WORLD ATLAS OF

ABDUCT K)NS AND CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

SIGIiTINGSV

lb HN

SPENCER

WORLD ATLAS OF

The

WORLD ATLAS OF
in

UFO'S
its

is

unique

in

its

approach and fascinating

discoveries. Tackling

the bizarre, the frightening, the mysterious and the

absurd,
fied at

it

provides a compelling round-up of unidentiall

phenomena from

over the world. Authoritative

all

times, John Spencer ridicules the nonsensical

into the truly inexplicable.

and probes

Organized continent by continent, the unique and

comprehensive database allows the vast panorama of

ufological

phenomena

to unfold chronologically from

the Foo Fighters of the World

War

II

battle arena to the

present-day North American abduction cases. Highlighting

the

important

details

of

each

case,

the

database sets the scene, documents the witnesses'

reports,

and captures the unfathomable mystery of

each event.
Contributions

from

highly

respected

UFO
and

researchers

highlight

national

characteristics

show how
cultural

legend, folklore, national temperament, and

all

environment

influence the type of sighting.

its

North America, for example, reflects

technological

culture by embracing the extra-terrestrial theory, while

the Soviet Union, recalling

its

folklore, often reports

sightings of giantlike creatures.

Special

effects

model-makers and
life

illustrators

bring the sightings unnervingly to

with high-quality

depictions

of

the

scenes,

while

remarkable

pho-

tographs taken by witnesses add to the bank of

disturbingly accurate and weighty evidence.
For enthusiasts and sceptics alike, the

WORLD

ATLAS OF UFO's
word on

defies disbelief and gives the final

this fascinating subject.

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in

2010

http://www.archive.org/details/worldatlasofufosOOspen

UFO

's

r%

WORLD ATLAS OF

JOHN SPENCER

EDITOR ANNA

MUMFORD

ART EDITOR BOB GORDON

PICTURE RESEARCH RACHEL DUFFIELD

PRODUCTION CONTROLLER CHRISTINA ROBILLIARD

First published in 1991

by
Limited,

The Hamlyn Publishing Group

part of

Reed

International Books,

Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road,

London SW3 6RB

This edition first published in the United States in 1992 by SMITHMARK Publishers Inc., 112 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Text John Spencer Illustrations and Design Reed International Books Limited
may be reproduced, stored in a any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the Publisher and the copyright owner.
All rights reserved.

No part

of this publication

retrieval system, or transmitted in

ISBN

0-

8317-9498-4

Typeset by Dorchester Typesetting Group limited Produced by Mandarin Offset - printed in Hong Kong

The

Publishers would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their kind permission to reproduce the photographs in this book.

NASA

12,

/SPL

137,

187T

Aerofilms 75, 76 Martin Bower 19B, 22, 93B, 116-7 Steuart Campbell 111 Peter Day lOOT

Mary Evans Picture Library 17, 24, 25, 28B, 29T, 34, 46T&B, 49, 53, 59, 62, 64, 69R, 79, SOL, 81, 82B, 83, 85TL,TR&B, 88, 90, 93T, 102, 107, 123, 173, 187B,/Project Hessdalenll8, 119T&B
21B, 26B, 35, 38, 43, 54, 69L, 71L&K, 78, 87, 115, 120, 185,/Fotorama 26T,/Tsutomu Nakayama 63, /B Skinner 121, C Svahn 80R Stanton T Freidman 18 John Frost Newspapers 51 The Ronald Grant Archive 1 Robert Harding Picture Library 50-1 Cynthia Hind 147, 153, 156,/ Ministry of Infonnation,
14, 15,

Fortean Picture Library

Novosti Press Agency 128 Popperfoto 27, 28T, 66, 82T, 114, 129, 140 Science Photo Library 2-3, 29B, 40-1, /J Baum 131, /J Finch 40, 133, /D Parker 135, /M Patemostro 136 South American Pictures/Tony Morrison 189 Spectrum 105T&B, 108-9, 141, 175 John Spencer 60, 95, 103 Syndication International/Associated Press 163 TRH Pictures 130R, /Grumman 130L VUFORS 167,/P Norman 172, 174 Zefa 178

Although every effort has been made to trace the copyright holder, we apologize in advance for any unintentional omissions and would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgements in any subsequent edition of this
publication.

Illustrations

on pages 30-1, 36-7, 44-5, 96-7. 112-13, 138-9,

Zimbabwe 1.50 The Hutchison Library 157,/T Bedow 145 The Kobal Collection 33, 57, 101 MUFON 39L&R, 58

Tony Roberts. Illustration on page 21 by Keith Scaife. Models and photographs on pages 19B, 22, 93B, 116-17 by Martin Bower. These compositions are artists' impressions based on witnesses' reports.
154-5, 164-5, 170-1 and 182-3 by

CONTENTS
Foreword

Introduction

NORTH AMERICA
Last Bastion of

8
10 14

ETH

Database

From Saucers

to Conspiracies

68

EUROPE
A Common European Ufology?
Database

72
74 78
120

Beyond

Extra-terrestrials

THE EAST
UFOs and Freedom of Information
Database
Interaction

124
126
128

between East and West

141

AFRICA
UFOs Within African Culture
Database

142
144 146 157

UFOs or Ancestral Spirits

AUSTRALASIA
The
Australasian Perspective

158
160
162 175

Database

The Missing Links

SOUTH AMERICA
The South American Viewpoint
Database

176
178 180 189

UFOs South of the Border

Index

190

Afterword

192

FOREWORD

0s
nomenon

the International Director of the Mutual

the world's largest and

(MUFON),
aware,
is

UFO Network most geographically

I

widespread independent

UFO

research organization,
that

am

perhaps more than most,

the

UFO

phe-

a truly global one. Unidentified Flying Objects are

all

experienced by people

over the world and the World Atlas of

UFO's shows this continent by continent. The World Atlas of UFO's also highlights areas of large countries - remote or less technological countries - where UFO's are rarely reported. It becomes apparent that UFO
reporting
to
is

confined to those areas that have

UFO
that

investigators
in

whom

these events can be reported. Those of us involved

the study of this

phenomenon are convinced

if

there were

more people
During
least

to

whom

sightings could be reported, then

more
at

cases deserving of serious study would reach

UFO

researchers.

my

twenty years

at

MUFON

have determined
subject
is

two important

things: first, that the

UFO

serious

and deserves to be treated with greater respect by scientists, world governments and the public than it presently is; second, that this subject is bringing people together across the world, and in a way that brings out their best talents. Thousands of people are donating hundreds of hours per year without financial compensation to helping those who do not seem to understand their own experiences or who may be unwilling victims of
traumatic experiences.

The annual MUFON International UFO Sjnnposium attracts hundreds of people from all over the world who come together in a spirit of joint endeavour' that breaks down international boundaries. Both the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) and the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) are organizations to which the author and many of the contributors belong. They have a stated objective to educate the public in a responsible and authoritative manner, to encourage other groups and organizations around the world to share their work, and to proceed towards a solution to this intriguing and mysterious subject. This book is part of that process.

Walter

H.

Andrus Jr.

International Director

Mutual UFO Network

INTRODUCTION
Hnidentificd
which
is

Flying Objects are a subject

Kuhlemann, Jenny Randies,

Steve Gamble,

much misunderstood:

partly

Bob Uigby,
expressed

Philip Mantle,

Andy Roberts. None

because of poor media attention, partly because of inadequate support from the
scientific

of these people are responsible for any opinions

in

the book other than those they

community and
cult

partly

because of the

make
tors,

in their

own

section introductions.
illustra-

absurd claims of
that

followers

who
gets

attach
is

My

thanks also to the artists and

themselves to the subject. The end result

authoritative

Tony Roberts, Martin Bower and Keith awe

of

data

rarely

to

the

Scaife for their astonishing visualizations that

general public and the

UFO

whole attracts ridicule. UFO's aims to redress that imbalance. We do not know what UFOs are: some cases make it very clear that they are a physical reality; other cases seem to be caught up in a sociological event; some cases have mythological and others psychological components. Some UFO reports are humorous and appear to
be relatively unimportant while a great many

phenomenon as a The World Atlas of

portray the mystery and

I

key events.

would

like to

give special thanks to three

other

people

support

in their

who each gave very special own way: my wife, Anne, who

became researcher and cartographer despite the demands of our home and her own business; Anna Mumford, of Reed International
Books,

who gave tremendous back-up and

installed a hot-line direct to

my

desk; Kathryn
I

Howard,
(in

UFO

abductee who, when

needed
it

have serious, often frightening implications for individual people and for the world as a whole. Too many people have been touched by UFOs,
directly

a fresh perspective on the subject, provided

trumps!).

and
to

indirectly,

for

the

UFO

phe-

nomenon
the
rest

be wished away. These people and

world deserve a reasoned

of the

There are people missing from this list who, be acknowledged individually: the hundreds of good UFO investigators whose cases make up the databases for various reasons, cannot

attempt to provide them with the answers that

they seek - whatever those answers

space simply prohibits a

list;

full

cross-referenced

may

be.

The World
very

Atlas of

clearly:

that at

way, the UFO To compile a world database of over forty years of research from all around the world was
a daunting task.
I

UFO's proves one thing some level, or in some phenomenon is real.

some scientists who prefer to remain anonymous at least for the moment; witnesses whose cases are not inpsychologists and

cluded out of respect for their wish that their

stories remain out of the public

domain - the

perspective they provide

is vital.
I have used many own, and taken the

could not have easily done so

In researching the data,

without the support of friends and colleagues

case

files

including

my

across the world

opinions,

who

supplied data, gave their

to sources of data,

opinions of
self.

many more experienced

I

than

my-

guided

me
list I

or

simply kept

me

going

when
would

the coffee ran out.

particularly like to

have referred to many publications (see Bibliography page 192).

specific references

For

From an
mention:

endless
Hilary

None

of the books, journals or authors

men-

Evans,

Cynthia Hind,

Paul

tioned are responsible for the opinions ex-

Norman, Eduardo Russo, Walter H Andrus Jnr, Budd Hopkins, Thomas (Eddie) Bullard, Bertil

pressed,
to their

some

of which are
is this

no doubt contrary

own. Such

subject.

NORTH AMERICA
SOMEWHERE OUT THERE', THERE MUST SURELY
BE TECHNO-DEMOCRATS, JUST LIKE OURSELVES,
IN

SEARCH OF NEW FRONTIERS AND HORIZONS,

WILLING TO GO 'WHERE NO MAN HAS

GONE BEFORE'.
KEY TO MAP OF NORTH AMERICA

Aerial Cattle Rustlers, Le

Roy, Kansas

Maury

Island,

Washington State

Kenneth Arnold Sighting, Mount Rainier, Washington State

Roswell Incident, Roswell,

New Mexico
Field,

(D Captain Thomas Mantell, Godman

Kentucky

Aztec, New Mexico Chiles/Whitted, Montgomery, Georgia

(D Fargo, North Dakota (D White Sands, White Sands Proving Grounds,

New Mexico

@ The Trent Photographs, McMinnville, Oregon The Lubbock Lights, Lubbock, Texas Washington D.C. @ Washington Desvergers Encounter, West Palm Beach, Florida George Adamski, Desert Centre, California Gulf Mexico Tujunga Canyon, California Livermore, Oakland, California @ Daniel White Sands Proving Grounds, New Mexico Goose Bay, Labrador (Canada) @ Kelly-Hopkinsville, Kentucky Nebraska @ @ Lochraven Dam, Baltimore, Pennsylvania @ Joe Simonton, Eagle River, Wisconsin @ Betty and Barney Concorde, New Hampshire @ Socorro, New Mexico @ Gary Wilcox, Tioga, New York State @ Cisco Grove, California
Flap,
of Fry,

'Jennie',

Hill,

@ Flynn Incident, Everglades, Florida Exeter, New Hampshire @ Exeter Great North Eastern Blackout, North Eastern United States/Canada Swamp Gas Debacle, Ann Arbor, Michigan Catalina Island Film, California Betty Andreasson, Ashburnham. Massachusetts Stephan Michalaq, Falcon Lake, Ontario/Manitoba border (Canada) @ Patrolman Schirmer, Ashland, Nebraska Shane Kurz, New York State Pennsylvania Gallery Chemical Dapple Grey Lane. Los Angeles, California St Catherine's. Ontario (Canada) The Delphos Ring, Kansas Michel Imbeault, Montreal, Canada Pascagoula Encounter, Mississippi Alabama Greenhaw, Captain Coyne, Mansfield. Ohio Flatter/Donathan. Blackford County, Indiana Polaski Encounter, Greensberg, Pennsylvania Tsutomu Nakayama, Hawaii Higdon Abduction, Medicine Bow National Forest. Wyoming Travis Walton Abduction. Snowflake. Arizona Falconbridge. Ontano (Canada) Cash/Landrum Encounter. Dayton. Texas 'Kathie Davis' Abductions, Copley Woods', Indiana Japan Air Lines, Anchorage Airport, Alaska Gulf Breeze Case, Gulf Breeze. Florida
Flap,
Plant, Butler,
Jeff
Falkville,

Carl

UST
BASTION

OFETH

ach year the President of the United States of

was American ingenuity and

felled Hitler's

industry,

was

it

not, that

^
I

America addresses the nation with a State of the Union message. This speech is purely political; that is to say, heavy on platitudes, and short on substance. A few troublesome issues are admitted to, but these are traditionally glossed over as nothing 'the spirit of the American people can't conquer if we only put our minds to it, and our
shoulders to the wheel.

Fortress Europe? (Never mind for

now

had a small helping hand in turning back the Fascist tide.) Moreover, it was American
that Soviet armies

know-how

that manufactured the world's first atomic

a military mind-set
it.

bomb. (And

we

tend to overlook

that decided to drop

Certainly, the remarkable

economic and

industrial

recovery of a war-ravaged world owes a great deal of

debt to
its

can see that

might easily be accused of a similar

American constituency, however tarnished

sort of equivocation here.

As

editor of the monthly

or lagging our present performance.

for better or

The

point

is

that,

journal of

MUFON,

the Mutual

UFO

Network,

worse,

it

is,

perhaps,

the American

suppose

can be seen as a party

loyalist,
line,

one who
and tends
situation,

character that has cast the longest shadow over the

adheres publicly to the perceived party

to put a gloss

on the overall status of the whether or not merited by reality.

All
I

can say

in

my

defence

is

that

is

certainly not

World War Two global village. Muscocrowd into McDonald's rather than New Yorkers into McGorky's. Some commentators believe that we Americans
collective post

vites

how I think of myself. (Nor, judging from my mail, do all members of MUFON. ) I hope am capable of giving
I

are our

introspection
is,

own worst critics. In fact, our mania for is much more political and ethical than it
psychological or metaphysical.

less objective assessment of the present American ufology, warts, roses and all. I also understand that what follows is only one person's opinion. Another ufologist might see the current situation in a different colour or light altogether and a

more or

say,

Given our
pro-

state of

industrial

and technological background

(itself a
it

duct as
logical

much
that

of circumstance as character)

was only

we would
'out

see ourselves

in

the

UFO

phenomenon.

certainly they are

welcome

to their opinion.
I

Somewhere

there',
like

there must surely be

So, what

is

the nature of the beast, then, as

techno-democrats just

ourselves, in search of

new

perceive
without

it?

Frankly, fairly encouraging, though not

of low

its

moments
look

humour and open

our background.
(if

rancour.
it

Before

we

enter into specifics, however,

first at

might

go 'where no man has gone before'. Such was the only logical assumption that could be made about these mysterious little green
frontiers and horizons, willing to

prove

fruitful to

men
not

in their

magnificent flying machines.

It

was

just

That America should be the haven

not the last

in

our make-up to think otherwise. As America's

bastion) of the so-called Extra-terrestrial Hypothesis

taste for fast food suffused the world

did perhaps

market

place, so

(ETH), should not come as a surprise, either, given our nature and circumstances. Although Americans are arguably no more a technological culture or society than, say, the Germans or the Japanese, we have always prided ourselves that we were. For example, it

premature adoption of the

ETH

suffuse

ufology, again, for better or worse.

On

the other hand, as with any empire, rebellion

to set
in,

was bound

and

this is exactly

what we see

happening today. That these mini-revolutions have

10

LAST BASTION OF ETH

adopted their
inevitable.
itself

own

individualistic

and

local 'style'

was

The mother ship

in

Close Encounters of the

Ttiird

Kindvih\ch

Of course the
back on their

failure of the

ETH

to prove

compounded
the subject.

technological America's extra-terrestrial view of

contributed to the situation, too. StiU, the revolts

fallen

have
in

own

culture and circumstance

tion

a sort of intellectual nationalism, or chauvinism.

'schools' of

of its

own

peculiar time
it

and place.

Like

its

Thus we have several separate

tical

which

contemporaries,

is

riddled with holes and factions.

faerie folklore, tribal culture, psychological

and mys-

There
sides',

are

all

examples.
of these schools has

is an exaggerated tendency to 'choose based on belief and feeling about a specific

However, none

come any

case, or personal loyalty to the principles involved,

closer to ultimately resolving the central issue - the

rather than a dispassionate examination of the evi-

unknown nature of the UFO phenomenon. Nor do I mean to suggest that these generalized separate approaches are in any way monolithic, or that there
are not schisms.

dence

itself.

This was most recently exemplified by

the spectacular and apparently on-going Gulf Breeze

Case

in

Florida (see page 67), which

saw -

if

not old

But the point

is

is

that

American

friends

at least old acquaintances,

its validity.

suddenly at one

ufology, first and foremost,

a product or manifesta-

another's throats over

11

ill
NORTH AMERICA

1^

Interestingly, the

argument could be made

that

each country and people get not only the ufologists they 'deserve', but seemingly specialized outbreaks of
the

phenomenon

itself,

as well. In the US, of

late, that

involves apparently physical and photographed objects

seen by large numbers of witnesses, as

abductions

in

Gulf

Breeze, accompanied by a strong undercurrent of

and

whiff

of

mutilated

animals.

In

England, the strange

page 121) beneath the great Chalk Horse have yet to be put
circles (see

Wessex crop

in their

proper context, and the same can be said of

'invasion'

the French humanoids of an earlier day, and now, the

Soviet

and

Brazilian

accounts of flying

refrigerators and death-dealing ray beams.

Whether

these specialized outbreaks can best be thought of as a

case of the seeker blind to anything but the sought, or alternatively as a sort of perverse prank on the part of

phenomenon itself remains to be answered. Our native proclivity for picking teams has surfaced in the one area of ufology where one would naturally assume it might least rear its ugly head: in
the

the realm of government and military intelligence

documentation.

The present controversy centres

around an alleged presidential briefing paper which

describes the existence of Majestic 12, or MJ-12, an ultra-secret special studies group reportedly founded
in

the

wake

of the Roswell Incident (see page 18).

Those awaiting definite confirmation of MJ-12 may find themselves condemned to a permanent UFO purgatory. Meanwhile, the waters have been rendered even more murky by the recent revelation (or
confession, depending on your point of view),
a major

made by

MJ-12

player, of having actively participated in

a military intelligence disinformation and surveillance

campaign directed against certain individuals and

organizations.
In

UFO

The space

shuttle, a

symbol

of North America's technological

in

achievement which features so strongly

the consciousness of

the

wake

of Whitley

Strieber's

bestselling

its

people that the Extra-terrestrial Theory predominates.

describes his

Communion and Transformation, in both of which he own abduction, it seemed for a time as if the abduction scenario might swamp the stage entirely.

At the moment, TREAT seems to have the best chance of bridging the immense gap between ufology
and establishment science,
practitioners.
if

Such apprehensions have proven largely una

by the

latter

we

include

founded, although several competing camps have been

set

professional psychotherapists and other mental health

up as

sophical

differences.

consequence of personality and philoStrieber and associates have

working arrangement with a major

increased

east coast university appears imminent, which could

lead
in

established the

Communion

Foundation, with

its

own

turn to academic respectability,

quarterly

newsletter,

and urged members not to

funding, access to a super-computer and other tangible benefits.

fraternize with other 'orthodox'

UFO

organizations.

MUFON

itself is

presently engaged in

Budd Hopkins and

associates have responded with the

an ambitious programme to standardize reporting

Intruder Foundation. Yet a third group,

TREAT

(for

procedures and computerize

for

its

database.

The Fund

Treatment and Research on Experienced Anomalous Trauma) is underway, and a fourth abduction-related group is rumoured to be on the horizon.

UFO

Research continues

to solicit support in the

field.

Subscriptions in the membership groups are up,

mid-fifties.

approaching numbers not seen since the

12

!(
LAST BASTION OF ETH

The number
symposia
the
is

of annual

UPX) conferences and

though the quality of
After
a

strates that

US

ufology

is

anything but moribund, and

on the

rise as well,

that the spirit of

well,
if

presentations

varies

widely.

lengthy

American individualism is alive and not particularly inclined towards harmony and
is

absence,

there are

now two

national

news-stand

co-operation.

magazines devoted to the subject, though again the contents of each issue fluctuate dramatically in terms
of reliability.
larly feature

Unfortunately, there
proclivity that should

at least

one other alarming

is

be addressed, and that

the

So

called tabloid
stories,

TV programmes

regutaller

temptation,

in this

most

litigious of societies, to settle

UFO

and of course the

some

issues

in a

court of law rather than through open

tales

remain a favourite staple of the supermarket press. Jacques Vallee has returned to the publishing
fold

dialogue and public opinion.

These

civil

actions to date

have mostly been lodged against other nationals,

with

Dimensions and Confrontations,

with

studies
in

whose laws
libel.

allow for financial retribution

in

the case of

which

link folklore

UFOs.

We

have also seen,

Some

of us here wait with bated breath and

filed
in

1990, the hardback appearance of

Ed Conroy's

well

crossed fingers for similar suits to be

country.
indicate to
is

this

Communion and The Gulf Breeze Sightings by Ed and Frances Walters. An eagerly anticipated study by reporter Howard Blum, Out
received Report on
There, was also published towards the end of 1990. Other books that impinge on or envelope the UFO
subject, favourably or critically, are too

While the prospect of legal action

may
it

some people
say
in
it

a 'coming of age' for ufology,

safe

to

is

not

the

one most American

to court public

ufologists

have

mind as they continue

opinion and scientific respectability.

numerous
if

to

Now, where do we stand

(the distance

vis-a-vis our

contempor-

mention, but balance would hardly be served

Abductions:

we

did

aries? Despite the difficulties of the science involved

not refer to the revised paperback appearance of

UFO

between

stars,

the unlikelihood of so

Dangerous Game, by skeptic Philip Klass. Several English titles have also received limited distribution here, although Timothy Good's Above Top Secret was picked up by a major American publisher. The amateur press has been extremely preoccupied as well, and both MUFON and CUFOS, the Center for UFO Studies, continue to produce monthly and
bi-monthly journals
respectively.

many

extraterrestrials suddenly showing up on our

doorstep, etc.), the

ETH
said

must remain

a viable theory.
all

Theories, after

all is

and done, are

we

have.

one theory can be convincingly shown to be better than another, then Americans will be among the first to welcome it and applaud. So far this has not been the case. Arguing that abductions, for example, But
if

Journals

back

in

are predominantly psychological

in origin,

and
is

there-

business include The Journal of

UFO

Studies along

fore, so is the science of ufology at

present

a far cry

with Caveat Emptor, a local equivalent on a somewhat

from an overall viable theory.

difficult to

In fact, so scarce is

our

more
have

folksy scale than England's Magonia.

left

No

doubt

scratch on the surface, that hard and fast facts are

much

out in this brief summary,

and

my
own

come by

that

would support any overall

of

apologies to anyone particularly offended.

Just as in the political arena, ufology has
its

theory,

including

those

mass

psychokinesis,

psychotronic control systems, and a number of other

extreme elements. The more vocal of these have begun to raise rumours abroad of a secret diplomatic treaty between our government and the diminutive (one is tempted to say, demonic) 'grays'. What is
encouraging about the present picture
is

hypotheses,

half-

or full-baked, that have been offered

I

up over the

last half century.

also include here the

that
all

ultraskeptical,

Shakespearean notion

this

has

the unlikeli-

however vocal or active, assuming the mainstream mantle. There is a certain inertia or gravity in human affairs which may well work to our advantage, although in the meantime, the rumour mongers are not exactly perfonning a
hood
of

any extreme minority,

been 'much ado about nothuig'. It may behove us all to keep an open mind, be patient, and remember that the U in UFO stands for unidentified. That may not be an especially popular or American point of view, but neither w-as the twominute hamburger until we won the war.

public service in our best interest.

In-fighting

and

factionalism

abound,

but

this

strikes

me

as a by-product of as

human nature and

Dennis Stacy

is

both a full-time writer and the editor of

the house magazine of the Mutual
is

behaviour
inherent to

opposed to anything fundamentally ufology, American or otherwise. Although

and energy,
it

MUFON Journal,

UFO

Network. His editorship

characterized by impartial and

vital in

sheer cantankerousness can be distracting and wasteful

well-informed commentary so

a country
free.

where

of both precious time

also

demon-

extreme views and high passions often run

13

PRE 1900
NAME
DATE
AERIAL CATTLE RUSTLING
20 APRIL 1897

Representatives and that people

(Tacoma harbour) when they saw

six

who had known liim for over thirty

years testified
in

UFOs above

them.

One

of the

an

affidavit that

UFOs, described
material,

as saucer- or

they had never heard a word of his

doughnut-shaped, jettisoned

questioned and 'do readily believe

PLACE LE ROY, KANSAS
his

some

of which

fell

on to the

statement to be true and

boat injuring one of the companions

MAPREF:J17
correct'.

Furthermore the
sheriff,

affidavit

and

killing his

dog.

EVENT AERIAL CATTLE RUSTLERS

was signed by the

deputy

the

sheriff, a justice of

the

By the time this story had become known Kenneth Arnold was already
associated nationally with the flying

On 20 April
Hamilton

1897, farmer Alexander

peace, a postmaster, the registrar

of deeds, a banker, an attorney,

filed

an

affidavit stating

saucer phenomenon.
into the

He was drawn

week he had watched a huge object glide down from the darkness and come to rest in a field some 200 yds (183 m) from
that earlier that
his

and others.
Hamilton said of the encounter
'Every time
I

Maury

Island investigation

principally

due to the intervention of

editor oi Fantasy

drop to sleep
all its

see

Ray Palmer, the

magazine.

the cursed thing,

lights

bright
I

home. Together with

his

son and

and hideous people.

don't

Dahl claimed to have been visited

one of the farmhands he had

approached to within 150
ft

know whether they are

m)
of

angels

by a 'man

in black', a

character of

(46

or devils ...

don't want any

repression soon to appear repeatedly

in

the object, which he described as

more

to

do with them.

American

UFO stories
last at least

approximately the length of an

and a feature that would

a

American
like

football field

and made of
It

decade or more.

He apparently
it

something coloured deep red.

an enormous cigar
it

was
NAME MAURY ISLAND
DATE
23 JUNE 1947

strongly suggested to Dahl that

in

shape and

would be

in his

interests not to

beneath

appeared to be a cabin
it

discuss his sighting.

made
and

of glass; within

the farmer
six

his

companions could see

occupants which they described as

'the strangest beings

PLACE MAURY ISLAND, WASHINGTON STATE

ever saw'.

MAPREF:E14
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

An enormous
beneath the

wheel, located

craft,

began to spin and

the airship rose to an altitude of

some 300 ft
from the

(92 m).

noticed that a rope, reaching

craft,

The farmers down

The 24 June 1947

birth date of the

is

regarded as the

modem era of
Mount USA.

heifer which

barbs of a

was attached to a was caught against the fence nearby. As the

it

UFOs when Kenneth Arnold had his

'flying saucer' sighting at

Rainier in Washington State,

object rose
it

pulled the calf

up with

However, on the day

sighting an event

prior to this

and disappeared into the darkness

unlucky animal behind
it.

was

unfolding - the

trailing the

precise meaning and implications of

The

following day what remained of

which have been a mystery to

ufologists

the calf

was recovered from

legs,

a
skin.

ever

since.

nearby farm:

head and

Harbour patrolmen Harold A.

Dahl and Fred L. Crisman owned a
boat and on the day
in

Should Hamilton's credibility be

The 'men
early

in

black'

were a feature

of the

must be pointed out that he had been a member of the House of

called into question,
it

question Dahl
sailing
it

days of UFOs. They reputedly sought

and other companions were

in

to repress witnesses, but their identity is

Puget Sound, near Maury Island

unknown:

FBI,

AEC

or ET?

14

II

DATABASE 1940s

Kenneth Arnold was concerned

that professional people should

NAME KENNETH ARNOLD SIGHTING

DATE
24 JUNE 1947

relieve the anguish of relatives of

the lost

crew and

also the financial

investigate the case and suggested

calling the 4th Air

incentive of a $5,000 reward for

Force Base

at

PLACE MOUNT RAINIER, WASHINGTON STATE

discovery of the wreck.

Hamilton Field and requested the

involvement
officers;
ot

MAPREF:E14
EVENT DISTANT DAYLIGHT SIGHTING - BUT
THE BIRTH OF FLYING SAUCERS'

Having completed
installing fire fighting

his day's

work
for

two

intelligence

equipment

Captain William Davidson

the Central Air Service at Chehalis,

a small

and Lieutenant Frank Brown.

town

in

Washington State,
around 2 o'clock

When Brown and Davidson

arrived they

In the clear skies of

Washington

Arnold took

off at

were shown an

State, lone pilot

Kenneth Arnold

heading for Yakima. With Mount

Rainier ahead and a I)C-4 above and

assortment of the debris from the

was peacefully admiring the

breathtaking scenery of the Cascade

UFO, it was laying on the floor of the room in which they met. Davidson and Brown seemed to have played down their concern and
even refused
the material
to accept

behind to his

left,

Arnold was
flash of light.

Mountains.

He was

flying a Callair

suddenly startled by a

plane especially modified for

To

the

left

and north of Mount

to

mountain search and rescue and

although not formally engaged on

Rainier he

saw what appeared

be

samples of

a formation of nine objects in flight.

when

offered,

such a mission, Arnold was

searching for a crashed C-46 marine
transport plane.
Kenneth Arnold
initiated the

apparently giving the impression

that they thought the witnesses

media
his

He was spurred on

coverage phenomenon with

the phrase 'flying saucers'

coming

of

were the victims of a hoax. However, at the last minute Crisman gave them a carton
containing the material and they

by both

humanitarian desire to

in

1947.

stowed
aircraft

it

in their car,
it

subsequently

apparently placing

on their B-25
fly

which stood by to

back to

Hamilton F'idd,
It

in California.

has been speculated that the

was in fact radioactive slag dumped illegally by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and that the 'man in black' was in reality an
material

being

agent of the

AEC determined to
it

suppress the story before

of hand.

got out

Whatever the

truth, the

mystery deepened considerably

when

the B-25 containing the

intelligence officers

and the material and crashed.

apparently caught
Its

fire

two crew members survived but the two officers died with the plane.

A newspaper report

shortly after

the incident suggested that the

crash involved sabotage because the

'plane

may

hold flying disk secret".

The

report also suggested that

was some evidence the plane was carrying 'classified material'. Unfortunately, with two prime
there
players lost
in

the aircraft accident

the case, for the

moment,

defies any

more

substantial conclusion.

15

NORTH AMERICA

While thinking they must be jet

sky with him - equivalent to about

objects, the

term was very quickly

that

was also noticing that they were moving in a curious way; flipping up and down like the bows
planes he

67

ft;

(19 m).

being used to describe saucer

shapes.
his
It

Within a short time the objects

must be admitted

were gone and Arnold continued

Arnold seems to have jumped on his

on the

tail

of a kite or, to use a

search for the plane though he later

own bandwagon. By
story

the time his

phrase that was later to

history,
if

make

admitted his mind was no longer on

the job. After a cursory search of

was

told in the first edition of

in

moving
it

'like a

saucer would

Fate magazine

the spring of 1948,

you skipped

across the water'.

the Tieton reservoir he eventually

the cover illustration depicting the

at

Given their distance - estimated 25 miles (40 km) away - Arnold

to

flew into Yakima'at 4 pm.

encounter was a gross distortion of

tell

On
went

arriving and desperate to

sighting,

the original story.

The

objects are

was unable
passed

make

out their shapes

someone about the

Arnold

seen

in

close proximity to Arnold's

clearly but believed that

in front of

when they

to see the general

manager of

plane and they are clearly saucer

the snow-covered

Central Aircraft, Al Baxter,

turn called
story.
in

who
that

in

shapes with just a

at the rear to

slight modification

Mount

Rainier he could then see

It is

other pilots to hear the

pay lip-service to

their outlines distinctly.

Someone suggested

Arnold's 'boomerang' description.

questionable to what degree Arnold

could accurately have identified the
outlines of the objects
at the distance
if

possibly the craft

missiles

were guided from Moses Lake Base,

felt satisfied

During the next two months

something very extraordinary

they were
it

Washington. Arnold
that this

he suggested,

may
him

indicate they

were
If

far closer to

must be the case. However, by the time Arnold

in

was happening (or press attention was creating the impression of

something happening); some 850
sightings

was the case they must have been moving more

than he thought.
that

arrived back
his story

Pendleton, Oregon

were reported across the were uncovered.

was
to

had out-raced him. There

United States during that time and

earlier sightings

slowly, possibly at the

terrestrial aircraft.

speed of

was

a large

group there to
his sighting

listen to

The shapes were

him recount

and again

For Arnold,
change
his
life

his sighting

disturbing,

however; he thought

Arnold concluded they were

probably guided missiles.
believe they could be

completely and he

they were jet planes but could find

He

did not

became an
his

active flying saucer

until

no

tails.

This description coupled

manned

researcher and a devotee up

death on 16 January 1984.

with his later drawings of the objects

because the

flipping

motions and the

He

show

that he believed

he was
craft.

speeds would - he believed - be

impossible for the

had many further sightings during

to
his
life

looking at

boomerang shaped

human frame

and they seemed to have

Arnold did as much as possible to

analyze the observation including

withstand. Arnold also reported his

sighting to the local F'BI officials on

convinced him of an extraordinary

interpretation of the

UF'O

window to get a clear view. The objects were flying

opening
his

the basis that they could be

sort of Russian

some

weapon.

phenomenon: that the objects are masses of living organisms that live
in

directly across his field of vision

Widespread news coverage

ridiculously distorted the encounter.

our atmosphere.

between Mount Rainier and Mount Adams. Using these peaks as

reference points Arnold estimated
the objects

were moving between

1,300-1,700 miles (2,092-2,736 km)

per hour, far faster than any plane of

the day could have achieved.
of his estimates which have
called into question the to

As Arnold put it 'After three days of this hubbub I came to the conclusion that I was the only sane one in the bunch. One of those distortions was to make sociological history; picking
'

were never Today the sighting would be low priority because there was no
objects
identified.

The

corroborative witness, the sighting

was

of short duration, indefinite

distance and dubious clarity.

Of all
difficult

up on Arnold's phrase that the

objects

Nevertheless, the media

attention which

been

were moving
you skipped

'like
it

a saucer

was generated from

most

would

if

across the

those few minutes over Washington

State gave birth to the UF"0

determine with accuracy was the

water', the expression 'flying

distance from the aircraft to the

objects and the length of their formation, which he estimated at

saucer'

was bom and

it

was the

birth

phenomenon.
Artistic licence
this

of a catch phrase that has attracted

media attention ever

since.

Although

was

heavily

employed
which

in

5 miles (8 km).

He estimated

the

Arnold described basically

magazine jacket

illustration

individual size of the objects at

approximately two-thirds that of the

boomerang shapes and his use of the word saucer was to describe the
erratic

depicts Arnold's sighting. The

UFOs
would
if

apparently

moved
it

'like

a saucer

DC-4

aircraft

which was sharing the

up and down motion of the

you skipped

across the water'.

16

Ill"
DATABASE 1940s

rt

NORTH AMERICA

NAME THE ROSWELL INCIDENT

DATE
2

The following morning, 75 miles

(127 km)
in that

from the ranch.

that contrary to

It

must be stressed

JULY 1947

general direction,

ranch manager William Brazel and

was no

disc

some rumours there recovery at this point -

PUCE ROSWELL. NEW MEXICO

MAPREF:H18
EVENT CRASH RETRIEVAL

his

son and daughter discovered

Marcel confirms that small pieces of

debris were put into the boot of a car - and there were no alien bodies

scattered wreckage on their farm

and alerted the

of

local sheriffs office

Chaves County.

Sheriff Wilcox of

recovered.

The

debris

was returned

The most intriguing of all crash

retrieval stories,
definitely

Chaves County contacted Roswell

to the Roswell

Army

Air Base and,

and the only one

Army Air Base and Major Jesse

Marcel.

A.

on the orders of Colonel Blanchard,

supported by physical
is

was flown on

to Wright Patterson
in

evidence,

the Roswell incident of

To

say that the government took

Air Force Base

Ohio. Although

July 1947, which occurred just a few

the report seriously would be an

apparently detailed to accompany

the debris. Marcel
his superiors at

days after the Kenneth Arnold

sighting (see page 15).
In the early evening of 2 July a

understatement; Brazel was

incarcerated for a period of several

was diverted by

Fort Worth and did

days and encouraged not to discuss

the event on grounds of national
security.

not go to Wright Patterson.

UFO was seen flying over Roswell, New Mexico and

disc

shaped

What was recovered has been

the source of considerable
speculation: that the material

Meanwhile Major Marcel

collected the debris

heading towards the north-west.

and

his

team

was

Above General Roger Ramey and Colonel

Above Right The Roswell Daily Record oi

July

'<

Thomas

Jefferson

DuBose

display the

1947 announcing the capture

of the

remains of a weather balloon, allegedly

the material recovered by Major Jesse

flying saucer. Right

A model

artist's

reconstruction showing the retrieved

Marcel. Marcel said,

a

'It

was

definitely not
.'
.

saucer and what

may have

later

taken

weather or tracking device

place at Wright Patterson Airbase.

DATABASE 1940s

thin, foil like

metal that could not be

^sc^^

cui
icourh

^m

RAAF
Sl* I"

Captures

dented even by forceful blows, that

it

was

a li^ht,

balsa-wood substance

Mirttoi.On 1^^* ,.,.^~-

Ranch

m
Ho

i^

, Details ol

.on "^J ,.^|^ ^^u-*--^"^" ii"ii"^^

, .

which would not burn even under a

direct flame,

f-:S^==^kvi.

tete"'"' iie Revealed On tr^i

and that there were

stranjje hieroglyphs

on the debris.

The Koswell

incident has

been
of

further complicated by apparently

conflicting information,

some

one of the

local

ranchers and of the

communication immediately.

which may have been issued by the

Sheriffs office at Chaves County.

A reconciliation of the
contradictions in this case has been

government.

If

so,

to divert attention

was probably from what was

it

Another report by radio station

put on to the

really going on. In particular, a press

KSWS in Roswell which was being ABC wire service was

offered by the claims of witness

G. L.
that

Bamett who

stated to friends
site

was issued by Roswell Army Air Base on 8 July which stated 'Roswell Army Air Field was fortunate enough to gain possession
release
of a disc through the co-operation of

apparently interrupted by an

he had seen another crash

incoming teletype message ordering

the station with these words 'Do

near Socorro,

New Mexico where a

damaged but complete saucer was

discovered along with dead alien
bodies.

not transmit. Repeat.

Do not

transmit this message. Stop

The

speculation

is

that the

19

fill

lliii
NORTH AMERICA

machine exploded over Brazel's

farm dropping debris but continued
in

NAME
DATE

CAPTAIN

THOMAS MANTELL

/JANUARY 1948
FIELD,

the air to Socorro before

It is

finally

being downed.

suggested that
issued

PLACE GODMAN

KENTUCKY

the government

may have
in

MAPREF:M17
EVENT UFOLOGY'S FIRST MARTYR

the statement about the retrieved

saucer at Brazel's farm

order to
In the early afternoon of 7 January

divert attention from the recovery

going on nearby. This seems to be a

diversion fraught with risks though,
if

1948 the control tower crew

at

Godman

Field,

Kentucky reported

true,

it

does seem to have

sighting of a bright disc-shaped

worked.

object to their base operations

is

There

no question that debris

ranch.

officer.

Approximately one hour and

sighting,

was recovered from Brazel's

twenty minutes after the

In order to explain the situation to an

when
four

eager public Brigadier General

was still visible, National Guard P-51 Mustang

the object

Ramey, commander
Force
district at

of the 8th Air

training craft led

by Captain Thomas

Fort Worth

Mantell were diverted from their

flight to

together with his adjutant displayed

the recovered debris for the press.

investigate the sighting.

aircraft

The
object.

climbed toward the

ft

The wreckage shown was

that of a

clearly

At 15,000

(4,572 m) the

which

it

Rawin weather balloon was claimed was the cause

this

other planes turned back as they did

not have the equipment required to

of the event.

supply oxygen which would enable

Almost certainly

was

them

to fly higher.

