UFO Research Newsletter - 1976 06 07 - Vol 04 No 12

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Issue: Vol. IV, No. 12
Date: June - July 1976
Publisher: UFO Research Associates (UFOR)
Country: USA
Price: $0.60 (U.S., Canada and Mexico); $.80 (foreign) for single copies.

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter focuses on "ANIMAL REACTIONS AND E-M EFFECTS MAIN FEATURES IN SIGHTING REPORTS," detailing numerous UFO sightings from February to April 1976. The reports cover incidents from at least four states and two foreign countries, including observations by control tower personnel and police.

Key Sighting Reports and Themes

The newsletter highlights several significant sightings:

• Deeson, Mississippi (February 24, 1976): A husband and wife reported a large, round object with flashing lights, accompanied by the sound of "all the dogs in town barking." Neighbors also witnessed the craft, and one reportedly fired a shotgun at it.
• Yuma, Arizona (February 28, 1976): A witness and a friend experienced car radio interference and observed a bright green, hovering UFO. The object moved slowly, wobbled, and then disappeared instantly when the witness took a picture with a flash.
• Monroe, Oregon (April 18, 1976): A tenant dairy farmer reported his dogs barking and cattle stampeding in the loafing shed, attributing it to a UFO sighting.
• Elmwood, Wisconsin (April 22, 1976): A police officer's radio shut off, after which he saw a UFO lift off from the ground, and the E-M effects cleared.
• Grahamstown, South Africa (March 5, 1976): A witness was awakened by a bright glare and dog barking and observed a large, oblong object hovering at low altitude that flew away at high speed.
• Caracas, Venezuela (March 15, 1976): Two UFOs were tracked on radar at Simon Bolivar Airport, causing commotion and disobeying identification orders. A "Top Secret" report was prepared.

Other reports detail UFOs with various characteristics: round, cigar-shaped, oblong, double-saucer, Saturn-type discs, and square-shaped objects. Colors ranged from white, red, and green to blue, orange, yellow, gray, and reddish-orange. Behaviors included hovering, rotating, pulsating, darting, and moving at high speeds. Some sightings reported electromagnetic effects like radio interference, while others noted physical trace evidence such as burns or rings on ice.

News Capsules and Other Reports

• French Air Force Conclusion: After 25 years, the French Air Force concluded that flying saucers may be real but pose no known threat to France, suggesting they could come from other planets or foreign powers. Eighty percent of sightings were explainable, with doubt remaining for the other 20%.
• UFO Research Center in Toronto: A new center opened in Toronto, Canada, to allow witnesses to report unusual events without ridicule.
• Jersey City Police Cooperation: The Jersey City Police Department was directed to cooperate with the UFO Research Center for UFO Studies as part of a nationwide program.
• MENSA International Beliefs: A survey indicated that 64% of MENSA members believe UFOs are spaceships from other planets, and many think they are carrying passengers studying Earth.
• The Sirius Mystery: Astronomer Robert Semple proposed a theory that Earth was visited by mermaid-like creatures from a planet near Sirius 10 light years away, who shared astrophysical knowledge with ancient civilizations like the Dogon tribe.

Book Reviews

The newsletter includes reviews of several books:

• Encounters with UFO Occupants by Coral and Jim Lorenzen: Praised for listing documented occupant reports and providing new information on UFO knowledge. It examines the controversial Villa-Boas case and criticizes UFO debunker Philip J. Klass.
• UFO Exist! by Paris Flammonde: Analyzes the UFO controversy, drawing from various sources, some considered dubious. It ties together incidents like the Maury Island incident and Kenneth Arnold sighting, and discusses "occult" analyses of UFOs.
• UFO Missionaries Extraordinary by Hayden Hewes and Brad Steiger: Details the story of individuals who claim to offer eternal salvation via UFOs, with a focus on "The Two" (Bo and Peep). The review expresses concern that the authors may have been deceived.
• UFOs: What on Earth Is Happening? by John Weldon and Zola Levitt: Presents a thesis that UFOs are demons preparing for Armageddon, which the reviewer finds weak and unconvincing, ignoring evidence of extraterrestrial visitation.

UFO ALMOST CAUSES AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT

• Auburn, Kentucky (July 30, 1975): Sam Cunigan, a pilot, reported a bright red light that traveled east at high speed. The object later caused a police car to be knocked onto the shoulder.

