UFO Research Newsletter - 1979 01 02 - Vol 06 No 04

Magazine Overview

This issue of the UFO Research Newsletter, Volume VI, Number 4, published monthly or bi-monthly by UFO Research Associates, covers the period of January-February 1979. The cover headline highlights "Levitating Cars, Occupants, Abductions Highlight 1978 Sighting Reports," indicating a focus on significant UFO events from the previous year. The newsletter provides a detailed report on various UFO sightings and encounters from 1978, including witness accounts, locations, and characteristics of the objects.

1978 Sighting Reports Summary

The newsletter details a wide array of UFO characteristics reported in 1978, including objects that lifted cars, caused them to levitate, affected food, hovered over military sites, were chased by jets, responded to signals, caused physiological and electromagnetic (E-M) effects, and animal reactions. Other reports involved objects tracked on radar, landing and taking off, illuminating the ground, emitting sounds, discharging small objects, being photographed and filmed, emitting odors, and being circled by planes. Witnesses included flight controllers, pilots, television crews, police, ministers, railway station chiefs, and oil company technicians from at least 11 states and five foreign countries.

Notable Incidents and Witness Accounts

Several specific incidents are detailed:

• Verona, N.Y. (October 23, 1978): An unidentified man witnessed three oblong-shaped UFOs with flashing yellow and orange lights in a V formation. Jets approached the objects, which then moved away much faster than the jets.
• Mahoning, Pa. (January 17, 1978): Mr. and Mrs. Leo Goldberg observed and photographed a silver UFO described as long and oval-shaped with a bright white light and a cylinder on the bottom. TV interference was also reported.
• Charleston, W.Va. (October 20, 1978): Tracy Gossard and friends saw a huge, brightly-lit object shaped like a frisbee that moved erratically and dipped toward the earth.
• Gallipolis Ferry, W.Va. (October 21, 1978): Deputy Sheriff Frank Crump and other officers chased a jagged, spherical UFO with a white base and colored lights for approximately 13 miles.
• Federalsburg, Md. (July 1, 1978): Roy V.R. Grogan reported a narrow beam of light and a huge, round object that blinked lights and responded to his signals.
• Louisville, Ky. (July 13, 1978): Rev. Elisabeth and Rev. Stephen Stephenson observed a rectangular UFO, 15-20 feet high and 30-40 feet long, hover about 30 feet off the ground.
• Delano, Tenn. (September 15, 1978): Sandra Hooper saw two man-like forms and a long, reddish-pink object descend and land, after which the creatures disappeared.
• Sheffield Village, Ohio (July 27, 1978): Mrs. Loreen Little observed a UFO shaped like an upside-down banana hover just above the ground, emitting a sound like a vacuum cleaner.
• Crystal, Minn. (January 16, 1978): Jon Spizale witnessed a UFO with red and green lights that separated into pieces and reformed.
• Ord, Nebr. (October 8, 1978): Deanne Kearns observed a large gray UFO from which two creatures descended on a beam of light.

International Sightings

Reports from outside the U.S. include:

• Rondonopolis, Brazil (January 20, 1978): Manoel Roberto and his cousin Paolo were reportedly abducted by small beings in red suits. An electricity blackout occurred simultaneously.
• San Juan Province, Argentina (July 12, 1978): Felipe Onofre Orozco saw a bright light approaching, and a large number of stray animals sought refuge in the station.
• Coronel Dorrego, Argentina (August 25, 1978): Jose Antonio Virbilio and others detected a sulfur odor, saw meat turn unusual colors, and bread turn into a sponge, after encountering a round UFO.
• Gobernador, Dupuy, Argentina (August 30, 1978): Miguel Freites, a woodcutter, was abducted by a humanoid figure from a UFO, questioned, and released 35-40 kilometers away.
• Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe Province, Argentina (September 8, 1978): Roberto Francisco Torres saw luminous posters and an oval-shaped object with a dome that emitted lights and caused a blackout.
• Comodoro Rivadania and Bahia Blanca, Argentina (September 22, 1978): Carlos Acevedo Ramirez and Angel Moya reported being overtaken by a brilliant orange object that caused their car to rise and travel 70 kilometers in one minute at an estimated speed of 3,600 kph.
• Umm Alaish, Kuwait (November 10, 1978): Seven Kuwait Oil Company technicians observed a large, cylindrical UFO that landed, disrupted telecommunications and oil pumping operations, and then took off.
• Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand (December 30, 1978): A TV crew captured film of bright, erratically-moving objects with rings of light, described as saucer-shaped and egg-shaped.

North Carolina Reports (January-October 1978)

George D. Fawcett investigated numerous incidents in North Carolina:

• Atlantic Ocean (January 11): Marine Corps Lt. Col. Edmond F. Zinc chased two red-orange, saucer-like objects, experiencing E-M effects.
• Lincolnton (Late February): A couple heard an explosion and saw an oval-shaped object that returned after disappearing.
• Boone (March 1): Two truck drivers reported a UFO with a dome and round bottom, and there were reports of five dead dogs disappearing from a frozen ground.
• Charlotte (March 5): A couple and three children witnessed an object land, emitting colored lights. Three indentations were found at the site.
• Charlotte (March 10): Mrs. Donna E. Wickhorst and her husband saw a flying craft with a brilliant white light hovering above nearby trees.
• Ft. Bragg (March 22): PFC Steve Molnar photographed a five-sided, disc-shaped UFO with red lights.
• Raleigh-Durham Airport (May 25): Numerous residents and a pilot saw an orange object, with other UFOs also observed.
• Bessemer City (July 6 or 7): Mrs. Mary L. Stamey and her son saw a glowing object with six metal-looking girders, which caused neighborhood dogs to react violently.
• Lincolnton (August 5): Terry Mayo was followed by a UFO the size of a house, which emitted a humming sound and caused his motorcycle's lights and motor to conk out.
• Maiden (October 16): Mrs. Betty Morrow observed a brightly-lighted orange patch of light and a brilliant white, oval UFO. Severe interference to her car radio and TV static were reported.
• Lincolnton (October 26): A housewife spotted a bright orange UFO hovering about six feet above a hospital roof, emitting a hissing sound and a yellow streak of light.

Book Reviews

The newsletter includes reviews of three books:

• The UFO Guidebook by Norman J. Briazack and Simon Memmick: This book defines and explains numerous UFO-related terms, serving as a ufologist's dictionary.
• Encounters of the Fourth Kind by R.L. Hymers: The author contends that UFOs are satanic and used to deceive mankind, linking them to signs of the antichrist. The review criticizes the book's speculative nature and lack of evidence.
• Stars, Space, UFOs (Ripley's Believe It or Not! series): The review questions the factual accuracy and sources of this book, suggesting it is more suited for a Ripley museum than educational use.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the diversity and prevalence of UFO sightings in 1978, encompassing a wide range of reported phenomena from physical interactions like levitation and abduction to electromagnetic effects and physical traces. The newsletter adopts a stance of documenting and reporting these incidents, presenting witness accounts and investigative findings without overt skepticism, though the book reviews, particularly of R.L. Hymers' work, show a critical eye towards unsubstantiated or religiously-motivated interpretations of UFO phenomena. The editorial stance appears to be one of serious inquiry into the UFO subject, encouraging readers to submit their own sightings and clippings.