They attempted
by
radio. Mantell

device to cover up the truth and the

real
its

to contact Mantell

wreckage was by

this

time on

way

to Wright Patterson Air

Force Base.

A proper analysis of the

incident

Roswell
of the

made one transmission at 15,000 ft (4,572 m) saying he had the object in sight and was still climbing to investigate. The plane crashed,
scattering

must take account

wreckage
first

for

over a

mile.

circumstances surrounding the

Mantell was dead; this young

man

immediate area and time of the

incident.

was

ufology's

martyr.

New Mexico in

1948 was

Analysis of the wreckage

indicates that Mantell did not

the site of the White Sands Proving

Grounds, where German scientists

brought over during the war were
giving birth to the

attempt to bale out of the plane and

suggests that the plane broke up
inability to 'close-in'

on the target.

American space

from diving

at

excessive speed,
It is

Mantell's experience should have

programme, and Los Alamos was

the site of the recently developed

presumably out of control.

taught him to react better and

it

is

suggested that Mantell blacked out

speculated that he

may have

atomic bomb. The possibility that

the government

from oxygen deprivation as he flew

overreacted to the
a result of six

UFO

sighting as

was trying to secretly recover a damaged device of its own must on this account alone
be high on the
Roswell.
If
list

above the plane's

supply oxygen.

capability to
is,

months of media hype

The question

following the Arnold sighting of the

what was
that

it

that

drove Mantell

previous year.
is

of explanations for

higher and higher?

it

One theory

Mysterious rumours abound

concerning
this case; that

was

Skyhook weather

Mantell
. .
.

the Roswell incident proved

it

balloon;

one binocular observation

described the object as 'metallic

nothing else,

indicated that the

to

described the

UFO as parachute-like
is

tremendous

in size', that his

body
that

government was prepared

the newly

cover

with bright sun reflecting from the

top.

was not

in

the plane

when

the

up something, and prepared to use

Another theory

that Mantell

wreckage was recovered, and

his funeral

bom flying saucer

to do
it

was chasing the

bright image of a

was

'closed casket'

phenomenon

with.

planet which would account for his

because of extraordinary wounds on

20

DATABASE 1940s

his body.

None

of these claims can

Above An

artist's

impression of Mantell's

be regarded as definitively
substantiated and
it is

P-51 Mustang training plane climbing

certainly the

towards the UFO high over

in

Godman

Field

usual procedure for plane crash

victims to be buried 'closed casket'

Kentucky. Other planes

in

the flight

turned back at a

lov^/er altitude

but Mantell

due to

their injuries.

pressed on. Minutes a victim of

later

he was dead.

Whether Mantell was

his

Speculation with regard to what he was

own

excitement, or whether he
alien force

chasing continues

to this day.

Was

it

was struck down by an

can

weather balloon, a

star, the planet

Venus,

resisting his pursuit of their saucer

or a craft from another world?

now never be

proven. However,

the light Mantell chased was, by any

sensible definition, a

UFO and
first

therefore

we

can rightly regard

Mantell's death as the

attributed to a

UFO encounter.

Right Captain

Thomas

Mantell.

21

^t
NORTH AMERICA

NAME AZTEC
DATE 25 MARCH 1948
PLACE AZTEC,

diamond

drills

could affect the

fingers. Dissection revealed that

surface; there

were no

rivets or

there was no blood but instead a

liquid smelling similar to

signs of welding. Fortunately,

ozone.

NEW MEXICO

damage

to

one of the saucer's

Curiously, and apparently

contradictorily, the bodies

MAPREF:H17
EVENT CRASH RETRIEVAL

portholes enabled the investigators

to break in and

had no

open

its

hatchway.

digestive tract but perfect teeth.

After successfully dismantling the

Whether or not
one of many
reported
in

Scully

was the

According to the newspaper

columnist Frank Scully
in his

object, its

components and the

Patterson Air

victim of a hoax, Aztec remains just

similar crash retrievals

Behind the Flying Saucers

extraordinary discovery

book most

cadavers were then transported to

what

is

now Wright

the United States over

was made
in

Force Base. Further investigation of

the object apparently revealed
still

the years.

by the United States Air Force

told

1948. According to the story he

was

working control panels displaying

hieroglyphic symbols and a book of

by

his informants a flying

saucer

NAME
DATE

CHILES/WHITTED
24 JULY 1948

had crashed near Aztec,

New

hieroglyphs on plastic

like

paper.
as

Mexico and was recovered by the

United States military. Inside the
craft alien

The cadavers were described

approximately 3
ft

in

(107 cm) high

PLACE MONTGOMERY, GEORGIA

were sixteen dead humanoid cadavers. The disc had been

it

with large heads, large slanting eyes

MAP

REP:

Ml

and diminished nose, mouth and

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

detected by radar units and indeed

is

thought that radar signals

may

The bodies were apparently very thin with long arms and webbed
ears.

have disrupted the

bringing
it

craft's controls,

Just after the formation of the

US
UFOs,
and

down

accidentally.
ft

A modelmaker's

reconstruction of the

Air Force's Project Sign, one of its

The

disc

was 100
It

(30

m) wide
ft

Aztec crash retrieval.

A more

exciting

many attempts
it

to investigate

and had a central cabin around 6

(183 cm) high.

incident than Roswell (see page 18) but

less authoritatively substantiated.

received the report of two Eastern

was made

of a light

Many

Airline pilots. Captain C. Chiles

metal so strong that neither heat nor

believe this

one

to be a hoax.

First Officer John Whitted.

22

m
DATABASE 1940s
III

the early hours of the morning

flyinj^

they were
I)C-3 near
pilots

an Eastern Airlines

Cub nearby, which he confirmed visually. At the same time he saw

another craft moving very rapidly

reason.

am

also certain that

it

was

governed by the laws of inertia,

because
its

Montgomery when both

acceleration

was

rapid,

witnessed a

UFO heading
So
that the
left
ft

under

his right wing.

He contacted

not immediate and although

able to turn fairly tightly, at

it

was

towards them
close

at 'terrific speed'.

the tower for further identification

was the encounter

but they confirmed no aircraft near

him, other than the Piper Cub.

considerable speed,
natural curve.'

it still

followed a

I)C-3 had to veer sharply to the

and the

UFO passed by only 700

was so
violent that

Closing

in,

(213 m) from the plane.

deceleration

The UFO's
it

object displayed a light

Gorman saw that the some 8 in (20

It

A most

remarkable balloon!

cm)

in

diameter.

rocked the I)C-3.

hazing at the edge.

to

was globular and Gorman watched

sudden turn

NAME WHITE SANDS

DATE
24 APRIL 1949

The
it

pilots

were close enough

of the object

the object

move

into a

to take
it

some note

passing over the control tower;

itself;

appeared to radiate an

Gorman
saw

dived towards the object

it.

PLACE WHITE SANDS PROVING GROUNDS,

intense blue light and the pilots

a

but could not catch up with

started gaining altitude
it

As

NEW MEXICO
it

double row of windows along the

banked

MAPREFHIS
left

side.

As

it

disappeared behind the

and Gorman attempted to follow. At

this point
(2,

EVENT DISTANT DAYLIGHT SIGHTING

plane they

saw

a red-orange
its

they were 7,000

ft

exhaust.

They estimated

130 m) high, the object made a

On a

clear

Sunday morning near the

R.

speed

at

between 500-700 miles

of the

sharp turn again and was heading

straight for
effect

White Sands Proving Grounds,

Naval

(805-1, 127

km) per hour. There was corroboration

Georgia

Gorman's
to

aircraft.

was so
light
ft

startling that

The Gorman

Commander
weather

McLaughlan

and

a tracking

crew

of four launched

sighting from witnesses at Robbins

Field,

was forced
and the

make

a dramatic dive

a large

balloon. This

who

described an

passed over the canopy

(152

followed an earlier launch of a small

similar balloon at 10.30 a.m.

object tallying very closely with the

some 500
the

m) above

him.

As

description given by the pilots.

UFO circled above, Gorman

at

They were

tracking their target

ft

gave chase again. One account

suggests that the manoeuvring was

approximately 10,000

(3,048

m)

when one
object;

of the team, Charles a white

it

NAME FARGO
DATE
1

so intense that
temporarily.

Gorman blacked
was now

out

Moore, spotted

egg-shaped

OCTOBER 1948
Air traffic control
visually confirming

he pointed

out and the

UFO was confirmed visually by all

the personnel. For about one minute

PLACE FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA

Gorman's
right.

MAPREF:J15
EVENT AERIAL DOG FIGHT

sighting, traffic controller Enrol

they tracked the object

until

they

Jensen announced 'You were

saw
If

it

shoot up and vanish.

There

is

something.

'

He was

their interpretation of the data

Edward A. Ruppelt's official Blue Book explanation of the Fargo encounter was 'In this incident the UFO was a balloon. Considering the
Captain
'

examining the object through high-

was

correct,
first

it

follows that

when

powered binoculars and he passed these to witness Manuel Johnson,

they had
object
it

started tracking the

had been 56 miles (90 km)

who confirmed
As the
chased
it

the sighting.
it

high and travelling at 7 miles (11

km)

facts of the case

below

it

is difficult

object closed in again

per second, the escape velocity

to decide

whether

this conclusion

suddenly shot upwards,

to 14,000
ft

Gorman

needed

to break out of the Earth's

represents great imagination on the

part of the

(4,260 m) and

gravitational pull.

During one part of

US Air

Force or an
it.

his plane
stall, its

then went into a power

the observation the craft had

made
even

astonishing lack of
It

engine dead.

The

object

an 80 degree turn
quite

at that velocity,

was approximately 9
1

o'clock in

disappeared towards the north-

beyond the

capabilities of

the evening of

October 1948 when

west-north direction. The combat

today's technology.
Interestingly, the object
similar in

Second Lieutenant George Gorman

of the

had lasted nearly thirty minutes.

was

North Dakota Air National

piloting

Gorman reported
there

'I

am

convinced

shape and colour to the

Guard was

an F-51 towards

was thought behind these

I

object which landed at Socorro,

New

Fargo, North Dakota.

As he was
was
a Piper

manoeuvres.

had the distinct

its

Mexico on 24

April 1964 (see

page

being given instructions to land he

impression that

manoeu\Tes

46), fifteen years to the

day

was informed

that there

were

controlled by thought or

following this sighting.

23

NORTH AMERICA

NAME THE TRENT PHOTOGRAPHS

DATE
11

A local newspaper picked up the

story and published the

One

of

two photographs taken by Mrs Paul

1 1

MAY

1950

Trent on
at

May 1 950 over

the Trent farm

photographs, which were later

PLACE McMINNVILLE. OREGON

McMinnville, Oregon.

featured

in

LIFE

magazine, causing
in

MAPREF:E14
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

something of a national sensation. At

the time they
flying

diameter, and evidently

artificial,

were some

of the best

flew within sight of two witnesses.

In the four

saucer photographs available.

decades since the

William Hartmann, investigating for

In the early

photographs were taken there have

evening of 11

May

1950,

the

Condon committee,
that these

been many more sophisticated

analysis techniques

on a small farm near McMinnville,

acknowledged
that the

employed

to

Mrs Trent was outside feeding her rabbits when she saw the close
approach of a large disc-shaped
object.

photographs were the only ones

study the photographs such as 'edge

committee had not

enhancement' (which would show

any cut-outs photographed through
glass, or

dismissed (the Condon committee

She

called to her husband,

was notorious

for its unscientific,

expose any supporting

who brought with him their camera, and Mrs Trent was
Paul Trent,
able to take

dismissive attitude towards the

wires or struts for example) and

colour-contouring.

two black and white

in

UF'O phenomenon). He stated that the photographs were consistent

with the witness's testimony 'that an
extraordinary flying object, silvery,
metallic, disc shaped, tens of

None have

yet

suggested that the photographs

photographs as the object passed

across the sky
north west.
the direction of the

were

faked, and the indications

suggest that some large object flew

meters

over the Trent's farm that day.

24

1^

iiiiiliil
DATABASE 1950s

NAME THE LUBBOCK

DATE
28

LIGHTS

they watched the remaining objects.

AUGUST

1951

A
NAME DURING THE WASHINGTON
FLAP

suggestion was

made

that the

scope

may not be
it

functioning

PLACE LUBBOCK, TEXAS

MAPREF:I18
EVENT ANOMALOUS LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHS

DATE

19

JULY 1952

correctly but the technician

examined
PLACE WASHINGTON DC.

and agreed that

it

was

in

perfect working order.

MAPREFNie
EVENT RADAR VISUAL ENCOUNTER

AKTC
that they

called the control

officer there

tower

Witnessed on innny orcasions and

plioto^raphed several limes are the

and a senior

confirmed

famous Lubbock
Texas.

lij^bts

which appear
in

It

was nearly midnight when

at

staff of

were also watching the same unknowns on their radar

screens and that they had had
information from

from time to time over Lubbock

the Air Route Traffic Control

Many

explanations have
for the

(AKTC)

Washington National

Andrews

Air P\)rce

been offered

arrow shaped

Airport noticed a formation of seven

objects on the radar screen, at a
position slightly south-east of

Base

that that military installation

formation; inevitably, fleets of flying

was monitoring the

objects.

saucers have featured prominently.

Throughout the time of the

observations the objects were not
only manoeuvring at incredible

However, other

suj^j;;estions

have

included lights reflecting on the

underbellies of ducks, and a natural
light

Andrews Air Force Base. The objects seemed to be moving at

approximately 100-130 miles

speed above Washington D.C. but

they had the temerity to
'no go' area
fly into

phenomenon not yet

Aurora Borealis (see
fire.

(160-209 km) per hour and were

therefore

the

understood by science, but perhaps

a cousin of the

assumed

to be a flight of

above the White House.

'landing

ordinary small aircraft.

Perhaps they were considering that

page 42), or St Elmo's

Suddenly two of the objects

accelerated forward and off the

much requested
White House

on the

The

lights

have become
attraction.

lawn'.

something of a tourist

As

screen at an amazing rate, later

calculation indicated in
7,

They were

not alone in the sky.

one American put

Holly (who

it,

Lubbock used

excess of

Captain S. 'Casey' Pierman of

Capital Airlines

only to have the Lights and

Buddy

000 miles
that

1 1

265 km) per hour,

radar monitor

was

flying Flight

807

was

bom there) - now

and

at this point the

from Washington

to Detroit

and

they've only got the Lights.

knew

he was not witnessing

sighted the seven objects

between

normal
A photograph
taken by an

aircraft

movements.

Washington and Martinsburg. He

reported the objects as
shooting stars without
'like falling

unnamed

He

called for his senior officer

teenage student over Lubbock, Texas.

and together with two other experts

tails'.

25

i(
NORTH AMERICA

At around 9 o'clock

in

the evening

the scout-master and three scouts

were

travelling

by car from a
in

meeting towards their homes when

they saw lights
the nearby woods.

Desvergers, carrying a machete

knife
in

and a torch,

left

the three boys

the car and went to investigate.

of the scouts apparently

One
red

saw

above where Desvergers had last been seen;

ball of fire

when Desvergers

failed to return,

one of the scouts ran to the nearest house and telephoned the sheriff.
It

was

as the sheriff arrived that

his

Desvergers made

reappearance.

He was

badly finghtened, totally

exhausted and describing a very

close encounter indeed.

George

Stock photographed
of

this,

which

sphere hovering directly above

them.

that

He stated when he had reached a clearing

his torch

was one
Passaic,
sighting

seven UFOs he saw over

July 1952. The

ARTC called for Air Force

he had pointed

upward and

NewJerseyon29
came during an

interceptors which arrived too late; the objects had gone.

had seen a huge,

metallic, disc-

intense

wave

of

shaped machine hovering above

him, which had immediately fired

reports
(the

in

the vicinity of
Flap)

Washington DC
is

Senior Air Traffic Controller

Washington

and

typical of

Harry G. Barnes
though the

many

descriptions of the time.

the observation that

ARTC made seemed as UFOs were monitoring

at the
it

some
had

sort of hot spray at him.

He

lain injured for a

few minutes

during which time the saucer

disappeared.

Pierman observed the objects

for

radio communication

between

some twelve minutes before they

disappeared
at

ground and

aircraft

and were able to

There

certainly

seems

to

be

remarkable speed
detail of

take appropriate action based on

some
hat

corroboration for the story:

and confirmed much of the

the radar reports.
incident 'In
I've
all

what they could hear.

Desvergers' arm was scorched, his

He

said of the

was burned, and

the Sheriff
in

my

years of flying
or shooting

discovered scorching

the trees.

seen a

lot of falling

NAME DESVERGERS ENCOUNTER

DATE
19

stars

... but these were much

AUGUST 1952

faster than anything like that I've

ever seen. They couldn't have

PLACE WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

been

aircraft

they were

MAPREF:N19
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

moving too

fast for that.

Pierman's confirmation of the

radar sightings
is all

the

more

impressive for his impartiality.

stated 'Please

He
. . .

Evidence of possible
part of
of scout-master D.
his

hostility

on the

remember
flying

didn't

UFOs comes from

the claims

speak of them as

saucers

Desvergers and

only very fast moving lights.

In the

experience on 19 August 1952.

significant is the reaction of

pre-dawn

light further

Most

confirmation

was approaching.

the Air Force. Instead of ordering a

routine check by a local intelligence
officer

new

blip

had appeared on the

ARTC
Air

radar screen above

Andrews

from Miami, they instructed

its

Force Base and tower personnel

there,

Captain Ruppelt, the head of

Captain Edward J Ruppelt. head of Project

Blue Book, the

when

notified, visually

UFO investigation

Project Blue

US

Air Force's

observed

a large globular

orange

Book, to investigate personally.

investigation into the

UFO phenomenon.

26

DATABASE 1950s

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE
For most people, photographic evidence
is

perhaps the most

analysis can expose these photographs as such.

In

one such

convincing

ol all material

used

to substantiate a sighting. In

case

BUFORA

received a photograph showing a disc in the sky

at

lad, photographs can easily mislead

clarity a case.

and confuse

rather than

which had not been noticed

taken.

the time the

photograph was

Very few credible cases are supported by

The witness was convinced

of the extra-terrestrial origin

it

photographs, and

many photographs

that

do

exist are

vague

ol the 'craft'

shown

but close study of the negative revealed

lo

and give very

little

information about the origin of a

UFO

be a lens Hare.
Occasionally, photographs
last

phenomenon. No photograph, however thought-provoking, has

yet

a long time belore being

been able

to

prove satisfactorily that

UFOs

are extra-

exposed

in this

way. The photograph below was taken on 16

ol sightings.

terrestrial

spaceships.
in

July 1952

at

Salem, Massachusetts during a wave

in

Nevertheless, photographs are of use

testimony.
If

support
is

of

witness

It

was case number 1501

the

US

Air Force's Project

Blue

the

image

in

the photographs

consistent with

Book. The photograph seems lo

show

lights in the air over the

the story line given by the witness, then the case gains strength

Coast Guard

Facility. In lad, the

photograph was taken through

that the

from the added weight

different story, then

of

evidence.

If

the

photographs
is

tell

a glass window, and

modern analysis suggests

images

almost certainly the case

of

a hoax.

Many

are rellecfed lights Irom

somewhere

inside the building, which

photographs indicate the presence

UFOs

but subseguent

quite possibly went unnoticed by the photographer at the time

analysis proves otherwise. Often, people will 'snap' pictures on

who would have been

concentrating on the 'dimming' and

holiday only to find,

when examining
in

the developed prints, that

'brightening' of the lights as he lined up to take the photograph.

disc-shaped objects appear

the sky.

Sometimes these

are

Of course

when strange

lights

appear
to

in

the sky over a Coast

established to be lens flares (which can have remarkable

Guard

facility

one can understand

to false

some

extent

how

symmetry and apparent

solidity) or tricks of the light.

Modern

photographer might leap

conclusions.

27

Hi
NORTH AMERICA

NAME GEORGE ADAMSKI

DATE
20

miles (16

km) from Desert Centre,

NOVEMBER 1952

towards Arizona.

To a
PUCE GEORGE ADAMSKI, DESERT CENTRE,
CALIFORNIA

limited extent the encounter

families, the

was witnessed by two

Williamsons and the Baileys

who had

MAPREF:E18
EVENT THE FIRST CONTACT BETWEEN MAN

asked to be with him when he next

believed he would see a flying
saucer.

AND EXTRATERRESTRIAL
In 1953 62-year-old George Adamski published a book Flying Saucers Have Landed which claimed that he had met with

They reported

that

from a

distance of approximately a mile

away they saw some

meeting.

details of the

Adamski was watching and

photographing a flying saucer some

extraterrestrials in the desert in

California.

35

Although there had been

flying

saucer sightings for

many

ft (11 m) wide when he noticed man beckoning towards him. The man was approximately 5 ft 6 in

years (and indeed Adamski revealed

that he himself had

(167 cm), of average weight and

been sighting

appeared youthful.

He had

perfect

saucers since 1946), this was the

first

white teeth, calm green eyes, long

flowing blond hair and tanned skin.

claim of contact
alien. It

between man

and

apparently occurred just

He was wearing a

one-piece brown

after

noon on Thursday, 20
10

ski-type suit and oxblood coloured

November 1952 approximately

shoes resembling sandals.

28

DATABASE 1950s

The two used

alien indicated

si^'ii

l;mKu;ie

;iik1

Oi'PosiTF AiiovF

Flying saucer

telepathy to comimmicale and the

photographed by contactee George

he was Venusian.

hi

Adamski
1952
at

at

9 10

am

on 13 December
in Calitornia^

the days
his

when Adaniski published book it was held that Venus was

produce an
identical race of

Palomar Gardens

Adamski took the

6
in

picture through a

the sister planet of the Earth and

likely to

(15 cm) telescope. Opposite

Below Photographed by George Adamski

on 5 March 1951
,

people. Subsequent analysis of the

planet indicates that that could not

the picture apparently

craft'

shows

a cigar

shaped 'mother

be further from the truth and no humanoid could comfortably live on

the planet.

releasing small 'scout ships'. Right

The

cover of Adamski's book, written with

British

The
God,

alien apparently
felt

author

Desmond

Leslie,

which

told

believed

in

that

he and his

the extraordinary tale of Adamski's

people followed a more devoted path than us and was concerned about

meetings with extra-terrestrials. His were

the
first

claims of this sort and led to a

in

atomic radiation from Earth.

plethora of others

subsequent years.

The

contact

was

the first of

Below Mount Palomar observatory, the

many; during

this first

meeting

dome

of the

200

in

(500 cm) Hale

Adamski handed his alien companion a film from his camera and at the second meeting the film was
apparently returned, covered in
indecipherable hieroglyphs. In

Telescope. Adamski

made much

of his

association with this institution although

his

Desmond

main connection with the

his job at a local

Leslie

&

establishment was

George Adamski

hamburger

cafe.

subsequent adventures Adamski

was taken on journeys to other planets where he met Martians,

Satumians and Jovians. In 1965 Adamski and Madeleine
Rodeffer apparently took 8

mm

movie

film of the flying

saucer

visitations in

Maryland,

USA though

the authenticity of that film has been

called into question.

Many

of

Adamski's photographs

were taken in the grounds of the Mount Palomar Observatory where Adamski worked and had a small telescope. Over the past forty years controversy has dogged Adamski's
claims and the photographs he

produced
scientific

but,

more

importantly,

knowledge has made

redundant many of the statements

he made. Adamski himself was

clearly

aware

of the controversy. In

F lying Saucers Have Landed\\e states

'Surface thinkers might like to conclude

that

had had a very

I

original

dream.

Or

that

may be

out to

make money

for myself in the field of science

fiction.
I

can assure such persons that

is

nothing

farther from the truth.

29

,-^,

'.^^

On Thursday 20 November 1952 George Adamski

claimed man's
first

meeting

with an extra-terrestrial.

Using sign language and

telepathy the alien indicated
that he

came from Venus.

NORTH AMERICA

NAME GULF OF MEXICO

DATE
6

Harter needed no confirmation of

that;

story remained quite firm.

DECEMBER 1952

he was watching the objects

Major Donald E. Keyhoe, a

prominent ufologist with a military
background, interpreted the sighting
as:

approaching incredibly fast outside

PLACE GULF OF MEXICO the windscreen. Bailey watched out
of the starboard side of the plane as

MAPREF:K19
EVENT RADARA/ISUAL ENCOUNTER

'The discs had been launched

for

one of the objects, illuminated bluewhite, streaked rapidly past the

plane, vanishing to the rear.

from a huge mothership

for a rendez-vous,

some
. . .

type of reconnaissance mission

In the early

hours of the morning of

Almost

whoever guided

6 December, Captain John Harter

immediately other

UFOs were
all

the discs had chosen this point over

and radar

officer,

Lieutenant Sid
to base

appearing on the radar screen and

the Gulf of Mexico. After the B-29

Coleman were returning

their

heading towards the

aircraft!

was sighted one group

been diverted
miles

of discs had

following a night practice flight of

Fortunately for the aircrew the

for a brief observation

B-29 bomber.

UFOs were on a course

missed the
aircraft

which just
six
first

or tracking. Then, flying at 5,000

(8,

They were approximately

200 miles (322 km) from Galveston,
100 miles (160 km) south of the
Louisiana coast at 18,000
ft

and after

047 km) per hour they had

this interpretation is
is

minutes from the time of the

sighting
it

been taken aboard the mothership.

appeared that the danger

It

Whether

was

over.

was

not!

correct or not

open

to debate and to

(5,486 m)

in

bright moonlight

when
It

A third group of UFOs flashed

onto the radar screen, radar
tracking indicated speeds

the visual sightings

were unable

Coleman noticed an

unidentified blip

confirm a distinct shape to the

the
objects because they

on one edge of the radar screen.

much

was not

until

the second
its

sweep

of

same
plane.

as before. Again blue-white

so

fast.

were moving However, the fact is that

of a highly trained

the screen that

significance

illuminated objects streaked past the

several

members
Added

became apparent.

For Captain Harter the

all

crew

all

witnessed the same

to this
it

When the blip reappeared the

unknown
object had

dangers were

too real as he

was

encounter.

was

moved

13 miles

watching the objects cutting across

the plane's flight path and - suddenly

tracked not only visually but on

radar, strongly suggesting the proof

(21 km). By the third sweep Coleman and his staff sergeant had computed the speed of the object:

swerving - they were

straight for the B-29!

now heading

of

some

reality,

whatever

its

exact

nature or source.

over 5,000 miles (8,047 km) per

hour, considerably faster than any
aircraft of the day!

Suddenly, and almost

unbelievably, the objects slowed to

the speed of the aircraft and paced

to
for

it

NAME TUJUNGA CANYON

DATE
1953

Coleman reported the trace

of the object; Captain Harter insisted that the set should

some ten seconds. As

the

crew

the captain, and indicated the speed

watched, the objects pulled away

and then the most amazing part of

the sighting occurred.

PLACE TUJUNGA CANYON, CALIFORNIA

be

MAPREF:E17
apparently
still

was 'impossible'. While Coleman was recalibrating the set Master Sergeant Bailey noticed
recalibrated as
it

An enormous UFO
moving
at

EVENT ABDUCTION

joined the formation and,

some 5,000

miles

The Tujunga Canyon abduction was,

by today's standards, a rather
undetailed and unremarkable event.

another object on the screen. At

that point the navigator. Lieutenant

(8,047 km) per hour,

that the smaller craft

it

appeared

docked or

Cassidy, reported that he had

them

merged with the

larger object.

However,

it

contains certain aspects

it

on

his

screen as well.

Accelerating to 9,000 miles

which make

worthy

of note.
Villas

Within a short space of time there

(14,484 km) per hour the

UFO

The case predates Antonio

were
deck

four

UFOs on the
got four

screen and

flashed across the scope and

the captain radioed from the flight

'I've

disappeared.
finally

The encounter was

Boas (see page 181) and Betty and Barney Hill (see page 42) by some
years and consequently becomes

unknowns

at

over.

12 o'clock.

What do you show?'

code for 'dead

Captain Harter contacted his

one of the

first

reported abductions.
the report
first

('12 o'clock' is the

base and when he landed United

States Air Force intelligence officers

A word of caution:

Coleman reported that the objects were showing up on all three

ahead').

arose considerably after the given

date, not in fact until

of the plane's radar screens and

it

met him and the crew. For some time they were questioned
separately and as a group but their

1975 when
America.

abduction lore was

rife in

was therefore not a

malfunction.

Note, too, that the case contains, at

32

Illllio
DATABASE 1950s

H G WELLS'S
when

WAR OF THE WORLDS COMES TO AMERICA

In

1897,

HG

Wells's ^ya^o///)e
yet

H/oaWs was published, man had not

even learned
flight. In

to

harness the power

of

his original story the Martians

in bullet-like

reached Earth
fired

projectiles
to

as

if

from a gun and proceeded

terrorize the

Home

Counties

in

England
In

from within walking machines.

1953,

George

Pal's film

moved

the location to

California

and updated the walking

to flying

machines

saucers.

It

was

clear reaction to the flying saucer

phenomenon.
talk

Pal said, 'With

all

the

about flying saucers. War of the

timely.

Worlds had become especially

And

that

was one

of the

reasons we
as films mirror

updated the

story.' Just

UFO

reports, conversely, detailed

analysis

shows

that

some aspects

of

UFOs

follow film and other

is

mythologies; the interaction

complex one which requires serious

research.

Genuine reports

of aliens

often act like their filmed predecessors,

yet the films

were made before alien

reports were offered. Simple copy-cat

claims do not explain the complexity of

the interaction,

which suggests
is

that a

genuine experience

being overlaid

on a basic
manifest

belief

system which can

or fiction.

itself in fact

least as reported, the

most

explicit

possibility as the road

towards their

suffered a

two hour, twenty minutes

left

example

of missing time in any

abduction case.

According to the report the two

witnesses,

was rough and would have caused 'bouncing' motion. Jan was now awake and went to get her
cabin

time lapse and this caused them to

panic so considerably that they
their

home and went to Jan's parents.

known

as Sara

Shaw and

dressing-gown, Sara noticed

2 a.m. on the clock.

it

was

Regression hypnosis revealed a

classic abduction story, several of

Jan Whitely, both

twenties,

in their

early

part of the Tujunga

remote Canyon in California. Sara was woken by a moving light out of her bedroom window which apparently terrified her. She feared it might be the
living in a

were

As apparently only

a fraction of a at the

which

we

shall

see later

in this

second passed she looked

database.

The case has

also

come

clock again feeling giddy and

under considerable scrutiny from

those

confused and noticed that the minute

who

believe abductions

hand had moved on twenty minutes.

constitute a psychological

When Jan checked

confirmed
this

the clock she

headlights of a motorcycle gang

observation but

phenomenon as it appears that the two girls' sexual relationships may

have generated anxieties of w'hich
the abduction
manifestation.

seeking to attack the isolated

pointed out that the hour hand had

of

women. The smooth movement

the lights quickly ruled out this

also

moved on two

hours.

may have been

Apparently both witnesses had

33

NORTH AMERICA

NAME LIVERMORE
DATE
27

for a

moment

to

watch

DC-6

in sight at

the

same

time, allowing

JANUARY 1953

descending towards Oakland

Municipal Airport. His attention was

him

to

make

certain comparisons.

PLACE LIVERMORE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

attracted to a white object crossing

By any definition the UFO had more power and manoeuvrability than the
DC-6
or the jet fighter.

MAPREF:E16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

the Atomic Energy Commission

facilities

and he

first

thought of this

as

some

sort of plant material in the

wind.

He

quickly realized that the

solid

NAME
DATE

DANIEL FRY
1954

While not dramatic by today's

standards, the sighting by John

object

was more
moving.

and indeed
it

Bean

swiftly

He

described

as
PLACE WHITE SANDS PROVING GROUNDS,

on 27 January 1953 had a

considerable effect at the time,
partly because of the location of the

perfectly round with a metallic sheen

something

like

aluminium.

NEW MEXICO
MAPREF:H18
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

sighting and partly because of the

qualifications of the witness.

Bean concentrated on the object and its manoeuvring watching its

very abrupt direction changes and
the incredible speed of its ascent.

Bean had been

flying for

some

seventeen years and was

knowledgeable about
manoeuvrability.
aircraft

Only days before he had watched

According to Daniel Fry's testimony

his first

two

F~-86 fighters

manoeuvring

to

meeting with

On

the afternoon in

the limit of their capabilities and he

realized that these fighters

extraterrestrials took place on 4 July

question he was driving away from

the Atomic Energy Commission

were

1950 thus predating many

claims of

UFO

amateurs compared to the

capabilities of the object

claims and certainly the contactee

Research

facilities

and had pulled

he was

George Adamski which had

in

into the side of the road to get

papers from his briefcase.

some He was

watching.

been published
as Fry's

1953. However,
in

A jet aircraft was also

approaching for a landing. Bean was
therefore particularly fortunate
in

book was published

1954

about to get out of the driver's door

to

and since there seem to be some

go round to the backseats to

grounds for believing

in

obtain his briefcase

when he stopped

having three distinct types of aircraft

it was inspired some way by George Adamski's

34

[ill
DATABASE 1950s

claims,

have set

it

into the

understood some of

it

since he

was

first

witnessed seven

UFOs in

database at the date of publication

rather than at the date of claim. Daniel I'Yy's

trained space technician. Indeed,

formation.

Howard

indicated they

the event had taken place near the

was just one

of

many

While Sands Proving (Jrounds

aircraft, i.e.
'.i

conlactee claims to follow those of

where Fry was working.

Adamski but

it

is,

perhaps

alonj^ with

The

visitors

were

trying to 'help

were moving at a speed to pace the some 2.'iO knots, were some miles (5 km) away from them and were below the cloud
level.

Adamski's, one of the best known.

According,' to his claims I)r Daniel

you people on earth

holocaust which
inevitable.
'

alter the

Once they had passed over

present flow of events and avert a

is

the coast, the clouds cleared and

Kry witnessed
4 July 1950.

a landing of a
u|)
it

UKO on
it

otherwise
told

He walked
feeling that

to

and

Fry was

he had to

touched
nothing

it,

was
this Earth.
like

write a book to communicate the

Howard saw the UFOs more clearly. They paced the aircraft for some
Captain

known

to

man on
felt

messages
which he

to the people of Flarth

twenty minutes during which time

Captain Howard, his crew and
several passengers witnessed and

The

hull

apparently
a voice

soap

and

dutifully did.

smooth and
American

came out
in a

of the

machine warning him,

the hull pal,

strangely

sketched the objects. There were

slang, 'Better not touch

it's still

NAME GOOSE
DATE

BAY, t;\BRADOR

apparently six small globes and one

large object but the formation

hot.' Clearly

29 JUNE 1954

was

PYy's aliens

came from somewhere

PLACE GOOSE BAY, ti^BRADOR

constantly changing.

The

objects

other than Adamski's who, three

kept a straight

line

with sometimes

years

later,

were

still

using

MAPREF:P11
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

three ahead of the large globe and three at the rear or sometimes four

telepathy and sign language to

communicate.
Fry's contactee,

ahead and two

at

the rear, etc.

A-Lan

(but later

shortened to Alan for convenience

sake) explained
involved
in

Reports of sightings of
pilots are frequent

UFOs by

much

of the physics

and deflate the

the construction and

of his craft to Fry

claim that only unqualified or

Howard believed they were solid. Co-pilot Lee Boyd reported the incident to Goose Bay, Labrador and they were asked to describe the
sighting,

movement

who

deranged people

sight such objects. Perhaps the best reported example

which they

did.

is

that of Captain James

Howard
in

Howard could hardly complain that he was not taken

Captain
seriously.

over Goose Bay, Labrador

Captain

1954.

A patrolling

F-94 fighter

Howard was
in

flying a

BOAC
to

Stratocruiser from

New York
half

London

the early hours of the

was vectored towards the aircraft and frequencies were lined up to allow Captain Howard to talk
directly to the pilots of the fighter.

evening of 29 June.

Some

an

hour out, Boston

inforaied

air traffic control

Howard he must

hold

Whatever the explanation for the UFOs they were not radar visible as
the fighter indicated they had only

position though gave him no reason.

It

took a request from Howard to

his

the Stratocruiser on radar.

Even

Boston control, pointing out

concerns for

more mysteriously the

At
a fuel stop

objects

his fuel levels, to obtain

in

disappeared as the F-94 approached.

permission to go forward and

doing so he was

over

at

Goose Bay
crew and

made

to detour far

United States Air Force intelligence

officers interrogated the
told

north via Cape Cod. In view of what

was
Above Daniel
Fry, the

to

happen

later in the flight

it

is

them

that there
it

had been other

speculated that
contactee

air traffic control

had
its

sightings like

in

the area. Despite

who

picked up anomalous returns on

radar and was redirecting
result of this.
traffic

possible corroboration ft-om a

clainnecl several

meetings with space

as a

ground witness who saw a number

of objects flying in the right direction
at the right time, lack of

people during the early 1950s. Although

his claims pre-date

Adamski's, they were

not revealed until after

Adamski had

was some three hours later over the St Lawrence estuary flying
It

radar

corroboration unfortunately

published his book. Left One of the alien

at

19,000

ft

(5,791 m),

spaceships photographed by Daniel

Fry.

the cloud level, that Captain

way above Howard

deprived the case of its most

valuable possibilities.

35

Kelly-Hopkinsville, 21

^T^En

August 1955. Eight adults

and three children
experienced a horrifying
siege by beings so

grotesque as

to

be almost

beyond

belief.

^-V"*

'

'"x&im

m-

--y^-

^V#/i

v-n

^f^fltlillp
NORTH AMERICA

i'

NAME
DATE

KELLY-HOPKINSVILLE
21

(6

AUGUST 1955

creature scurried

m) from the farmhouse. The away into the

heard a

loud, persistent

banging sound.

No trace
the

of either the entities or

night. Indoors, the others

UFO could be found although

bullet holes

PLACE KELLY-HOPKINSVILLE, KENTUCKY

scraping sound from the kitchen roof

some

were

located.

The

MAPREF:L17
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KINO

and the

men ran back into the

yard

Chief of Police stated that

and saw a similar creature on top of

the farmhouse.

'something frightened these people,

When fired upon,

fell, it

something beyond their

comprehension. The police called
'

although the creature

As evening fell on 21 August 1955

the Sutton family, Elmer, Vera,

apparently floated gently

down

off the investigation until daylight.

towards the backyard before making

off

But

at

2.30

in

the morning the

John, Alene and her brother

were

on

all

four limbs.

nightmare returned!
of a type

hosts to the Langford family, Glenie

The
unique

entities
in

were

Glenie, in bed, looked at her

and her three children Lonnie,

Charlton and
friend

UFO lore.
some

Although
of the features
i.e.

window and saw the huge

eyes of one of the
into the

shining

Mary together with a of Elmer's, Billy Ray Taylor

left

incorporating

entities staring
softly called

of 'classical' entities,
figures, large

short slim
etc.

bedroom. She

and his wife June. Around 7 o'clock

Billy

round bald heads,

to the other

members

of the family
at the
off into

Ray Taylor

the house to get

there were striking differences.

and 'Lucky' Sutton shot

intruder which

water from the farm well and to take

a drink.

Each had huge yellow shining eyes

placed on the sides of their face and

scampered

While outside he saw a

with an exhaust
It
all

UFO
the

the darkness.

It

was not

until

past

'real bright,

an enormous mouth

like a

crack

5 o'clock that morning, 22 August,

colours of the rainbow'.

stretching across the face.

The ears

and approximately an hour before

apparently landed close to the farm

in a

dried-up river bed.

When he
was not
star.

were huge elephant like appendages, enormous in

comparison to the body.

returned inside the house and told

the others of his sighting he
believed, and
it

was generally

reluctant to

The creatures appeared to be come too close to the

farmhouse but

thought he had seen a shooting

bright lights of the

Nobody
site.

investigated the landing

later the eight adults

the families

were concerned

An hour

because of the ineffectiveness of

and three children were to begin an extended, horrifying siege by beings

so extraordinarily grotesque as to be

weapons and barricaded inside. For some three hours they watched the entities
their

themselves

almost beyond
It

belief.

around the farmhouse

until

they

began with the crazed barking

were forced

to

make

a desperate

of their

dog

in

the yard and Elmer,

decision to escape. At around 11

o'clock in the evening they

known as 'Lucky' Sutton, went with Billy Ray Taylor to the kitchen door of the farmhouse to see what was disturbing the animal. What he saw must have seemed like the product
of a nightmare: a glowing, dwarf like

dashed

from the farmhouse into two cars

and
(16
'high-tailed'
it

the 10 miles

km)

to the police station at

Hopkinsville, arriving in a state of

agitation

and

fear.

creature with enormous eyes and

with arms stretched high above
its

They impressed

the police to the

extent that the Chief, Russell

head was slowly and determinedly

approaching the house!

