UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Issue: V, No. 6
Date: June - July 1977
Publisher: UFO Research Associates (UFOR)
Country: USA
Price: $0.60 (U.S., Canada and Mexico); $.80 (foreign) single copies

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter focuses on a wide array of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings reported between January and March 1977, with additional reports from Great Britain covering 1975-1976. The publication emphasizes sightings involving occupants, photographic evidence, physical evidence, and electromagnetic effects.

Occupants, Photos, Physical Evidence Mark Sighting Reports (January-March 1977)

The lead article details numerous sightings from at least nine states. On February 2, 1977, Albert Marion in Athol, Mass., reported an orange, hot-dog-shaped UFO with a dome that paced his car, slowing and stopping with it. On February 7, in Weston, Conn., numerous observers, including police, witnessed a box-like shape formed by red and green lights that hovered and flew off; Bruce Edmund captured photographs of this event. In Lake Eustis, Fla., on February 15, Robby Tanner and Ken Spears saw a cone-shaped object with colored lights that descended and then shot across the lake rapidly. Deputy Sheriff Ken Creel and Constable James Luke in Flora, Miss., on February 9, observed a bright, hovering blue disc with white portholes that rushed towards them, emitted a high-pitched noise, and ascended quickly. Flora Police Officer Hubert Roberts reported the object blinked lights in response to his headlights. In Jayess, Miss., residents including the Alexander and Cothern families, saw a large, round, gray UFO with red lights and a dome hovering at tree-top level before disappearing. In Lakewood Village, an unidentified pilot and others saw a similar object that dodged two passing jets.

On January 19, Jose Cantu in Harrah, Wash., reported seeing two greenish creatures and two 'steely' UFOs, one of which landed in his backyard, leaving behind round marks and indentations. Investigators for the Center for UFO Studies reportedly visited the site. On February 12, Mrs. Joe Reed in Jonesville, La., observed a red oval with blinking lights hovering over antennae, which then moved off and returned, emitting a hissing sound. In Findlay, Ohio, on February 25, Greg and Scott De Rodes saw a bright gold object emitting a buzzing sound, which their father described as a 'gold light' and drew as a circular object with points and balls. A young couple near Lisbon, Ohio, on March 7, observed a bell-shaped UFO with colored lights that projected a beam of light to the ground. Ricky Brandenburg in Indianapolis, Ind., on March 10, photographed a silver disc-shaped object with a clear plastic-like dome. Mrs. Barney Strand, Jr., and her daughter Sindy in Regan, N.D., on February 5, reported a bright, yellowish light pacing their truck, which followed them to their farmyard and hovered before disappearing. In the March 21-22 timeframe, California experienced an invasion of two diamond-shaped UFOs over a nine-hour period, witnessed by police and military personnel.

Further sightings include a UFO that flew from Phelan toward Apple Valley at over 1,000 m.p.h. and disintegrated. Airmen from March Air Force Base observed UFOs traveling at high speeds. Mark O. Hogan at Los Angeles International Airport reported two orange lights that flew horizontally at high speed. Huntington Beach Police Officers Jim Lail and Tom Arnold saw 'searing white objects' with reddish cone-shaped noses. Deputy Sheriffs Lonnie Hicks and Robert Carr reported a 'cylinder-shaped object leaving a trail.' Steve Haas saw 'two disk-shaped objects with gold color.' Deputy Sheriff John McSorley observed lights over the sheriff's helicopter station. A Point Mugu Navy base spokesman confirmed no facility aircraft were aloft. Deputy Sheriffs Jim Evans and Bob Boyter saw a 'cigar with a light on each end.' Ronald Cash spotted 'two bright objects' with 'two long white tails.' Mr. and Mrs. Larry Reeder saw objects described as 'sparklers from fireworks.' A Firestone resident reported a brilliant object bathing his home in pale blue light. Police Sgt. Vincent Rupp received numerous reports from Southern California, Salinas, and Sacramento.

Reports from Great Britain (1975-1976)

This section details sightings from England, Wales, and Scotland, including reports of occupants, physiological and E-M effects, landed objects, physical evidence, animal reactions, and time lapses.

1975 Reports:

• January 5, Uppermill: A young boy and girl observed an oval-shaped object with a yellow, flickering rim emitting a humming sound, which followed a railway viaduct and shot into the sky.
• January 9, Cheddleton-Leek, Staffordshire: Two sisters saw a brilliantly illuminated dome-shaped object with a flat underside and a large central window that flew overhead, hovered, and landed in a field. A plumber and his wife saw the same object pace their car and land.
• January 14, Moorside: Two girls spotted an oval-shaped UFO hovering over rooftops, which then swooped down, presenting a face-like shape with steady green and flashing red lights, before moving upwards and fading.
• May 18, Rainhill: A UFO investigator, his wife, and father-in-law observed an object like three white tennis balls in triangular formation that descended, flew over a barn, and disappeared, leaving a white glow in trees and 'bootprints' in a nearby duck pond.
• August 31, Holmefirth, West Yorkshire: A service engineer saw a white light, 'as big as a farmhouse,' shaped like a barrage balloon, which created a 'tunnel' through mist and moved toward him. The object, estimated at 7.5 meters long, rotated slightly, crossed the road, and followed the valley contours.

