UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO RESEARCH NEWSLETTER
Issue: Vol. V, No. 7
Date: August - September 1977
Publisher: UFO Research Associates (UFOR)
Country: USA
Price: $.60 (U.S., Canada and Mexico); $.80 (foreign) per single copy.

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter focuses on reports from early 1977, highlighting sightings involving occupants, physical evidence, photographs, and alleged 'time warp' phenomena.

Key Reports and Sightings

The newsletter details numerous UFO sightings from February through June 1977, spanning at least nine states in the U.S. and five foreign countries. These reports come from a diverse range of witnesses, including pilots, police officers, military personnel, and weather office employees.

Pennsylvania Sightings

Several incidents are reported from Pennsylvania. On March 5, near Fawn Grove, Mrs. Everett Miller and her son observed a "big ball of fire" that hovered for several minutes. Afterward, a 50-square-foot circle of burned grass was found, with three holes approximately 1.5 inches deep and 5.5 feet apart. On March 29, near Morgan Run, deputy county patrolman Burton Woods reported a "huge teardrop" object, 150-200 feet long, with a green glow on its underbelly, accompanied by a humming noise and shaking trees. Woods took two photos that did not turn out, and he later suffered recurring headaches and blurred vision. On May 20, three teenaged boys in West Pittsburg observed a saucer with flashing windows and a blue light, followed by three dark, humanoid figures emerging from a mist.

Other U.S. Sightings

In New York, on March 26, Madeline Wolf and Jill Giacobello reported a glaring red, white, and blue oval-shaped UFO that hovered and emitted lights. They took eight photos, but only two were discernible. In Iowa, on April 13, Kevin King observed a disc-shaped object with four colored lights that approached and passed over his car. In Tennessee, on May 16-17, at least five police officers in Memphis reported seeing a large, triangular-shaped object with blinking lights. On May 22, in Madison, West Virginia, witnesses reported an "eerie blue light" hovering above their house.

International Reports

Reports also came from abroad. In Chile, on April 25, six soldiers on patrol witnessed two brilliant objects descend, one emitting a violet light. One soldier, Cp. Armando Valdes, reportedly experienced a "time warp," with his watch advancing five days and him growing a week's worth of beard. In Wales, on February 10, Mark Jones and Llewellyn Edwards saw a blue flashing light, followed by an "orange cigar shape" that materialized and hovered. In Australia, on May 28, witnesses near Adelaide saw a column of light and a conical, bluish-green UFO that rose rapidly.

Aircraft and Electromagnetic Effects

Several reports involved interactions with aircraft or electromagnetic phenomena. A pilot flying over Alaska reported a brilliant object moving at high speed. In Colombia, pilot Manuel Lopez experienced his aircraft shaking and instruments failing after seeing an opaque oval object with phosphorescent lights, temporarily blinding him. The issue also notes instances where UFOs caused radios to crackle or street lights to mysteriously turn off.

UFO Characteristics and Evidence

The reported objects exhibited a variety of shapes, including oval, teardrop, cigar-shaped, triangular, bell-shaped, conical, disc, lens-shaped, and pentagonal. Colors ranged from red, white, and blue to green, orange, and bluish-green. Size estimates varied widely, from 15-16 feet in diameter to "as big as a football field." Behaviors included hovering, swooping, pacing, and rapid acceleration. Physical evidence mentioned includes burned grass and holes, while physiological effects like headaches and blurred vision were also reported.

Special Features

The Sedona Photograph Controversy

A significant portion of the newsletter is dedicated to the debate surrounding a UFO photograph taken near Sedona, Arizona, in 1967. William H. Spaulding, director of Ground Saucer Watch, concluded it was a "lens reflection." However, J.F. Herr, a research psychologist, strongly disagreed, arguing that the camera used (Kodak 'Holiday 127') could not produce such reflections due to its simple lens system and the geometry of the alleged image.

Book Reviews

The newsletter includes reviews of two books: Jacques Vallee's "The Invisible College: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race," which suggests UFOs may stabilize human consciousness rather than being a simple extraterrestrial phenomenon, and Duncan Lunan's "The Mysterious Signals From Outer Space," which proposes deciphered radio signals from an extraterrestrial probe but concludes UFOs are a "sad tale of emotional dependence."

Official UFO Editor Resigns

An article details the resignation of Dennis William Hauck, editor of "Official UFO" magazine, who accused his publisher, Myron Fass, of perpetrating a hoax involving a letter from a woman claiming alien beings had switched her child. Hauck claimed the letter was fabricated.

Voyager's Cosmic Greeting Card

A brief mention is made of the Voyager spacecraft, which will carry a 12-inch phonograph record with messages and sounds from Earth, including music and images, as a greeting to extraterrestrials.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The newsletter consistently presents a wide array of UFO sighting reports from diverse sources, emphasizing witness testimony and documented physical evidence where available. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into the UFO phenomenon, presenting various cases and controversies, such as the Sedona photograph, for the reader's consideration. The inclusion of book reviews and discussions on scientific analysis suggests a desire to engage with the phenomenon on multiple levels, from anecdotal reports to more technical and theoretical explanations. The newsletter also highlights the potential for unusual effects, such as electromagnetic interference and alleged temporal distortions, associated with UFO encounters.