Greenwell, his Deputy George

Batts, Sergeant Pritchett and three

An

artist's

impression of one of the

besieged the Kelly-

These

isolated country folk

were
first

other officers, along with a

journalist,

local

entities that

not accustomed to diplomatic

pleasantries and tend to 'shoot

returned with the family

Hopkinsville farmhouse on 21 August

to the

farm ready to take up the

2 miles (3 km) out of

1955. They never harmed the witnesses,

and ask questions afterwards'.

battle. Just

and
to
the

their
air,

approach, with claws raised

in

Lucky took
.22
rifle,
it

a shotgun, and Taylor a

fired at the entity
ft

Hopkinsville and on the

way back

may have been

a gesture of peace

and both

the Kelly farmhouse they

saw two

- not an easy
you look

intention to express

when

when

had reached around 20

streaks of light overhead and heard a

like this!

38

>lllllllllllill>'
DATABASE 1950s

first

lij^lil,

that the entities

seen and the

very

nij^htniare

The aftermath

of

were last was over. llie iiij^ht was

One
ol the first civilian
in ttie

JIM
UFO

AND CORAL LORENZEN

disbanded. Despite a known study by
tfie

diflRull for llie witnesses.

researcti
ttie

They were accused of religious hysteria and they were harassed

following the publicity that

organizations
Aerial

world was

Air Office ol Special Investigation

Ptienomena Researcti

(AOSI), neither Jim nor Coral Lorenzen

Organization (APRO), formed by Jim

were prevented from continuing

their

surrounded their report.

and Coral Lorenzen. and

its

Ttie organization

work

for the

US

Air Force, suggesting

Throughout
to protect

all

of this,

however,

founders came under mucti monitoring and

it

at least

no

official

condemnation

of

they stuck to their story and refused

official

is

now

their activities.

themselves from the

excesses of the media even by

toning

down

their claims,

maintaining that they were being

truthful.

No explanation

for the

encounter

has been offered that stands up to

reasonable examination.

A travelling
it

circus had passed through

Hopkinsville that day and

was

speculated that they could have lost

performing monkeys but the

suggestion
falls
it

down on

so

many

grounds that
any

is

almost laughable.

For one thing there was no report of

lost

monkeys,
fit

for another

monkeys do not
glow
in

the physical

descriptions of the entities, let alone

the dark.

Most importantly
have been found

NAME
DATE

JENNIE'
7

wall and claimed she could

even see

at least

one wounded or dead

to

OCTOBER 1955

the dirt and

cobwebs
itself

inside the wall

it.

monkey ought

as she passed through

PLACE NEBRASKA
IVIAPREF:J15
in

after a night time barrage of

The UFO

appeared to haze

shooting, yet no bodies

were ever

and out of visibility, apparently

its

recovered.
It

EVENT ABDUCTION

allowing vision through

walls to

has to be admitted that there

intent on
it

the interior and even through that to

was no proof of malevolent

the part of the entities and

Late

in

the evening a teenage

girl,

the surrounding terrain. Inside the

has

Jennie,

been speculated

that these

was dressed for bed in her bedroom. Under hypnosis, she told
the story of an entity floating outside

UFO

the entity as

creatures approaching the

was very cold. She described between 3-4 ft (91-122 cm) tall with an egg shaped
it

farmhouse with their hands

in

the air

her bedroom window

states that she

whom she

head, grey complexion, reduced

facial

may have been

their physical

trying to

show they

refers to as 'the explorer' and she

felt

features and long,

slit

like

eyes.

were unarmed and harmless. Given

appearance there
in

drawn towards
to

He was wearing some close-fitting

head dress. During the subsequent
medical examination blood samples

him, perhaps under his telepathic

influence.

seems
fail

to

be no practical way
like that

She seems
is

be trying to

which a creature
to instil fear.

could ever

protect herself, by pretending that

the event
a

were

taken.

dream and she says

listen to him.

On re-awakening the

next

Whatever the

truth of the Kellyit

she does not want to

morning Jennie remembered the

event as a dream: whether
protective device of her
this is a

Hopkinsville encounter,

remains

The

entity floated through the air

like

today, over thirty-five years later,

towards a UFO, described as

and willed her to
she

one of the most extraordinary and

terrifying multiple-witness

two dessert bowls placed together,

follow. In doing so

not

is

unclear.

There

is

own mind some

or

corroboration of her stor>- as

possible physical traces on a nearby

encounters on record.

moved

through the bedroom

39

iflHl
NORTH AMERICA

UFO COMES
The expression UFO has been
corrupted over the years and
held to
is

IN

ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

often

mean

extra-terrestrial

spaceship. Nothing could be further

from an accurate definition and

well to

it

is

remember

that the

expression
less than
all

means nothing more nor

Unidentified Flying Object. Of

the

reports received by organizations

throughout the

w/orld,

approximately

90-95%

are identified. Typically,

most

of these turn out to

be reports of natural

phenomena

of

various sorts. Planets -

and particularly the bright planets

Venus and

Jupiter

are often identified

reports.

as the cause of
stars have

UFO

Some

been

culprits,

and there are

many

natural but exotic-looking

that are reported

phenomena

as UFOs.
at

Right Noctilucent clouds are visible

night, at

dawn
of ice

or at

dusk and comprise

in

masses

high

the

atmosphere

illuminated by the sun from over the

horizon, causing a hazy, glowing shape
the sky.
in

Below Aurora

borealis, the

Northern Lights, photographed before

dawn

near Fairbanks, Alaska. Auroras are

that

luminous displays
sky
at

occur

in

the night

high latitudes.

40

mil
DATABASE 1950s

elm tree
as

(julsidc

her window show

bum markinjjs. However,

it

her

father believes that

iij^htninji.

was

hit

by

Inlerestinj^ly, this

case only came

lore

to

iij^ht in

1984

when abduction
well

was

rife in

the American media and

details

were becoming

known

to the previously 'uninitiated'.

NAME LOCHRAVEN DAM

DATE
26

OCTOBER 1958

PLACE LOCHRAVEN DAM, BALTIMORE, PA

MAPREF;N16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

At 10.30

in

the evening Alvin

Cohen

and

Philip Small

UFO

saw an egg-shaped above Lochraven Dam in

Maryland. The object was, they

estimated, hovering approximately

100-150

ft

(30-46 m) above a small

metal bridge near the dam, some 250 yds (229 m) from them. They

drove closer to investigate.

At some 80

ft

(24

m) from the

object the car's electrical systems

went dead;
headlights

its

dashlights and
its

went out and

motor

stopped. In trying to restart the car there

was no sound of even the motor trying to engage. Both witnesses panicked, jumped out of
starter

the car and

After

moved behind it. some 20-30 seconds

bright white light

accompanied by a

deafening noise burst from the

object and
it

started to rise vertically

a

and within just

few seconds

it

had

vanished into the sky above. As the

light flashed

both

men reported

feeling heat

and both displayed

symptoms similar to sunburn. There were other witnesses who confirmed

the sound prior to take
it

off.

was reported

to the United

States Air Force, but the case

remains unsolved and

listed as 'unidentified'.

is officially

41

NORTH AMERICA

them each about 3

NAME
DATE
JOE SIMONTON
18 APRIL 1961

in (8

cm) wide.

and having made a short stop

set off

in

After this contact, lasting only a few

restaurant at Colebrook the couple

minutes, the object apparently rose

into the air, took off rapidly

down highway US
village of
in

3.

Just

towards

beyond the

Lancaster they
the sky

the south,
PLACE EAGLE RIVER, WISCONSIN

its

downwash actually
States Department of

noticed a bright light

bending nearby pine trees.

ahead of them which appeared to be

getting bigger and brighter as they

MAPREF:K15
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

The United

Health, Education and Welfare

Food

watched. During the drive they

continued to observe the
light

and Drug Laboratory was given

pieces of the cake to examine,

which

A case that has prompted

considerable background research
into the true

Simonton had already stated

tasted like cardboard.
analysis indicated
at

it

meaning

of close
in April

The official that it was made

it

was apparently moving behind trees and mountain tops. It was not until they stopped the car that they were
of

able to determine for sure that

it

encounters occurred
Eagle River
in

1961

perfectly normal Earth type

Wisconsin when

materials but that

It is

contained no

salt.

was moving, and that the movement had not been the apparent motion
given by the twists and turns
road.
in

witness, Joe Simonton

saw

the absence of salt which has

the

'brighter than chrome' saucer

interested researchers ever since;

By

looking at

it

through
of the opinion

shaped object hovering near

his

comparison
and faerie

is

drawn

to the

binoculars
that
it

Barney was

farmhouse. His attention had been

attracted by a rushing noise which

exchange of foods between humans

folk in Celtic traditions.

was an

aircraft or a

helicopter.

had drawn him out of the house;

this

The

turn of the century Celtic

As they approached the Cannon

mountain they became somewhat

happening around 11 o'clock

morning.

in

the

researcher Walter Evans-Wentz

wrote of the

Irish

'little

people':
salt,

concerned by their sighting and

but

The
and 30

UFO was apparently

ft

'They never taste anything

eat fresh
'

Betty considered pulling into an

approximately 12
ft (9.
it

(3.65

m) high

14 m) wide and while he

meat and drink pure water. Pure water was the request

open motel
shelter.

to find company and Had they done so they may

watched

a hatch

opened and three

made

of Simonton.

have avoided the next extraordinary

and frightening events.
While Barney drove, Betty
looked through binoculars and saw

occupants looked out at Simonton.

Since the physical traces

Simonton described the occupants

as approximately 5
ft

research reveals nothing of extraterrestrial origin the case probably

(152 cm)
like

tall

with dark
clothing.

hair,

and human

offers

no further

analysis. Sheriff

what appeared to be an enormous

craft with a

Indeed Simonton described

Italians'.

Schroeder, of the area, stated that

having

double row of windows.

the aliens as 'resembling

known Simonton for fourteen

was
saying.

This caused Barney to stop the car

Perhaps the most extraordinary

event was yet to come.

years he 'obviously believed the

truth of what he

and make a more detailed

investigation.

He

left

the car,
field

One

of the

men waved a jug

he needed water.

crossed through a dark

and
ft

towards Simonton apparently

indicating that

apparently walked up to within 50

NAME
DATE

BETTY AND BARNEY HILL

19

(15

m)

of the object

now

hovering at

Simonton took the jug inside the

house,
filled
it

SEPTEMBER 1961

treetop height, although he admitted

later

and returned

it

to

he was

'fully

gripped with

fear'.

them by which time he

sort of barbecue

also noticed

PIACE CONCORDE,

NEW HAMPSHIRE

With concern, Betty was looking

into the

they appeared to be having some

MAPREF:014
EVENT ABDUCTION

darkness for her

lost

on board their

husband.
Isolated in the dark field Barney,

saucer and were frying food on a

grill.

In addition to the 'cook-out'

Returning from a holiday

to their

in

Canada

again through binoculars, looked at

Simonton noticed several

instrument panels and a dark black
interior.

home

in

the state of

New
Hill

the object

now

so close to him and

Hampshire, Betty and Barney

stated that he could see at least a

were
like-for-like

to

become the

first

highly

dozen people looking back

at him.

Simonton requested

publicized account of a

UFO

He

particularly

and indicated he would appreciate

abduction.

eyes of the

remembered the crew members which

one of the pancakes they were

cooking; they gave him three of

Having crossed the Canadian

border
at

almost hypnotically gripped his

attention and then, screaming that

approximately 9 o'clock

42

.L

DATABASE 1960s

subjecting

them

to an unpleasant

medical examination. In addition to

this

Betty was given a tour of the

spaceship by the aliens

who showed

her

map

apparently depicting their

home

world. Nightmares are bad

in

enough, but

talking with people at

her work she became convinced that

these were no ordinary nightmares;
they were memories of a real event.

A frightening event,

and one which

suggested a less than benign

purpose on the part of the

In

aliens.

February 1964 the couple

began a series of regression

hypnosis sessions with Boston
psychiatrist

Dr Benjamin Simon, the

purpose of which was to relieve

tensions
in

the couple which they

of

believed
their

stemmed from the night encounter. The sessions

appeared to confirm the worst; both

Betty and Barney recalled the
abduction of Betty's dream as a

he feared they were about to be

captured, he ran back across the
field to
off.

Betty and Barney

Hill

with their dog,

reality.

According to

a later analysis

Delsey. These are the three witnesses to

the
first

of the star

map

recalled by Betty Hill

the car,

jumped

in

and drove

highly publicized abduction.

is

as

shown

to her

by the

alien leader,

Betty at

this point

could not see

Barney

holding a sketch of the obiect

the aliens'

home world

orbits either
I

either the light or the craft but could

that captured

them.

of the stars Zeta Reticuli

or

II

and

hear a continuous beeping noise, and

they

the occupants apparently have a

agitated by the case and

seemed

to

have drowsed as a

drew the
in

purpose here on Earth.

It

sedated feeling overcame them.

attention of another couple living

must be

said that

Dr Simon's
'to

Seventeen miles (27 km) from

Concorde, according to a sign they
saw, Betty and Barney
to
Hill

the house with

them by her excited

view of the encounter was that he

believed the abduction reality

state. Betty's interest in

UFO study

be

seemed

was

then, and has remained to this

too improbable, and

have recovered from their semi-

day, very high. Just

sedation at the

same time as they

the sighting she

two days after went to the library

was

similar to

much material dream material'.

Subsequent analysis by other

psychologists has suggested that the

heard - or think they heard - a

separate set of beeping sounds
similar to the
first.

to collect a great deal of information

about

UFOs including reading Major

week
after

regression hypnosis would be unable

to sort fantasy

Eventually they

Donald Keyhoe's Flying Saucer

Conspiracy and just one
the sighting she wrote to Major

from

fact, particularly

reached home.
In the

where the couple had been

convinced that the nightmares were
a reality, so
it

morning following the

on the boot

event Betty discovered spots of

metallic 'polishing'

Keyhoe about her experience which

had only just begun.

is

possible that the

event did not occur. Betty

(trunk) of the car. This

of

was just one

Ten days
a period of a

after the sighting

For those who take comfort from

this possibility fact that
Militar>-

many

physical traces which

had a series of vivid nightmares over

there

is

one further
into account.
.'\ir

suggest, but do not alone confirm,

the nature of a real event. She
talked at great length to her sister

week

of a

disorientating kind.
that the

most She dreamed

must be taken
radar at Pease

Force

about the sighting, her sister having

UFO had stopped the car, that alien beings from the UFO had
extracted them from the car and

Base apparently tracked an

anomalous

UFO in the skies of New

at the

had a

UFO event some years

was apparently very

Hampshire
the
Hill

time and place of

before. Betty

taken them aboard their spaceship.

report!

I
43

s~^-'^

'X

-*^-i^"V:^.,.

<

M 11
.
1

1 1 iJm

^1

'

'^^1

sp

Betty and Barney

Hill.
. . .

19 September 1961

Afterwards he particularly

remembered

the eyes of the

crew members which

hypnotically gripped his
attention.

mai^

f(l

li

i^

NORTH AMERICA

NAME SOCORRO
DATE
24 APRIL 1964

possible accident and that he would

be out of the

car;

he stopped the

vehicle and got out.

PLACE SOCORRO,

NEW MEXICO

All that

he witnessed was the

off, its pilots

MAPREF:H18
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

object taking

presumably having been startled

into an escape. Apparently the

object rose on a column of blue-

At around a quarter to

six in the

evening, Police Officer Lonnie

Zamora was chasing

a speeding car

orange flame. Of the object itself Zamora believed it was oval in shape, whitish and had some red
'lettering'

when he heard
light in

a noise

and saw a
1

on the

side.

the slty approximately

it

mile

Zamora ran from the car and

ducked over the
the
hill,

(1.6

km) away. He believed

might

watching the

possibly be a dynamite store that

object rise out of the gully and into

air.

had exploded and he called

chase to investigate. As he
approached,
it

off the

The
and

object then appeared to

fly

level off

horizontally over the

appeared that the

dynamite store and away across

country. Inspection of the landing
site
in

blue-orange flame was descending

over the

rise of a

hill

ahead of him.
hilJ

showed

four clear impressions

Having cleared the

Zamora

the sand and burn

noticed a shiny object parked off the

vegetation.

marks in the Marks nearby were

Above Police Officer Lonnie Zamora who

reported seeing a landed egg-shaped craft

road about 200 yds (183 m) away.

referred to as the 'footprints' of

the entities.

near Socorro,

New Mexico

in

April

1964.

Nearby were two people

overalls

in

white

Beside

it

were two humanoid forms. As

the beings and the

who seemed
it

startled at the
car.

There were reports

flame and of

of

Zamora approached,
craft fled.

appearance of the police

Thinking that
vehicle

corroborative sightings of the blue

Below Inspection revealed

craft

might be a crashed
reported over the
investigating a

someone seeing the

towards the

ground traces where the

had stood.

Zamora approached with

mind.

police car driving

On

the

damaged rocks were metal

help

in

He
was

encounter. There were other

reports including one

fragments which were sent for analysis

but mysteriously went missing.

radio that he

made by a

46

DATABASE 1960s

l)riiK-ipl('

investij^ator of the case,

spreading manure on his

field.

He

NAME
DATE

CISCO GROVE
5

Ray

Slaiiford,
lli^'ht

who saw

a similar

moved

into another field

ready for

SEPTEMBER 1964

object in

shortly afterwards.

ploughing and he saw a

light-

No
made

identification

has ever been

coloured object there as he

PLACE CISCO GROVE, CALIFORNIA

MAPREF;E17
his

of the object

Zamora
extraordinary
to

approached. At
sighting a

first

he gave

witnessed but

fairly

mundane
it

explanation,

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND
in

claims have been

the
sij,'hlinj^.

made

debunk

believing

to

be a defunct

One

suj^'j^estion

was

refrigerator that had

been laying

that having taken place

on land

the

field for

some

time.

As he got

For those who believe that

it

is

only

owned by

the local

story and physical

Mayor the whole traces may have

investigated

nearer he changed his mind, and

believed
it

abductions that cause great fear and

might be the wing tank

extreme reaction
case of Mr S.
in

in

witnesses, the

l)een created to increase tourism.

I)r J. Allen

dropped from an aeroplane. Only as

he approached much closer did he
recognize the fact that
it

Cisco Grove,

Hynek who
all

California merits a study.

the case said, 'Of

the close
this is

was some

Having spent the day hunting

with two companions and becoming

encounters of the third kind,

the one that

20

ft

(7

m)

long,

egg shaped and

most

clearly suggests a

glistening aluminium.

"nuts-and-bolts" physical craft.'

Near the craft were two short humanoids wearing

tight fitting clothing

separated from them he took shelter

in

a tree, strapping himself to a

falling

and helmets.

branch to prevent himself

of the tree
if

out

From
NAME GARY WILCOX
DATE
24 APRIL 1964

box on

his chest,

one of

he

slept.

the humanoids calmed Wilcox's

Mr S.

observed three objects

apprehensions and stated 'We have

talked with people before.
'

with rotating lights from his location

He

then

and he believed these may have

PLACE TIOGA, NEW YORK STATE

went

on, implausibly, to state

'We

been helicopters searching

Reacting to
lit

for him.

MAPREF:N15
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

are from what you people refer to as the planet Mars. During
'

this

he

left

the tree and

two hours

signal fires to attract their

of conversation with the Martians

attention. Unfortunately,

he

Wilcox discussed farming and

This particular case
is

succeeded.

potentially

learned from them that they were on

The unknown
closed
in

silvery objects

important because of

its

Earth to learn about organic

materials.

and apparently despatched

approximation

in

time to the Socorro

incident (see page 46). According to

explanations of

They apparently offered how their craft

did not
visits

fires.

two humanoids who approached the They were dressed in silver

suits

the witness, Gary Wilcox,

it

worked which Wilcox

to
in

and had extraordinary,

occurred

at

10 o'clock
it

in

the

understand and said that their

prominent eyes. The two humanoids

apparently tried to

morning placing

just a
I

few hours
listed
its
it

Earth were regular. Apparently

for a

remove Mr

S.

before Socorro but

this

have

one of the humanoids asked

of

bag

from the tree and a

third robot like

database afterwards as

manure and Wilcox went

to his

entity appeared also.

Mr S.

fired

significance is only appreciated

when

barn to collect one.

When he
in

arrows

at the robot, then tore off

the details of the Socorro incident are understood.

If

returned the craft was gone but he

left

strips of his clothing, set

them

alight

the bag of

manure

the field
it

and threw them

frighten

at the entities to

true the account gives

anyway and the

following morning

them away. He apparently

off in their

substantial support to the Socorro

was gone
If

also.

succeeded and they took

visit

claim but

it

is

the opinion of the

this is

an early

by the same

UFO,
out.

the downblast of which

Socorro principal investigator, Ray

Stanford, a well-known and well-

occupants of the same craft that

visited

unfortunately caused him to black

Socorro some hours later

the intervening hours they

He

regained consciousness at

respected researcher, that 'my

ufologer's intuition tells

then

in

daybreak and discovered the

and entities were gone.
Several
local

UFO

me this

obviously

became

less talkative

and

account

may be

a total hoax,

less comfortable

around people:

people attested to
including a
notified

fabricated by Wilcox after he had

leaving as abruptly as they did

officer

when

Mr S. 's good character,

local

heard of the Socorro incident.

Wilcox's report stated that at

Zamora interrupted them. They can hardly have been in a

desperate hurry to return just to
collect their

astronomy teacher who

officials.

Air Force

The

.Air

Force

approximately 10 o'clock

in

the

explained the case as

'psychological'.

morning of 24 April 1964 he was

bag of manure!

47

NORTH AMERICA

NAME FLYNN
DATE
14

INCIDENT
1965

made

to discredit Flynn

which
and doctors

Muscarello observed these

lights for

MARCH

backfired

when many
The

leading

approximately a quarter of an hour

citizens, police officers

and

at

one point they appeared to

to

PLACE EVERGLADES, FLORIDA

vouched

for him.

Air Force's

come so close

him he leapt

into a

MAP REF: N20

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

suggestion that Flynn

may have

ditch to avoid being hit

by them.
lift

hoaxed the encounter ignored the

remarkable ground and tree traces

Eventually Muscarello hitched a

to

Exeter police station and

Confirmation came from

and

his

own physical impairments

reported what he had seen.

Rancher James W. Flynn

of Fort
in

which

his doctor believed 'could not

Myers, Florida was camping

the

have been faked'.

In the
for the
that,

patrolman Eugene Bertrand

who
police

Everglades on the night of 14 March

end the Air Force settled

had been
1

in

the area

in his

car at

1965 after a day spent training

hunting dogs. After midnight he saw
a bright light
1

somewhat useless statement when questioned, they had

files

o'clock in the morning.

The

officer

had spoken to a

woman who
to drive
in

descend approximately
his

nothing on their

concerning the

claims she

was too upset

light

mile (1.6

km) away from

it

Flynn incident.

because she had been followed

her car by a bright

location and, believing

to

be a he drove

though
this

plane landing in

difficulties,

Bertrand did not witness

aspect

towards
1,320
site

it

in his

swamp buggy,
Around

NAME EXETER
DATE
3

FLAP

of the report.

He did, however,
to the field
lights

getting as close as he could.

ft

SEPTEMBER 1965

accompany Muscarello

(402 m) from the landing

and witnessed the bright red

he alighted and went the rest of

object he

PUCE

EXETER,

NEW HAMPSHIRE
015

Muscarello had reported. Bertrand

noticed that although the lights
silent

the

way on foot. As he approached the

that
it

MAP

REF:

were

EVENT MULTIPLE NIGHT LIGHT SIGHTINGS

they were upsetting farm

saw

was

a large conical
In the spring of

animals in the area and he called

machine hovering near the ground,

1965 the area of

patrolman Hunt to the scene

also

who

some 75 ft (23 m) wide and 30 ft (9 m) high. Portholes were visible

because of the yellow
lights shining

New Hampshire was subject to a local wave of UFO

Exeter,
sightings,

observed the

lights.

Pease Air Force Base

investigated the report

many

of which

were

some
find a

through them. Flynn could see no

occupants. Deciding to offer
friendship, Flynn stepped near the

investigated by journalist John G.

Fuller and related in his bestselling

months

later

and could not

cause of the sighting. They

book Incident at Exeter. Not

untypical of the wave, though

commented

that the observers

reliable

object and raised his hand in a

appeared to be

and stable

gesture of greeting.

He was

greeted

perhaps most documented, was the

sighting of 18-year-old

people and believed that their

ovm
the

by a beam of light which struck him

on the forehead and knocked him
unconscious.

Norman J.

B-47

aircraft

which had been

in

Muscarello on 3 September 1965.

His sighting was confirmed by police

area at the time could not have

caused the sighting. During the

flap that followed,
call

When he came

to he

was

partially

patrolmen Eugene Bertrand and

blinded and bruised. Although the

object had disappeared there

David Hunt.
a

there was an extraordinary

to

was

Muscarello was hitch-hiking to

the south of Exeter at 2 o'clock in the morning
five

the police station in Exeter; a

a call of

man in
saucer

charred circular ground trace near

box claimed that a

flying

where the object had been hovering and trees nearby were also burned.
Flynn spent
Hospital
five

when he saw a group

in a line,

red lights

over

house

was heading directly towards him, the call was interrupted, the
connection broken and he could not

days

at

Fort

Myers
were

who confirmed

that his

some 100 ft (30 m) from his position. He watched as the lights moved
behind trees and houses, out over a
large field and

be traced.

vision and muscular reflexes

For several weeks after the

sighting Muscarello and his

impaired.

commented

that they

mother
they

Unfortunately Flynn's encounter

were so

bright that he could not see

staked out the

could see the

hills

to see

if

came
major

at a

time of

maximum

difficulty

structure behind them, possibly

indicating only that
their brilliance.
it

UFOs again and on

did so.

for the Air Force, indeed during a

flap in

the locality, and they

The

lights

was hidden by were

one evening they

Project Blue Book, however,

were doing

their

very best to play

apparently pulsating and only one

light

seems

to suggest in

its

report that

down

the sighting. Attempts

were

was

bright at any given time.

the B-47 aircraft or aircraft from an

48

DATABASE 1960s

MISSING INFORMATION
The sheer weight
is

ol

UFO-related material available

for

study

reference points from which detailed analysis can be

astonishing. The late Dr J Allen Hynek, for over twenty

in

made, then often there

from
it.

is

very

little

that

can be learned

years a leading figure

the subject, referred to

it

as an
are

However spectacular
will

or clear the

image

is, its

embarrassment

of riches. In fact,

so

many claims

relevance

always depend on the witness's other

received that hosts of reports are either uninvestigated

or afforded only a cursory examination; their details are

testimony.

Below This photograph was taken by Deputy

Sheriff Arthur

logged and are

of

value mainly

in

the event of other

Strauch near St George, Minnesota while he was out hunting

with four companions. While potentially a very interesting

reports being received which can then be corroborated.

Perhaps surprisingly, even photographs

category;
if

fall

into this

image, interpretation

of

it

is

limited through lack of

a photograph

is

indistinct

and has no

authoritative information on the subject.

operation l<nown as 'big blast'

may

definition

and even by the standards

fifteen

years after the event the

have been responsible for the

sightings though such conclusions

of 1965 rather

mundane and only

witnesses stood by their

statements. Officer Hunt said
just a thing that
'It's

attracted the attention they did

have created great criticism due to

their other inaccuracies.

because of the high publicity they

received rather than the particular
qualities of the reports

happened and we

reported

it

the

way

it

happened
is

at
all

There has been some suggestion

that the sightings

themselves.

the time, which you

know

about

were

of indistinct

When questioned

about the sighting

you can do.

guess.

49

NAME GREAT NORTH-EASTERN BLACKOUT

DATE
9

Just after

power

failed at

Syracuse, Deputy Aviation

New York, and a section of Canada. New York City had 600 trains and
600,000 passengers trapped in the underground train system; many
thousands were trapped
in

NOVEMBER 1965

Commissioner Robert Walsh sighted

a round fiery UFO ascending at

PLACE NORTH-EASTERN UNITED STATES/

CANADA

MAPRERNIS
EVENT GREAT NORTH-EASTERN BLACKOUT

moderate speed from a fairly low altitude. A second fireball is also reported. The objects were over the
Clay power substation, an automatic
control unit which regulated

elevators; bridges and tunnels

were

jammed due down and

to traffic-light

breakdowns; airports were shut

flights redirected.

There have been many connections made between the appearance of

power
Life

The
grid

from Niagara
Witnesses
building

Falls to
in

New York.

UFOs

and disruption of electrical

the

Time and

enormous north-eastern power was thought to have been

having hundreds of automatic
controls and safety cut-outs.

circuits, particularly in cars

saw

UFO in the sky above

invulnerable to accident or attack

approached by low-flying UFOs.

blacked-out Manhattan. Time

There have also been several claims

magazine photographers

made
major

that

UFOs in the

vicinity of

photographed

this object.

Many
in

Congress had been

serious breakdown

told that a

cities

have caused power

other reports of UFOs came

across

was

quite

blackouts affecting
of

many thousands
1960s.

people. Such claims were

New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. UFOs were reported

over Pennsylvania by
pilot

impossible. Various heads of

plants indicated they had

power

no

particularly

common in the
of
all

Jerry

explanation for the blackout, no

The most dramatic

claims

was

that of the great North-East

Whitaker and passenger George Croniger who believe they saw them
being chased by jet interceptors.

severed transmission

lines, faulty

circuits or defective generators.

blackout which covered an area of

80,000 square miles (207, 199 m')

At the height of the blackout

had spread to
six states

it

stated that it appeared that vast amounts of electricity had simply

One

and affected 26 million people.

other than

been

'lost'

but without explanation.

50

DATABASE 1960s

[particularly]

along with the

stated since that time that he had

reports of previous
blackouts.'

UFO-caused
of

had no wish to do so and believed

it

Whether UFOs were the cause

the great North-Eastem blackout or

was premature at the time when he made his comment. His statement included the comment that some
people
ignited
in

not remains open to speculation. At

least they cannot

the area might have seen

gas.
pilloried

be blamed

for

one

swamp

of the effects of the enforced hours

The press immediately

him him
for the

of darkness and quiet. Nine

after the blackout

months

comment, and assaulted

New York

for attacking the credibility of

experienced a baby boom.

local

witnesses.

ignored his further

fuller

They completely comment that a investigation was required and

thorough investigation of
all

NAME SWAMP GAS DEBACLE

DATE
18

that a

MARCH

1966

phenomena was needed before comment should be made

definitively.

PLACE ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN

MAPREF:M15
EVENT THE 'SWAMP GAS' DEBACLE

that

Hynek always said afterwards it showed how even the most

fall

experienced people can

prey to
it

Over

forty witnesses including

the excesses of the press,

also

several police officers

saw

UFO

shows how the excesses

the

of the

with blue and white

lights,

antennae

press can affect public perception of

and a

pilot's cabin, in

the marshlands

UFO phenomenon.

near Ann Arbor, Michigan on

18 March 1966. Four other craft
apparently travelled with
it.

{DAILY

Some

witnesses claimed to reach to within

New York and 80,000 square

miles

1,

500

ft

(457 m) of

it,

and described

(207, 1 99 m^) of the surrounding area

was

it

as football shaped and pulsating.

Police patrolman Robert Hunawill

blacked out

in

1965.

agreed that he had watched the

Because

of the potential for

object together with other local

citizens. Sheriffs deputies Stanley

panic, with people trapped in

sHumf
CREW S
ALIEN
,

elevators and underground

in

the

McFadden and David

observed
it

Fitzpatrick

dark for

many hours on

end, calming

flying

over the area. The

and reassuring statements were

broadcast by those radio stations
that could transmit on

state Police Commissioner,

Frederick Davids,

commented

'I

emergency

used to discount these reports too

but

generators and certainly no mention

now I am not

so sure.

was made

of

any

UFO connection
it

for fear of the panic

would cause.

However, the press picked up the

The following evening the craft was again observed by other witnesses and it became apparent
that the Air

Kscoyery 'buzzed

UFO reports
official

(and indeed Air Force

Force should send

if

in

an

denials) and

by the end of the

investigator

only to be seen to be

day
that

it

was already being speculated

connection has ever

doing something.
scientific

They

sent

in their
j

UFOs had caused the blackout.

adviser to Project Blue

1*^;^
Any
analysis of the

No proof of this

Book, DrJ. Allen Hynek. Hynek

been forthcoming though one Air

Force Major made the point that
'The evidence was too strong to be
ignored or debunked
.

made an investigation of the area but was virtually assaulted by the press to make some kind of preliminary
statement, although he always

UFO phenomenon
often creates

reveals

how media coverage

become

a mythology around a truth. Insubstantial

stories can easily

sensational.

51

NORTH AMERICA

NAME
DATE

CATALINA ISLAND FILM

APRIL 1966

NAME
DATE

BETTY ANDREASSON
25 JANUARY 1967

PUCE

CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

PLACE ASHBURNHAM, MASSACHUSETTS

MAPREF:E18
EVENT PHOTOGRAPHIC CASE

MAPREF:015
EVENT ABDUCTION

These experiences have been commonly reported in America, but what was to follow is unique. She was taken through various chambers inside the UFO, was
covered
in fluids

and fed

fluids

through her mouth; she met

The

Catalina Island film shot by

Perhaps the most remarkable case

of

reptilian creatures

and flew over a

professional

cameraman Lee
in

imagery

in a

UFO abduction
claims of Betty

crystal city. Inside

one of the crystal

face to

Hansen

is

important

UFO
is

comes from the

Andreasson.

buildings she

was brought

research not because

but because
it is

it

a mystery
in April

face with a bird like being and heard

at

not.

Shot

showed a silver, shaped object moving in the

1966 the
film

disc

On 25 January 1967 she was home with her parents and her
seven children
(her husband
in

the voice of God.

Quazgaa

told

her that 'Secrets

in

the early evening

in hospital

have been locked

her mind' and

mountains on Catalina Island and

casting a

was
in a

having

she was then returned to her

finding her family apparently

home

shadow below. For twenty

of

been injured

car accident).
light

years the object remained a mystery.

It

Suddenly, she saw a pulsating

paralyzed and unconscious.

was only the development

final identification

through the kitchen window and

To the
this

present day there has

modem photographic analysis which

gave
to the object

saw entities outside who Betty then saw entering the

Betty's father

probably been more written about

case than any other and the

is

full

on the

film.

Image enhancement

house through
This was
for
all

the walls.

case history

rich in detail,

much
all

of of

techniques were employed by

Dr

Betty remembered
eight years

which may well be symbolic but

for the witness.

Robert Nathan of the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory
in

many years. Some

which appears to have deep meaning

Pasadena; the film

later

she wrote to the tabloid

was scanned, enlarged and displayed

on a television screen and broken

newspaper National Enquirer about

her experience,
this

was

a paper

down

into individual pbcels.

film

Each

noted for

its

interest in

UFOs and
However,
interest in

NAME STEPHEN MICHALAQ

DATE
20

frame of the
digitized

was

similarly

for its $5, 000

reward given annually

MAY

1967

and each overlaid on the

to the best

UFO story.

earlier

image causing an averaging of

the picture

they apparently took

PLACE FALCON LAKE, ONTARIO/MANITOBA

little

the lighting effects in the picture.

her case.
It

BORDER
until

Gradually the grain

in

was not

1977,

more than

MAPREF:K12
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

diminished and the image was able

to be

ten years after the event that Betty

seen more

clearly.

Andreasson underwent a series of

hypnotic regression sessions

In fact the

cameraman had filmed,

light aircraft that
in

out of focus, a

had

suggested by

MUFON investigator,
story

If

Canada comes

a poor

second to

been manoeuvring

the mountains.

Raymond Fowler. Her

extraordinary.

was

the United States on the North

By the time
to
in

the image enhancement

it

American continent
had entered her
quantity of
a long

in

terms of
then
it

was completed

was

possible even
pilot sitting

The

aliens that

UFO events,

goes

see the outline of the

kitchen apparently lined up before

way to making up for it

in

the cockpit. Because the aircraft

its

her and stated they needed food for

their minds. Their leader, Quazgaa,

quality with the extraordinary close

had been filmed from

level
it

own

flight

encounter of Stephen Michalaq

had eliminated the image of

accepted a bible from Betty. She

then
left

which

is

recorded here.

wings and indeed the image of the

tail fin.

the house with

them and
in

Just after noon on 20

May,

at

entered an oval object hovering a

cases are solved
in

Falcon Lake between Manitoba and

Ontario, Michalaq witnessed the
landing of a cigar shaped

Many UFO
the
first

few inches
garden.

off the

ground

her back

investigation, indeed

some

UFO. Two

90-95 per cent of cases are identified

quite quickly but positive
identification

She underwent
examination

a medical
lit

such red objects descended, one

landing and the other silently flying

in a brilliantly

twenty years after an

'operating room' on board the object

back into the sky. The landed UF'O

event

is

rare and this

was an

and suffered a probe pushed into her

appeared to

'cool down'; its red

glow

important breakthrough.

nose and another through her navel.

diminishing to a silver gold.

The

52

DATABASE 1960s

object

wide and 12

was approximately 30 ft (3V2 m) high. Michalaq was an amateur

ft

(9

m)

From it, a blast of warm air struck him causing him

of the object.

Stephen Michalaq, victim

of a very close

not
it

encounter, displays the extraordinary

pattern of burn
his

only surprise but pain and fear as

set his clothes alight.

marks which appeared on

a blast of heat

prospector and carried goggles

normally worn to protect his eyes

body following

from

The

object departed. Shortly

landed UFO.

when hammering into

rock.

Through

afterwards Michalaq observed

these goggles he observed the

object from close range over the

ground traces

in

the form of charred

Organizations such as the

Whiteshell Nuclear Research

earth where the object had been.

next half an hour, also making

sketches.
light

There were

physiological effects

Establishment, the

US Navy

He

noticed a bright purple

from the encounter; Michalaq

suffered nausea and vomiting as well
as feeling a severe pain in his head.

Hospital and the National Research

emanating from inside the object,

Council

in

addition to 27 doctors
a period.

detected the

warm

smell of sulphur

examined Michalaq over

and heard motor noises from within.

Michalaq was approaching closer

After returning

home he went
degree bums.

to the

Michalaq appears to have

received a dose of radiation which

Misericordia Hospital
treated for
first

where he was

when

a door

opened

in

the

UFO and

would have been

lethal

had

it

not

he could hear voices coming from

inside.

In the following

He

called to the craft in

examined by

his

week he was family doctor. Over

been

of slight duration.

several languages but received no

those few days Michalaq lost

considerable weight being unable to
eat, suffered

responses.

He peered

inside,

observing multi-coloured patterns of

light.

blood infection, skin

The view of the Royal Canadian was that the case was a hoax though a Freedom of Information Act request some years
Air Force
later \nelded a
file

Eventually the opening was

infections, diarrhoea

and nausea. He

113 pages long,

to

covered and Michalaq took some

time to examine the outside of the
object, discovering
it

complained of burning sensations

and

this

was acknowledged

be

and

stiff joints.

Of particular

interest

considerably abridged.

to be hot

was
in

a pattern of

bum marks on
on the object,

The Royal Canadian

amount
of

Air Force

enough to melt
At
this point

his glove.

Michalaq's chest which corresponded

to the exhaust vent

should be congratulated on the

he found himself

work

it

is

prepared to

front of a grid-type vent in the side

where hot

air

had blasted him.

invest in a hoax!

53

ftl

ii'
Indeed
at the

NORTH AMERICA

NAME PATROLMAN SCHIRMER

DATE
3

The former Chief of Police had

apparently had an experience of
contact with extraterrestrials that

time Schirmer

DECEMBER 1967

interrupted

them they were busy

from the
lines with a device

stealing electricity

PLACE ASHLAND, NEBRASKA

was somewhere between

overhead power

MAPREF:J16
EVENT CONTACTEE ENCOUNTER

contactee and abduction experience.

which the entities obligingly

explained and went on to

Having approached the landed object

on the highway and suffered vehicle
interference cutting out the engine

demonstrate to Schirmer.

'Saw

a flying

saucer at the junction of

it

The

entities

themselves were
ft

highways 6 and 63. Believe

not! This
'

or

and

lights of his car

Schirmer,

now

approximately 5

(152 cm) high and

was the brief report made by patrolman Herb Schirmer in

Ashland, Nebraska following a
sighting in

under regression hypnosis, revealed

that the car

muscular with larger chests than on

the normal

was apparently

human

frame.

UFO

surrounded by entities from the

globular

Apparently their head was thinner

December of

1967.