1976 Reports:

• July 21, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire: A woman observed a gold, spinning object that spiraled down from a cloud and then sped away.
• August 16, Skegness, Lincolnshire: Mandy Smith was awakened by a noise and a lightning-like flash, seeing a white mushroom-shaped light with a pulsating glow that lit up her bedroom and nearby trees before shooting out to sea.
• August 22, Gateshead, Durham: A woman observed a black shape that zoomed southwest with a whooshing noise, leaving a red trail, followed later by a huge orange oval.
• September 3, Fencehouses, Curham: Two women spotted an oval-shaped object that landed, and two small occupants with claw-like hands emerged.
• October 4, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: Schoolboys saw various lights moving out of the moon and a star that suddenly moved and followed an aircraft; the object then split into three parts.
• October 11, Alstonefield, Derbyshire: Four family members spotted a triangular-shaped object with flashing blue lights that hovered before disappearing.
• October 24, Gateshead, Durham: Two children watched a platform-like object with dim yellow lights and a central part projecting downwards with red lights, which made a sucking noise and accelerated north. Their tape recorder malfunctioned during the sighting.

Pilot Poll Elicits Sighting Reports

A poll conducted by Walter H. Greenawald of UFO Research Associates surveyed about 170 airline pilots. Key findings include:

• 20.8% of pilots reported making UFO sightings.
• 74% believe in 'outer space intelligence.'
• 26% believe UFOs are 'intelligently controlled spacecraft from some other planet' with 100% probability.
• 56.5% believe 'there are intelligent beings elsewhere in the universe.'
• 63.5% stated the U.S. government should conduct an open UFO study.

The report concludes that pilots support the ETI belief but generally refuse to accept that an alien has arrived on this planet. One pilot was '100% convinced that some UFOs were alien spacecraft' and carried a camera in his cockpit.

The report details four specific sightings by pilots:

• Mid-1948, near Phoenix, Ariz.: A white 'cigar-shaped object' was seen speeding toward the south, appearing to hover, then disappear.
• Around two years later, near Salt Lake City, Utah: A green, 'delta-shaped object' was observed slowly heading west.
• Around 1964, near Allentown, Pa.: A UFO appeared as a 'small moon' with several smaller objects flying into and away from it.
• Summer 1976, en route from Atlanta to Cleveland: A pilot observed 'two white lights' whose horizontal distance increased and decreased, with one moving higher than the other, despite the ground controller reporting no traffic.

Sighting Capsules

This section provides brief summaries of additional recent sightings:

• March 2, 1977, Berwick, Pa.: An object with three lights stopped, emitted a light beam, moved, and hovered over the Susquehanna River.
• March 6, 1977, Sutter, Calif.: A round, 'honeycombed' UFO drifted west and then returned to its original location.
• March 9, 1977, Wyandotte, Mich.: A saucer with flashing lights and a flickering red light on top was seen flying from south to north.
• March 10, 1977, Jonesboro, Tenn.: A solid cigar emitted a 'little noise,' hovered, and then zipped back to its original spot before disappearing.
• March 10, 1977, Fostoria, Ohio: A cone-shaped glowing object was seen in the sky, and car radio went dead.
• March 10, 1977, Indianapolis, Ind.: Numerous witnesses saw 'brilliant green flashes in the sky,' possibly a meteor shower.

Book Reviews

The Fire Came By; The Riddle of the Great Siberian Explosion by John Baxter and Thomas Atkins is reviewed. The book posits that the 1908 Tunguska event was caused by an alien spaceship disintegrating in an atomic blast. The review highlights the book's research, comparing the Tunguska blast's scale to Hiroshima's and noting the evidence of radiation damage. It mentions the contributions of Leonid A. Kulik and Aleksander Kazantsev, and the defense of the alien spacecraft theory by Felix Zigel. The introduction is by Isaac Asimov. The book is described as a significant work that forces readers to consider the possibility of aliens crashing on Earth.

Situation Red, The UFO Siege! by Leonard H. Stringfield is also recommended. The author's research and original information are noted, including his role coordinating sighting reports for the Air Defense Command in the mid-1950s and his own pre-Arnold sighting in 1945.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the diversity of UFO sightings, the persistent reporting of physical evidence and occupant encounters, and the ongoing efforts to document and analyze these phenomena. The newsletter appears to adopt a neutral, reportorial stance, presenting witness accounts and expert opinions without overt sensationalism. The emphasis on photographic and physical evidence, along with the inclusion of a pilot poll and book reviews on significant UFO cases like Tunguska, suggests a commitment to serious investigation and dissemination of information within the UFO research community. The publication also highlights the role of various UFO research organizations and investigators in gathering and sharing these reports.