated that the "overwhelming weight of evidence" convinced him that UFOs deserved scientific scrutiny, though he cautioned against labeling them as extraterrestrial.

Problems of the Blue Ribbon Panel

Dr. Robert F. Creegan, a former member, discusses the difficulties in maintaining the National Enquirer's Blue Ribbon UFO Panel. The panel, responsible for scrutinizing UFO reports and making cash awards, experienced repeated changes in personnel and assignments. Dr. Creegan resigned due to his academic workload, and Professor J. Allen Hynek also resigned, stating the panel's aims were not in harmony with the scientific objectives of the Center for UFO Studies. Efforts were being made to continue the panel with a modified structure, possibly involving members from NICAP or MUFON.

1975 - A Banner UFO Year

This section highlights significant UFO reports from August-December 1975, involving at least 14 states and two foreign countries. Witnesses included pilots, radar personnel, police, and reporters. Reports described objects illuminating various locations, causing animal reactions, emitting odors, and leaving physical evidence. Specific incidents include:

• November 5, Rangeley Lake, Me.: George Yeaton, Jr., saw a UFO with green and red lights that illuminated the island and caused his car radio to go dead.
• November 19, Sheppton, Pa.: Frank Ziolko observed a box-shaped UFO that paced his car and emitted a blinding light.
• October 4, Allview Estates, Md.: An anonymous witness saw two large, glowing discs and four smaller gold-colored discs that merged into one object and ascended vertically.
• November 22, Goldsboro, N.C.: An Air Force sergeant was momentarily blinded by a pulsating orange light from a UFO.
• December 6, Faison, N.C.: John James saw an orange light that made a long jump and then shot upward at tremendous speed.
• December 10, Goldsboro, N.C.: An unidentified woman saw a brilliant, white light that bobbed around and then sped away.
• November 20, Camilla-Leary, Ga.: Police Chief James E. Spivey observed a big round thing with red and blue lights that illuminated the police station.
• October 26, Youngstown, Ohio: Patrolmen Fred Green and Robert Wayland observed a UFO with pulsating red, green, and blue lights.
• November 8, Big Stone City-Breckenridge-Clinton, Minn.: Kim Kolb and deputy sheriffs observed a brilliant white object that flickered.
• November 27, Goodridge, Minn.: Mead Marquis observed a glowing red object that landed and caused his car to require an extensive tuneup.
• December 23, Goodridge, Minn.: Gilda and Lori Manderud observed an orange object that caused the automobile's engine and lights to cease functioning.
• November 25, Avoca, Iowa: Melvin Peters observed a round UFO with bright square headlights that frightened his dog.

Witness Under Hypnosis Recalls Abduction

• August 26, Fargo, N.D.: Mrs. Sandy Larson, her daughter, and her daughter's boyfriend reported being abducted by a creature with a "brown vinyl body" after observing a series of glowing objects. Mrs. Larson later recounted the experience under hypnosis, describing dissection and examination of body parts.

• November 14, Frazer, Mont.: Farmer John O'Tremba and his family observed a clear, shining, spinning white light that illuminated them.

• November 17, Nashua, Mont.: Romane Firemoon and others saw a UFO that paced their car and emitted a green light beam.

• September 19, Dolores, Colo.: A UFO with two lights in front and four red lights was seen 8-10 feet above a dirt road.

• October 20, Hailey, Idaho: Bob Ellinger and Don Bedrick saw a brilliant red light that descended and emitted a hissing noise.

• October 23, Eatonville, Wash.: Mrs. Janis Henley Abrendsen and her daughters saw red and bluish-green lights that moved erratically and caused their car to act funny.

• November 1, Vacaville, Calif.: Robert M. Perry observed an "aircraft-sized oval object" that was glowing brightly.

• November 13, Litchfield, Calif.: Bruce Chinberg and Rick Bakker observed a spinning "orange mass" and a huge, pulsating, lighted UFO that hovered near the ground.

• October 14, Peers, Canada: Judy Powers saw a pyramid-shaped object with two occupants.

• November 11, Falconbridge-Sudbury, Ontario, Canada: A UFO was tracked on radar by Canadian Forces Base personnel and two U.S. jet fighters were dispatched.

• December 4, Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Canada: Wayne Major photographed two UFOs with red, green, and yellow lights.

• December 31, St. George, Ontario, Canada: Dick Morrison observed a large object with revolving, colored lights that followed him.

• October 25, Forteleza, Brazil: Joao Luciano Gualberto and others observed a "strange blue light" that illuminated and burned them.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently reports on UFO sightings with detailed accounts from witnesses, often including specific dates, locations, and descriptions of the objects and their behavior. There is a focus on unusual characteristics, physical effects on witnesses and their surroundings, and the challenges of scientific investigation and documentation. The editorial stance appears to be one of presenting factual reports and encouraging objective analysis, as evidenced by the review of "The UFO Connection" and the discussion on the Blue Ribbon Panel. The recurring theme is the persistent and widespread nature of UFO phenomena across different regions and demographics.