UFO. He was prevented

his

and

taller

than an ordinary

human

Shortly after the event, and after a

short stint as Chief of Police, he

from drawing

revolver to defend

head; they

wore

tight fitting silver

himself by a mental block and

was
at

grey suits and boots. Schirmer

described their eyes as
eyes', the
'like cat's

resigned from the force. There has

paralyzed by the entities

who fired a
It

been a great deal of speculation

official

that

green gas gun

this

at his car.

was

nose was
lipless

flatter

and they

pressure was brought to bear

is

time that Schirmer apparently

had almost

mouths. Schirmer

but Schirmer
resignation

adamant

that his

suffered the injury to his neck when,

was informed

that

he would be given

came from him alone because he was no longer able to do

his job properly.

having been forced to wind

down

the

a cover story which

would be

all

he

window of the car, he was forcibly removed from it and taken on board
the

would remember of the event; that

he would
recall
it

seeing the craft land

The suggestion of a brief period of missing time, some twenty

minutes, and a red weal on his neck

UFO. The UFO

and watch
is

fly

away; and that he

visits

described as having
like a football,

would experience two return

from the
aliens.

been shaped something

glowing
light
silver,

was

sufficient for regression

with a bright flashing

It

Of particular
investigators

interest to the

hypnosis to be used to find out

beneath.

apparently landed
later conversation
it
it.

was the emblem seen

whether or not there was a more

detailed story locked in Schirmer's

on tripod legs and

by Schirmer on the uniform of the

entities

with the aliens indicated that

which he drew and

mind. There was!

required electricity to power

described as that of a winged

serpent.

Much has been made

of the

EDWARD UHLER CONDON

In

connection between this and the

ancient historical stories of winged

serpent sightings and gods.

1966,
at the

age

of 64,

Condon was
University of

The

aliens apparently told

appointed

to tiead

up

tfie

Colorado's study into

UFOs - usually
tfie

Schirmer that their mission was

because the 'Earth people do not do
things in the right way.
'

known subsequently as
Committee. A friend
Oppenfieimer,
Nortfi
of

Condon

Dr J Robert
of

They

also

Condon was one

informed Schirmer that they had bases

in

the

Bermuda

Triangle, at

America's foremost theoretical

nuclear physicists.
for 'taking on' the

He was also known

the polar regions and in other

locations around the world.

establishment

when This case

is

the need arose. the ideal

He must have seemed

influential

probably more
in pointing

man

than any other

to lead the impartial

study.
project
its

However

to genetic manipulation as an
it

seems

that the

whole

explanation for the alien visitations.

was an

Air Force publicity trick;

Schirmer said 'Maybe

negative conclusions simply did not

asked

if

they

kidnapped people.
tally

don't
said they had

with the unsolved case on

its files.

remember, except he
a

programme known as "breeding analysis" and some humans had

been used
in

these experiments.

54

DATABASE 1960s

NAME SHANE KURZ

DATE
PLACE
2

mental

difficulties;

red marks on the

events of 2

May

apparently

filled in

MAY

1968

lower abdomen, pain and nausea and

migraines, loss of menstruation, loss
of weight and an irrational fear of

the details of the missing hours of

that date.

She was drawn

to the

NEW YORK STATE

MAPREF:N15

window by

a voice, perhaps

being examined by the doctors. She

telepathically, calling to her.

She

EVENT ABDUCTION

became convinced that she had to know more about what happened to
her on 2 May.
In

dressed, went downstairs through

the kitchen and outside into the cold.

Shane Kurz's experiences came

durinj;;

Outside, she found herself looking at

a landed

the early

months

of 1968
of

January 1975 she appears to

UF"0 which was apparently

its lights

when

there were a

number

UFO

have had a 'follow-up' abduction,

'powering down',

dimming.

sightings in the area around her

waking up to
and
a purple

find a

bum on her
right

She saw windows and

rim and
in

a revolving

home
first

in

New York State and the

own experiences was
a
in

upper chest, spots on her cheeks

walking towards the

UFO

of her

mark on her
in

arm

recalled being stuck in

wet mud.

mid-April. P\)r several nights

Miss

with a pinhole

the middle.

Kurz and her mother had used

Subsequent investigation
revealed there

telescope to observe a bright cigar

may have been

in

The UF'O was hovering in the comer of a field and Shane began to try to resist, wanting to retum to
her home. At one point she was
kneeling on the ground, trying to

shaped object near their home and

reported that they had a strange
feeling of being observed.

strange contact a year before her

first

UFO sightings,
last

1967.

It

was

On

her

year of high school and as

15 April Shane Kurz's mother awoke

she approached the school entrance

her

at 2 o'clock in the

morning
light

one morning a figure came up

alongside her and asked to share her
umbrella. She thought he

because of a bright flashing

flooding her

Somehow, and the details are was drawn inside the UFO, into a room like a hospital operating room. In the room a
hide.

unclear, she

bedroom and
light

it

was only
that

was

medical examination took place

when Shane opened her eyes

she saw an intense
outside her bedroom. Shane's
sisters shared the

stranger but he was obviously very

coming from

human and dressed

fashion.
slightly slanted

in a

very human
his

where body samples were taken. It becomes clear to her that she
is

She described

eyes as
but

to be used to produce a hybrid

room with her and

towards the back.

human/alien baby. She resists this

with great fear but the examination

corroborated the sighting of the

light. Silently

He

apparently

knew her name

to

the light

moved

evaded her question as

During

how.

goes on.
In a recall strikingly similar to
that of Betty Hill

upwards and then vanished.

report

his conversation with

Shane

was made to Griffis Air Base and the Oneida County airport. The 2 May produced the puzzling experience which most concerned Shane. She had been outside her house for some time watching the sky when the cigar shaped UFO
appeared
at great speed, stopped,
in

he had her explain what volleyball

and Betty
a long

and basketball were as he was

apparently unfamiliar with these

Andreasson she describes

needle probed through her navel,

apparently part of a gynaecological
operation. Unlike the recall of

terms, a fact which she quite rightly

found surprising and he offered her a

ride during her lunch
'veliicle'.

many

hour

in his

abductees
not

it

seems

that

Shane was

She questioned him about

he only stressed that his
pointing

artificially

inseminated but raped

his car but

by the leader of the aliens w'ho she

describes as having an apparently

then shot upwards and turned red

colour.
into a

vehicle

was white and kept

field.

Shane went
sleep.

to

bed and

fell

towards a

Reasonably enough
offer,

human

like

deep

she declined the

liim,

dismissed

slender.

body though generally She apparently enjoyed the

Shane was awoken by her mother

turned around and took just turned to look back to

sexual experience though she

attributes this to a jelly like

whose
lying

was 'Where have you been?' She was apparently

first

question

tliree steps,

see where he was going and he

wasn't there. She was stunned as
there

substance smeared on her before

the act

on top of her bedspread with

commenced;
in

a fact

which

her slippers and dressing-govm on,

her clothes and her legs covered
dried mud.
in

was no
left

possible

way he

could

predominates
Antonio
Villas

the claims of

have

the scene in that time.

at the

Boas (see page 181) a

earlier.

There were muddy

from the porch to

Other schoolgiris

time were

decade or more

footprints leading

able to corroborate that she had

Many

of Shane's

worst

the bedroom.
In the days following,

been with

liim.

apprehensions about the encounter

Shane

Hypnosis sessions conducted on

ceased - precisely nine months after

the event.

experienced several physical and

Shane

to further investigate the

55

II

NORTH AMERICA

but Dennis was keen to investigate

further, turning off the road

deliberately pacing their car but

and onto

rather moving at the

NAME GALLERY CHEMICAL PLANT

DATE
14 APRIL 1971

a dirt track near the chemical plant.

(It is

speculated that Betty and

Hill also

Barney
PLACE BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA

turned off their main

road onto a subsidiary road where

they were abducted by the

MAPREF:N16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

same speed same place, possibly by coincidence, whereas there is some speculation that the Hills' car was under deliberate scrutiny. However, the outcome was very different; in
and
at the

occupants of a

UFO that had been

As they drove
hill

the

Hills'

case the object apparently

pacing their car. )

either guided the Hills off the main

over the brow of a

they could see

road and

its

occupants then

The case

of

Dennis and Marion

at the
is

the object hovering just above the

abducted them or took advantage of

their

(pseudonyms adopted

ground

of a

ploughed

field

some 80

own decision

to drive off the

witnesses' request for anonymity)

yds (73 m) away.

main road, which was subsequently

forgotten during the amnesiac block
find further

important because of the similarities

Dennis drove along to the

between this case and that of Betty and Barney Hill (see page 42) in the
early events and for the dissimilarity
of the

farmhouse hoping to

apparently placed on them. In

witnesses to the event but nobody

Marion and Dennis's case, although

confronted with an opportunity for
abduction, the

was
field

at

home. Looking across the

way

the encounter ended.

result in

towards a small wood they

UFO appears to have

it

Comparison of the two may

could see the

UFO hovering near

ignored the witnesses and allowed

a better understanding of both.

the trees. Shortly after this a shaft

the
of white light

At approximately 8 o'clock

in

evening the couple were driving

top of the

beamed up from the object. Several windows

in

them to 'escape'. Having said that, has been further speculated that
possibly in both cases the

UFOs

from Evans City to Pittsburgh on an

unlighted road through the

were observed

the upper section

scanned the occupants of the cars

and
in

of the saucer and portholes below.

the

Hills'

case decided they

in

farmlands.

They had just passed

the

From

within the

windows

flickering

were

of use

whereas

the case of

Callery chemical plant heading

lights could

be seen which gave the

Marion and Dennis decided they

would not be suitable
purposes.
for their

towards Butler when Marion noticed

a

impression of lights flickering across

a

UFO to the right of the car. The

much

computer screen.
Marion then saw two giant
in

object
at

was apparently pacing the car the same speed, it was glowing yellow-white and was silent. She estimated the object to be approximately 100 yds (92 m) from
them. Dennis slowed

Ignored or rejected? Either way

humanoid figures
into the car

the windows.

Marion and Dennis seemed to have

Prudently both witnesses leapt back

been spared the frightening ordeal

which many abductees have
undergone.

very quickly and 'beat

it

out of there'.

As they drove

rapidly

down

to

down
the

the dirt road they could see

approximately 10 miles (16 km) an

UFO remaining in the

same
NAME DAPPLE GREY LANE

hour and then also saw the object.

position.

As

in

the case of the Hills the

On investigation the
was white

next day

DATE

AUGUST

1971

Butlers did not experience electrical

difficulties

researchers recorded that Marion

as a sheet and shaking PLACE DAPPLE GREY LANE, LOS ANGELES,
CALIFORNIA

with the car but pulled the

car off the road for the purpose of

and had undoubtedly been alarmed

properly observing and listening for

by what she had seen. Researchers

also confirmed that they

MAPREF:E18
EVENT NON-HUMANOID CONTACTEE
EXPERIENCE

sound from the object. They

were

watched as

it

flew

away becoming
and then
it

straightforward and respectable

people.

just a bright point of light

returned to the same point where

The case shows

Betty and Barney
light

that the opening

By
of

far the

most common description

entities
i.e. is

had been before.

It

was

a classic

events were very similar to that of

Hill, i.e.

UFO-related

that of the

saucer shape, glowing luminescent

a bright

humanoid form,

two arms, two

and apparently the size of a small

apparently pacing the car and

itself to

legs and a head containing the

house as they watched

over a large
hill.

it

disappear

proving
of

be a structured

craft

primary sensory organs raised to

the highest point. Given the variety
of

some

kind.

It

should be noted that

Marion was very concerned and

the witnesses

in this

case did not

non-humanoid forms on earth

is in itself

somewhat

frightened by the incident

necessarily believe the object

was

alone, this

matter for

56

DATABASE 1970s

some

consideration.

However,

NAME
DATE

ST CATHERINES
16

Regression hypnosis by
psychiatrist

occasionally cases occur which have

OCTOBER

1971

Dr Aphrodite Clamar

anything but hunianoid entities and

the encounter in Dapple (irey Lane
in

and therapist Dr Susan Schulman

PLACE ST CATHERINE'S, ONTARIO

seemed

to indicate that Jack had

August 1971

is

just

one such

MAPREF:M15
EVENT ABDUCTION

been the subject of many abductions

during his
life: first

case.

medical

John Hodges and Peter

Rodriguez had been
visiting the

examination following an abduction

Six

members
known

of a rock group

from

his

pushchair at the age of two

apartment of

a third friend in

Dapple

including the principal witness of the

by creatures with big black eyes;

then a joint abduction of himself and

Grey Lane, Los Angeles and they

left in

case,

only as

'Jack',

were

the early hours of the

pulled off the road by the appearance

of a bright lighted

morning. As they were getting into

their car they noticed

UFO in the early

when Jack was six, which was apparently corroborated by

his father

two seemingly
on the road
ft

hours of the morning when returning

regression hypnosis on the father;

alive brain-like objects

from a party.

next an abduction

at the

age of ten;

ahead of them, each some 3

(91

cm)

high.

Hodges drove past

his friend off

the

Three members of the group were taken aboard the flying saucer
and subjected to various medical
examinations and interrogations
while the other three remained
in a

and

finally

the multiple abduction of

the group

when Jack was

sixteen.

objects,

dropped

and

then drove to his

own home

arriving

A scene from
Island.

the 1929 film Mysterious

it

back some two hours later than he

should have done.

Although

shows an image

tranced state
it

in their

van.

created decades before aliens were being

Under regressive hypnosis

telepathically projected a
into

The
kit,

aliens apparently

appears that the brain-like entities

interest in both a recorder and

showed an drum

reported by

UFO abductees, many

features are remarkably similar: the dwarf

message
him that

asking for detailed explanations

shapes, prominent eyes, bald

domed
imagery be

Hodges' mind
will

telling
'

of

how

they work and

in fact

heads and webbed fingers. Can reported

abductions and science ansing from a
fiction

'We

meet
left

arrived at his

again. When he own apartment - but

retained one of the recorders as a

common

source''

before he

the car

- he apparently
into a

encountered the entities again and

seems
control

to have

been projected

room where humanoid entities were manipulating the

machinery.

There was
imagery
in

a great deal of
it

the encounter and

appears that the aliens were

concerned about our lack of

environmental awareness and the

damage we were doing

planet.

to our

In 1978, during the period of the

regressive hypnosis sessions,

Hodges apparently encountered the and was given a warning about a coming world war. Hodges believes that both he and
entities yet again

Rodriguez, along with thousands of

other people, have implants

in their

brains which are designed to

enhance psychic powers and the purpose of the creatures'

interference
the
is

to help in developing

human

race.

57

m
NORTH AMERICA
NAME THE DELPHOS
DATE
2

RING
1971

Considering the medical

implications of the state their son

birth,

though the young died shortly

NOVEMBER

afterwards.

The witnesses were

lie

was
PLACE DELPHOS RING, KANSAS

in

and the

possibilities

invited to take a

detector test but

suggested by having touched the

glowing white powder and then
suffered partial paralysis, the
decision to visit the

refused.

MAPREF:J17
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

Analysis of the ground traces on

the farm revealed

some unusual

town

to see the

component but there was nothing

which demanded a non-terrestrial
explanation.

reporters of a local paper rather than

The Johnson

farm, Delphos,
in

any

member of the

medical
in

The

possibility

remains

Kansas. At 7 o'clock

the evening

profession has been one factor

that the witnesses invented

some
for

of

Durel Johnson and his wife had just

finished supper

reducing the credibility of the case.

the details on the back of a sighting

of extraordinary

when

their son

There have been many suspicions

surrounding this event: the

ground traces
It is

Ronnie returned from feeding the

sheep. Ronnie reported that he had

reasons of their own.

only

Johnsons refused to report the

incident to the police; they
to greatly enjoy the

because of the lack of hard physical

evidence which

heard a rumbling noise and had seen

a

seemed

UFO events
in

mushroom shaped

UFO hovering
ft

fame and
recipients of the

generally offer that the Delphos ring

just

above the ground some 70

attention which their report brought

to them; they

has

become so famous

the past

(21

m) away from him

it

in a

group of

were

twenty years.

trees near the farmhouse.

He

much criticized $5,000 award from

the National Enquirer for

Most modem research

concentrates not only on the

described

as glowing with every

colour of the rainbow and beaming a

shaft of brilliant white light

outstanding

UFO reports;

and just

testimony but also on the credibility

of the witnesses and
this particular

towards

when

the extraordinary reports of

on that basis

the ground. Ronnie reported that he

the next

two years looked

like

case might not be

was blinded and paralyzed by the

event which lasted about
five

overshadowing
Johnson farm
that

their story the

UFO

rated highly.

returned yet again, involving the

in

minutes

until

towards the town of Delphos.

some

fifteen

away It was minutes before he was

the object flew

yet

events. Not the least of these

more strange was

The Delphos

ring

appeared

to

have been

dusted with a white powder which caused

sheep that had not been

numbness
touched
it.

in

the fingers of those

who

able to focus his vision and to

move
his

serviced by rams suddenly gave

and he immediately ran to the

farmhouse to report the event to

parents.

His parents were disbelieving but

accompanied him outside, both

witnessing the

UFO moving towards

'like

the south. Erma, his mother,

described
washtub'.

it

as looking

a giant

At the

site

where the UF~0 had

in

been hovering the witnesses saw a

circle

glowing

the dark and

noticed that the nearby trees

also glowing.

were

The

soil

appeared to
a white

have been dusted with

and Mrs Johnson

powder which was touched by

Mr

who

both stated

that their fingertips

had become

numb

shortly afterwards.

Mrs

Johnson also took photographs of

the ring while

Mr Johnson drove his

son into Delphos to report the event

to the local newspaper.

58

DATABASE 1970s

NAME MICHEL IMBEAULT

DATE
5

AUGUST 1973

PLACE MONTREAL, CANADA

MAPREF:N14
EVENT ANOMALOUS LIGHTS

At 5.30

in

the morning, Michel

Imbeault and a friend were walking

near the St Lawrence river

when

they saw a string of lights across the

sky.

The

lights

moved

quickly but he

took one photograph.

Michel Imbeault's remarkable photograph

of a string of unidentified lights in the sky.

NAME PASCAGOULA ENCOUNTER

DATE
12

toes.

But they had feet shape ...

less a

it

buzzing sound

in reply.

OCTOBER 1973

was more or
on a
leg,
if

round
it

like thing
.
.

Presumably, and understandably,

near to hysteria Hickson cannot

you'd

call

a leg

.1

PLACE PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI

was scared
had.
I

to death.

And me with
it's all I

MAPREF:L19
EVENT ABDUCTION

the spinning reel out there couldn't, well

I

remember being removed from craft and his first memory is of

seeing Parker standing on the

the

was so

scared,

well you can't imagine. Calvin done

ground outside with a look on

face 'I've

his

During October of 1973 America

went

hysterical on

me.

never seen that sort of fear

I

underwent an extensive wave

of

The

entities apparently glided

up

on a man's face as
It

saw on

Calvin's.

UFO sightings;

an extraordinary

to the witnesses continuing to

make

took

me a while

to get
first

him back to
I

case during that period was the

abduction of shipyard workers

a buzzing noise, sounding something

like a

his

senses and the

thing

told

machine. They were vaguely

in

him was, "Son, nobody gonna

believe this."

Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker.

humanoid

shape though apart

At 7 o'clock
pair

in

the evening the

from strange feet they also had most

bizarre facial features, long conical

Hickson's description of the craft

is indistinct,

were

fishing

from a pier
in

at the

he recalls
ft

it

being
tall

Shaupeter Shipyard

Pascagoula.
in

rods where nose and ears would

approximately 8

(244 cm)
at

and

At about that time, witnesses

area sighted a blue

the

normally be. Their long arms ended

in

oblong with an opening

one end

light circling in

crab

like

pincers and their skin

and exhibiting a blue

Inside the craft
it

light outside.

the vicinity of the shipyard. Hickson

and Parker did not see a

turned to see a

light but,

was ghostly and pale, possibly wrinkled. Worse was yet to come.
Parker apparently fainted and

was

ver\' bright

but there
the
light.

was no apparent source

of

sensing something behind them,

UFO some 25-30

Hickson was

lifted off

the ground by

Following the interview between

yds (23-27 m) away from them and

just 2-3
ft

the entities and floated into the

Hickson and Parker and Sheriff

(61-91 cm) above the

UFO.

Inside, the entities apparently

Diamond and Captain Ryder, events

occurred which give extraordinary
authenticity to the claim.
police left Parker and

The machine was making a buzzing sound and caused some

ground.
consternation amongst the
witnesses.

kept Hickson floating weightlessly

while they

moved him around and

When

the

while an eye like scanning object

Hickson alone
left

As Hickson
I

stated under

looked

all

over him. Even though the

they quite deliberately

a tape
in

hypnosis 'And
river,

started to hit the

entities left the

man. And Calvin just - he

hysterical.'

Hickson could
not even

room at one point not move and does

if

recorder running, presumably

the

hope
hoax,

that they
if

would reveal their

went

know

he remained

that

is

what
of

it

was. Instead
virtually
still in

The witnesses watched

hatchway opened
in

as a

conscious, though he believes he

did.

of that the

two

them

the object and

Recovering

his

senses
tried to talk to

rambled on. apparently

a state

three entities floated out.

As
have

somewhat Hickson

of shock but both confirmed their

Hickson went on 'They

didn't

the entities but could only get a

impressions of the sighting. Hickson

59

<t (I

NORTH AMERICA

NAME
DATE

CAPTAIN COYNE
18

OCTOBER 1973

PLACE MANSFIELD, OHIO

MAPREF:M16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

During the night of 18 October 1973

Captain Laurence Coyne and three
colleagues. Lieutenant Jezzy, and

Sergeants Healey and Yanacsek

were

flying a Bell

UH-IH helicopter

from Columbus, Ohio to Hopkins Air

Force Base, Cleveland.

Around 12 miles (19 km) from

Mansfield, Healey noticed a single

red

light to

the
it.

left.

He paid little
light to

attention to
Charles Hickson (Right) photographed
in

Just a few minutes

field

near the town. Coming as

it

did

later

Yanacsek saw a red

and he believed
it

the

1990 with the author.

amid the October 1973 United

States flap there had been

right

was pacing
him
to

some
enough

the helicopter.

Coyne
it

told

left

the
left

room

at

one point and Calvin

publicity regarding

UFOs and
positively
to the

keep monitoring
told that
it

and was shortly

to be closing in

was

alone and the tape recorder

Greenhaw reacted
to take a Polaroid

seemed

picked up almost inaudible words as

camera

on them. The witnesses were now

paying some attention to the object
as
it

he prayed

'It's

hard to believe
I

scene.

oh God,
is

it's

awful ...
.

know there

Outside the town he apparently

approached.
object

God up there

encountered a

tall,

silver suited

The

was so accurately
to

In

1987 Charles Hickson

with

summed
I

creature standing

in

the middle of

following a collision course that

up
'I

his feelings

about the experience

the road. With extraordinary

Coyne was forced

of the

descend
light

at

make my

living

my hands.
back

composure Greenhaw got out

car and

increasing speed.

The

had a chance to make a million

dollars like Whitley Strieber
in

welcomed the

entity

'Howdy

apparently stopped and hovered

stranger' and started taking pictures

of him.

over the helicopter.

1973.

was
I

offered

all

kinds of
I

When Greenhaw got back in

Three

of the witnesses

who had

money

to let

them do
still

a movie.

the car and turned on the flashing

blue police lights the creature turned

clear view of the object, Coyne,

declined.

am

declining.

Making
is

Healey and Yanacsek, stated that a

cigar shaped metallic grey object
filled

money
all

is

not what this experience

and ran ahead.

Despite the fact that Greenhaw

about.

the front of the windshield of

chased him

in

the car at up to

the helicopter.

The nose
tail

of the
light,

35 miles (56 km) per hour the entity

object contained the red

a
its

NAME
DATE

JEFF 17

GREENHAW

outran him and indeed the chase

white

light at

the

and from

OCTOBER 1973

ended when Greenhaw spun

gravel road.

off the

underside shone a sweeping green

pyramid shaped searchlight which

is

at

PLACE FALKVILLE, ALABAMA

Greenhaw

perhaps the classic

in

one point flooded the helicopter

before the object accelerated away.

MAPREF:L18
EVENT ENTITY PHOTOGRAPHS

case so often mentioned

UFO lore
styles.

when
in

considering the effect of

life

The remainder of the

uneventful.

flight

was

reporting on witnesses'

At approximately 10 o'clock

the

After relating his experience on

national television he received

The
left

following day

Coyne wanted
and impressed

evening police chief Jeff Greenhaw

of Falkville,

to report the incident

Alabama received
a

threatening phone
him, his

calls, his

wife

the

flight

controller at Cleveland

telephone

call at his

home from a
UP'O landing
in a

home was

burnt

down and

Hopkins Air Force Base with the

degree to which he was obviously

woman reporting

he was forced to resign

his job.

60

II
i
1

DATABASE 1970s

disturbed by his
eventually
filed

sij^htin^.

Coyne

troubled by their sighting, but can

only have been

hill

towards the place where the

an operational

more so when they

object had either been parked or

hazard form confirininj^ a military

heard the next day that another

witness, Gary Flatter, had also seen

was hovering; now

it

person exposed to danj^er

flight.

durinj^

approaching them and

was apparently it was bright

Subsequent investigation
that the

the creatures
earlier

some three hours

more

and illuminating the whole area and

disturbing dogs
in

showed

magnetic compass

on the same stretch of road.

confirmed the general

the house.
a

of the helicopter had

been rendered

His sighting had been

dramatic,
it

Apparently
like 'a

it

was making

sound

useless and

it

had to be replaced.

lawn mower'.

When
a

the story
five

was published by
witnesses on the

descriptions given by Donathan but

Flatter,

While they were observing the

object one of the boys
like figures

news journal

who watched

the pair for

saw two bear

were
in
tall,

ground reported seeing the steady

bright light

some

five

minutes and turned his

walking along the side of

above them and

spotlight on them, indicated that

a fence. Both the entities

witnessed the encounter between

the light and the helicopter. Their

they kicked their feet which were

over 7
hair

ft

(213 cm), covered

dark

covered

in a

box-like arrangement
air at

and had green-yellow eyes.

like

observations confirmed the

and just drifted away into the

approximately 20-25 miles
(32-40 km) per hour.

They were making baby

whining

statements made by the crew.

sounds and emitting the smell of

burning rubber. Stephen instantly

The National Enquirer awarded

the

men a

substantial prize of $5,000

scientifically valuable

Whether
belongs
in a

this sighting truly

opened

fire

above

their heads.

for 'the

most

category of

UFO

Undeterred by the shot the

entities continued walking

report of 1973.'

sightings or

whether other
as a ghost sighting or
is

towards
fired

witnesses would more easily have

referred to
it

the trio and

finally

Stephen

three bullets directly into the largest

of them.

NAME FLAnER/DONATHAN
DATE
22 OCTOBER 1973

some other paranormal event

unclear. Certainly there are
parallels to

One

of the boys ran back to

enough

the house very scared, the entity

make

it

a valid inclusion
it

PUCE

Bt;\CKFORD COUNTY, INDIANA

in

any UF'O catalogue and

at least

shows

mildly to the incident and the

MAPREF:L16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

very clearly that

aspects of

some

was shot apparently reacted UFO's lights disappeared. The creatures

that

UFO encounters
closely than
is

walked back towards the woods.

interface with other paranormal

activity

The

area of the ground where the

more

often

object had been

was glowing white

De Wayne Donathan and his wife were travelling home around 10

o'clock in the evening

appreciated.

and for some time afterwards

animals would not go near the place.

when they
NAME
DATE
POU\SKI ENCOUNTER
25

Three-quarters of an hour after

the beginning of the incident State

encountered on the road what

appeared to be two figures dancing

to music.

OCTOBER 1973

Trooper Byrne assisted Stephen

an investigation of the
site

in

As

the car approached

PLACE GREENSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

and as

they continued dancing, apparently

unable to leave the road. Donathan
believed that they looked as
if

they were examining the glowing

ring they heard the sound of

MAPREFNie
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

they

something large walking towards

were skipping but could not quite determine how they were holding
their feet or arms.

them through the woods; they could

hear the destruction of trees and
in

The Donathans

At 9 o'clock

the evening farmer

fifteen

foliage.

As they moved so the sound

passed the couple and looking back

Stephen Polaski and

hovering high over a

other

followed them.

W^en they

stopped,

DeWayne saw they were just

standing along the side of the road.

witnesses saw a bright red

field.

UFO
Stephen

uncannily the sound would stop. In a

small field nearby they could see an
illuminated area.

They turned the

suited entities

car round and

together with two ten-year-old boys

returned to the spot but the silver

decided to go towards the

investigate.

field to

Although somewhat scared the

trooper was
incident but
all

were gone.
in

In the sky

for investigating the

"I

two separate
odd motion.

bright lights

were

waving up and down

an extremely

As they approached, the car headlights dimmed and they

watched the object descending.

Stephen commented

don't get paid for being brave. I'm

The Donathans may have been

They

left

the car and walked up the

The trooper commenced on his own but called off

not going any further.
'

61

NORTH AMERICA

the investigation, ostensibly

entity

coming towards them they

in

He
his

then appears to have attacked

because he was
in his

afraid that

Stephen
and shoot
it

both jumped

the car and drove

own father and

the investigator

excited state might mistake

some 50 yds

(46

m) out

of the field

and chased

his dog. Finally

he

him

for

one of the

entities

before they realized that they were

collapsed onto the ground growling

at him.

Although perfectly feasible

fair to

probably safe inside the vehicle.

Investigation of the event

before coming back to his senses.

might be

say that the trooper

was

However, whether
difficulty,

in a state of

had decided on discretion being the

better part of valour and few people
in that situation

followed up within about four hours,

shock or suffering some other

by a

local

UFO study group.

could blame him.

this action the

traces and radiation

Ground were not

bull in a

Stephen then became

in

convinced that something was

field

the

However, prudent

evident and the only suggestion of

and said he saw 'A man

in a

behaviour that followed was less

than cool and calculating:

something abnormal was a

nearby
field acting

black hat and cloak carrying a sickle'.

when

as

if it

were

Stephen also became obsessed

Stephen noticed a brown object

scared of something during the time

coming towards them he requested

of the trooper that
bullet to shoot at
it

they were watching.

was receiving contactee messages warning us of terrible

that he

he use

his last

During questioning Stephen

apparently began to shake and

catastrophe on Earth.

and the trooper

The

interpretation of the

meaning

agreed to
of

this.

Undoubtedly the two

the

looked as

if

he was going to

faint.

He

of this encounter has

been the
on

them were both panicking to some degree by this time. With

was rubbing

his face, breathing

subject of speculation ever since;

heavily and growling like an animal.

whether or not the

effect

Stephen was an external event or

PROFESSOR ALVINLAWSON

something internally generated

cannot easily be determined. The
fact that there

appears to have been

Professor Alvin Lawson

made

a valuable

wanted

to

discover the degree to which

corroborative evidence of the

sighting and

UFO

contribution to the understanding of

UFO
set
in

deliberately false stories might vary from

real reports. In fact, there

even of some ground

caused

abductions when

tie

and his colleagues

was very
of

little

traces does not itself give evidence

to Stephen's state being

up the imaginary abductee experiments

California during the 1970s.

variation, except in

terms

emotional

He took
not

involvement. Perhaps the test subjects

directly

by the

UFO but rather

it.

group

of test subjects

who had

had read some background

stories, but the

UFO
true of

possibly merely triggered by

reported

UFO

close encounters and asked

same would be

Stephen himself has a history of

violence; subjected to bullying
father, beating

them each

lo create a false story.

He

those

filing reports.

by

his

up a boy

at his school

so badly he was off school for three

weeks, stopping a car and joining

a fight

in

between two people he had

into

no connection with and breaking

a neighbour's house, doing $1,700

worth of damage and then making

elaborate plans to
kill

the person.
his state of

Whatever the truth mind was a reaction to

UFO event,
it

and possibly one of quite high

strangeness. For this reason alone

would be reasonable to expect the

authorities to take the

UFO
by

phenomenon

seriously, either

providing citizens with an

appropriate defence or response or
at least

by ensuring that people's

most

fearful expectations are not

heightened by unnecessary
mystery.

62

Illlllx
DATABASE 1970s

NAME TSUTOMU NAKAYAMA

DATE
25 APRIL 1974

dancers.
the

'I'hat fact,

and the
in

fact that

NAME CARL HIGDON ABDUCTION

DATE
25 OCTOBER 1974

Ul'"() did

not a|)pear
fiiin,

other
the-

shots on the
PLACE HAWAII

suggest that

UFO

is

a photograpliic flaw,
it is

perhaps

PLACE MEDICINE

BOW

NATIONAL FOREST,

MAPREF:A17
EVENT SURPRISE PHOTOGRAPH

a lens flare,

interesting to

WYOMING
MAPHEF H16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER/ABDUCTION

compare Nakayama's photograph

with the one taken
at

Salem on 16

When Japanese news

'I'sLitoniii

photographer

July 1952 (see page 27). Photographic

Nakayama

shot the picture

surprises continue to occur.

When

out on a day's hunting

oil

trip,

below he had not noticed the

UFO in
Tsutomu Nakayama's Hawaiian
surprise.

Carl Higdon, an

driller for A.

M.
It

the sky above the heads of the

Well Service of Kiverton,

Wyoming
truck.

parked

his

company pick-up

was 4

o'clock in the afternoon;

Higdon

took lime to dnnk

a flask he

some

coffee from

was

carrying. At this point

he met a

friend,

Gary Eaton, and

elk.

they discussed hunting

The two separated and Higdon

found a suitable target elk
in a

nearby clearing. Higdon took aim

and
fired. In

the next second he

could not believe his eyes!

bullet silently

The
gently

and slowly floated out

fell

of the
to the

end of his gun and

ground some 50
ft

(15

m)
'a

away. Higdon became aware of

cone of

silence' surrounding the

forest and a tingling feeling crawling

up

his spine.

To

his left a

man
first

approached who Higdon

thought was a hunter

like himself.

He was wrong.
Although humanoid, the
not appear human.

man did He had no chin or

extended

jaw and

his face simply

down
a

to his throat.
suit

one piece

He was wearing with a metal belt. He

mouth but no

had
lips

a yellow skin, a

and very large teeth, his eyes

were small with no eyebrows and

Higdon could not see any sign of
ears.

Almost unbelievably, the

entity also had

two antennae

protruding out of his forehead.

Behind the entity was a cube-like

some 6 ft (183 cm) along each some strange way Higdon believes he was 'teleported' into the
object

edge. In

object and he believes his natural

fears

were being suppressed by

pills

the entity had given him to take.

On

board, Higdon

may have been

63

TM
NORTH AMERICA

somewhat alarmed to have seen

attempting to shoot were
in

that

NAME
DATE

TRAVIS WALTON ABDUCTION

5

the five elk he had been previously

NOVEMBER 1975

now also
PmCE SNOWFLAKE, ARIZONA
MAPREF:G18
EVENT ABDUCTION

compartment alongside him.

particular attempt

Higdon makes no

to explain the obvious dimensional

problems, accepting the quite

extraordinary strangeness of the
event.
Instantly,

When the American government

issued a contract to clear trees
in

an entity appeared

in

the Sitgraves National Park in

the

room beside him and wired

via a

Arizona they could have had no idea

of the extraordinary story they

Higdon up to machinery
placed over his head.
believes he
to,

helmet

Somehow he
was

about to unleash.

The

contract

were was

was
to,

either transported

awarded to

seven-man

or

made

to feel as though he

woodcutting team which included

the case's principal witness Travis

transported
the aliens

the

home

planet of

where he saw

tall

Walton and

his brother

Duane.

platforms and bright lights before

After the day's

work was over

saw
a large

being returned to Earth.

they were driving back to their base

When Higdon was found by a

search party he was resting
in his

when all
golden

the witnesses

UFO hovering over the

truck, exhausted, the vehicle axle

was stuck deep in the middle of a ravine and it took a tow truck to pull
it

trees. It seemed to be solid, with windows and a fairly classical flying

saucer shape complete with cupola

The cover

of Travis Walton's

book which

out.

on

top. Travis

Walton jumped from

relates his incredible five-day abduction.

During regression hypnosis

sessions following the event one
particular detail gives

the truck and ran towards the object

while the other six shouted for him

murdered Walton and they sought

clear their

to

some cause for alarm; Higdon apparently saw on the aliens' home planet - ordinary
adult

come back. Little could they know that it would be some days
to

name. One of the

six

was

apparently too agitated to take the

test but the other five did

before he would heed their cries!

and the

and

child

humans

possibly

A blue ray shot from the object,

hitting

administrator of the test,

stated
test.
'

Cy

Gilson,

prisoners of the aliens or possibly

Walton and knocking him

'I

gotta say they passed the

bred on their

home

world. Higdon

back into the trees. Perhaps

understandably the remaining

Fortunately for them, and

reported that he was unable to talk

with them.

indeed for Walton, the missing

area
in

man

members of the gang fled the

rejected by the aliens
local police

turned up

late that night.

Higdon has speculated that he

the truck and drove straight to the

His story was that he had been

was

in effect

who instigated a

search.

abducted by the
himself in a
aliens

UFO and found

as unsuitable for their purpose

Walton was nowhere to be found.

It is

room being examined by

i.

because he had had a vasectomy.

This would seem to give support to
the

significant that three of the

gang
and

very familiar on the North

e.

refused to join the search party or to

American continent,
hairless skin, large

pale

now current theory that

the

go back

into the

woods

at night

domed heads,
recalls seeing

aliens are visiting the

Earth on a

according to Sheriff Ellison

who

large eyes and reduced physical

features.

programme

of genetic breeding

headed the search party 'One of the

Walton also
like

experimentation.

men was
to

weeping.

If

they were

a very

human

person on board

There appears

be some

lying,-

they were damned good

the saucer and recalls the image of

corroboration of the event;

actors.

what appeared to be either a space

for five

members
for

of the search party looking

The search went on

at the

days

flight

or the holographic projection of

Higdon saw strange glowing

around the area.
also other reports of

end of which the witnesses

one. Walton also took a polygraph

test

lights in the trees

took polygraph tests at the Arizona

State Office of Public Safety.

under Dr Gene Rosenbaum of

There were

They
it

Durango, Colorado

who

stated This

UFO lights around Wyoming at the

same
time.

were apparently concerned that was rumoured that they had

young man

is

not lying ... he really

believes these things.

64

DATABASE 1980s

The Walton case was one that became a 'boxinj; ring' for various American UFO groups. One group
claimed that he had
failed

It

appears certain that the three

witnesses were subjected to some

NAME CASHMNDRUM ENCOUNTER

DATE
29 DECEMBER 1980

form of radiation and, even more

alarming, the presence of the
military helicopters suggests that

polygraph

tests, that his previous criminal

record and interest

in

the subject of

PLACE DAnON, TEXAS

the UF"0 - on this occasion at least -

UFOs was
explain

against him and that the

MAPREF:K19
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

was

terrestrial:

some form

of

whole story had been fabricated to

unshielded nuclear source was being

transported across the Texas skies.

why he was

late in delivering

on the contract which would have

incurred him financial penalty.
fact that the

Even
Vickie Landrum, her grandson

if

the object

were

a crash-

The

retrieved extraterrestrial craft then

at the

gang also received a

for their story

Colby Landrum and their friend

Betty Cash were driving
in

time of the encounter

it

was

in

$5,000 prize

has been

the late

terrestrial hands.

regarded as a motive for the claims.

evening/early night towards Dayton

in

Believing the object to have been

Other groups have 'adopted' him

believing him to be sincere.

Texas when they vwtnessed

American

in

design the two adult

huge glowing object descend to

treetop height above the road
front of them.
in

witnesses sued the United States

While the passing of time makes

it

government
that the

for

$20

million but the

unlikely that

any conclusion
this

will

case was dismissed on the grounds

frightened
the car to

ever be drawn about

fact that

case the

The witnesses were

by the encounter but

Americans

did not

have

none of the many witnesses

left

such an object
Senior

in their

possession.

has ever

come forward

to

denounce

see what was happening although

officials of

the Air Force, the

civilian

the story, although any one of

them

young Colby Landrum begged them

to get back inside

Army, the Navy and the

space agency
all

could probably

make

substantial
so,

which they

testified

sums

of

money by doing
its

speaks

eventually did.

It

was Betty Cash

the car for the

categorically that the object

of their making.

was not

greatly in

favour.

who remained outside

longest period of time.

The

UFO

The

final

stories on this case

appeared to be

indistinct

though
below.

cannot yet have been written

NAME FALCONBRIDGE
DATE
11

generally diamond shaped with long

because the American government

NOVEMBER 1975

flames bursting

down from
is

now appears

to have a serious
if

Of most interest
PIACE FALCONBRIDGE, ONTARIO

that the

alternative to face;

the object was

suit

witnesses also identified some

twenty-four Chinook twin blade
helicopters escorting the
distance.

American then the law

should

MAPREF:N14
EVENT RADARA/ISUAL ENCOONTER

succeed and a few prominent heads

UFO at a
in their

may

well have to

roll. It

appears that

They

followed

it

those heads are resisting that

alternative.

Following a period of

UFO sightings
in

car for a period of time before

However, the only

is

near the USA/Canadian border

reaching

home

less than an hour

other option

that the object

was

autumn 1975, the 11 November

brought a radar tracked

after the encounter.