Sighting Capsules

This section provides brief summaries of numerous sightings from January to April 1976:

• January 21, Gyttorp, Sweden: A round UFO with a yellow-white light was seen on ice, leaving a large ring.
• February 3, Fort Gomer, England: A large, solid disc of light with a glow emitted a "terrific whooshing noise."
• February 10, Columbia County, Florida: Police officers witnessed a UFO hovering and flashing various colors.
• February 12, Venice, Florida: A former pilot and his wife observed a large, stationary, red, pencil-shaped UFO that disappeared suddenly.
• February 19, Navarre, Florida: A state highway patrolman photographed a white object with a "reddish aura."
• February 19, Live Oak, California: Three red-orange, glowing objects in a triangular formation were observed.
• February 19, New Norfolk, Tasmania, Australia: A cup-shaped object with blue flashing lights and a long tail was seen.
• February 21, Maydena, Tasmania, Australia: Witnesses saw orange-red lights, with one object flying southwest and another west.
• February 24, Easton, Maryland: A UFO hovered over trees and seemed to pause in mid-air.
• February 26, Near Marysville, California: Residents observed five yellow, glowing objects flying together.
• February 26, Margate, New Jersey: An oblong-shaped, pulsating light flew fast over a car.
• February 28, East Hanover, New Jersey: A large, egg-shaped object with fire coming out on all sides was observed.
• March 3, Manteca, California: A reddish-orange, cigar-shaped object approached from the northwest and disappeared southwest.
• March 7, Oberon, Australia: A red disc followed a car, flashing on and off, then disappeared.
• March 8, Bellingham, Washington: An orange object moved east, dropped flares, and zoomed off.
• March 10, Gordsjo, Sweden: A red object, round and rolling like a plate, flew fast and disappeared.
• March 11, Memphis, Tennessee: A resident observed a large, kite-like object making a strange sound.
• March 14, Redwood City, California: Numerous witnesses saw "20 to 30 lighted, noiseless" objects.
• March 15, Brunswick, Maryland: A bright object headed north, stopped, hovered, and then disappeared as if turned off.
• March 20, General Sampaio, Ceara, Brazil: A man reported receiving second-degree burns from a beam of light projected from a flying saucer.
• March 20, Segerstad, Sweden: A red blinking ball was seen high in the northeast sky.
• March 22, Salisbury, Rhodesia: A brilliant orange light lit up a house and garden, gradually drifting southeast with fragments dropping off.
• March 23, Dane and Columbia Counties, Wisconsin: Witnesses watched a large light that exploded and disappeared.
• March 27, Talladega, Alabama: Residents saw a round, gray object with blinking lights rimming its edge, flying at tree-top level.
• March 28, Near Lancaster, Alabama: An oblong-shaped, pulsating blue UFO disintegrated.
• April 2, Near Pipe Creek, Texas: A witness saw a huge, round UFO and a smaller object under it, with flashing lights and a steady beam.
• April 4, Near Bremerton, Washington: A reddish UFO hovered, changed course abruptly, and ascended at a 90-degree angle.
• April 9, Morton, Pennsylvania: Witnesses observed a round UFO like "two domes pressed together" with flashing lights and a whirring sound.
• April 13, Alliance, Ohio: Eight witnesses spotted a strange formation of five bright lights moving west in a straight line, then changing to a 'V' formation.
• April 13, Breaunanda, South Africa: An orange, square-shaped object approached in a straight line and seemed to grow bigger.
• April 17, Manheim Township, Pennsylvania: A retired Air Force pilot and his wife spotted a glowing white object that dimmed, then brightened, and crossed through 30 degrees of arc in 15 seconds.
• April 17, Whatton, Nottinghamshire, England: Mrs. Lillian Mann and others watched a cylindrical, orange-red light that descended slowly.
• April 19, Lansing, Michigan: A police helicopter crew and others saw a "red ball of fire" that appeared to fly, stop, hover, and descend quickly.
• April 20, Near Catalina Island, California: Numerous witnesses saw a color-changing UFO hovering over the ocean.
• April 21, Near Terrace, British Columbia, Canada: An RCMP officer saw a UFO that emitted a "blinding flash."
• April 22, Raleigh, North Carolina: A mother and daughter observed a large, brilliantly-lit, spinning object with a red blinking light.
• April 24, Strausstown, Pennsylvania: A cigar-shaped UFO gave off red sparks every time an airplane flew over it.
• April 25, Streator, Illinois: Numerous residents reported "strange lights" in the northeast part of the sky.
• April 25, Kingsthorpe, England: A brilliant "ball of fire" with smoke around it was seen.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the diverse manifestations of UFO phenomena, including their effects on animals and electronic equipment, their physical characteristics, and the varied reactions of witnesses. The newsletter presents a wide range of sighting reports, often citing local newspaper sources, and includes book reviews that touch upon different interpretations of UFOs, from scientific investigation to more esoteric or even religious explanations. The editorial stance appears to be one of documenting and reporting on UFO phenomena without necessarily endorsing specific theories, while also critiquing certain interpretations, particularly those that dismiss evidence or rely on weak arguments. The inclusion of book reviews that challenge debunkers and explore controversial cases suggests an openness to exploring various facets of the UFO subject.

The next edition is scheduled for August-September 1976.