The

after-

not American.

Be

it

terrestrial or

UFO,

effects of the sighting

horrific!

have been

extraterrestrial this

confirmed by visual sighting, at the

radar sites at Falconbridge, Ontario.

Vickie

Landrum

suffered a

Radar detected a
a height

UFO some
of the site at

temporary loss of hair and inflamed

eyes for a time, Colby appears to have suffered similar
Betty Cash,
effects.

means that someone other than Americans were toting an unshielded nuclear source over Texas that night and
since
it

30 miles (48 km) south

25,000 and 70,000
21,336 m). The

clearly has not yet

it

been

somewhere between
ft

identified then

must

rate as a

(7,620-

who spent the

UFO.

If this is

the course they

UFO appeared as a

majority of the time outside the car,

suffered vomiting and diarrhoea,

continue to take, the American

large globe with porthole or crater

like

formations around the outside.

impaired vision, various aches and

pains across her body and blistering
to the scalp.
hair loss

government can therefore never again state - as they have done so

often
in

Two F-106 fighters from the Air

National Guard's squadron at
Selfridge Air Force

the past - that

UFOs have

She suffered temporary

no national security implications.

WTiich course the American

Base

in

Michigan
the

and developed breast

were sent

aloft to intercept

cancer which required a

government
time
vjWI tell.

will

choose to take only

UFO,

but no contact

was made.

mastectomy.

65

NORTH AMERICA

NAME
DATE

KATHIE DAVIS' ABDUCTIONS

30 JUNE 1983

X
(a

total of nine babies,

the implication

being that they are hers.

PLACE 'COPLEY WOODS', INDIANA

The case continues and Hopkins, who carried out the regression
hypnosis sessions
in

MAPREF:L16
EVENT MULTIPLE LIFETIME ABDUCTIONS

the presence of

a doctor, believes that the aliens are

undergoing a series of examinations

The Kathie Davis

case, investigated

and that her son Robbie

subject of abductions.

is

now

the

by top American abduction

researcher Budd Hopkins, can
probably be regarded as the current
'state of the art' in abduction lore.

The case

is

heavily dependent on
little

regression hypnosis with very

of the detail being

remembered

On 30 June 1983
pseudonym used

Kathie Davis

consciously. Hopkins has also stated

that there are

to protect the

many facts he has not

in

identity of the witness)

saw

lights

yet

made

public hoping they will be

apparently searching the garden of

corroborated
The face
of an alien abductor,

other cases.

her house and she went out to see them.

It

drawn by

appears that because she

'Kathie Davis'.

drew

attention to herself she

NAME JAPAN AIR

body. In 1979 Kathie was abducted
again and a probe inserted into her
DATE
17

LINES

received a blast of radiation, was

abducted, and then possibly had a

NOVEMBER 1986

device implanted into her by means

of a probe.

nose possibly implanting some sort

of monitoring device.

PLACE ANCHORAGE AIRPORT, ALASKA

MAP REF: C8
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

However, the June 1983

encounter appears to be one of

1983 begins with the incident of

the lights
in

her garden which

many throughout her life.

There are vague suggestions
abductions
in

of

her very early years;

Budd Hopkins. Some months later it would appear that she was abducted
inspired her to contact

Notable mainly for the sheer size of

the

UFO involved,
No.

the encounter of

Kathie has a dream of her mother

protecting her from a threat
in

again and subjected to a gruelling

the crew of Japan Air Lines cargo

flight

the

medical examination, which

bleeding and

left

her

JAL 1628 on

17

November
interest.

sky by hiding her

in a

wardrobe.

On

another occasion she recalls going to

a strange
boy'.

house and meeting

'little

when she reawakened she was in her own backyard in her nightgown. Most incredibly of all she
believes that during this abduction

1986 attracted considerable

was flying from France to Japan and was making a stopover

plane
at
(

The

Hopkins believes

this is a false

Anchorage

airport.

At 39,000
for

ft

memory

implanted by an alien to

she met a child which was her hybrid

a
alien daughter.

1 1,

887 m) and preparing

disguise her abduction.

They took

descent. Captain Kenju Terauchi

sample of her
evidence of
In

skin;
is

Kathie has a scar

In a further abduction in

on her leg which

regarded as

November

1983,

it

appears that

and his crew noticed lights near the jumbo jet. They were flying parallel and pacing the
briefly
lights,

this event.

Kathie was subjected to medical

aircraft

and Terauchi

December

1977, Kathie
car, the

was

examination and her ova contents

saw the

object carrying the

abducted from a

other

occupants were apparently

'switched off to isolate
the incident. She
flying

them from was taken aboard

first

were removed by aliens. There is some suggestion that her son Tommy was also abducted at this
a

which he described as 'walnut

shaped' and twice the size of an

aircraft carrier.

time.

It

appears that
in

Tommy was

The UF'O apparently paced

plane for over half an hour and

the

saucer and given the

of

abducted again

February 1986 and

was

many

gynaecological operations.

Kathie accidentally witnessed the

alien

radar-tracked by

air traffic control.

Hopkins believes that time she was

artificially

emerging from

his

bedroom.
1986.

Captain Terauchi had his

own
is

inseminated by the aliens.

A further abduction
from Kathie's home

takes place

rather unique interpretation of the

interest of the aliens,
if

A further abduction occurred in

March 1978 and Hopkins
that during this

in April

that

what

believes

She
to

event the unborn

shown two babies and allowed name them and 'bond' with them
is
is

they were. 'We were carrying

Beaujolais from France to Japan.

foetus

was removed from Kathie's

though she

told that there is a

Maybe

they wanted to drink

it.

66

'I

III
DATABASE 1980s

NAME GULF BREEZE CASE

DATE
1 1

Mr
(TO THE

lid

experienced

considerable

depositing aliens onto the njad

NOVEMBER 987
1

PRESENT

number
sound

of sightings, each
a peculiar

one

which then appeared to come after

him. Apparently he
into his truck

DAY)

preceded by
in his

buzzing
investigators

was

able to get

head.

The

and drive

off to

escape

PLACE GULF BREEZE, FLORIDA

believe this

may have been

the
in his

capture.
In

MAPREF:M19
EVENT MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHIC CASE

product of an implant placed

February 1988 persuaded

Mr Ed

had

lie

head

at

the time of an abduction

life

detector test and the examiner was

firmly
that

early in his
In 1987, Gulf Breeze, the offshore

and designed to give

arrival

Mr Kd

'truly

him warning of the impending

of the saucers.

believes that the photographs and

area of Pensacola, Florida

became

personal sightings are true and

factual to the best of his ability.

the site of the most extraordinary

photographic case and one which has

caused considerable controversy

the United States ever since.

in

Over the five to six month period Mr Ed took dozens of photographs, to some extent under controlled
conditions. Optical physicist

The
as
it

May

1988 date
that

is

important

was then

Mr Ed

had an

Bruce

encounter which he believes may

This
large

is

the

first

case

in

which a

Maccabee, the chairman of the Fund

for

have been an abduction during which

the implant which forewarned him of
his sightings

number

of photographs

were

UFO

Research, set up a system

used to support an abduction. At the

of stereo photography, to give an

was removed.

It is

same time

that the events

were
It

almost three-dimensional effect, by

attaching

further speculated that the reason

that this

occurring, the case

was being

two

Folarcjid

cameras

to

was removed was because

studied by an investigation team.

is

each side of a wooden pole and with

a further pole extending

UFO investigators were 'closing the

net'

also alleged that there

were

between

and had suggested that he have

multiple witnesses.

The

them

as a reference point. Later,

CAT scan to identify the object

in his brain.

photographs taken have been

subjected to a thorough
investigation using

controlled experiments included

giving

implanted

Mr Ed a

sealed Nimslo three-

provisional

summary

of the

modem
the

dimensional camera which also

case issued by

MUFON suggested
be
recently the
a

photographic techniques.

produced pictures of the

craft,

which

that they believed the case to

On

11

November 1987

was
2

also picked

up on video.
on

genuine.

More

wfitness

(known generally as 'Mr

in

Mr Ed also claims that

investigating

team have made

Ed') took five Polaroid photographs

of a

UF'O seen
at

the sky beyond his

December, having been roused out of bed by noises in his garden,

he pulled back the curtains of his

public statement that they believe

that
it

was indeed

a genuine case

and

home

Gulf Breeze in Florida.

last picture

not the fraud or hoax which

many

While taking the

Mr Ed

PYench doors and was 'eyeball to

who, extraordinarily, he chased eyeball' with an alien entity

other investigators had suggested.

was apparently
flying

'attacked'

by the

Other investigators have been

less

saucer which paralyzed him

generous and believe that their

analysis of the photographs
is

with a blue

beam
air,

of light

and

lifted

although

it

apparently got away.

own

him

into the

nearly choking him.

Unfortunately

Mr Ed was not
it

indicates that the object

a small

During

this incident

Mr Ed reported
similar to

able to take photographs of the

a very bizarre
in his

image which appeared

pages of pictures of

humanoid but
gives

his description of
it

model supported by struts and that therefore the whole case is a

complete
fabrication.
in

mind and seemed

in a

some

indication that

matches

Such

is

the

flicking tlirough

the claims of

many American
it

controversy

the United States

dogs

book.

Mr Ed sent

his

witnesses. His drawing of the

that investigators

who have
for

pictures to the local Florida Sentinel

creature indicates that

had the

successfully

worked together
are

newspaper and by coincidence the mother of the editor and her

husband, a former editor, also
spotted a similar
the

same eyes
Strieber's

as those recently

made

many years
with

famous by the front cover of Whitley

now at loggerheads each other. Some appear to be

other's

book Communion.

disseminating virtually slanderous

UFO in the sky at

Mr Ed had been
Mrs

On
from
the

12 January

Mr Ed was driving

comments about each

same time

that

taking his photographs. In response

to the article a further witness

home when he encountered same UFO hovering over the

his

capabilities or personal

characteristics in order to

promote

road ahead of him and he was

paralyzed by the blast of a white

or discredit the case.

Zammit also reported seeing the same blue beam.

Mr Ed

has his

own
it

story to
in his

tell,

beam

ft-om

it.

As he

hid

under

Ins

and indeed has

told

own

From then

until 1

May 1988

truck he witnessed the

UFO

bestselling book.

67

FROM
SAUCERS TO CONSPIRACIES

orth America,

Q
that
in

and particularly the United - as the scope and size of the database suggests - the home of the UFO
States,
is

daylight. Until

1952 these reports seemed to

satisfy

the American need. In that year, however, the subject

underwent
hindsight

its first

major change which viewed with

was born on that continent, on 24 June 1947, when pilot Kenneth Arnold reported
phenomenon.
It

was

inevitable.

George Adamski (see page

28), reported not only seeing flying saucers at close

he had witnessed nine objects

15).

in flight

while flying

quarters, but also claimed to

terrestrial
pilots,
in

meet with the

in

extraIn

the Cascade mountains of Washington State (see

the

desert

California.

page

Although by today's standards,

of
indistinct

it

was
at

a very

subsequent adventures Adamski claimed he was taken

unimpressive sighting - of short duration by a single

witness,
objects,
it

on tours of the planets of the solar system.

that

It is

a claim

and seen

some

has not stood the test of time;

visited

the planets
in

considerable distance cance.

had enormous
saucer would

social signifi-

Adamski apparently

have been shown

recent
like

When Arnold told reporters afterwards

moved
'like a
if

that the

years to be quite incapable of supporting anything

objects had
it

you skipped

across the water', one reporter coined the phrase

'flying saucer'. It

the times, a
to.
It

name

was

also

was the perfect term for the mood of that the public was instantly drawn the most powerful advertising slogan
live in

ever coined.

The
since.

UFO
in
it

has continued to

the

US

ever
and

Certainly the

phenomenon has
in

siblings

humanoid life. Adamski's books sold well though, a fact which may have encouraged others to follow him in the next few years. In 1961, less than a decade later, the phenomenon changed again. While driving from Canada to their home in New Hampshire state, a married couple, Betty and Barney Hill (see page 42), claimed that they were 'abducted' by the alien pilots of a flying saucer.

cousins

every country
is

the world; as this book

from a solely North American experience. However, the public acceptance of UFOs
far
is

shows
far

higher there, particularly

in

the United States,

anywhere else in the world. The uncritical acceptance of the more extraordinary theories regarding UFOs is also wider there. The media in the US
than

These were not the graceful, gentle aliens Adamski had met who had shown such concern for the well-being of human kind; these were dwarf, alien forms, and their interest seems to have been virtually clinical. During their two-hour captivity the Hills were subjected to a medical examination of the most
frightening nature. Such abductions have continued to

have helped to make the subject there respectable, though also one of raging controversy. Only Britain

be reported up to the present day, but the sequels have been increasingly frightening. Probably the 'state
of the art' abduction at the present time
is

comes

close to the American response to

UFOs, and

the 'Kathie
is

this is largely

America-driven.

Davis'

case

(see

page 66) where the witness

appears that she was
in a later

The UFO has matured in North America, indeed there more than anywhere else it has evolved, and
mutated.
a

claimed to have undergone a series of abductions

throughout her
the foetus

life.

It

artificially

Some

aspects of the subject have undergone

inseminated during one abduction,

abduction
in a still

complete metamorphosis. In the early days

UFO

(or
in

was

stolen from her

womb
to

and -

'flying saucer')

reports consisted of night-time lights

further event

- she was allowed

meet with her

the sky, or discs and egg shaped objects seen in the

hybrid alien offspring.

68

FROM SAUCERS TO CONSPIRACIES

Left Major Donald E

Keyhoe was a prominent and vociferous

the military, and took every
official line.

opponet

to

UFO cover-up by

opportunity to challenge the

He put

a great deal of

pressure on the establishment with such books as The Flying

Saucers Are Real (Right)

The
like

UFO

fascinating, to being fascinating

phenomenon had changed from being and disturbing. It was

but a science fiction that could

There are other mutations

that

of the

seem

uniquely

American;

perhaps

phenomenon the most

science

fiction,

happen to you, or you. It does not matter if you think the whole phenomenon to be one of wish-fulfilment or fantasy; whereas before it might have been a pleasure to be so affected, now it would be immensely
frightening.

is the appearance of the 'men in black'. It has never been very clear precisely who these characters

obvious

were supposed
viduals

to

be;

they were repressive

in

indi-

who rode around

squeaky-clean Cadillacs
with

and

threatened

UFO

witnesses

Mafia

style

'hints',

suggesting strongly that they keep silent about

interesting point about

Both the Arnold case and the Hill case raise an North American ufology. In
but they

their sightings.

agents of the

CIA or

Obvious candidates would seem to be the FBI either on a very strange

at

neither case
the world,
recognition.

were the claims the first were the first

to
to

be made

in

and non-productive mission, or just having a laugh

are that they

gain media

the expense of a 'fringe' subject. Other suggestions

Prior to both these cases Europe had undergone the 'Foo Fighters' (see page 79) of the World War Two aerial combat arena, Scandinavia had experienced the Ghost Rocket sightings (see page 80) and South America had seen the first abduction claim in the case of Antonio Villas Boas (see page 181). However, these new and - for the times - innovative

were bom

in

the

Maury

Island case (see

page

14),

and were agents of the Atomic Energy

Commission. Eventually, the claims were made inevitably

that

the 'men

in

black'

had

vested

interest in silencing witnesses - they

were themby,

selves the aliens!

One

report suggested that they

were
for

trying to blend in with the

human community

claims

seemed unable
until
It is

to gain an acceptance outside

first

America
there.

they had
if

become acknowledged
it

heavy make-up and lip-stick. Unfortunately they got it all wrong - the men wore the
example,
up,

using

as

the world prefers either for America to

will

make

proving
.

[!]
. .

their extraterrestrial

lack of

sanction extraordinary claims before

consider

them, or to avoid being the

first

to look foolish,

even

if

America

is

prepared to jump

in

with both feet.

knowledge No-one has ever successfully explained these very marked differences between America and the
earthly

69

I[

NORTH AMERICA

rest of the world,

though Dennis Stacy's opening

human counterparts
fear a

inside the Pentagon.

Others

still

comments

are enlightening coming as they do direct

from within the USA.

worse scenario: that the government knows something so horrific that the public must not be told.
In fact, the

One
ment

fact that

might have coloured the developis

cover up
rather

is

most

likely to

be a cover up

of the

subject

the 'prize' offered by the

of ignorance

than knowledge.

The United
and
is

National Enquirer - a tabloid publication - of $5,000

per year for the best

States does not appear to be a country that maintains

'major' cover ups successfully in the long term,

UFO
in

story. Certainly

some

of

the most extraordinary claims have been awarded the

the holding of crashed flying saucers and dead aliens

'major'

book the Travis Walton case (see page 64), the Delphos ring (see page 58), the Coyne encounter (see page 60), and so on. But if this led witnesses to make false claims, and if some of those claims were regarded as 'real', then surely that alone would not account for the subject, after all the Enquirer was not paying for claims from South America and Africa, and so on, yet they came in too. It must be said though that a $5,000 reward for extraordinary stories would be totally irresponsible if ufology had offered it; we cannot blame the Enquirer for 'doing what comes naturally' but perhaps must take account of the effect it had.

sum - many

are included

the database

in this

by any standards. Such a cover up is alleged to have gone on for over forty years and would have involved hundreds if not thousands of people; yet the American President could not cover up his own actions
and the actions of
his aides for the

two more years

needed

to see out his last

retrieval

term

of office in the 1970s.

Such crash

stories

are also uniquely

American; although other countries, such as Australia,

have the wide open spaces and military installations that seem to be favoured by the more clumsy of the
extraterrestrial

spaceships.

No

other country has

produced
a similar

this

rash of such stories.

recent claim that

event had happened

in Africa

has proved to

One
a

other suggestion

made

is

that the

US

is

both

be a ludicrous fraud.
Russians,
for

We

more

'open' society able to accept

new concepts and

its

example,

must assume that the also benefit from these

at the

same time
It is

xenophobic one, fearing outside

downed
in

saucers, or that they are being very generous

invasion.

a country that has

never had

mainland

allowing America the advantage of learning from this

borders attacked and the two famous situations where

it

appeared that

this

might be happening provoked

remarkable responses. In 1938 Orson Welles broad-

The War of the Worlds as if it were genuinely happening; there was extraordinary
cast a radio version of

advanced technology. In any other circumstance we might have expected Russian espionage, if not a full scale Russian attack, on Wright Patterson Air Base, where - it is speculated - all
incredibly

UFOs
power
so on.

are sent and stored, to equalize the balance of

as with atomic secrets, space technology and
let

panic in the population including evacuation of homes.

In

1941

it

was feared

that the coast of

was being invaded by Japanese fighter was quite unfounded, but the resulting chaos caused
several deaths and destruction of property.

Los Angeles planes, which

Yet the Russians seem happy to Americans get on with this one.

the

Unfortunately America must also be said to be the

The average American's

in

relationship with his or

home some
to
in

of the fraudulent claim.

of the

It

is

quite likely that

her government has also affected the direction of ufology

recent years, and again
in a

more extraordinary documents seeming support crash retrievals were created by ufologists
support of their beliefs (and their lecture circuit
in

way

that

seems

to

have been more extreme than that caused by similar situations in other countries. There has been great
distrust of the

income!). Since,

the past few years, ufology has

government's honesty with regard to

is

UFOs;
up
its

claims abound that the government

covering

become 'big bucks', fraudulent claims are increasing. These negative considerations apart, America is responsible for much of the very significant effort that
has gone into
are

knowledge of UFOs. Indeed, documents released under the Freedom Of Information Act have

UFO

research

in

the past four decades

and more. The private research organizations there

some cover up. Claims by the FBI and the CIA that they had no interest in UFOs and were not investigating them have also been shown to be quite false. Unfortunately, this cover up
revealed that there has been
has helped colour
result
in

more

active than similar groups

the world. Notable amongst

Mutual
Allen

UFO Network in Hynek Center for UFO

anywhere else in MUFON - the Texas, and CUFOS - the J.

them

is

Studies.

a conspiratorial picture.

As

many

in

America believe

that the

government

has retrieved crashed flying saucers, and dead alien

bodies.

Others believe that aliens work alongside

Of private individuals that country has produced more informed researchers than any other. Jacques Vallee and John Keel have consistently shown the way to radical thinking into the phenomenon, and their

70

'Ill
FROM SAUCERS TO CONSPIRACIES

books have
hi

had a

^vc:\[

effect

well

beyond
hij^h

the

always exhibiting the very best efforts; an emphasis

on the
scientific style of
in

American borders.
the early years there
in

study and a determination to

was much

level

be rational

his thinking

and leadership.

It

was he

involvement

UFO

study;

Major Donald Keyhoe

who
that

talked of the 'escalation of hypotheses', warning

it

became
hij^hlij^ht

terrestrial theory,
his

most vociferous exponent of the extraand wrote many books tryinj;; to

was improper

to

assume the extraordinary

been successfully eliminvoid in ufology that has

before the ordinary had

ated.

first

own government's apparent lack of proper commitment to the subject. He also suggested
designed to attract and capture visiting extraterrestrials - the hunted turning hunter the idea of a
'lure'

Hynek's death has

filled,

left a
is

not yet been the world.

and

it

a void that

reaches across

If

other countries took their lead from

based on

Canadian idea of the 195Us of offering

UFOs

a specified 'landing field'

from which contact

in

might be mutually arranged.

One name
introduction
is

that cannot

go unmentioned

this

America in the early years, it was at least a strong, if sometimes a headstrong lead. Today, it is both confused and leaderless. Hynek's death and the attempts to replace him have left a very violent power struggle in America which is damaging ufology the
world over. Those
stantial

that of I)r J. Allen

for

Hynek, who gave

his
in

who 'would-be-Hynek'
man.

are insub-

name
1986.

to the

Center

UFO

Studies on his death

shadows

of the real

professional astronomer, he

was engaged by
final

the United States Air Force to investigate and debunk the flying saucer stories, to produce a
tion of the subject that

investiga-

That leaderless lead has produced one very damaging effect, to which Dennis Stacy refers in his commentary; that of litigation by Americans, mostly in
pursuit of their

would

rid

the Air Force of what

more absurd

theories.

As one

of the

they perceived to be their problem. Far from succeeding,

nations affected by this

new

trend, Britain

now

looks

Hynek became convinced

that there

was indeed
final
official

something extraordinary that needed to be investigated properly.

When

the Air Force's

more suspicion at the American continent, and it must be admitted - with more suspicion at the very foundation of ufology. Has it always been just a game
with
of extremists

investigation. Project Blue Book,

was closed down

in

pursuing the great American dollar?

1969 Hynek formed the Center

the years.

for

UFO

Studies from

Surely not.
in

worked with over They had been known as the 'Invisible College', now they were becoming visible. Throughout the remainder of his life Hynek doggedly pursued the UFO phenomenon through its many evolutions.
the hard core of scientists he had

The sheer weight of substantial evidence support of some extraordinary phenomenon is too

great to be dismissed that simply. Nonetheless,

we

must
its

trust that authoritative

UFO
in

groups strive to
in

avoid a situation which could result

the

USA

losing

well-respected lead position

world ufology.

Proiect Blue

Book was the

last

UFO

Air

Force investigation. Above Dr J Allen

Hynek,

who was engaged

by Proiect Blue

Book

to

debunk UFOs: he became

of their reality

convinced

and went on
ufologist of

to
all

become

the

most famous

time. Right Seated

Quintinilla,

is iVIaior

Hector

head

of Project Blue

Book

71

EUROPE
PUBLIC AWARENESS OF FLYING SAUCERS WAS

THUS WIDESPREAD IN EUROPE AT THE SAME TIME

AS CHEWING-GUM, COCA-COLA AND THE OTHER

AMERICANA THAT THE 'MARSHALL' PLAN TOOK TO

EUROPE AFTER WORLD WAR 11.

KEY TO MAP OF EUROPE
Perspective, Sardinia, Roman Mediterranean Cloera, The Schweinfurt, Germany the 'Foo The Swedish Ghost Rockets, Lake Kbimjarv, North Sweden
Historical
Irish Airship,

Ireland

Birth of

Fighters',

(D Greek Ghost Rockets, Salonika, Thessalia, Greece Oloron, Oloron-Ste Marie, Pays Basques, France

Dr'X', Southern France Kathryn Howard, Southern Sweden Southern Finland Encounter, The The Maarup Encounters, Hadersley, Jylland, Denmark Long Crendon, Oxfordshire, England The Peter Day Somerset, @ Langford Budville Encounter, Langford
Imjarvi
Imjarvi,

Film,

Budville,

Wolin Island Sighting, Wolin Island, Szczecin, Poland

England

The Stephen Darbishire Photographs, Coniston, Cumbria, England

Wegierska Gbrka Encounter, Wgierska Gorka, Poland

The Dewilde Encounter, Quarouble, France @ Sinceny Misjudgement, Sinceny, Aisne, France Lieutenant Salandin's Encounter, Thames Estuary, @
Flight

England

Rome, The UFO @ Namur Photographic Case, Namur, Belgium England @ Bentwaters/Lakenheath, @ Angelu Encounter, Figueras, Catalonia, Spain Vaddd, Roslagen, Sweden Vaddd Gydnia Humanoid, Gydnia Harbour, Gdansk, Poland Sweden, Domsten, Southern Sweden The @ The Batman Encounter, Saltwood, Kent, England Lake, Kuopio, Finland @ Valensole Sighting, Valensole, Southern France Coquil Encounter, Bolazec, France @ The Hook Vehicle Interference, Hook, Hampshire, England @ The Moigne Downs Encounter, Moigne Downs, Dorset, England @ Serra de Almos Encounter, Serra de Almos, Spain
Fleet,
Italy

Torino Sighting, Caselle Airport, Torino, @ The Vilvorde Humanoid, Vilvorde, Brussels, Belgium The Anders Encounter, Gustavslund. Sweden Mrs Andersson's Encounter, Soderby, Gustavslund. Sweden Sighting. Piedmont, Alessandria. @ The The Aveley Abduction, Aveley, Essex, England The Trident Sighting, Portuguese Coast, 40 miles (64 km) south
Italy

Bellingeri

Italy

of

Lisbon, Portugal

Suffolk,

Retrieval,

Jelly Entities of

Kallavesi

The Aviano Blackout, Aviano NATO Base. North-east Sardinia, The Sardinia Helicopter Encounter. Medinaceli Abduction, Medinaceli. Soria, Spain The Mount Etna Encounter, Mount Etna. @ The Flying Elephant, Southampton. England Piastdw Encounter. Piastdw, Near Warsaw, Poland Czluchbw Sighting, Czluchbw. Poland The Livingston Encounter, Livingston. Lothian, Scotland Cergy-Pontoise Abduction, Cergy-Pontoise, France Godfrey Encounter, Todmorden. West Yorkshire. England Rendlesham Forest. RAF USAF Woodbridge. Suffolk, England Norway @ Hessdalen Lights, Hessdalen
Italy

Cagliari,

Italy

Sicily, Italy

Valley,

A COMMON
EUROPEAN
UFOLOGY?

will

be no surprise that as Europe

is

only a

closely following

news
at the

of sightings

D
in

geographical expression, a unified 'European

ufology' does not exist.

Public awareness of flying saucers

from the USA. was thus wideas chewing-gum,

The language
in

barrier

spread

in

Europe

same time
World War

has long been an obstacle

of any kind in
of ufology.

developing a

Coca-Cola and the other Americana that the 'Marshall'

plan took to
of

common framework
the
field

ourselves

to

Europe - let alone even if we limit the eighteen countries of Western

Indeed,
ufologists

Europe

after

II.

In the

autumn

1954 a second widespread 'great wave' of flying saucer sightings and landings took place throughout all

Europe, as many as fourteen different languages are

spoken,

the countries of Europe, and as a consequence

more
the

and

local

are

often

unable

to

and more people began to take an interest

subject in the following years.
It

in

understand any language other than their own.

As
other

consequence, those countries with languages

English

should be repeated that two different levels of

than

and French have

had

fewer

exchanges with other nations, both in terms of input and output and it is possible that as many national ufologies as there are European languages have
developed over the past forty-odd years.

may be considered, according to the spoken language: as English and French are widely read and spoken, the early British and French ufologists were able to reach a wider audience within
national ufologies

ufology, while those speaking other languages could

not.

European
it

'flying

saucer' sightings

were already

Indeed just about every history of ufology (even

taking place in 1947 and

even

earlier than that: suffice

World War II, on the German ft-ont in 1944-45 (see page 79) and the Scandinavian 'ghost rockets' scare of 1946 (see page 80). We should distinguish between the phenomenon
to mention the 'foo fighters' of

Frenchmen Aime Michel or Jimmy Guieu, whose books were

the American-centered ones) mentions
also translated into English.

This often resulted

small,
local

in

more being known about some

researchers.
It is

English

groups than of important, say, Spanish or Swedish

also important to

(UFO

sightings and reports) and

its

study (ufology).
in

While anomalous aerial phenomena reports

Europe

remember
its

that

no European
Air Force

were contemporary with (if not older than) the American ones, they were not always labelled as flying
saucers
in

country ever had anything similar to the

US

involvement or equivalent to
the

Project Blue Book.

those early years.

This situation did not change very

much even when

Since there were no ufologists at that time,

we

have to rely on the press coverage of such events in order to learn of the social impressions UFOs made

when
first

it all began. It is easy to see that saucers were at regarded as nothing more than 'another of those American follies', and even those (few) local reports

in most European countries, mainly in the 1960s: the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) in the United Kingdom; the Centro de Estudios Interplanetarios (CEI) in Spain; the Centro Unico Nazionale (CUN) in
first

organized national ufologies surfaced

Italy,

and so on.
only journal of truly international stature in

were not seriously considered. The year UFOs really arrived in Europe was 1950: the spring of that year saw the first real waves of UFO reports in Europe (France, Italy, Spain, the UK),
published
in

the media

The

Europe has been the British Flying Saucer Review (FSR) published since 1955. It has often been in its pages that UFO events and research from the

74

COMMON EUROPEAN UFOLOGV

non-English-speaking European countries could be

found.

Silbury

Hill in

southern England. This huge

man-made

hill is

the
of

Nonetheless,

the

very

first

attempt

at

focus of

much

attention by those concerned with the

It

powers

from France as early as 1958, when Aime Michel published his book on 'orthoteny' (straight line theory), attempting to
rationalistic

approach to

UFOs came

ancient man, and paranormal activity.

is

also close to

Warminster, the centre

of

much UFO

activity in Wiltshire.

show that UFO sightings in the F^rench wave of 1954 were aligned along straight lines. The birth of scientific ufologv' may also be traced back to Europe. It was a young French-born scientist, astronomer Jacques Vallee (who later moved to the
USA), who published the
the mid-sixties.
first scientific

the history of ufolog>' through the 196Us and 1970s,

mostly following the impulse from North America.

It

was during

this

period

that

the

first

real

UFO

books

in

have to acknowledge that European ufologies as a whole retained only a minor role in

We

between North America and Europe occurred. The schism was caused by the so-called 'new ufology', which was initiated by American researchers as early as 1969 but soon abandoned in the USA. It made a big impact in some European
differences in interpretation

75

EUROPE

UFO

circles,

and the effect

again,
it all

may
in

still

be seen

in

the

another of Jacques
College (1975).
heavily

Vallee's

books,

The

Invisible

1990s.
similar

Once

began

the

USA, when two

John A.

Several French

UFO

writers

were

books were published by

journalist

influenced

by

that,

and 'parapsychological

Keel and scientist Jacques Vallee. They both considered a non-extra-terrestrial explanation for the origin of UFOs which, they suggested, might instead be
derived from a form of intelligence
in a 'parallel reality'

French UFO journals between 1975 and 1979. Among the most interesting
ufology' prevailed in the

authors are Jean

Pierre Vieroudy.

Giraud,

Jean-Jacques

Jaillat

and

which had always existed beside our own reality. In the USA these ideas never found great
favour, the majority of ufologists
Extra-terrestrial
still

Such
current,

a line of thought
in

is

no longer prevalent
also

in

France, because
called

turn

it

stimulated a totally different

preferring the simple

'the

new

wave',

known
It all

as

Theory (ETH), and by the second half of the 1970s these notions were virtually forgotten. However, they stimulated at least three different lines of thought in Europe, mainly in Great Britain and
France.

'nouveaux ufologues', or 'neo-skepticism'.

began

when Michel Monnerie,

'psycho-ufology'

co-editor of the French

UFO

journal Lumieres dans la nuit

(LDLN)

realized that the

The
in

first

was the

literally

'paraphysical'

current, hinting at 'parallel realities', mostly diffused in

was demonstrating that a genuine, phenomenon was no longer needed to account for the sightings: the witness was enough. He
concrete

the

UK

the pages of Flying Saucer Review.

It

has

presented his thesis

in a

book, provocatively
if it

titled
call

gradually lost ground in favour of the next

two

lines of

What
for

if

UFOs

did not exist? But

were

so,

why

The second was the 'humanistic ufology' heralded by the Magonia magazine's editorial team in the UK; greater emphasis is placed upon the 'human
thought.
factor' in the
(i.e.

such exotic mechanisms as psychic powers?

Monnerie's book had the same effect as a bomb:

fierce attacks

on

his

own somewhat

naive suggestion

UFO

experience, both at an individual

level

of an 'open-eye

dream' as an explanation for the

sightings forced
attitude.

psychological)

and

at

collective

(i.e.

sociological) level.

strangeness of some UFO more and more inflexible

him

to a

He

published a

The

third

concept was typical of French ufology

in

the mid-1970s,

where 'paranormal' aspects openly

(i.e.

second book on the Shipwreck of the Extra-terrestrials (1979) where he tried to demolish the whole ufological
building,

bordered with psychical

tones.
It

parapsychological) overthe French edition of yet

openly becoming a true skeptic and

first

finally

was stimulated by

leaving ufology. This

generation of 'new skeptics'

For centuries
origins of the

man has pondered over the

huge stone
circle

known as

Stonehenge on the plains near Salisbury.

It

is built

at a point

reputed to be a centre

of

major energy

lines (leys),

and

is

of
is

great mystic importance.

a focus of

The area

also

UFO

activity.

Why

our ancestors

went

to the

enormous

trouble they did to

create this

monument remains unknown

but UFO-related worship has often been

suggested, perhaps because of the

circular

shape

of the

monument. The

coincidence of modern
this ancient site

UFO

activity

near

has suggested to

many

researchers that the

UFO phenomenon
of

may

only be a

modern version

something very ancient, something

that

has perhaps been a part of the Earth for

longer than Man.

76

COMMON EUROPEAN UFOLOGY?

(including a

re-writing and debunking of the great

of

ufologists

(Renzo Cabassi, Roberto Parabone, Fran-

French
J.

UFO wave

1954
in

by

G.

Barthel

and

cesco Izzo):

UFO Phenomena - International Annual

It

Brucker) virtually ended

1980,

because these

Review {UPIAR).
editorial

was

refereed journal whose

the

'disillusioned ufok)gists'

abandoned the

UFO
and,

field.

board looked

like

who's who of the

The
severe

lesson of doubt

was taught

after a

world's scientific ufology, and in 1981

crisis

due also to the lack of

UFO

sightings in

granted a Science Achievement

for

the early 198()s, a

has emerged.

new generation of French ufologists They keep a skeptical but open mind,
scope of ufology and consider

UFO

Research, based
in

in

UPIAR was Award by the Fund America. The second

in

breakthrough was

France, where
in

1977 physicist
study group

try to re-define the

Claude Poher succeeded

getting a

UFO

psycho-sociological hypotheses to be as valid as the

ETH,

until

data arises to prove or disprove either

formed within the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (the French equivalent to NASA): Groupement
d'Etudes des Phenomenes Aerospatiaux

Mauge, Bertrand Meheust, Jacques Scornaux and Thierry Finvidic are the best known
theory. Claude

N on-identifes
found for

(GEPAN).
Specific national areas of interest
single nations

names. Interestingly, a somewhat similar position

is

may be
in

now shared by most

In

active

European

UFO

resear-

and given periods of time. For example,

in

chers, in countries other than France.

sky-watching was popular

parallel

the

UK
in

the 1960s,
in

in

Great Britain Jenny Randles's writings

France and
1980s.
tively

Italy in

the 1970s, and

Scandinavia

the

the Monnerie/Hendry evolution of thought although

The
as

series of cosmic

messages known
is

collec-

they never negate the physical reality of

has

UFOs. She

the

'UMMO'
the

affair

virtually

confined

moved from
such as

paraphysical reasonings to Hendry-

to Spanish-speaking countries.

The

earthlights debate

like texts

UFO Study

(1981) and

UFO Reality
In this

has

barely

passed

British

boundaries.
found:

Even
as

(1983), finally considering natural unexplained aerial

specific

UFO/IFO

types

may be
in

lighted toy

phenomena as good candidates

context,

for

some UFOs.

balloons (miniature hot air balloons) cause as

many

we

see Paul Devereux's Earthlights, Hilary

30 per cent of sightings

Germany, where
Italy is
like;

virtually

Evans's Ball Of Light International Data Exchange

no landing has been reported;

plagued by 'laser

(BOLIDE)

or the very responsible position

BUFORA

beams'

in

concerts,

circuses and the

in

and the
in

has been holding vis-a-vis the corn circle

phenomenon

abduction scene occurs

a different

way

each

and the plasma vortex hypothesis.

European country.

Europe has come of age: there is a collective movement towards a less critical attitude towards the ETH origin of UFOs, a greater attention not only to
identifying

unifying pattern has

begun

to appear in the last

is

few years.

A common European framework

against the background of
in particular,

visible

when considered
attention
to

American

IFOs but

also to studying them,

and

ufology - characterized,
uniformity

by the greater
investigation

re-definition of the

aims and scopes of ufology.

scientific-oriented

of

research,
of terms.

In Spain the sound,

work

of

methodology and

definition

The

role

of

Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos has greatly contributed

to the

human

sciences, in the case of both individual reports

parallel to the

new breed

of researchers presently collected

Italy

and of the development of a 'UFO myth'

around the journal Cuadernos de Ufologia. In

'revisionists' like

Paolo Toselli and Maurizio Verga

have become the core of a national ufology. German

ufology
the
is

phenomenon, is a further cohesive European framework. We only need to overcome

such as the language barrier,
in

UFO

characteristic of the

practical difficulties,

presently represented by either cultists or

order to get better and

skeptical

CENAP

and

mildly

skeptical

GEP

more
in

stable exchanges. International

Congresses held

The same may be said - to a lesser degree of the Belgian SOBEPS, the Swedish AFU or the Danish SUFOI. The so called 'revisionists' are all former 'classic' believers who gradually developed a critical attitude based on their on-field experience. They do not refuse
groups.

the last few years have increased cooperation.

that

May

we hope

by 1993 we

will also

have a European

Community

of ufology?

hypotheses but minimize their importance. also had two major breakthroughs concerning science and UFO study. As early as 1976,
'exotic'

Edoardo Russo

is

a director' of the Italian

group the Centre

Europe has

Italiano Studi Ufologici (CISU). This

group has an
international

integrated Italian network and

many

the very as

first scientific

journal on

UFOs was

launched
Italian

associations.

In

1988

it

formally joined the International

an international venture by a group of

Committee

for

UFO Research

(ICUR).

77

DATABASE
PRE 1900
NAME
DATE
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

NAME THE
DATE

IRISH AIRSHIP

1211 AD.

During a Sunday mass, witnesses saw an anchor drop from the sky and
attach itself to the arch above the

PLACE CLOERA, IRELAND

216BC.

church door. As they rushed out of

the church the witnesses

MAPREF;D11
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

saw

in

the

PLACE SARDINIA, ROMAN MEDITERRANEAN

sky a ship with

MAPREF;J19
EVENT EARLY UFO REPORT'

watched as
off the ship

men on board. They a man appeared to leap

and 'swim' through the

Airship style encounters have been

'Things that looked like ships were

common enough
1897
in

with the panics of

in

down towards the anchor to release it. The witnesses apparently

air

seen

in

the sky over Italy ... in

America and 1909

attempted to capture the entity but

the bishop forbade

Sardinia, a knight

was making

his

Europe.

Many of these

sightings

them

to

do

so.

rounds inspecting the posts guarding

the ramparts

when

a stick in his

hand burst
thing
Sicily

into flames.

The same
in

happened to Roman soldiers

were of terrestrial prototypes; they were seen only a few years before they were openly admitted to, and some even had inventors' names
attributed to them.

The man was allowed

to return to
its

the ship which then cut

anchor

rope and sailed away. According to

the report the anchor
in

was preserved

who saw their javelins

in their
in

start

Some

of the

the church.
Clearly, investigation of a case

burning

hands. ... at Apri a

the sky.
It

accounts were very strange and

round shield was seen

deserved further investigation, but one particular airship account

remarkable
if

nearly 800 years old

is

out of the
it

seemed
was
all

as

if

the

moon was

fighting

is

question but,

if

nothing else,

with the sun ... at Capua, the sky

only because

it

serves to emphasize that there were

extraordinary events occurring
.

on

fire

and people saw

like

certainly cannot have

been an early
. .

in

figures
ships.

above them that looked

prototype of a terrestrial airship

the sky long before the birth of the

coming as

it

did in the year 1211.

UFO phenomenon in

1947.

BASEL
This illustration
is

taken from the Basel

fleets

Broadsheet
of

of

1566 and depicts

huge globes seen over Basel on 7

in that

August

year.

Whether we can
early

rightly regard the

image as an
is

UFO

report or not

subject to
is

question, but the drawing

thoughtearlier

provoking and one

of

many from

centuries that suggest the

UFO
its

phenomenon
'official' start

is far

older than

date of 1947.

78

IlllinDATABASE 1940s

that the Axis

powers had

Later
mainly of

f(X)

fighter reports told

themselves encountered foo fighters

fireball like lights

and

NAME
DATE

THE BIRTH OF THE FOO FIGHTERS

14

and believed that they might have

glowing spheres. Because the

UFO

OCTOBER 1943

been

Allied

weapons. There were

phencjmenon had not yet been

officially
in

also sightings reported from the

bom

(see Kenneth Arnold

PLACE SCHWEINFURT, GERMANY

Japanese

aircraft in the Pacific.

the North American section,

MAPREF:K14
EVENT FOO FIGHTERS

The

foo fighters

made

their first

page 15) and because these reports

appearance,

at least officially,

on 14

came

in

soon after the

at the

first

foo

October 1943 when the 384

Bomb

fighter reports, they

were

Foo fighters were part of the UFO phenomenon that occurred during
World
and
VN'ar
II

(jroup

was making
in

its final

run over

understood

time to be further

the industrial complex at

in

both the European

Schweinfurt

Germany, coded

Pacific battle arenas.

For the

Mission 115. The

German

fighter

same phenomenon - in retrospect this seems less likely to have been the case than was
examples
of the

most part they consisted of bright

lights

planes disappeared from the air and

the

thought

initially.

which paced

aircraft,

bomb
'

group's pilots confirmed

The

foo fighter myster\'

was

occasionally

even moxing

inside

that "there

were no enemy
in (8

aircraft

never solved. They are much less

frequently reported nowadays,

them, but they were also sometimes

identified as small discs just a

above. Ahead of them a cluster of

tiny discs

few

some 3

cm) across

though of course many current

of-light

ball-

inches across,
felt

some

of

which were wings of

is

clattering across the

were reported and discussed by the crews of the aircraft over the radio.
B-17 bomber number 026
attempted to evade the objects but
a

and night-light phenomena

may

well have

been

called foo
in

the planes. "Foo' incidentally

fighters had they

been seen
the

those

thought to derive either from the

french

word

for fire

-feu - or from
in

was unsuccessful and reported

cluster but did not
plane.
It is

that

phenomenon was common over Germany.

early years

when

cartoon character, popular

one wing cut directly through the

England
the

at the time, who went by name of Foo. The British believed that they

damage

the

The picture

Is

alleged to

show

the

possible that this case

mysterious foo fighters that buzzed

aircraft during

represented an early experiment

with "window' (a device which

World War
in

II.

It

was taken

might be an Axis power's secret

over Gernnany

1944. No definitive

weapon. However, following the

attempted to confuse radar return

signals).

explanation for these bright light sources

end of the war documents revealed

has been found.

%L'*

79

i
EUROPE

Above An early photograph

ghost rocket taken
in

of a

Swedish

1946. Right Karl

Gosta

Bartoll

examining Lake Kolmjarv for

debris following a crash on 19 July 1946.

NAME SWEDISH GHOST ROCKETS

DATE
19 JULY 1946

they

first

thought was an aeroplane

NAME GREEK GHOST ROCKETS

DATE
1

but then realized

was

a rocket like

SEPTEMBER 1946

device crashing towards the lake

PLACE LAKE KOLMJARV, NORTH SWEDEN

MAPREF:M3
EVENT GHOST ROCKET SIGHTING

As it hit the water an enormous column of water cascaded

surface.

PLACE SALONIKA, THESSALIA, GREECE

MAPREF:P19
EVENT GHOST ROCKETS

out proving beyond doubt that the

object

was

physical.

They described
ft

Throughout the early 1930s and

the late 1940s Scandinavia, and
particularly

into

it

as approximately 6

(183 cm)

During the ghost rocket wave which

occurred across Europe
half of the 1940s, a
in

long with small wings on either side.

the latter
of such

Sweden, was the setting

form of

On another shore

of the lake a

number

for a particular

UFO sighting
They

further witness, Frideborg Tagebo,

objects

were seen over Macedonia

known
first

as the 'ghost rockets'.

heard the crash and described

being
like a

it

as

and Salonika. One report of these

occurred around the Arctic

bomb

detonating.

Circle near the

Swedish/Norwegian
in

The

following morning a

company

came from the highest possible source - an interview on 5

September in London with the Greek Prime Minister, M.
Tsaldaris.

border at Vasterbotten

the last
lights

of soldiers blockaded the area and

months
in

of 1933

when distant

searched the lake for the next two

the valleys were sighted by local

weeks.

No debris was apparently

One

of the principal

people.
that

The assumption made was the lights were made by

for this claim.

recovered, although even with an

explosion of this intensity there

scientists of the country, professor

Paul Santorini, investigated the

left.

smugglers but customs action found

should have been

some

material

sightings and 'soon established that

no support

Perhaps

the most substantial of the ghost

The ghost rocket saga continued and eventually became the subject of
an
official

they were not missiles'.

However, the
the sightings

investigation into

rocket claims was that of 19 July

'ghost rocket'

was stopped by the

1946 when two witnesses observed

a small object crash into

investigation committee. Erik

Lake

Malmberg

of the
'If

committee

Army. The professor believed that a blanket of security had been placed
over the question of the origin of

Kolmjarv.
Just before noon, farmer

summed
Knut
correct,
his

up:

the observations are

Lindback and

maid Beda Persson

shore

were working

at the lake

many details suggest that it was some kind of a cruise missile that was fired on Sweden. But
nobody had
that kind of

UFOs because of the

This
is

alarming

defence significance of the subject.

particularly plausible in

view

when they heard a sound above them. They looked up and saw what

of Erik

Malmberg's summing up of

sophisticated technology in 1946.'

the subject (above).

80

DATABASE 1950s

long

trails

of angel hair (filaments

NAME WOLIN
DATE

ISLAND SIGHTING

reportedly dropped from lIKOs and

31JULY1953

NAME OLORON
DATE
17

similar to spider's webs),

which
PLACE WOLIN ISLAND, SZCZECIN, POLAND

OCTOBER 1952

covered trees, houses and electric

lines in the area. Analysis of angel

MAPREF:L12
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

PUCE

OLORON-STE-MARIE, PAYS BASQUES,

hair

from

this

and other cases has

It

FRANCE

proved inconclusive.
suggested that
it

has been

MAPREF:F17
EVENT ANGEL HAIR PRECIPITATION

is

a natural

substance unnaturally affected by

certain properties of the UH"0,

One

of the earliest 'modern'

UFO
the

reports from Poland originates from

air.

Shortly after noon on 17 October

possibly super-ionization of the

Wolin Island. At 7 o'clock

in

1952, headmaster Monsieur Prigent

Any such

speculation

must remain

eveningof 31 July 1953,

nationals together with

five Polish

and

his wife

and children observed

a
it

only that as angel hair does not last long enough for in-depth analysis.

two
shaped
It
ft

strangely shaped cloud and behind

a long, cylindrical, luminous object

Germans witnessed

a saucer

object landing next to a railroad.

emitting puffs of smoke.

Ahead

of

An

artist's

impression of UFOs seen over

in

appears to have been some 60-70

(18.3-21.3

the object

were some

thirty

UFOs

Gloron-Ste-Marie, France

October

m) wide with
edge.

a series of

shaped

like

the planet Saturn: red

1952. The Saturn-like UFOs were

what may have been portholes

around
its

globes surrounded by a yellow ring

accompanying
Ttiin
hair'

a tiuge cylindrical object.

which were travelling

in a

zigzagging

filaments of material

known as

'angel

The

sighting lasted only a few

off at

motion across the sky.

were reported dropping from the

minutes and the object took

The

sighting left physical traces:

objects, one of several such cases.

remarkable speed.

81

HiEUROPE

NAME THE STEPHEN DARBISHIRE

PHOTOGRAPHS
DATE
15

23o-o^o.o^X^^ tiaa/'M^

FEBRUARY 1954

PLACE CONISTON, CUMBRIA, ENGLAND

MAPREF:F11
EVENT PHOTOGRAPHIC CASE

Just over a year after

George
in

Adamski's celebrated encounters

California (see

page

28), in

which

he took several photographs of the

aleged Venusian scout ship, 13year-old Stephen Darbishire

photogaphed a very
Coniston
in

similar craft at

the Lake District.

the

The main doubts about

authenticity of these photogi'aphs

mirror the suspicions which

surround the Adamski case

itself,

but no definite conclusion has been

Above Attheageof thirteen, Stephen

Darbishire drew these pictures of a

Below The photograph Stephen

Darbishire took at Coniston on
1

reached with regard to the veracity

of the case despite considerable
publicity

UFO he
an

had seen and photographed just

hour
earlier.

half

February 1954, shortly before he drew

the above sketches.

and circulation

at the time.

82

DATABASE 1950s

NAME W^GIERSKAGORKA ENCOUNTER

DATE
JULY 1954

PLACE W^GIERSKAGORKA, POLAND

MAPREF:L12
EVENT ABDUCTION

In

1986

;i

conversation took place

involvinj^ the

witness (name with-

held) in this case, which suddenly

awoke

in

her memories of a strange

event that had taken place

when she

was a child of eleven, in July 1954. She had been on holiday at W(^gierska Gorka when she and her friends had gone to the woods to
pick

alone near a

mushrooms. While walking cliff, she saw a glowing,

light

oval-shaped

near the ground.

She walked
object, then
into the
recall;
flight

to

it.

A figure
in

approached her from a door

the

NAME THE DEWILDE ENCOUNTER

DATE
10

Marius Dewilde and his family

of the

at the

scene

seemed to draw her object in a way she cannot

in

SEPTEMBER 1954

UFO encounter
at

of

10 September

1954,

Quarouble

in

France. The railway

she just walked up a small

PLACE QUAROUBLE, FRANCE

track over which the obiect landed can be

of stairs and then stepped

MAPREF:H14
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

seen. Dewilde

was not

intimidated by the

through the door.

Inside the object there

encounter, and pressed

assault,

home

a vigorous

were

four

KIND

met by

a paralyzing

beam.

other entities; they were of average

height and with

many human

When entities
Quarouble
in

chose to

visit

nearby

features such as skin colour and

France they may have

rail tracks. As he tried to move he discovered that he was

hand shape. However, they were

wearing close
fitting clothes,

recognized that they had superior

paralyzed

in his legs.

were

technology on their side.

certainly going to

They were
because

That would be enough for many

surrounded by a mist and had on the

back of their bodies something
resembling a hump.
to
It is

need

it

men
yet.
a

but Dewilde

was not

finished

they came up against one of the

Having been shocked by the

interesting

compare
in

this description with the

most tenacious responses - from single individual - on record.

howling outside, Marius Dewilde,
approximately 10.30
in

appearance of the entities and

prevented from grabbing them and

having been paralyzed by a
at

one

the Czluchow sighting (see

Alerted by the sound of his dog

beam

page 110), a case wliich occurred

after the

from their

craft,

once he had

Wgierska Gorka
recall.

the evening
his

regained the use of his limbs he

apparently ran towards the UP'O in

encounter but before the

on 10 September 1954, opened

door and saw two strange

Their eyes were small, there was no

an attempt to catch up with

it.

He

nose and the mouth was

crack.

just like a
lie

humanoids just
him.

few

feet

away from
piece

failed to

do so and the object

lifted

The

girl

was
fell

'instructed' to

They were wearing one

off

and tlew away.

down, and she

asleep.
is

diving style suits and their heads

Dewilde alerted the police and

the subsequent investigation

Her next memory

cliff.

of being

were enclosed
glass helmets.

found by her friends, sitting near the

in enormous globular They were short and

involved the French intelligence

She had been missing

full

for

seven

very stocky and the witness does

not recall seeing any arms.

services and

its scientists.

One

of

hours. While they had

baskets of

the scientists indicated, from the

mushrooms,
they asked?
a

her's

was empty. What

in all that

Uewilde's reaction was

ground traces

left at

the site of the

had she been doing

All

time,

immediate; he tried to grab the

entities but
light

encounter, that the object resting

of

she could
of flying

recall
. .

was

was blinded by

beam

over the

rail

tracks

must have

vague memoiy

from an object resting on

weighed

at least

35 tons.

83

EUROPE

NAME SINCENY MISJUDGMENT

DATE

approached Southend on the

During the encounter a

considerable amount of angel hair
(filaments reportedly

OCTOBER 1954

Thames estuary - he saw

three

objects heading towards him.

PLACE SINCENY, AISNE, FRANCE

dropped from

As they approached one gold and

one
silver object flew to his left side at

UFOs and resembling spider's webs

in

MAP

REF:

G14

texture) dropped towards the

in a

EVENT SLIGHT ERROR OF MISJUDGMENT

and the third came directly

almost
filling
it

him

witnesses and evaporated

hours.

few

his

windscreen.

He

'Seeing a silhouette moving in the

light of

described
in

as saucer shaped with a

Dr Perego had a
witnesses, and

similar sighting

two lamps,

thought

was

bun shaped top and a bun

underneath. Salandin was shaken at
the tremendous speed at which
it

on 12 November, again with other

the presence of a Martian in the

was soon

to

become

process of repairing his flying

saucer.
I

a devotee of the extraterrestrial

went

to get

my gun and

had been

travelling.

He reported the
Derek
officer

hypothesis and supporter of flying

fired at him.

sighting to his base and after landing

saucer research.

A perfectly reasonable
assumption you might think (and a

made

a report both to

Dempster, an intelligence

charming gesture of greeting), but

who was

later to

become

the editor

NAME NAMUR PHOTOGRAPHIC CASE

DATE
5

one which was unfortunately a

wide of the mark. In
this

bit

of Flying Saucer Review,

and also

JUNE 1955

case the

the Air Ministry.

target turned out to be the witness's

Of the

sightings Salandin said

PLACE NAMUR, BELGIUM

'I

own neighbour repairing his motor

car.

haven't found a satisfactory

explanation for what
I

MAP REF:
I

114

Fortunately his aim was no

saw but

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHIC CASE

better than his judgment and the

know what I saw.

'

Earlier he had

shot only damaged the car,

already expressed one

At approximately 7.30
will

in

the

presumably leaving

his

neighbour

disappointment 'The thing was right

in

evening, postman and amateur

somewhat startled. Our witness might have had even more trouble explaining himself if he
had offered the explanation 'I'm
sorry.
I

my sights,
ball.'

next time

be on

photographer. Monsieur

the

Muyldermans was
flying

able to take three

photographs of a disc shaped object

low near

his car

near

Namur in

thought you were someone

! .

NAME THE UFO

DATE
6

FLEET

Belgium.
Meteorological study of the

else

NOVEMBER 1954

photographs suggested that the

PLACE ROME, ITALY
altitude of the objects

was some

NAME

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT SALANDIN'S

MAP REF:

K1

4,921

ft

(1,500 m) and the size was

ENCOUNTER
DATE
14

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

OCTOBER 1954

ft (12 m) in Though unremarkable by the standards of what was to follow

approximately 39
diameter.

PLACE THAMES ESTUARY, ENGLAND

The

Italian politician

Dr Alberto

in

subsequent years, these

investigator Gerald
of

MAP

REF:

G13

Perego was one of over a hundred

people who, on several occasions
during October and
1954,

photographs became world famous.

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

German
his

November of

Mosbleck used them as the basis

saw

fleets of

UFOs in the

own

deliberate fakes to prove

Flight Lieutenant James R. Salandin

skies above

of the 604th

County of Middlesex
4.

of these sightings

Rome. Most noticeable was on 6

of white

the ease with which such

photographs could be faked, and to

demonstrate, correctly, that

Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air

Force, took off at

November when dozens

short vapour
trails.

15

in

the

dots appeared, occasionally leaving

photographs alone do not prove

afternoon from

RAF North Weald in

They were

much

unless there

is

other

Meteor Mark 8 jet fighter. It was a cloudless deep blue sky and Salandin was able to see the vapour trails of two Meteors in
Essex
in a

estimated as moving at

substantial evidence (see

approximately 800 miles (1,300 km)

per hour and flying at a height of

photographic evidence page 27).

approximately 20,000

ft

(6,096 m).

The sequence

of

photographs taken by
in

formation high above him. At

Occasionally they grouped into

Monsieur Muyldermans
5 June 1955.

Namur on

16,000

ft

(4,877 m)

-as he

formations of diamond or

shapes.

84

h
1*^

DATABASE 1950s

85

Ill EUROPE

NAME BENTWATERS/LAKENHEATH
DATE
13

night fighter

was scrambled

to

NAME VADDO
DATE
9

RETRIEVAL

AUGUST 1956

intercept the objects.

At midnight

NOVEMBER 1958

the pilot gained visual contact with

PLACE SUFFOLK, ENGLAND

the object and shortly afterwards

also confirmed radar contact.
It is

PLACE VADDO, ROSLAGEN, SWEDEN

MAPREF:G12
EVENT RADAR VISUAL ENCOUNTER

MAP REF; M8
EVENT ALLEGED CRASH RETRIEVAL

believed that gun camera film

was
Radar operators
Bentwaters,
of 13
at

taken. Indeed the former head

at

USAF/RAF
in

of the Ministry of

Defence

Physical traces from

UFOs

are rare

9.30

the evening

department which studies UFOs,

Ralph Noyes (now an active

and usually confined to ambiguous

August 1956, tracked a

miles (40-48

UFO
off the
it

UFO

ground marks,

bum marks,

etc.

return incoming from the North Sea

investigator) stated that at the time

Occasionally, however, solid

artefacts alleged to be part of

some 25-30

km)

he watched the

film but

admitted
brief,

UFOs

coast. According to the radar

travelling at approximately

was

that 'the film clips

were very

are recovered though

it

has to be

5,000
certainly

rather fuzzy and not particularly

spectacular.
'

admitted that there has not yet been

a recovery of anything

miles (8,047
far faster

km) per hour,

However, the

made

of a

than any aircraft of the

independent radar corroboration and

the visual sightings, despite unclear

substance which has definitely been

time.

Radar also tracked another

confirmed as extra-terrestrial
origin.

in

group of targets moving towards

gun camera

film,

suggest very

Bentwaters from approximately

8 miles (13 km) out
reasonable speed of
miles (130-200
at the

strongly that something physical

On 9 November 1958 two

witnesses to the landing of a near Vaddo
in

more

was

in the air

over Suffolk on that

UFO

some 80-125

night in 1956.

Sweden
its

investigated

km) per hour.

NAME ANGELU ENCOUNTER
DATE

the area following

departure and
artefact.

Checks on the radar could not

determine any malfunctions and
therefore a T-33 interceptor from
the 512 Fighter Interceptor

recovered a small metallic

Analysis indicated that
it

was made

OCTOBER 1958

of tungsten carbide, cobalt and

titanium.

Squadron, which was returning to

PLACE FIGUERAS, CATALONIA, SPAIN

According to the witnesses,

Bentwaters from

a training flight,

MAPREF:G18
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

when recovered,

shortly after the

was diverted

to search for visual

UFO had departed,

warm
to the touch.

confirmation of the radar targets.

the object was Whether it was

The

plane could not verify the

heated up by the action of the

sightings but

was searching

blind

At approximately 7 o'clock
motorcycle near Figueras

in

the
his

descent of the
truly

UFO or whether
it is

it

having no airborne radar of its own.

evening Sehor Angelu, riding

dropped from

not certain.

Approximately an hour

later

in Spain,

radar reported another target

saw what appeared

crash
help,
in a

to

be an object

moving

at

between 2,000-4,000

nearby wood. Wanting to

site

NAME GDYNIA HUMANOID

DATE

miles (3,200-6,400

km) per hour.

he went towards the

it

but

21JANUARY1959

This object was also seen by control

saw

that

was not

crashed plane
PLACE GDYNIA HARBOUR, GDANSK, POLAND

tower personnel and described by them as a bright light passing over

the airfield at terrific speed. At the

but a landed

UFO of traditional
dome
legs.

saucer shape, a transparent

MAP

REF:

Ml 1

on top and standing on landing

It

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

same time
light

the pilot of a C-47

was approximately 25

ft

(7.

62 m)

KIND/HUMANOID RETRIEVAL

transport aircraft reported a bright

wide.

streaking beneath him.

alert!

The witness saw two dwarf like

entities with large

An abnomial number
one piece
suit that

of fingers, a

Bentwaters sounded the

heads moving

required metal
it,

Other radar stations

in

the area

around the

craft

and collecting
terrain.

shears to remove

a strange

were

alerted; the 7th Air Division

samples from nearby

arrangement of internal organs and a

circulatory

Command Post and the 3rd Air Force Command Fost were contacted and RAF coastal air
defence also became involved. At

Aboard the saucer,

watched
for

in

the dome, he

system following

a spiral

could see a third figure.

The witness
until

path around the body. This was the

some

15 minutes

remarkable conclusion of a post

the entities reboarded the ship

mortem examination which is

alleged to have taken place in a

Neatished a de Havilland

Venom

which took

off quickly.

86

DATABASE 1950s

BELIEVE
UFO

IT ...

OR NOT.
in

There are very (ew photographs of

ones. There have, however, been
or suspected hoaxes.

entities,

and no

reliable

recovered cadavers were sent to Wright Patterson

Ohio.)

some

very spectacular hoaxes,

There have been several similar photographs from Germany

The photograph

belovi/ allegedly

depicts

and

it

has been suggested

that at

one time faking outrageous American troops

for this

an alien taken alive from a

in

UFO

that

crashed near Mexico City

UFO

stories

was

a favourite pastime of the

is

the 1950s.

The

alien died shortly afterwards

and was sent

to

stationed there. There

no supportive evidence

Germany

for analysis.

(Most modern day reports suggest

that

photograph.

87

^t

EUROPE

hospital at

Gdynia following the

recovery of a humanoid from the

seafront there.
It

must be

said that this

is

was noted he had an abnormal number of fingers. The hospital staff attempted to remove the one piece suit that he was wearing but it was
it

NAME THE JELLY ENTITIES OF SWEDEN

DATE
20

DECEMBER 1959

PLACE DOMSTEN, SOUTHERN SWEDEN

legendary tale
authenticity;
it

of doubtful

of an extremely hard material and

MAPREF:L10
it

appears without

took metal shears to cut

it

from him.

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

reference

in

Arthur Shuttlewood's

The
from

staff also

removed

a bracelet

book The Flying Saucerers and also

without reference
Soviet
in

his wrist

which may or may not

immediately
Returning from a dance two
witnesses, Stig Rydberg and Hans

UFOs

in the

have led to
afterwards.

his dying

Union (although dated 21

in that article).

February 1959
able to produce

None

A post mortem examination at

Gdynia Hospital showed
a strange

Gustavsson, stopped to examine a

light in a

of our researchers in Poland

were

glade near to the road on

car.

documentary

arrangement of internal organs and a

different
spiralling

which they were driving in their

evidence for the alleged event.

form of circulatory system

As

the legend has

it

.A UFO
a

apparently crashed into Gdynia

Harbour and shortly afterwards

small humanoid in a space suit

around the body. The was apparently sealed off by guards and the body removed in a
hospital

They saw a disc shaped object some 15 ft (4. 5 m) across standing on

three landing legs.
Incredibly, they

were attacked by

was

refrigerated container under heavy

security. According to

several tiny jelly like creatures that

tried to drag

found wandering along the seafront

in a

one report
for a research

them towards the

fight

confused state.

He was

taken to

the lorry
institute

the local clinic for observation

where

was destined in Moscow.

saucer and a

broke

out.

One

of

the two witnesses reached the car

and sounded the horn, the second

was then released and the entities scampered back to their craft which
took
off.

Hypnotic regression undertaken

by doctors seemed
the witnesses

to indicate that
telling the truth.

were

However, the
Department
witnesses.

allegation

was

rejected by an Air Defence

official

investigation

because of the

unreliability of the

NAME THE BATMAN ENCOUNTER

DATE
16

NOVEMBER 1963

PLACE SALTWOOD, KENT, ENGLAND

MAPREF:G13
EVENT ENTITY ENCOUNTER

In the

1960s there were many

in

reports

West

Virginia,

United

States of America, of the so called

'Moth Men' which were red-eyed,

moth- and
The

bat-like creatures.

In

Mothmen

Proptiecies, Keel
in

describes bat-like entities reported

Virginia,

West

USAduring

the 1960s.

DATABASE 1960s

occasionally the size of small light

aircraft,

elements present which are not

generally found in such objects.
In the end, the findings

When Masse was

(18.3

around 20 yds

which terrorized

local

inhabitants.

were

m) away from the entities one of them spotted him, took the
cylinder from his bell and fired a

Kiigland

was never plagued by

to this extent but
in

inconclusive with

many suggestions

the

Moth Men

as to what as to what

it it

could not be, but none

beam

at

Masse who was paralyzed

there was one report from Kent

might have been.

immediately. Despite the nature of

the encounter, however,

November of

1963.

couples watched a star-like

Two courting UFO

NAME VALENSOLE
DATE
1

Masse

said

he never
SIGHTING

felt

fear and believed that

hover near some trees as they

paused from their amorous

the entities had no animosity

JULY 1965

towards him.
Approximately
a

Those amorous activities came to a startling end when the witnesses suddenly saw, coming
activities.

minute passed
craft

PLACE VALENSOLE. SOUTHERN FRANCE

and the entities boarded their

MAP REF:

118

which then took

speed.
It

off at

an incredible
like fifteen

towards them, a grotesque,

headless, black entity with
feet

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

took something

webbed
is

minutes for the paralysis to wear

off

and wings

like a bat.

and Masse returned to Valensole

No

other coherent information

Farmer Maurice Masse grew

lavender for use
industry and on
his
in 1

available as the couples,

the perfume
left

understandably, beat a hasty retreat

leaving researchers with only this
outline report.

July 1965 he
in

house very early

the morning

where he discussed the story with his friends. They were impressed by Masse's state of mind and did not doubt that he was telling the truth.
Subsequent investigation found
traces in the
soil

to

walk to the

fields to

begin work.

He had stopped in
NAME
DATE
KALLAVESI t^KE

the shade to

smoke a cigarette before starting when he heard the sound of an

object above him which he thought

landed; the soil

where the craft had was hard and

crumbly with a high calcium content.

future crops
site died and even were affected until the field had been thoroughly ploughed. There is an as yet unknown detail

AUGUST 1964

Lavender on the

might be a military helicopter.

PLACE KALtj^VESI LAKE, KUOPIO, FINLAND

He
it.

walked towards the

field to

see

MAP REF; P6
EVENT ALLEGED CRASH RETRIEVAL

Some 100 yds

saw an
a

(92

m) away he

object unlike anything he had

It

to the story.

seen before.

was

oval shaped with

that there

Masse has admitted was something else of

Raimo Blomqvist witnessed

Lake, Finland
in

UFO

a small

dome on
It

top and about the

importance which he has kept to

himself ever since.

hovering near him above Kallavesi

size of a car.

stood on six legs

August 1964. The

radiating out from a central spike.

Slightly in front of the object

For ufologists the importance of

the encounter
is its

case became more interesting

similarity to

when, shortly before speeding

the
material into the lake's edge.

off,

Masse saw two

thought at
first

entities
in

UFO dropped a small chunk of

it;

examining the plants

who were the field. He

many cases

that occurred earlier in

France during the 1954 wave of

entity reports.

they were young

Masse himself was

Blomqvist retrieved
indicated that
it

analysis of iron

boys and believed he had caught the

vandals

also impressed by the similarity

was made out

who had been damaging

weeks before
it

his

between the object he described and

the one seen by officer Lonnie

oxide and trace elements.

plantations in the

the

At Akademi University,
Professor Edelman X-rayed the
object and detemiined
it

encounter. But as he put

the
a

'From
I

Zamora

in

Socorro,

New Mexico in

was not
it

moment I started out ... knew that it wasn't with men that
had to
deal.

the United States only one year

1

earlier (see

page

46).

geological entity although

Of the mysterious truth yet

entities

to be
it

resembled materials
near the

that are found

site of active

volcanoes

in

were dressed in green one piece suits; they had huge

bald heads, large slanting eyes and
lipless

The two

revealed
is

we

can only presume that

of contactee

some form

message
stated the

certain sections of the world.

Turku

or perception.

Masse has

University also examined the object

mouths. Their skin was chalk

immovability of his stance indicating

the seriousness of his reaction to the

and their Professor Papunen ruled

out the possibility that
it

white.

On

their belts they carried

could be a

small cylinders wliich

meteor,

at least of

known

have been well

notice
of!

Masse would advised to take more

experience:

"I

have not

told

composition, because of trace

my wife, nobodv will make me tell

anybody, not even
it.

and

89

EUROPE

Artist's

impression of the entities and

flying

some 15

ft (4.

5 m) above

it.

produced by
the casings

his engineering

object seen by Maurice Masse; they have

That was enough

for him,
in

he ran

company. The prompt delivery of

been drawn over a photograph of the

site.

back to his car and got

but the

was

crucial to an

object followed and hovered

important contract. Mainly for that

NAME COQUIL ENCOUNTER

DATE
16

above him.

reason Collett was very concerned

JANUARY 1966

PLACE BOLAZEC, FRANCE

He had difficulty starting the car which may have been due to his own panic or may have been a vehicle
interference by the

when

the electrical system of the

lights, radio

bus cut out, causing the

and engine to go dead.

Collett got out of the vehicle,

MAPREF:E14
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

UFO
off,

(this is
it

commonly

reported). Eventually

opened the bonnet and examined the

engine but found nothing amiss.

started and he drove

object behind.

leaving the

He

returned to the vehicle and while

doing so noticed a dark,
unlit

At 4 o'clock
Coquil

in

the morning of 16

form

January 1966 carpenter Eugene

hovering motionless over the road

was

driving in Brittany

when
field.

NAME THE HOOK VEHICLE

DATE
26

INTERFERENCE

ahead of him. After a short pause

the engine fired, the lights and radio

he saw

lights in the

middle of a

OCTOBER 1967

He stopped his may have been

light.

car, believing

there
PLACE HOOK, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND

came
MAPREF:F13
EVENT VEHICLE INTERFERENCE

alive

and Collett drove

off

an accident, and
field

only to have the

walked across the

towards the

occur just a
the road.

same breakdown few hundred yards down

As he did so he noticed that the lights were on an object. And it was moving silently towards him! Only when he got to within approximately 30 ft (9. 14 m) of it did he realize that it was not moving along the ground but was in fact

Again the witness got out of his

Mr W.

Collett

was

driving his F'ord

vehicle; this time

he

felt

an extreme

Transit bus along the

A32 towards

pressure change which caused pain

in his

Reading

in

the early hours of

ear drums, similar to that

in

Thursday, 26 October 1967.

transporting machine casings

He was

which can be experienced

aircraft.

an

He

also noticed the smell of

90

DATABASE 1960s

burning electrics but this was

obviously not coniinj^ from his
vehicle as
it

could have had a

more

serious effect

dogs,

was

lying

on

his

back

in a

on

his

nervous system.
to analyze the

shallow trough

in

the

hills

to shelter

was

still in

f^ood order

No attempts
incident have

from

a force

H wind.
his

He

placed his

althouj^b not iunctioninj^.

Once

aj^ain

potential time lapses during this

hands behind

head to rest himself

at first

he saw the object

in

the sky just a

been made, and indeed

interesting to note

and saw what he

believed

hundred yards away and perhaps 50 ft (15 m) high - dark and suspended

none are probably appropriate.

was

a fine vapour trail

over the town

a high flying

However,

it is

of Portland
aircraft.

coming from

above the road.

Collett believes that he

the aspects of this case which are

Very quickly

Mr Brooks
it

watched
it

similar to other reported abductions.

the object for a few minutes until

Of further

interest

is

the idea that

it was no such thing; was not growing in length or

realized that

moved away

at

reasonable speed

the interference with the nervous

disintegrating. Indeed,

it

had

all

the

over the trees.

When

he returned to

system could

in

some circumstances
this

appearance of a

craft rushing

the driving seat the engine

restarted, the vehicle

also create hallucinations.

to

headlong towards him!

It

was back
off.

Cases such as
of the

nomial and he again drove

answers

to

may hold some much more

descended

rapidly, 'put the

brakes on' with remarkable tenacity

There were certain other

noted by

effects

elaborate claims.

and

Mr Collett

which are

reminiscent of many cases of

vehicles stopping, including

NAME THE MOIGNE DOWNS ENCOUNTER

DATE
26

some 200-300 ft m) hovered motionless some 400 yds (366 m) away from where Mr Brooks was watching it. It was a
at a height of

(61-94

abductions.

He

apparently

OCTOBER 1967

unique

UFO, never reported

It

before

completed

his

journey without

nor since.
PLACE MOIGNE DOWNS. DORSET, ENGt;\ND
it

was

a circular disc

reference to his road

map

although

shape with a long girder-like

fuselage reaching forward and three
girder-like fuselages reaching

was

new

route for him (he had,

MAPREF:F13
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

however, studied the planned route

before setting out).

He
if

described a

backwards. However, as
into

it

went

certain lack of co-ordination

when

hover mode the fuselages

craft while

driving off almost as

he had to
of

One

of the

most credible

UFO
himself,

spread out into the shape of a cross.

re-leam
the bus.

how to use the controls On returning home he

reports and certainly one of the best

The

hovering rotated
in a

documented by the witness

slowly but remained

stationary

noticed a throbbing

in liis fingers.

Perhaps connected to the encounter

he also found that he

now

remembered his dreams, which he was not able to do before. Dr Bernard Finch, a London
doctor,

comes from the wave of British sightings in 1967. The witness was Mr J. B. W. (Angus) Brooks, a former Comet flight administration
officer for the British

position, apparently unaffected

by

the extremely strong wind blowing.

Mr Brooks noted
seemed
to

that the object

be made of some

Overseas

translucent material,

Aircraft Corporation
British Airways)

(now part of
a

approximately 175

ft

(53

was m)

in

examined

Mr Collett

for

and

fomier

RAF

diameter and he could see no

portholes or windows.

physiological effects and suggested

that there

intelligence officer.

Every

analysis

The

sighting

was

a possibility that the

field

UFO

had emitted a force

which

UFO investigators has concluded that Mr Brooks was a

of the case

by

lasted 22 minutes, then the object

resumed

its

original

shape -

had interfered with the witness's nerves and spinal cord, damaging his

very reliable witness

considerable

who exhibited common sense in

his sighting.
fact that

realigning

its

fuselages - and shot

Winfrith.

away towards

normal reflexes.

It

appears from the

coming

to

terms with

One
at

of

Mr

Brooks's dogs, usually

doctor's report that he believes

Collett

Mr

Of great use was the

Brooks prepared
which reflected
his

Mr

ease with him on the downs, was

was only
field,
if

mildly 'washed' by
that
is

own

report

agitated and

pawed him

as

if

urging

the force

what

it

was,

his detailed

grasp of

him to leave the area. His other dog

had gone
off hunting.

because the

craft
it

was emitting only

been emitting
if

administration and intelligence

Mr Brooks's
is

low power. Had

a
it

work. Indeed the opening lines even

indicated the ordnance survey grid

own

analysis of the event

.more radiant energy,

perhaps

clear: 'Before the

Moigne Downs
mildly interested

had been preparing to perfonn a

rapid

reference of the encounter and an

sighting

was only

manoeuvre, then

Mr Collett
by
a

estimate of wind force and direction.

in unidentified flNing
I

objects but nowis

might well have been

hit

much

At

11.

25

in

the morning

Mr

am convinced there

something to

more powerful backwash which

Brooks,

who had been walking his

be investigated and the sooner

we

91

EUROPE

find out
will be.'

what

is

going on the better

it

sleep state he had seen a vitreous

floater in his eyeball (a loose piece of

NAME SERRADEALMOS ENCOUNTER

DATE
16

AUGUST 1968
SPAIN

Mr Brooks circulated his report

to

dead

cell

matter frequently seen

clear

many flying saucer research

when looking at a
such as the sky).

background

PUCE SERRADEALMOS,
MAPREF:F19

organizations across the world and

Mr Brooks had had

has expressed no doubt that what he

an eye injury some years previously

EVENT UNUSUAL ENTITY ENCOUNTER

saw was an alien spacecraft. He commented To begin with 1 was

apprehensive, wondering
if I

which was repaired by corneal

transplant and this

may have

led to

One

of the

main aspects of UFO

is

had

him seeing larger

floaters than

entity claims

that the vast majority

been spotted. mind

that
I

It

even crossed

my
I

usual. This explanation is believed to

- by far - are
i.e.

of

humanoid

entities,

might be captured and

there

account for the fact that the object

aliens
in

which resemble human

planned,

if

seemed any danger

where I had
easier,

would have remained motionless

despite the wind and

form

having two legs, two arms

of that, to leave

my walking stick in
bit
it

why

it

moved

and a head carrying the sensory

organs at the highest position.

the ground as a clue to

very rapidly and decelerated quickly

to a standstill;
'floaters' as
it is

been. But after a

I felt

a characteristic of

However, not
entities in the

all

cases are of

this

even content, and

occurred to

has since

the eyeball

moves and
further

nature, for example the brain-like

me that the green

then stops.

Dapple Grey Lane

anorak

was wearing may have

The Ministry of Defence

concluded that

encounter

in

the United States (see

camouflaged me.

Mr Brooks had

page
In

56).

The
the

sighting

came

at a

time

when
was
from

attributed an extraordinary nature to

August 1968

at

Serra de

the 'flying star' or 'flying cross'

the incident because of publicity

relating to the flying cross sightings
in

Almos, Spain, a chicken farmer was

to report
variation.

much reported
Moigne Dovms

UFO of the
sighting,

one such rather frightening

It

period. Indeed only days apart

the national newspapers at the

the

two
edge

time.

o'clock in the
slightest

was approximately 6 morning when he saw

police constables in a police car had

With perhaps only the

irony

chased a

flying cross along the

Mr Akhurst's letter to Mr
their conclusions
'I

feet

dome shaped object hovering a few above the ground. As he

of Dartmoor.

Other police

officers

Brooks setting out

stated

approached, two entities ran back to

were reporting such

Obviously
it

sightings in

recognise that you

may

find

and into the object which then took

off.

other parts of the country.

our conclusions unsatisfactory.

The entities he reported were

like,
tall

was speculated that what Mr Brooks had seen was the

flying cross.

They

also pointed out that 'Our

is

octopus
also

approximately 3

ft

radar cover

such that
is

we are

(91

cm)

and had several legs

quite satisfied there

no

each.

He

also described

them

as

The case was

investigated by a

clandestine aerial activity over the

being

light in

colour and disgusting in

Ministry of Defence team:

Dr John

United Kingdom under terrestrial

control.
It

appearance.

Dickison firom the Royal Aircraft

For me, there was an amusing

said that

Establishment at Famborough; Alec

Cassie, a psychologist with the

must be

Mr Brooks

side to this story. Although

it

had

RAF

replied with equal precision to the

and Leslie Akhurst from S4

Ministry of Defence (S4
is

at the

Ministry, critical of their conclusion:

the

'The fact that the gale was howling

section of the Ministry of Defence

and

which investigates

UFO reports).

clawing

my Alsatian was painfully me to leave the spot was

off'.

was not a widely reported case and 1 was unaware of it when 1 was editing a book. Phenomenon, for the British UFO
happened
in

1968

it

Research Association (BUFORA).

They came up with an explanation which was imaginative, and indeed

plausible and not unreasonable, but
it

hardly conducive to "dropping

As an experiment

for the

book

The
that

fact that

Mr Brooks's

asked top British special effects

sighting has remained unique and

was not one which was ever going

no similar object has been seen

modelmaker to the film industry, Martin Bower, to fake a UFO

encounter solely for the purposes of
proving
In the

to satisfy

Mr Brooks.

since need not weigh heavily against

They suggested that Mr Brooks had lain down to rest from the wind
and had
reason
fallen

the report since most are unique in

other.

UFO sightings

how easily it could be

is

done.

some
craft
in

detail or the

book the whole story

asleep or entered a

We are left only to decide

was an external
the eye of the

clearly described so that there

is

no

near sleep state. This was the

whether the
beholder.

doubt that the resulting photograph

is

trying to

why his dog was agitated and wake him. During the near

event or indeed

a deliberate fake. In

order to
I

further emphasize that fact

asked

92

'I

DATABASE 1960s

Martin to |)r()duce an octopoidal type

alien

add to the niytholoj^y that surrounds

the

so extraordinarily unbelievable that

which

believed had never

UFO

phenomenon. ) The

no-one could believe

had
hit

it

to be real,

been reported and would therefore

not confuse the issue by lookinj^ as
it

resulting picture proved the pcjint

if

on one that had been 'seen'

It
I

and was suitably amusinj^, but the

already!

was around about

this

could be real. (The

to

last thinj?

book had only been out

few

time that

discovered the true

wanted was
that

produce

a picture
in

would one day turn up

the

months when the Serra de Almos case was drawn to my attention. Far
from creating a fake UF'O encounter

meaning
best-laid

of the expression 'The

schemes o'Mice

an'

Men

literature as 'real'

and unnecessarily

gang

aft a'gley'.

FAKE PHOTOGRAPHS
1962 Alex Birch claimed
five

Right

In

to

have photographed
Sheffield, England.

UFOs

over

Having impressed

the Air Ministry

and an inaugural
to

meeting

of

BUFORA, he went on

confess that he had stuck the images

on a pane

of

glass through which he

took the photograph.

Below This fake UFO photograph, with

the author as victim,

would not pass

it

many modern
shows
clearly

analysis tests but

how easy

it

is is to set

up

fake alien encounters. This

whole
minutes
to

image took less than

make,
set

thirty

up and photograph.

93

EUROPE

NAME DR
DATE
1

'X'

However, the

effect

on the

will

NOVEMBER 1968

witness was not totally beneficial; he

experienced cramps and stomach

PLACE SOUTHERN FRANCE
pains, he lost weight

and there was

MAPREF:H17
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

peculiar triangular shaped coloration

more as time passes. was an early spring in southern Sweden, in 1969, when Kathryn and two companions, Harvey and Martin (pseudonyms used), were sitting in
reveal
It

around his navel. Even more

extraordinary, the

meadow relaxing and discussing

were so

same

triangle
a

the events of the time that

appeared on the baby's stomach

important to the young; mainly the

Around 4

o'clock in the

morning Dr

day or so later and the doctor

Vietnamese war and the Biafran

famine. Kathryn
felt

X (his name and the precise location

of the event are withheld to avoid

dreamed

that

it

was

in

some way

emotionally

connected to

his sighting.

upset by the violence and lack of

unwanted

publicity)

was awoken by

The

triangle

would appear and

compassion that seemed to be

the cries of his toddler.

When he

disappear on both the father and the

embracing the world; indeed she

was indicating that something was outside the window with great excitement. The doctor saw lights
reached the
child,

the boy

son for days on end for some

considerable time after the event

began to

cry.

Suddenly above them an object appeared

in

and indeed was recorded on

1986, 18 years after the
sighting!
first

film in

the sky, oval shaped

with what appeared to be legs

which he believed to be lightning and calmed

his son.

The

story continues.

protruding from

it.

Martin and

For years since the event the

family has

Kathryn saw

it,

but they heard

Following this he then opened a

been the subject

of

nothing. Without warning their very

window

to look

over the open

paranormal phenomena; telepathy

frequently reported

perception of nonnality turned

inside out: the sky

landscape outside the house and

between

no longer seemed

observed two saucer shaped UFOs,

white above and red beneath.
also noticed antennae

members

of the family, levitation,

to exist and in front of them, both

He

unusual effects on electrical

instrumentation. Indeed the family

Martin and Kathryn saw the

looking as
that
it

moon

on top and a

did in the photographs to the Earth

beam

of light reaching

down from

seems
them

to

have undergone something

kinds of

were beamed back

beneath the objects. The

UFOs

of a change in mental attitude leaving

sensitive to
all

by the Apollo astronauts. They saw

space as an almost
endlessness.
Strangely, although Martin and
fluid-like

were moving towards the doctor and he saw with astonishment that, as
they approached him, they appeared
to

grey

phenomena.

merge

into

each other leaving just

Kathryn appear

to

have shared the

one

UFO. The beam of light from

single

NAME KATHRYN HOWARD

DATE
6 APRIL 1969

underneath the

UFO suddenly
PLACE SOUTHERN SWEDEN

rotated round and illuminated the

same experience, Harvey saw nothing, either he was unable to face the sensory input or he was cut off from it. None of the trio could
explain

house, shining directly on the

doctor.

MAPREF:L10
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

There was

a loud

bang and
which
that the

indeed

why that should be, nor how it should have come

felt

the

UFO disappeared leaving behind

it

about. Kathryn

compelled to

talk

just a glowing 'presence'

about what she was seeing or lose

dispersed. But

seemed

The Kathryn Howard case

interface

is

one

the image forever.

forget
if I

'I

UFOs had taken

them!

something with
the doctor's pain

which clearly demonstrates the

don't talk.

must talk. I will Look at the sky.

the Universe.

They had taken

and
disabilities.

between the UFO phenomenon and other paranormal

experiences. Because of the nature
of her encounter

There

is

no sky.

We are sitting in
is

the Universe. This

Three days before

the encounter the doctor had injured

his leg wliile

Kathryn believes

chopping wood and had

still

that she will not fully recall the

Her perceptions were still changing! The Earth itself seemed to be expanding around them and Kathryn
said
'I

a very painful bruise which

events, nor feel able to openly relate

to
all

feel like a

puppet on

strings.

showed. Several years before he

had also received wounds during the
Algerian war. Astonishingly, both of

of

what she has

recalled, until
feel

She

felt

as

if

she were looking at the

wlaile at the

she has been able to emotionally

as she did at the time. F^or that

Earth from way above

these unpleasant injuries instantly

disappeared.

reason what follows

is

of necessity

same time standing on it. Both Martin and Kathryn were crying and
they
felt

incomplete and no doubt the case

they could hear the slow

94

DATABASE 1960s

Kathryn

into the (object. l^>oking

down between her

at

feet she could

see the treetops and the Karth and

one time even the impression of

her
felt

own
as
if

body. Inside the object she

she were free floating but

at the wrists

nonetheless restrained

and ankles.
Apparently she became fearful
that the abduction

was

to be

permanent, that she would be

removed from the Earth

back.

forever,

and she screamed 'Please take

I

me
was

am

not ready to leave yet.'

felt

The

only time she

real fear

under the regression hypnosis, but

whether

this is a

product of the

technique or of her
debatable.

memory

is

Under hypnosis Kathryn saw

Kathryn Howard

now

lives in

America,
in

that

everyone wants to express

and secrets
I

herself wearing a kind of crystal

where

this

photograph was taken

1990,
in

their hidden desires

head-dress and since that time

clairvoyants and others have seen a
similar

but she had her abduction experience

with me, and on and on

'

could write

Sweden over twenty years

earlier.

She

about these things. Neither Martin

believes that she will not fully understand

nor Harvey have

felt

able to follow

entities she

mass around her head. The encountered were

her experiences until she

to the

is

able to return
life.

up the experiences; Kathryn

believes this
is

transparent, not a particularly

surroundings of her

earlier

due to their

frequently given description but,

interestingly,

submergence
deep beat
Universe
that

into a fundamentally

one that has arisen

in

was the rhythm

of the

materialistic world.

other cases from around the same

area and the period of time (see the

itself.

Of all the impressions she

received the
last

The emotions overwhelmed

them.

was

of great

Anders case, page

In the future,

103).
feels that

A feeling of love and

felt

compassion and she said as she

Kathryn

compassion gripped them and

began to come around from the

experience
'If

she must return from the United

I

Kathryn said she

the greatest

Hitler

was here now,

him and

States,
to

where she presently

to taste the
life

lives,

joy she had ever known. But there

would put
tell

my arms around

Sweden and
will

were

also less joyful impressions:

images of great destruction,

possibly the end of the

human

race

him that I loved him. He didn't know what he was doing. He was not alive yet. He was just a shell.'

sensations of her earlier

before

she

be able to

fully

understand

the true meaning of the experiences

and the end of time

itself;

there

There then appears

to be a

she has had. Both

and the other

were many other images which

Kathryn
feels unable to talk about

period of missing time. Although this

UFO researchers she is working

with must leave her to rediscover

event had happened during a bright

even now.

day their next

memory was

of

these events

in

her

own way

rather

Of the three, only Kathryn has

felt

o'clock in the evening at the

house of

than use the high pressure, almost

interrogative, techniques so

compelled to follow up the

one of them only an hour away from

the

experience having been conscious

meadow where

they had been.

common
will

in

America. Kathryn's case

even from an early age

'Ever since that day,
strongly that there
is
I

that her

life

There has been one attempt using

regression hypnosis to
fill

then almost certainly be a most

had special meaning. She states

I

in this

valuable piece in the

global jigsaw that
is

enormous

have

felt
I

missing time period; the recall of

this

the

UFO

message

mostly concerns the UF'O

legs that had

itself.

phenomenon.
Only time
Kathryn's
tell

have to get out, that

know how

to

The
to

been sticking

will tell;

and with
it

get people to open their eyes in a

out underneath the

UFO turned out

spirit free,

will

no doubt

way they have never done

before,

be cylinders, one of which pulled

the truth.

95

7 January 1970, Imjarvi.

close encounter of the third

kind

was experienced by

AarnoHeinonenand Esko
Viljo

who were

out skiing

in

the snow-covered forests of

Southern Finland.

t-M^'

m
^.X.-

f^^

'<?fe^^^-^^.

*&!,

iZ*

-^^-

>-^
%iy^
riS
^*-"
*>-1*isi

*1%

a
EUROPE

As Heinonen
completely

related

'I

was standing
I

headache would disappear within ten

days but for Heinonen they
continued for

still.

Suddenly

felt

as

if

NAME THE
DATE
7

IMJARVI ENCOUNTER

somebody has seized my waist from

behind and pulled
think
I

some

time.
still

Some

five

JANUARY 1970

me backwards.

months
in

later

he was

suffering

took a step backwards, and

from the same pains and although

the paralysis of his right leg

PLACE IMJARVI, SOUTHERN FINLAND

MAPREF:07
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

same second I caught sight of the creature. It was standing in the middle of the light beam with a black
the

disappeared he could
balance properly.

still

not

box

in its

hands.

From around the

came a The creature

Heinonen's

memory was
it

also

opening
'I

in

the box there

severely affected and

that to

got so bad

felt in.

my joints were
vomit.

My back was aching and all painful. My head

I

yellow

light, pulsating.

ached and after a while

had to

was about 35 in (90 cm) tall, with very thin arms and legs. Its face was
pale like wax.
I

tell

whenever he left home he had his family where he was going

him
if

so that they could search for him and

collect

When I went to pee the urine

black,
it

didn't notice the

he

didn't return! Viljo

was nearly

was

like

pouring

eyes, but the nose

strange.
It

was very

himself

was not unaffected by the

black coffee onto the snow. This

was
ears

continued for a couple of months.

nose.

The

hook rather than a were very small and

a of overall

event; he had a red and swollen face

and had become incoherent and

absent-minded.

These were the after effects reported by one of two witnesses

involved in an incredible encounter
in

narrow towards the head. The

creature wore
in

some kind

a light green material.

On its feet

Dr Pauli Kajanoja stated 'The symptoms he described are like

those after being exposed to

the snow-covered forests of

in

were boots
There were
fingers

of a darker green colour,

southern Finland
It

1970.

which stretched above the knee.

also white gauntlets

was late afternoon on Wednesday, 7 January 1970 when countrymen Aamo Heinonen and Esko Viljo were out skiing. They
paused
in a

going up to the elbows, and the

were bent

like

claws around

the black box.

Viljo also

He added 'Both men seem sincere, I don't think they had made the thing up. I am sure they were in a state of shock when they came to me; something must have
radioactivity.
'

small clearing to enjoy

described the creature

frightened them.

the few stars in the cold sunset.

as 'luminous like phosphorus' and

The experience was

corroborated by two other people

After a short time they heard a

wearing a
light

conical, metallic like

buzzing noise and saw a bright

helmet.

The
cm)

creature was less then

who reported UFOs

same time and
in

in

the sky at the

as

moving through the sky towards

them. As
it

ft

(91

tall.

the

same area

neared them above and puffs of

Suddenly Heinonen was

the light from the box
creature's hands.
in

hit

by

the Imjarvi encounter.

it was not at an between the time of the encounter and August 1972 he

treetop height, they saw a red-grey

the

For Heinonen

mist swirling around

it

The

forest

end;

cloud

smoke emanating from it. Inside the was a circular, saucer shaped
appearance and

became suddenly quiet, the redgrey mist drew down from the
object and sparks could be seen
flying into the

reported twenty-three other

UFO

object, metallic in

contacts. Occasionally, he reported

some 9 ft (274 cm) wide. It had a dome above, and beneath were
three spheres around the rim,

snow. The mist hid

meeting with an extremely beautiful

space

the creature and surrounded both the witnesses. Suddenly the light

woman and one entity very

reminiscent of the Adamski

reminiscent of the Adamski

beam disappeared and was sucked

up
into the craft apparently taking
it.

Venusian who had progressed

considerably beyond the

photographs of nearly twenty years

earlier (page 28).

mere

From

the base

the entity with

craft itself

Then even

the

telepathy of the Adamski encounter

of the object a tube suddenly fired a

was gone! Heinonen was

his friend the

and was able to speak fluent Finnish.

sharp

beam

of light

down towards
time the object

paralyzed on his right side and Viljo

These

later claims

have tended to

the ground.

By

this

had to almost carry

create an atmosphere of disbelief

had lowered
(3

itself to

around 10

ft

2 miles (3 km) to their home.

Later, at the Heinola clinic they

even amongst hardened

researchers, but this
failure of
is

UFO

m) from the ground, almost

If

probably the

within touching distance of the men.

were examined and the doctor

prescribed sleeping
sedatives.
pills

UFO researchers to
is.

were astonished now the next instant was to take what was left of their breath away.
the witnesses

and

understand the phenomenon for

He

believed that the

what
that
I

it

really

(An understanding
a long

symptoms

of aching joints and

feel is

still

way

off for

us

98

DATABASE 1970s

all. )

Of those who knew the

silently.

As

the object

left,

the car

witnesses one farmer, Matti

Haapaniemi, a neij^hbour, stated

systems returned to normal and

Maanij) reported the encounter to
his base.

must be said that the Air Force were reasonably open and commented 'We have the greatest
It

'Many people
have lauj^hed
don't think

in this at this

neij^hboiirhood
story. Hut
1

confidence
particularly

in

the police officer.

He

is

Maarup was
the
light;
it

a trained observer,

and we do not
this kind

it's

anything to joke

concerned over the strangeness of

had not faded but had
if it

seek

in

any way to dismiss

'

about.

have known both

Aamo and
boys.

of observation. Subsequent
investigation
of the

Esko

since they

were

little

actually
solid.

drawn upwards, as
a I'ujaxa

were
the

showed

that the pilots

Both are

quiet, rational fellows

and
1

He had

camera

in

T-33

training jets had not

seen

moreover they are

sure their story
is

abstainers.

am

car and took three photographs of the object as

it

anything unusual below them and

true!'

departed, also taking

other explanations were offered

There were many other sightings

of 'distant lights in the sky' in the

area around the

same time as

this

more photographs once the object was gone. Unfortunately they show very little, and nothing
three
distinctly.

such as shooting stars and comets.

None

of the explanations
officer

appeared to give credence to

event, which also added to the

credibility of the case.

While

still

outside the car

Maarup's statement that he had

Maarup
the car

investigated the area

watched the object stationary

for

discovering that the metalwork of

some

five

minutes and seem to

was warm, but he could Maarup being some 30 ft

itself

find

dismiss rather than explain the

event. Perhaps the encounter

NAME THE MAARUP ENCOUNTERS

DATE
13

no other traces.

was
one
that

AUGUST

1970/14

AUGUST 1973
(9.

Of the object
described
it

not that extraordinary by

standards, but unlike

UFO
this

as

many

PLACE HADERSLEY, JYLLAND, DENMARK

14

m)

in

diameter with an

had a sequel!
Officer

MAPREFJII
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIRST
KIND

opening
3
ft

in

the base approximately

Maarup commented
his

(91

cm) wnde from which the

the underside (possibly
in

the sighting had taught him one thing

light

emanated. There were two

and that was to keep

mouth

shut.

domes on
At almost
1 1

However, he

did admit to a

second
in

o'clock on Thursday,

reminiscent of the three seen

the

encounter on 14 August 1973

13 August 1970 police officer Evald

Adamski

craft,

see page 28, and the

almost exactly the same conditions

Maarup was

driving

home in his

Imjarvi encounter, see page 98).

and almost exactly the same time of

evening and again he had taken

police car along a

minor road when

On

reporting the incident to his

he suddenly encountered a bright

white
light.

base he received the reply, almost

tongue-in-cheek, that he should

some photographs.

His car engine cut out

all its

On

this

occasion the

light
fields,

immediately, and
out.

lights

went

consider being committed to a

apparently

came across

the

Maarup was almost blinded by power of the light and found

even
in finding

mental hospital. However, following

disturbing cattle and horses before

more

serious questioning
all

bringing his car to a halt and

difficulty

the
call his

afterwards,

of his colleagues

extinguishing

its lights.

On this

microphone of his radio to

stated that they believed he

telling the truth.

was

occasion he saw three

domes
Adamski

base; a fruitless search because

One

of his

protruding from the underside of the

craft,

when he did find it it was also The car heated up to the

equivalent of a

dead.

colleagues informed the press and

within a twenty-four hour period
officer

exactly as

in

the

claims of two decades earlier.

object
left
it

As the

warm summer's day

light
it

Maarup was being besieged

apparently scanned the

and Maarup watched as the

rose above him. Beyond

by journalists not just from Denmark

but from

road with

its

he could
a large

many other countries.

explanation given by

towards

liim to

beam and also tilted show the solid

see that

it

emanated from

The

official

superstructure and portholed

grey object which

made no sound

the Air Force through Major Hellden

of Air Tactical

windows.
Officer Maarup was left with the same questions we all are left with. Why? As he stated 'I have no doubt

whatsoever.

To officer Maarup's
light

Command was that

landing lights

astonishment he watched as over a

five

Maarup had seen the

minute period the

seemed

of a jet trainer (T-33) but

Maarup

drawn up inside the object and as this was completed Maarup stepped out of the car and watched
to be

replied to this that he had indeed

what

have seen, but why

the year?

at

almost

seen the
after the

some ten minutes sighting and was quite

aircraft

exactly the

same time? Why on no

other day

in

Why in almost

the thing

move on

swiftly

and

adamant

that the

two were

unalike.

exactly the

same

place?"

99

\l

EUROPE

NAME THE PETER DAY FILM

DATE

11JANUARY1973
OXFORDSHIRE,

PUCE LONGCRENDON,
ENGLAND
MAPREF:F13

EVENT DAYLIGHT SIGHTING/FILM

Driving tiirough Oxfordshire

towards Aylesbury, surveyor Peter

Day watched an orange

ball of light

(possibly of the kind which in the

early days of flying saucers used to

be affectionately known by the

nickname 'amber rambler')

at

travelling

approximately treetop height less

than a mile
pulsating.

away from him and Day was able to record

100

'r

DATABASE 1970s

Opposite above

still

from Peter Day's

the engine she

felt a

touch and
like figure

Her subsequent report

question about her
event.
It

to her

cine film on 11 January 1973.

turned to see a robot

ball

husband and the police suggested no

Opposite hfiow Artist's impression of

lightning,

some 6

ft

(IH.'i

cm)

tali

standing

own

belief in the

which

may

well be the

behind her. She fainted.

was impossible

to
this

phenomenon

filmed by Peter Day. Ball

When
that she

she came around she found

determine whether or not

was

lightning often gives rise to

UFO

reports.

and the robot were standing

an internally generated image or an

external reality.

next to a
tlu' sij.;lUinj.;

domed

object
ft

some

18

ft

There were

of

on cine

tlhii

which

h;is

(5.5

m) wide and 36
fainted again!

(10.9 m) high.

course many similarities to earlier

cases which had by then become
well

been highly publicized since and

indeed analyzed extensively by

She

When

she next
herself

became conscious she found

it

known.

Kodak who have confirmed

genuine.

that

is

naked and
in

tied

on to a metallic table
the walls

The
at

sighting

was

also

room where
in

were
NAME TORINO
DATE
30

corroborated by children and

teachers
the

glowing

an eerie fashion. Three

SIGHTING

Long Crendon

human
of

like figures

conducted

NOVEMBER 1973

School nearby.
Investigation suggested at first
that the sighting could

physical examination and

when two
PLACE CASELLE AIRPORT, TORINO, ITALY

them

left

the third sexually

have been of

assaulted her. Not surprisingly,

A. fainted yet again.
to she

Mrs

MAPREF:J17
EVENT RADAR VISUAL ENCOUNTER

a crashing jet aircraft and indeed did crash

one

When
own

she came

on the day

in

question but

was

inside her

car and
It

without doubt not at the same time. The teacher and the school children were quite precise about when they

discovered that three hours had

passed.

was approximately 7

o'clock in the

evening when Riccardo Marano

approached Caselle Airport

C3-P0 from Star Wars the classic

in his

had seen the object and

it

correlated

Piper Navajo. As he was about to

land the control

exactly with Peter Day's

own

science fiction idea of an alien robot.

tower radioed

claims, thus ruling out the aircraft

theory. P'rame by frame analysis of

the film

shows
all

that in the closing

frame, at the point

disappears,

when
as
if

the object

of the trees appear to

in

bend

fiercely

away

response

to an airborne explosion.

No confirmed identification
has been speculated that

has
it

ever been made of the object but

Day may
and

have captured elusive

ball lightning

phenomena on

film for the first

possibly only time to date.

NAME LANGFORD
DATE
16

BUDVILLE ENCOUNTER

OCTOBER 1973

PIACE L;\NGF0RD BUDVILLE, SOMERSET,

ENGLAND
MAPREF:F13
EVENT ABDUCTION

Mrs

A. (identity withheld)

was

driving along a country road near

Langford Budville

in

Somerset when

her engine and lights cut out.

When

she got out of the vehicle to examine

101

M
EUROPE
information of an unidentified flying
object

through the kitchen curtain and saw

a greenish light emanating

oval and yellow, very large and very

bright.

the

some 1,200 ft (365 m) over runway. Marano aborted the

it

from

his

As Mr

V. flashed his torch at

garden.

When he

parted the curtain

the humanoid the entity raised his

landing and flew towards the object

to get a better

view he saw an

hand and stuck

the
a

his fingers

up

in a

but

zigzagged away

in a

non-

astonishing sight in his small walled

V-sign (which perhaps doesn't have

ballistic

motion quite beyond the

garden.

capabilities of

any

aircraft.

Given the

At the end of the garden was

small humanoid just over 3

entity

distance

it

covered Marano
it

ft. tall

estimated

to be
3,

moving

at

wearing a shiny one piece

glowing green.

suit,

and

same meaning wherever the came from as it might in Europe. ) The entity then turned away and walked off towards the
back garden
If

tall

approximately

100 miles

On his head the

wall.

(5,000 km) per hour.

humanoid had a transparent globular

helmet with a tube running
it

the sight of the creature or his

There was no

lack of

gestures were a less than pleasant

his

corroboration for the sighting;

was

backwards to a backpack. On

awakening

for

Mr V.

what followed

detected on the airport radar, on

military radar, and visually sighted

stomach there was a bright red box

which was luminous and sparkling.

by two other

pilots

and several

Even more remarkably,

a

in his

hands

was even more astonishing. The creature scaled the wall walking up and over it as if it were
continuation of a
flat

civilians at the airport.

he was holding what appeared to be

detector, which he

surface, and

There has been some thought

that the radar picked a

up the echo of

vacuum cleaner or metal was passing

in front of

always remaining perpendicular to

the surface he

was walking on.

weather

balloon,

and that the

of the planet

across the ground

him.

When he
flipped

reached the top he simply

visual sighting

was

Mr V.

flashed his torch at the

over the top and presumably

Venus. However, the high number

of corroborative witnesses suggests
that there
is

humanoid who turned round.

he turned he had to rotate
his

When
whole

walked down the other side of the

wall in the

same way. Shortly

more

to the case than

body, apparently unable simply to

turn his head, indeed
all

afterwards a small round object

mere

collective suggestion.

of his

making
V.

a muffled noise appeared

wall, rising

movements as observed by Mr were jerky and uncomfortableNAME THE VILVORDE HUMANOID

DATE
19

beyond the

away from

the scene of the event.

looking.

DECEMBER 1973

As
him

the humanoid turned to face

A drawing
shows
which

of the Vilvorde

encounter
in

Mr V.

can hardly have been any

the entity and the walled garden

it

PLACE VILVORDE, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

MAPREF:I13
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

more comfortable at the sight. The ears were pointed, no nose or mouth was visible and the eyes were

was seen.

It

scaled the walls of

the garden by walking up

them

at a

90

angle to the surface of the wall.

The Vilvorde humanoid of 1973 displayed some unusual characteristics which have made The
asleep
witness,

this

case quite famous across Europe.

Mr V. (name
were
in

withheld) and his wife

in their

bed

house

at Vilvorde,

some

71/2

miles (12

km)

to the north

of Brussels, in Belgium,

on the night in

question. At approximately 2 o'clock

in

the morning
toilet

Mr V.

left his

bed

to
... ife.'irtf

go to the

which was

in a

small
I,
I
'

outside yard next to the kitchen.

As he reached
someone was

the kitchen he
if

heard a sound from outside as

striking the

ground

with a metallic object and he looked

102

DATABASE 1970s

No p'ound
catne forward.

traces

were found

of

his right

and threw himself to the

the event, and no other witnesses

ground.

He missed!

Our witness seems

felt

Instead of hitting the ground he himself drawn upwards into what

to be a

unaffected by the encounter himself,

he continued the evening by making

himself a light snack
it is

seemed

cone of light coming

in

the kitchen!
that

from an object above. His next

conscious

worthy of note

Mr V.
in

memory was of
his wife

had had a previous

UFO sighting and

desperately ringing his doorbell to

went on
involved

to

have yet another one

be confronted by
about a bleeding

concerned
his

July 1974 though

in

no humanoids were

wound on

either of these.

forehead and an unpleasant

his cheek.

bum on

Anders contacted the

division of

NAME THE ANDERS ENCOUNTER

DATE
23

the national defence

known

as 'The

MARCH

1974

Cavalry'

who

put him on to the local

Home Guard chief. Hardy

PLACE SODERBY, GUSTAVSLUND, SWEDEN

Brostrom. The press interviewed

MAP REF; M8
EVENT ABDUCTION

Brostrom and were quick

and on
radio. Alerted

to catch
it

on to the story, publicizing

locally

by the
Above The Anders abduction took
place at the centre of a concentration
of

At around midnight on Saturday, 23

publicity
local

Anders was contacted by

March 1974 Anders (pseudonym)

left

UFO investigator Sten

who
set up regression
at

a party in a school hall near

Lindgren

energy

lines,

mapped

out using the

Hagalund near Malmhagen.

Although he had been drinking
alcohol he

hypnosis sessions

Danderyds

dowsing technique undertaken by

investigator Arne Groth. This sketch

Sjukhus (hospital) with Dr Ture

Arvidsson. These took place on
1

was not drunk and only

was made by
original.

the author from Groth's

stepped outside for a breath of fresh

air.

April and

20

May

1974 and during

For some reason he then

these sessions Anders recalled

Below Looking towards the

Anders Encounter,
this

site of the

decided to walk
miles (4-5

home some

2y2-3
It

some

of the details of his abduction

photograph
from which

km)

to Lindholmen.

has

aboard the vehicle.

was taken

at the position

been

a subject of debate,

never

Having been sucked aboard, he

an independent witness reported

seeing the cone of light that allegedly

reconciled, as to

whether or not he

was was

at this

stage simply making a

was confronted by four semitransparent beings. They were

tall

abducted the witness.

spontaneous decision or whether he

actually in the control of 'other'

entities.

He

took a 'backwoods' route

his

towards

home
was

avoiding a

more

major road
shortcut.

in

order to take a
a cold bright night

It

with a

full

moon and

the area

was

luminescent with a layer of snow

across the ground. In this

brightened darkness Anders passed

a small cottage and a circle of runic stones, as he walked towards a bend
in

the road.

Ahead

of

him on the side

a bright light

of a hillock

Anders saw

getting stronger and gained the

impression that

it

might be a car

approaching from behind.

He

left

the

road and walked onto the grass to

103

n
EUROPE
and apparently wearing hoods,
appeared to be
slightly

watch'

in

the local area fielding

fifty

Lindholmen. She thought

that she

at first

glowing and

of their

own personnel

as well as the

was seeing a

helicopter

communicated by
tones.
It

a series of musical

fifteen ufologists already present.

descending into the valley near

Soderby, north of Granby and very
close to the

appears that during the

During the course of that 'stake

unexplained night

out'

abduction the entities pierced his

these groups also reported some

lights.

Anders abduction
to the

site.

forehead with a probe

like in

One

of the

Mrs Andersson drove

instrument which resulted

bleeding

the

reports received also corroborated

the Anders encounter, coming as
did
it

crossroads at Haga but could not see

the object and she drove on to
collect

wound his wife later saw. In a dream one year after the event Anders received a message 'You
have had
use

from a witness who had seen the

in

her parents

at

Malmhagen.

cone of light

exactly the

same

During her stay with her parents

there was interference on the
television of order.

my sword within you for a

know
for

place at exactly the

year, but you don't

it.'

what to

abduction from a site

same time of the some 550 yds

it

and the telephone was out

a large,

(500 m) away. Unfortunately, her

precise location
to see

They observed

There are two major aspects to the case. First, Anders sought an
alternative type of investigation to

made

impossible

bright

UFO moving through the

Malmhagen towards pit. This was
local

Anders himself as he would

forest east of

have been behind a copse of trees

nearby gravel

the usual regression hypnosis,

from her point of vision.

corroborated by a further
not

which he found an unsuitable and

unsatisfying technique.

The Anders abduction was

Vallentuna

independent report from a

He

the only close encounter of the

90-year-old retired blacksmith and

also

approached investigator Arne Groth

wave and one

is

of the that of

by a woman who watched the

who searched

for

answers with
of

other important cases

Mrs

object travel

between Skrattbacken
to her

Anders using the energy

H. Andersson the following evening

(see below).

and Malmhagen.

crystallography and by studying

Mrs Andersson drove on

brother's at Skrattbacken

Anders's biorhythms. Groth also

where
in

used a divining rod to dowse the

area of the
site in a

they saw the object again. Later

search for

NAME MRS ANDERSSON'S ENCOUNTER

DATE
24

the evening she

left

her brother's

energy

lines

and studied Anders's

According to

MARCH

1974

house to travel home with her

brother and his daughter
in

enhanced
abduction

'aura'.

the car

Groth's analysis, the site of the

is

PUCE

SODERBY, GUSTAVSLUND, SWEDEN

behind.

As they were

driving along

the precise location of a

MAP

REF:

M8

her brother noticed an object pass

'crossroads' of major energy lines

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

over the road shortly after

sister's car

his

and the event happened

particular

at a

had cleared the spot, and

his

peak

in

Anders's

he sounded

horn to attract her

to catch

biorhythms which occurs only once

Less than 24 hours

and coming
at the

after the

attention.

He accelerated

every forty-six years. These two

facts

abduction of Anders (see page 103)

her up and they watched the object

disappear towards a nearby farm.

suggest that the encounter was

same time as
in

pre-ordained and that Anders's

decision to take a particular road or

some

thirty

independent close
the

However, Mrs Andersson and

area,

encounter reports

same

her children
that they

left

the area and found

leave at a particular time could not

Mrs
in a

H. Andersson sighted an object

were paced by orange

have affected the outcome.

of these decisions

It

leads

small valley towards Soderby

coloured objects high above them,

the investigators to believe that both

(which was also reported by an

one of which was apparently

were involuntary

on Anders's
during a

part.

Granby nearby). Mrs Andersson is a local

independent witness
at

sweeping

a torch like

beam across

them. There was an aftermath; the

children suffered headaches and

Secondly, the event happened

UFO 'figure' and acts as the lynchpin

of an informal support group for

wave

of encounters in the

stomach aches and Mrs Andersson

had severe pain
in

Vallentuna area with over thirty

reports coming
in

UFO witnesses where they can

exchange
their experiences without

her kidneys for

the
it

within an

some
event

days. She
'It

summed up
horrible
I I

approximately two-hour period of

the Anders abduction and over a

fear of ridicule.

was so

wish

had

Her

first

sighting of the object

7.

never happened.
impression that
out by
that

got the

hundred within a two-month period.

took place at

25

in

the evening

we were checked
like a big

The wave caused

and the

significant

concern
'sky

when she was

driving towards

someone -

torch

Home Guard set up a

Vasaskolan, a school north of

swept the area.

104

DATABASE 1970s

MARS
Right Close-up of one ol Mars's two

- THE CLASSIC

HOME OF ALIENS

moons, Phobos. Phobos has intrigued

astrononners
orbital
for years,

because

its

movements seem

to violate

natural laws. There have

been

suggestions
artificial,

that

Phobos could be an
in orbit

hollow, spaceship

around Mars. Of even more

Jonathan Swift
in

interest,

the eighteenth century

of

gave accurate details

both Phobos
It

and the other

took years tor
to catch

l\/lartian

moon, Diemos.
astronomers

modem

up with him. Below The Red

Planet. Ever since Schiaparelli wrote of

'canali'

on the surface. Mars has been

considered as a possible
intelligent
life.

home

for

SBI^^M^

105

[Il

EUROPE

NAME THE BELLINGERI

DATE
16 APRIL 1974

SIGHTING

Avis
of

made

clear at a public meeting

Elaine related something similar

to an out-of-body experience

BUFORA that he had not found all

by the event
original

of the attention caused

describing floating sensations and

PUCE

PIEDMONT, ALESSANDRIA, ITALY

to

have been very pleasant. For that

I

even looking back and seeing herself

inside the car while being inside the

MAPREF:L19
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

reason

am reverting to the

pseudonyms that were used for the couple by the original investigators.
John and Elaine Avis together with
their three

UFO. John was apparently shown

the

power

unit of the

UFO and saw

planet.

videos of the aliens'

home

A young married couple,

Mauro
from a
Bellingeri

Caria and

young children were

to the village of

The

were

driving

home

driving
in

home

Aveley

them that genetic experimentation was part of their

aliens told

festival in the early

hours of

Essex

after 10 o'clock in the

reason for being there, an element

16 April 1974 when suddenly Mauro

spotted a bright object flying to their
left

evening of 27 October 1974.

Shortly after seeing a blue light in

which features strongly

in

North

American cases.

and he pointed

it

out to his wife.

the sky, described as oval shaped

There has been some speculation

about the direction of the Avis's
life

They saw the object dive to within 50 ft (15 m) of their own house. As they drove up to their house, Mauro opened the garage door and then returned to the car where they
stood together watching the object.
It

and pale

in

colour which they

occasionally glimpsed as they

driving, they

were
in

since the encounter, in particular

rounded a bend

the

John has undergone changes which have led him to be more ecologically concerned and more
inclined.
artistically

road and encountered a green fog,

which seemed to move across the

road, obscuring
it

just outside their

He

himself at a public

hovered soundlessly above the

a transparent

home

village.

They

also appeared to

meeting of UFO researchers denied

that

house and consisted of a dark ring

enter a 'cone of silence', a commonly

any change had been dramatic he believed he had

in

surmounted by
cockpit.

reported feature of

UFO abductions
stillness

stating that

The

ring had a

row

of

where an unnatural

and

always been interested

these

various lights around

its

edge. Inside

quiet surrounds the witnesses.

subjects anyway, and the interests

the cockpit they believed they could

They were unable

into the fog.

to stop driving

would have surfaced

Interestingly,

see three humanoid shapes and at

When they did so the

at some stage. many encounter

left

one point one of the humanoids

appeared to look
at

car radio crackled and smoked, the

cases

in

Sweden have

the

them before the

and began

engine went dead and the car jerked

violently.

witnesses with profound feelings of

UFO turned,

fired its jets

Suddenly they were back

concern for the environment and

speculated that this aspect
of the

it

is

to rotate fast before disappearing in

driving towards their

home!
couple

was

part

a north-easterly direction.

On arriving home the

lives in

meaning of these

Mauro's sister-in-law who

the
did not see the object.

switched on the television set keen

to

experiences.

same house heard the noise but There were many reports from the area over the
next few days.

watch a programme

for

which

they had raced back from Elaine's

parents but they were disappointed
to see a blank screen. In fact the television had shut

NAME THE TRIDENT SIGHTING

DATE
30 JULY 1976

down its
PLACE PORTUGUESE COAST, 40 MILES
(64

broadcasts for the evening and on

NAME THE AVELEY ABDUCTION

DATE
27 OCTOBER 1974

checking the time they were amazed

to discover
it

KM) SOUTH OF LISBON,

the morning.
PLACE AVELEY, ESSEX, ENGLAND
a half hours!

was now one o'clock in They had lost two and

PORTUGAL MAPREF:B20
EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER

MAPREF:G12
EVENT ABDUCTION

Some

three years after the

encounter,

when it was brought

to

One

of the

most impressive
which has been

UFO

the attention of the

UFO
came couple were
this

sightings,

The Aveley event was

the

first

investigators, regression hypnosis

corroborated,

comes from

a trio of

British abduction to involve

was

carried out.

From

the

planes that witnessed a

UFO over
The

regression hypnosis. (The real

suggestion that the

the Portuguese coast in 1976.

names of the witnesses have been made public in many books and
articles

subjected to medical examination by

tall

primary report was made by the

silver suited figures

and small bat

about

this event, but

Mr

like

creatures.

crew of a British Airways Trident II. The captain, and the first and second

106

DATABASE 1970s

THE BILLY MEIER PHOTOGRAPHS

Swiss farmer Eduard
well over a
of
'Billy'

Meier took

hundred clear photographs

UFOs

including the one here.

Controversy has raged over Meier's

claims, with

many

believing

him

a true

contactee and others claiming his story

- and the photographs

are a fraud.

Sceptics have pointed out thai the

photographs are usually taken with the

camera facing

into the sun,

which

would obscure such

details as

supporting wires. Further controversy

raged

when small models

in

of the

saucers were found

Meier's

possession: he stated he had

made

them based on the objects he had seen.

His case was investigated by writer

Gary Kinder
to the

who has
in

released the story

Years.

world

the

book Light

officers

were

all

interviewed and

is

a star or planet.

'

The

captain also

mean

a ship.

It

was customary

to

confirmed the story which was

took the unusual step of radioing to

the passenger cabin and telling the

track ships on the English Channel

subsequently also confirmed by the

which gave much more

significant

crews of the other planes.

(64

passengers

'If

you look on the

will

returns than the smaller aircraft.

The Trident was about 40 miles km) south of Lisbon when the
was

starboard side, you

believe to be a

see what

we

This return on the radar suggested

UFO.
came

something three times bigger than a 200,000 ton (203,200 tonne) tanker!
Although they turned down the
cabin lights they could see nothing in

captain heard Lisbon air traffic control radio to a Tristar, which

flying

The
727

third corroboration

from a Portuguese State Airlines

above them, saying 'We have

whom they also heard radioing

air traffic control

reports of the UF"0. Could you

Lisbon

confirming

the direction of the radar return

confirm the sighting?'

The
to

Tristar

the sighting.

However, the story

over.

which may mean only that

illuminated.

it

was not

was already confirming

traffic

Lisbon
this

air

was not yet

control 'Yes

we have

After landing at Faro airport the

aircraft 'turned around'

No conclusion
concerning
this

has been reached

UFO in sight', when the crew of the

Trident
II

and took

off

case though for a

also spotted the object.

It

for the return flight to

London. The

time the hoary old weather balloon

explanation

was

a very bright light, later

captain decided to use the radar to

was

trotted out but to

described by one of the passengers

of the plane,

scan the area where the sighting had

been.

nobody's satisfaction.
Just over

who had

binoculars, as

As

the plane
ft

a bright light surrounding

like

something

towards 31,000
the radar tilted

crumpled

silver paper.
at
it

were looking
its right.

a long

As they brown cigar

was climbing m) with upwards he got an

(9,4.S0

two months
a

later

on 19
from

September 1976
Airlines

Portuguese State
off

Boeing 707 taking

astonishing return.

He

stated

Lisbon had a near mid-air collision

wnth a

shape appeared

slightly

below and to

afterwards

it

was 'much bigger than

'

UFO described as bright and

it.

The

captain of the Trident

any ship
captain

have ever seen. The

specifically

glowing and with a row of red and

white lights around

also confirmed to Lisbon air traffic

was

questioned
in

This object

control that they had seen the

UFO
this

about this reference to a ship

case

was

also seen by the air traffic

and stated 'There

is

no way that

he meant

aircraft but

he did indeed

controller.

107

EUROPE

NAME THE AVIANO BLACKOUT

DATE
1

other witnesses including control

explained that there

were two

basic

JULY 1977

tower personnel.
During a normal training
flight

races visiting the Earth: the

tall

blond graceful people concerned for

PLACE AVIANO NATO BASE, NORTH-EAST

ITALY

they had encountered a bright,

circular,

us and the short dwarf aliens

interested
in

orange-coloured object

genetic engineering.

MAPREF;L16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

pacing the helicopters.

The

circle

This latter claim, of course,

mirrors the findings of many
ufologists

disappeared at an amazing speed

quite

beyond the

capabilities of

over the past

thirty years

aircraft of the day.

and has been highly publicized since

in flight

In the early hours of 1 July 1977, soldier James Blake at the

US

Other helicopters

the Betty and Barney

Hill

encounter

NATO

confirmed the sighting and on the

(see page 42).

base
light

at

Aviano saw a very bright

ground several people had been

watching
it

hovering over the location of

military aircraft; this

through binoculars.

Mount

Etna, Sicily.

The scene
in

of an

two

was

Radar had detected nothing and

the
official

extraordinary encounter

July 1978.

corroborated by other personnel on

the base.

explanation

was

that the

was described as being some 150 ft (46 m) in diameter,

It

helicopters had encountered 'an

aircraft operating out of Sardinia in

spinning with a

dome on

top and

the course of an ordinary

mission.

flight

varying

in

colours from green

through to red.

During the one hour which the

object remained at the base there

NAME
DATE

MEDINACELI ABDUCTION
5

was a total power blackout. This was corroborated by an independent

witness living nearby
that the base

FEBRUARY 1978

who

noticed

PLACE MEDINACELI, SORIA, SPAIN

was

in

darkness which

MAP

REF: El 8

was something he had 'never seen

before.
light'
'

EVENT ABDUCTION

He

also noticed a 'mass of

low over the base. Just a few

seconds after the object flew away

beyond the mountains the base

lights

The witness, known only as Julio, was walking his dog in the early hours of 5 February 1978 when he
realized he had experienced a time
loss. In

came back on
official

in a

mysterious

fashion.

regression hypnosis

The

explanation of the
it

sessions with psychologists, Julio

recalled being blinded

encounter was that

was no more

by a

light,

than the reflection of the

moon on

taken into a

room and being

tall,

low cloud.

confronted by
aliens

Nordic type
to

who were more concerned

his

examine

dog than

himself. In

NAME THE SARDINIA HELICOPTER

ENCOUNTER
DATE
27 OCTOBER 1977

fact, a full

medical examination was

undertaken of both and after a

period of blackout he found himself

returned to Earth with painful eyes.

PLACE CAGLIARI, SARDINIA, ITALY

Apparently during his encounter

MAP

REF: J20

he discovered that our planet

regarded as a beautiful oasis

is

EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER

in

the

Universe which attracts many

Major Francesco Zoppi of the 21st

Helicopter Group of the Italian Air

visitors,

suggesting an explanation

for the astonishing variety of entities

Corps and

his co-pilot

Lieutenant

reported.

Even more amazingly, and

is

Riccardelli released a statement

assuming that the case

not a

regarding a sighting confirmed by

prefabrication, the witness

108

DATABASE 1970s

NAME THE MOUNT ETNA ENCOUNTER

DATE
4

pattern of three bright red lights

pulsating
in

JULY 1978
SICILY, ITALY

the sky while they

were

beautiful.

were described by the witnesses as As two of the entities

together on Mount Ktna

PLACE MOUNT ETNA,

in Sicily.

walked towards them, the group

One

of the lights

headed down

was paralyzed by some power. The

entities,

MAP REF:

L21

towards the group and disappeared

however, did nothing but

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

some 1, ()()() ft cm m) away behind the brow of a hill.

returned to their saucer which took

off.

Shortly after the witnesses had

When

the group drove towards

recovered the use of their limbs.

A group of four witnesses,

Italian Air

two
(F.

the site they

saw

that resting

on a

They

noticed one very

Force personnel
L)i

rock was a saucer shaped

UFO
a

interesting point; as another car had

Fadellero and A.
Italian

Salvatore), an

some 40
brilliantly

ft

(12

m) across with
entities

passed by the

site,

the

WO had
again

Navy

officer

(M. Esposito)

lit

plexiglass type

canopy

and Signora Antonia Di Pietro saw a

on

top. Six

tall

were

dimmed and then brightened when it was beyond them,

apparently concealing
itself.

UFO consisting of a triangular

standing next to the object.

They

109

EUROPE

NAME THE FLYING ELEPHANT

DATE
APRIL 1979

10

ft

(3

m)

of the object and

watched

entities

appeared to have had

at least

as geometric figures began to form

hunchbacks or
of the

some form

of

on
PLACE 36,000 FT OVER SOUTHAMPTON

its

surface; triangles, squares,

enlarged growth between the back

trapezoids, circles, etc.

that other lights

He noticed
disc.

neck and the shoulders, a

is

ENGLAND
MAPREF:F13
EVENT DUMBO RETURNS!

were apparently

rarely reported observation. This

a feature that occurred in the

flashing

on other parts of the

1954

At one point the whole upper

surface of the disc illuminated a large

case

in

Wgierska Gorka (see

which was not recalled by

page

83),

Occasionally a

UFO mystery is

H-shape. In this respect

it

sounds

the witness until 1986 by which time the details of the Czluchow sighting

solved, as in the case of this report.

somewhat reminiscent
in Spain.

of the

UFO

When the passengers of an

airliner flying at 36,

once seen over San Jose de Valderas

Suddenly the object
light

000

ft.

were generally known. Even more extraordinarily, the

entities glided

(10,972 m) reported seeing an

orange, flying elephant outside the
aircraft

emitted a bright blue

witness
felt

and the

over the ground

it,

burning before he

rather than obviously walking on

aided, possibly,

every

UFO researcher and

turned and ran away.

by the

fact that their at the

every psychologist must have

considered that here was proof of

The

following morning he had a

legs apparently

ended

knees

form of oppressive headache,

and sore abcesses on
his face.

bums

with only an invisible gap between

the knees and the ground
itself!

mass hallucination if ever there was. However, some extraordinary

claims turn out to have not so

The

witness shouted at them but they

glided

away even

faster

and

extraordinary explanations;

in this

NAME CZLUCHOW SIGHTING

DATE

vanished.

He never saw them again

brilliantly
lit

case a huge advertizing balloon for a

circus had broken free of
its

AUGUST 1979

but he did see a

UFO fly

over the treetops approximately

PLACE CZLUCHOW, POLAND

moorings and had risen to terrorize

the airlanes!

100 yds (91 m) away from him.

MAPREF:M12
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

The

only physical trace that

left

appears to have been

of the

event was that the dogs' fore-paws

NAME PIASTOW ENCOUNTER

DATE
22

were paralyzed

for six

months

MAY

1979

Mr Z. (name withheld) was rowing

on a lake
at

following the incident.

Czluchow

in

Poland
a

in

PLACE PIASTOW, NEAR WARSAW, POLAND

August 1979 when he saw

dark

MAPREF:012
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

egg shaped object moving on the surface. It was apparently making no

sound and causing no commotion
the water and shortly after
it

NAME THE
DATE
9

LIVINGSTON ENCOUNTER

NOVEMBER 1979

in

was
a

PLACE LIVINGSTON, LOTHIAN, SCOTLAND

An event occurred near Warsaw in

first

sighted,

it

moved behind

MAPREF:F10
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

May of 1979 which was reminiscent

of the film Close Encounters of the

peninsula and out of sight.

A second witness, Mr Y.,

verified this sighting but also lost

Third Kind, and could well have

been an imaginative attempt

communication.

at

sight of the object

from

his position.

At approximately

10.

15

in

the

The
in

witness,

W.

R.

was walking

As Mr Y. approached the site he saw two humanoids in dark clothing

moving
into the

morning on Friday, 9 November

1979 forester Robert Taylor, a 61year-old local inhabitant of
Livingston, Scotland, encountered a

the local park at approximately 10

nearby forest.

Two

o'clock in the evening,

when he saw

dogs owned by
the entities

Mr Y.
faced

ran towards

three bright lights on the path ahead

of him.

He

realized that the lights

a dark disc

them and apparently forced them to run back

to their

who

UFO and entities of the most

extraordinary nature.

were beaming down from

path.

owner.
noticed that the

With
trees

his dog,

Taylor drove

in his

shaped object hovering above the

The witness
entities

pick-up truck to inspect young forest

in

The object was apparently some 10 ft (3 m) wide and shaped

an ice-hockey puck.
to within

4-4

ft

were approximately in (122-137 cm) tall wearing

a diving suit

an area just off the

M8

motorway which connects

Edinburgh to Glasgow.

like

something resembling

He stopped

The witness walked

with shields across their eyes.

The

the pick-up and walked to the site he

110

DATABASE 1970s

may have been

itself

trying to camouflage
in

trousers for any further forensic

by hazing

and out of

solidity.

examination that can be undertaken.

The witness was uncertain whether the object itself was transparent or
reflective but got the impression
that its

Of the witness

himself, Taylor

is

described as honest and responsible

and not the sort of person to play

jokes. With perhaps

normal colour was of

a dull

grey and had a texture of a rough

sandpaper.

he

now

believes he

some difficulty saw an

in

The

real

shocks were

extraterrestrial craft and robots.

yet to come!
Just seconds after
object,
first

For a while he carried a camera

seeing the

case he should encounter them

again. Investigation into his personal

two

small, spiked

spheres
it

either dropped

down from
it,

or

circumstances revealed a

man who
of

rushed from behind

rolling

across

drank very

little

alcohol,

was

the ground on extended spikes

generally good health and with no

significant history of

towards Taylor. They were

approximately 3
ft

head injury or

(91

cm) wide and

main
him, the

suffering from headaches or

also a dull grey, similar to the

craft.

blackouts. According to the investigator his hearing

is

As they reached
his legs

good and

spheres, one on each side, attached

he wears glasses only for reading.

themselves to

and he

felt

Whether the experience was an

objectively real one or something

himself being dragged towards the

object.

He was overwhelmed by an
and
lost consciousness.
to,

created by Taylor
cases, always

is,

as

in

many

acrid smell

open

to question.

When he came

the objects

However, the very thorough

investigation by Steuart Campbell

were gone and his dog was racing around him in an agitated state.
Taylor himself had apparently
his voice
lost

suggests that the ground traces and

physical evidence which

was found

and was unable to stand

gave

little

support to the contention

comfortably.
Forester Robert Taylor witnessed a close

He was
(82

forced to crawl
to his
it

that there

were no
all.

physical objects

some 90 yds
soft

m) back

present at
into

encounter

at Livingston in

Scotland

in

pick-up truck but shortly ran

On the

other hand, the

it

November 1979. He was attacked by two

mine-like objects.

mud

in his

desperation to leave

investigation also suggested that

the area and consequently had to

walk home. For hours afterwards he

was unlikely that the object was man-made since there appeared
be no
likely

to

wanted

to inspect; as he

rounded a

had a headache and a

lasted for

thirst

which

manufacturer

in

the

comer he was astonished to see what was hovering in the clearing

ahead of him.

two days.

proximity. In any case, flying such

Subsequent investigation of the

site

an object to the clearing would

showed ground markings which

where they had

The
20
ft

high,

was approximately (6 m) wide and 12 ft (3.65 m) globular for the most part but
object
hat.
'hat'

correlated to the spikes on the small

spherical objects

come to the somebody on the M8 motorway which is a most

almost certainly have
attention of

apparently churned up the grass. Of

particular importance

frequently used one in Scotland.

surrounded by a flange similar to the

brim of a
Protruding upward

was

the

Although very close to the

damage
of a

from the

were what appeared

were heavy blue serge but were torn

to his trousers; they

motorway the encounter itself could

not have been seen since the trees

to be motionless propellers placed

on each leg where, apparently, the

spherical objects had attached

would have obscured the view of the

site.

around the rim. Behind them and on

the main body of the object appeared
to

However, any

flight

path into

themselves.

The

tears

were

the clearing would have been seen,

yet there are no corroborative
reports. Did the object

be the outline of portholes or

at

upwards, suggesting that they had

least

somewhat

different coloured

been formed by dragging him

forwards and were investigated by
the British

patches. Beneath the rim the object

the clearing

was

slightly

darker and the witness

UFO
who

Research
currently hold the

was

it

emerge in some other way or natural phenomenon

in

got the impression that the object

Association

misperceived by Taylor?

Ill


\
t

.5^l^^^

9 November 1979. Just

seconds

after first seeing

the object, two small

spheres on extended spikes

rolled

across the ground

towards Robert Taylor, a

fcrester.

^M''*".

n ^

-If

IW
EUROPE

i^

NAME CERGY-PQNTOISE ABDUCTION

DATE
26

Fontaine got into his car to get a

better look at
it

Frank Fontaine leaving police headquarters

at

but

when his

Cergy-Pontoise after his abduction.

NOVEMBER 1979

PLACE CERGY-PONTOISE, FRANCE

companions found the car he had vanished. A week later he returned,

apparently unaware of having been

French ufology was divided by the case;

Fontaine later confessed
it

was

a hoax.

MAPREF:G15
EVENT ABDUCTION

away.

He

gradually told his story of

ufologists into those

having been abducted aboard a

UFO

the claims and those

who supported who believed

Some UFO
their

cases are important for

and taken to an

alien planet.

Franck

they were prefabricated. According

to a report

mystery while others are

said that the aliens

in

were

interested

on the case sent to

me by

important for their eventual

solution.

one of his companions, Jean-

respected French researcher

The abduction of Franck

latter.

Pierre Prevost,

who

they were

Claude Mauge, prominent ufologists

such as Michel Piccin and
investigators from the French-

Fontaine belongs with the

selecting as one of their missionaries

On 26 November 1979 Franck

Fontaine, with

on Earth.

two companions, was

in

The

three

men apparently

govemment-associated research
group
affair

outside an apartment block

the

enjoyed the public appearances and

notoriety which followed the

(GEPAN) concluded
it

that the

suburbs of Paris early

in

the morning

was

a hoax. Fontaine later

when they saw

UFO above them.

encounter and the case

split

French

admitted that

was indeed

a hoax.

114

m
DATABASE 1980s
alarmed to discover that the bus
apparently caused Godfrey, under
hypnosis, to cry out 'They are
horrible, horrible.
'

NAME GODFREY ENCOUNTER

DATE
28

NOVEMBER

1980

m) high and hovering above the road. It was

wide. 14
ft

seemed in 20 ft (6 m)

fact to

be an object some
(4.2

He even saw
a large

what appeared to be

dog

(a

dome
PLACE TODMORDEN, WEST YORKSHIRE,

sha|)ed and spinning, (iodfrey

feature unique to this experience).

could see what appeared to be

The
he

tall

humanoid entity was

ENGLAND
MAPREF:F11
EVENT ABDUCTION

windows around the

tried to radio his

top.

When

apparently called Joseph, and he

base he found

encouraged Godfrey to
examination took place.
it.

lie

down on

neither his car radio nor personal

bed where some form of

Constable Godfrey (now no
longer with the force) has always

transmitter would work. While

UFOs frequently fall foul of the law

and there
is

watching the object he sketched

an impressive

list

of

Godfrey was hesitant about making

and
his report but did

police officers across the world,

particularly in the United States,

so

when he heard

maintained a very level headed and

sensible attitude towards the

that other police

had been reporting

who

report encounter experiences.

its

UFOs around the same time.

Regression hypnosis sessions

experience.

He acknowledges

that

England, too, has

share as

in

the

he does not know what the object

case of police constable Alan

were undertaken and revealed

the constable appeared to

that

Godfrey of Todmorden, West

Yorkshire,

was nor what the degree of reality was in relation to the regression
hypnosis sessions but of course
maintains his desire to find out.

who was

interrupted
shift

experience fear and heightened

towards the end of his night

28 November 1980.

on

emotion

at his

apparent
believed he

experiences.
a

He

was
ft

in

Driving onto a main road, heading

room

faced by a
tall

man about 6

PC Alan Godfrey
object that

displaying a sketch of

tfie

towards a

local estate to investigate

(183 cm)
skull cap.

wearing a robe and

the room, non-

may have abducted

him,

reports of loose cattle, Godfrey

saw

There were other

in

together with one of the entities that he

what he thought to be a bus ahead of

him.

creatures

encountered. Godfrey maintains

level-

As he approached he was

humanoid dwarf like objects, which

headedness

in

his search for

answers.

115

II

i^

Iffl

EUROPE

NAME RENDLESHAM FOREST

DATE
29

formed indentations were believed

to

be landing traces.

DECEMBER 1980

There were more extraordinary,

and more dubious, claims of silver
suited aliens, of communication

PLACE RAF/USAFWOODBRIDGE, SUFFOLK,

ENGLAND

MAPREF:G12
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND
KIND

between the base commander and

the extraterrestrials, and of films

and photographs of the contact being

taken which were then confiscated.

The

tranquil darkness of
in

There

is little

corroborative

Rendlesham forest was shattered

the early hours of a late

evidence for these later claims.

December
shaped

Radar stations
including
(itself

in

the area,

morning when

a triangular

RAF/USAF Bentwaters
in

UFO landed,
joint

or possibly crash

the subject of an earlier radar

landed, amid trees to the rear of the

visual

encounter

the late 1950s,

United States and United

airbase at

see page 86) tracked an unidentified

in

Kingdom
Suffolk.

Woodbridge
by

object on radar at the time.

According to
a report
officers, the

USAF intelligence

According to

radar indicated a

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt, the

possible crash landing in the forest

deputy base commander

at the time,

near Woodbridge.

two United States Air Force security officers saw unusual

in

lights

According to the book Skycrash, by Jenny Randies, Brenda Butler

the forest to the rear of the base.

to

and Dot Street, the two security

officers, one given the pseudonym James Archer and the other airman

They requested permission

aircraft

investigate on the basis that an

may have crashed into the

was
to

trees.

It

be the beginning of

John Burroughs, gave reports which confirmed the report given by

Lieutenant Colonel Halt.

an extraordinary night.

They made
occupants

Three patrolmen tramped

through the forest towards the
glowing object and approached to
within a few feet of
it.

no comment about

alien

though did state that they believed

there were shapes inside the object.
'I

It

was
shape

don't

know what,

but the shapes

described as triangular

in

did not look

human. Maybe they

approximately 8

ft

(244 cm) wide

were

like robots.'

and 6

ft

(183 cm) high and emitting a

bright white light.

There were
on top and
a

reports of a red

light

bank of blue

lights

beneath which

The mystery deepened further when a tape recording alleged to have been made by Lieutenant Colonel Halt and others was
released, apparently describing, as
it

seemed to indicate that the object was sitting on short legs. Possibly
wishing to avoid direct contact as
the officers approached, the object

happened, the search through the

establishment intent on
disinformation (feeding ludicrous

woods and encounter with the

object.
I

have heard portions of the

it
it

information to people with a view to

discrediting
it)

manoeuvred through the trees away from them towards a nearby farm,
driving cattle there into an agitated
state before taking off at

tape and had the impression that

or by unprofessional

was stage managed but whether

a total fabrication or whether the

is

ufologists

who by chance
in a
is

found

themselves involved
If

major case.

tape
a

is

edited badly, falsely creating

the tape

faked then the precise

extraordinary speed.
Investigation the following day

say.

wrong impression, is difficult to If it was fabricated then the

identity of the

person who did

it

may

never be known.
Perhaps the most
telling part of
in

showed three small depressions in the ground where the object had been sighted. These strangely

question remains as to
fabricated
it.

who
it

Presumably

was

the encounter

came

1985 when
Staff,

either a military or defence

former Chief of Defence

116

DATABASE 1980s

Admiral of the Fleet Lord

Hill-

intrusion into British airspace

don't

know what

[they were]

but the

Norton, wrote to Michael Heseltine,

the then Secretary of State for

around a United States/British

airbase from a foreign or alien

shapes did not look human. Maybe they

power

were

like

robots.'

So

said

one

of the

Defence,
case.

requesting details of the

a reply

then clearly there was a defence

significance.

security officers of

USAF RAF Woodbridge

behind

On behalf of Heseltine

The

alternative

was

after seeing this obiect in the forest

was received from Lord Trefgame

stating that 'The events to

that the report by deputy base

the Air Force base.

It

manoeuvred through
in

which

you refer were

significance.'

of

no defence

commander Lieutenant Colonel Halt was a hoax, a joke, or a symptom of him being 'out of his mind'. One
could argue that any one of

the trees, and took off

fashion. Despite
all

spectacular

this,

and

a written

report by the deputy base

commander
was no

Lord Hill-Norton pointed out that this was an extraordinary claim by

any standards. If there had been an

(see database entry for details), the

official British line

these surely also has defence

significance!

was

that there

defence significance.

117

EUROPE

NAME HESSDALEN
DATE

LIGHTS

egg shaped, with porthole

features, but there

like

analyser, geiger counters,

cameras

1981-1985

were

also

and infrared analysis.

spherical objects, cigar shaped

Few people

studying the

PLACE HESSDALEN VALLEY,

NORWAY

objects and less distinct forms.

Hessdalen claims would attribute

the events which occurred to
extraterrestrials or their craft.
far
It is

MAP REF:

J7

Over

a four-year period

many

EVENT LIGHT PHENOMENA

ufologists

camped

in

semi-

permanent bases

in

the Hessdalen

more

likely that

the lights are

The problem

for

most

ufologists

valley

and employed a variety of

lights.

part of a natural

phenomenon but not

understood by
it

studying reports of

UFO activity is

equipment to study the

Officers of one of the

one which

is fully

that they are invariably studying a

historical claim,
old,

Norwegian

science. In one sighting

that the lights

appeared

sometimes years
itself.

defence divisions joined them for a

period and Project Hessdalen

were

interactive with

and studying an event which

to repeat

the witnesses; as they flashed

if

seems never

received at least the approval

the support of the authorities.
Project Hessdalen
included

not

torches at the lights so the lights

flashed back.

Hessdalen provided one of very few

opportunities for ufologists to

Some

investigators

undertake a long-term controlled

study of repeating phenomena

UFO

was set up which Norway, UFO

have speculated that these

represent

some form

of hitherto

Sweden and
in

the Society for

unknown
seems
after

intelligence

on the Earth.
the fact that

between 1981 and 1985.

In

Psychobiophysics, as well as

Support for a natural explanation

to

November 1981

local

people

independent ufologists from Finland.

come from

the area of the Hessdalen valley

The

project

was

able to obtain

1985 the sightings died away.

reported strange lights sweeping

technical

equipment from
and employed an Atlas

The

earth lights theories proposed

between the mountains and making

extraordinary manoeuvres.

universities,

by Devereux and others (Paul

Devereux's books Earth Lights and

Many

2000 radar, a seismograph, a

magnetometer, a spectrum

witnesses described the objects as

Earth Lights Revelations) indicate

118

II

DATABASE 1980s

that there

that the sijjhtings

must be some possibility were the result of

seismic activity

some underj^ound

which then subsided. Certainly the

whole of Scandinavia

is

subject to

considerable seismic activity as a

result of the isostatic readjustment

(which

is

movement
by the

of the earth's

crust) caused

last retreat of

the ice age.

As with most

UFO events, some

were
in

of the explanations offered

most extraordinary. One suggestion

was

that too

much

inbreeding

the

area had produced an entire local

population of physically and mentally
defective people

included hallucination.

whose problems There is

for this

more photographic evidence

investigation than any other

UFO

Opposite Professor J Allen Hynek (right)

visits Project

Above and below Two

of

many
Hessdalen

event

in history. It

suggests that
it

Hessdalen which gave

photographs of
valleys,

lights in the

this explanation, to put

in

the

ufologists a rare opportunity to study

seen over a four- to five-year

nicest possible way,

is

supported by
facts!

anomalous
of time

lights

over an extended period

period.

A wide range
in

of instrumentation

everything except the

between 1981 and 1985.

was used

the course of the study.

119

BEYOND
EXTRATERRESTRIALS

urope

is

a ufologically rich continent, as the

fact,

this

theory

is

not as strongly held

in

most European

database demonstrates. In

in

terms of

countries. In America, the study of the psychological

la
ported

it is second only in the world North America, and specifically the United States. The way in which UFOs are perceived and re-

ufological activity

aspects of the
to treating

UFO

phenomena are broadly confined

to

them as

a by-product of a physical event. In

Europe, the study of psychological aspects has tended

to concentrate

in

these two continents, however,

is

very

difficult.

on examining whether or not

UFO

Firstly,

there

is

no United States of Europe; the

events could themselves be the manifestations of

psychological processes.
Sociological

Europe have distinctly individual seems to be following the business world where the intensified pressure towards turning all nations into one European 'nation'
different nations of

characteristics. Indeed, ufology

study of the

UFO

phenomenon

is

strong

in

Europe, with a great deal of emphasis placed

this is

on understanding the human background to witnesses

and events. Again
regarded as only incidental to
the American study of ufology; and, broadly speaking,

are actually increasing nationalistic tendencies. In the

field of

UFO

study these national characteristics have

surfaced not in the nature of the

UFO

reports, which

amounts

to a study of the extent to

which physical
in

have a global uniformity within very wide parameters,

but
in

UFO

events

may

affect sociological processes.

the interpretation of those reports.

differ-

Mythological comparisons are heavily studied

Within Europe, there are significant national

ences

in

approach. Britain, Scandinavia (particularly

lead the field in the comparative

Sweden) and France

study of

Europe whereas they are totally rejected in America. It is recognized in Europe that the UFO phenomenon, whatever else it may be, is a modem mythology. This
is

modem

day

UFO

claims with the folklore

not to say that

it is

totally mythological, but that a

claims of earlier centuries and particularly the stories

of the faerie folk

mythology has
degree that
it

built
is

and other Celtic legends. Germany,

Spain

up around real events to such a probably masking the truth - which

Sweden,

Belgium and
in

have

been strongly

remains yet to be understood.

receptive to contactee claims (the claims of those

believe they are

who

contact with benevolent aliens

Another major difference between America and Europe is that the story of American ufology is told

seeking to guide and protect the Earth).

Sweden and

Britain are very strong in studying the connection

between
larly

UFOs

and the Earth mysteries and particuthat

the

belief

the

UFO phenomenon may

represent something natural, but non-human, about

the planet.

Seen against the background

ufology,

the

common ground which

to
is

European countries begins

America there
extraterrestrial

North American exists between emerge. Whereas in

of
i.e.

a general, national acceptance of the

hypothesis (ETH),

that

UFOs

represent a visitation to this Earth of alien spaceships,

120

BEYOND EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS

through

its

cases

each

characterized

by

firm

circles

is

by amateurish,

cultist

devotees who have

acceptance of the ICTIl, whereas

of ufoloj^y
is

in I'^urope

the story

already decided what results they want from their

told throu^^h its theories.

examinations. Indeed cornfield circles have

become

One example

of this

is

the famous cornfield circle

modern
that

'ink-blot'

test
in

for

anyone to see almost

It is

phenomenon, which occurs mainly in southern Kn^land. These formations appear in the late spring and summer, j^enerally in crop fields. They are usually
remarkably symmetrical
in

anything they want to

them.

also very obvious

many

of the people involved in cornfield research

are there because of the publishing prospects offered.

In

shape and represent swirlIt

other

words
in

cornfield

circles

are

the

modern
claims of

ing patterns of flattened crops.

is

held that these

arising

equivalent of the
the 195()s

more extreme contactee

represent a part of the

originally

UFO phenomenon
was
it

America.

from the theory that they were the landing

a theory that

Individual

European countries have experienced

types of sighting,
or at least

nests of alien spacecraft. This

held water since, for a start,

never
the

waves

of particular

required space craft

legs
to

interpretation of sighting: in 1954 France

to an extraordinary

was

subject
all

with

specially

rotating

landing

form

wave

of

UFO

reports almost

of

patterns that emerged. In fact no such object had ever

which involved entities and most of which were varied

in

been reported and indeed very few

reported
in

UFOs were

ever

description;

in

the vicinity of cornfield circles.

UFO

Research Association

The (BUFORA) made

British
a con-

considerable
for

wave but mostly

1967 Britain was subject to a of aerial sightings and flying crosses.

It

one period - particularly of

national

seems

siderable

study of the cornfield circles along with

that sightings, or at least interpretation of sightings,

bodies such as the National Fanners Union and the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. They were able to conclude that the cornfield circles were a

were governed by
Britain

rather than

European

characteristics at this time.

was home

to

one of the world's great

in Wiltshire.

UFO

fomi of hurricane

vortex

pattern

caused by the

concentrations at Warminster
ter

Warmins-

touchdown of wind and pressure vortices. In short they were an extraordinary but nonetheless natural phenomenon.
Although

com circles

are interesting

in

themselves,
a

more than a series of UFO reports and was a sociological event. It really kicked off in 1965 when Gordon Faulkner photographed something resembling a child's spinning top which was highly
was
far

cases,

it

they should not be linked to

great deal of the study that
is

UFOs. Unfortunately

publicized in the Daily Mirror, a tabloid newspaper,

being applied to cornfield

and gained the nickname of

'the thing'.

Suddenly

'the

Right The cornfield circles have been

forced upon ufologists by a puzzled public

hungry tor answers. Apart from the

glowing red
ball
is

which appears over

probably due to the

their

formation and

ionization of air, their relevance to the

subject of Unidentified Flying Objects

is

minimal. They are almost certainly a

purely natural formation, though they are

extraordinary enough to suggest that an

understanding of their characteristics

will

add

to

an understanding of similar

mysterious phenomena.

Left Forthose
circles

who thought

cornfield
this

were

new phenomenon

1678

woodcut suggests otherwise; here

devil'

'the

mows

circles in Hertfordshire.

121

rri

EUROPE

thing'

was being photographed and spotted

all

around

Europe,

with far

more

critical

and broad-minded

the Warminster area. Sky-watches of devoted ufolog-

analysis than in those early years.

took place on Cradle Hill and Starr Hill which often had the appearance of being something like a UFO specialist's scout camp. Large groups of UFO deists

Spain had its extraordinary affair which comprised a bizarre series of messages coming from 'The Cosmic Federation of Planets'. The messages

UMMO

votees would flock to the area from

the stars

all

over the

gave
aliens

full

details of the origin

and home of the

visiting

country to spend the night watching the skyline and

in

which came from the planet

UMMO,

rotating

the hopes of seeing one of Warminster's

There was a great camaraderie - a camp fire atmosphere without the camp fire - and it has to be admitted not all of the nocturnal activity was devoted exclusively to UFO-watching. For the most part the sky-watches consisted of
famous
'things'.

lUMMA, which we apparently call Wolf 424. There were extraordinary photographs of
around the star
walnut shaped spacecraft with strange hieroglyphs on
the underside.
In

Wales

there

was the extraordinary Dyfed

enigma: hundreds of

UFO

sightings which attracted

swapping

UFO

stories, of occasional dubious sightings

remarkable
gical

local publicity

and which became sociolo-

that caused some excitement at the time and of the odd extraordinarily humorous episode. I recall being at one sky watch (not at Warminster, in fact, but at Horsenden Hills just outside London) where it became

events similar to Warminster. Undoubtedly they

of concentrated light
at

were some form

phenomena

perhaps similar to the phenomena

page 118), but other claims

certainly mythologically

built

Hessdalen (see on these - almost

apparent to
little

me

that the leader of the sky-watch

was

- were

incredible.

One

ex-

over-enthusiastic about

ETH

to say the least.

While the rest of us took only scant notice of the

flickering
lights

coming from

underground

trains

crossing the points as they entered stations next to

the
hills

ample was the claim that a UFO had an underground base in a rocky island off the coast despite the fact that every investigation indicated no secret UFO base whatsoever.
Europe, of course, has had
bleeping saucer shaped
its

this

particular individual logged each

and

share of hoaxes. Six

every one as an incoming UFO. He did the same for every moving light in the sky despite the fact that we

UFOs were

found across the

southern counties of England. They turned out to be

part of an elaborate prank organized by students from

were on the main

airport at

flight
I

path into the world's busiest

finally

Heathrow.

gave up

in

desperation

Famborough Technical
claimed
to

College.

There were

also the

when he

ran off across the

hills

shouting that he had

very dubious assertions of one Cedric Allingham

who

seen an entity which he was chasing, leaving the rest of us shouting 'Do you mean that rabbit?'

have met a Martian in Scotland and photographed his craft, which was remarkably similar
to the

More
useful

seriously,

the sky watches

were
in

very

Adamski saucer photographed

in

America the

source of UFO-related data, not about the

but about the people involved

year before (see page 28). Allingham seemed to have

UFOs

researching

them. In the decades that have passed since,

research has
lift

UFO
in
:J*y^

much more come

of age,

at least

3acji*-f..

v^-*

been overly protected from enquiries by his publishers and suddenly died making further analysis impossible. It was almost certainly someone playing a joke on ufologists though his identity has never been proven. Jenny Randies points out that one of the candidates for the role was none other than astronomer Patrick Moore, who has never shown any serious tolerance
for

UFOs.

UFOs became

so popular that they could be used to

In

explain almost anything.

1963 farmer Roy Blanin his

chard found a crater 8

field

ft

(244 cm) wide

potato

and apparently was

a

been formed by
told reporters

no doubt that the crater had spaceship landing in the field. As he

in

'I

didn't actually

see

it

but what else

could

have been? Obviously some craft from outer space since it sucked up my barley and potatoes when
it

it

took

off.'

Charlton

in

Wiltshire)

The Charlton crater (the field was at became world famous. One

Australian 'expert' calculated that the saucer that had

122

IIIKh.
BEYOND EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS

Right

A photograph taken by Cedric

at

Allingham'

Lossiemouth, Scotland
a Martian in 1954.
this

where he met
similarity

The

between

saucer and the

a

ones photographed by George Adamski

year earlier are unlikely to be coincidental.

Allingham

is

almost certainly a hoaxer

who was

playing on the publicity of the

earlier claims,

probably as an attack

against gullible ufologists.

Opposite 'The Thing' photographed by

Gordon Faulkner

in

1965. This photograph

in

was

highly publicized

the tabloid press

at the

time and started a wave of interest

in flying

saucer sightings

in

the

Warminster area
spotting
event.
in

of England. Flying saucer a social

Warminster became

done the damage was 500 ft (152 m) wide and weighed 600 tons (610 tonnes), probably having a fifty man crew. According to the expert 'We think these craft are coming from somewhere in the region of Uranus. (And all on the testimony of a hole in the ground!) England is of course a country of eccentrics and it has produced an enormous amount in the UFO field which reflects this national characteristic more than
anything ufological.

In

any case, the

it

UFO phenomenon will undoubtedly

is

mutate as

has always done and what the future for

hold
uncertain.
I

Europe Europe

will

think

it

likely

that

will

take centre stage over and above the

is

United States eventually, as the United States

and more seen to be not adhering to the

as clinging to
recently,
it

ETH

so

more much

by breaking

fingernails.

Although

many

of the

US

scientific

groups are be-

To name them might be

unfair but

ginning to develop a

any reading of the

UFO material from the

far

1960s would

paint a strange sociological picture.

Less than eccentric, but

more dangerous, are

some

of the characters that

have sought to attach

themselves to the bandwagon. British ufology has suffered in the past from researchers who claim to

more European approach so that what might emerge is a transatlantic unification. Openness and analysis will slowly attract the respect of the scientific community from which ufolog\' wall then be able to grow and from which those scientific disciplines will also be able to expand. Apart from the core of true mystery which lies at the heart of ufology,
sociologists could learn a lot from a study of the development of the phenomenon. Folklorists could also do so and the psychologists will find an enormous amount of material in among 'true' ufological material.

have undertaken regression hypnosis sessions on a

gi'eat

number

of abduction witnesses

and then believe

and will even threaten anybody who even mentions 'their' cases, hideed they seem to feel that a second line of income from UFOs can be obtained through compensation from dubious court cases against a UFO community not easily able to defend itself in a legal system which, in Britain, is more designed to protect the rich crook than the poor honest man. Their first line of income comes, of course, from publication - but
that they 'own' the witnesses

injunctions against

But speculation
subject.

is idle

as

it

has always been

in this

The next major event could well turn out to be on some other continent, which would then allow it to take centre stage. As Europe more than any other
continent so adequately indicates,
global

UFOs

are a truly

phenomenon.
in

important only

as

The national boundaries much as they bring into focus

are
the

primarily only in sleazy tabloid newspapers.

national characteristics of their people,

affect

which simply

For the
profiteering

future,
is

the signs are that this kind of

in

the perception
itself

going to proliferate both

the United

phenomenon
could
lie in

of a phenomenon. But the seems generally quite uniform and

States and

in

Europe, probably changing the

UFO

the key which unlocks the great ufological mysteries

phenomenon

dramatically, and for the worse.

any part of the world

at

any time.

123

A^f"

^
I

THE EAST
AS EARLY AS 1946 - THAT IS, EVEN BEFORE THE
^OFFICIAL'

COMMENCEMENT OF THE 'AGE OF

THE FLYING SAUCER' - PROFESSOR KAZANTSEV

WAS SPECULATING PUBLICLY ABOUT THE

POSSIBILITY OF EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL

INTERVENTION IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND.

KEY TO MAP OF THE EAST

The Robozero Lake Sighting, Robozero Lake, USSR USSR The Tungus Event, Tungus,
Siberia,

(D

Hill

60, Suvia Bay, Gallipoli, Turkey

Pushkino, USSR Sverdlovsk, USSR Rybinsk, USSR Shanghai, China The Green Triangle, Ogre Observatory, Ukraine, USSR @ Gobi Desert, China Hebei Province, China Dingxian @ Zhang Po County, Fu Jian, China Petrozavodsk, USSR
City,

Lativia,

USSR

@ Shanxi Airport, China Japan @ Anfiano Abduction, Sayama LintiaoAirbase, Gansu, China Kuwait Close Encounter, Umm Alaish, Kuwait Hunan Province, China @ LanXi, China Tientsin Airport, China @ Spiral UFO, Guizhou, China @ Baikonur Attack, Baikonur Space Centre, USSR @ Heilong Jiang Province, China 8352, Lake Chud, Near Minsk. USSR @ Aerotlot @ Gansu Province, Lanz Hau. Gansu, China @ The Russian Park Giants, Voronezh, USSR
City,

Flight

UFOs AND FREEDOM OF

INFORMATION

UFOs

are extra-terrestrial spacecraft,

we

Hobana and Julien Weverbergh, UFOs from behind the

Iron Curtain, chronicled sufficient cases to
clear that

D
appear.

would expect them to make their appearance

make

it

more or
If

less impartially throughout the globe.

UFO
list

activity

was not

entirely a cultural

they are natural phenomena, though they

local variations of terrain
likely

contrivance of capitalist propaganda. But the authors

might be affected by
climate,
it

and

were

able to

only fifty-one sightings

this

in

the entire

is

even

less

that they

selective with regard to the locations in

would be which they

Soviet Union.

Did

mean

the

Russian people

weren't seeing UFOs, or that they were not reporting

Consequently, researchers for

many years

them, or that their reports were being ignored or

have been puzzled about what to make of the relative

rarity of

quashed? The
that
it

strict restraints

UFO

reports from the Soviet Union, China,

was impossible was not

long,

for outsiders to

on publication meant gauge the real

before

and the Eastern bloc generally.

situation underlying the apparent lack of activity.

It

So
cerned,

far as

underdeveloped countries were conabsence

of

however,

the

UFO

reports

could

be

evident that the lack of activity was than

the
real:

accounted for quite simply, on grounds of low level of

education and the absence of appropriate channels of
reporting.

a deliberately

game away was

the

it became more apparent created illusion. What gave way in which fluctuations in

How

would people know what to report,

it

the public reporting of

UFO activity synchronized with

Whenever, as happened

and where would they report

Ironically,

to?

fluctuations in official policy.

when

flying

among the earliest suggestions made saucers were first reported in the United

from time to time, the authorities temporarily softened their hard line, private groups were formed,
articles

States

was

that they might be secret military devices

of Soviet origin. In the Cold

War

era, the suggestion

authorities

was not so preposterous. However, it soon became evident that this idea was not viable, with the result that most came to favour an extra-terrestrial origin.
Whether, left to themselves, the Soviet people would have come to the same conclusion, can only be
a matter of speculation.

would be published, only to vanish when the changed their mind again. From China, too, occasional reports would

emerge which suggested that UFO activity was not unknown there, either. For example, in 1980 the Chinese newspaper Beijing Wanbao published a
photograph showing a shapeless blob of
light.

This,

it

The

authorities
it,

own

explanation

and,

with
So,

imposed their blanket on all

listeners

appeared, had been taken by Xin Seng and Bi Jiang.

While camping near the Great Wall on 23 August, they

alternative

explanations.

in

1953,

to

woke

at 4 a.m.
it

to see a luminous object in the sky

Moscow
to

Radio were
their

officially

informed that 'Flying

into

over Beijing:

hovered
in

silently for

more than
was

half

an

saucers are a fantasy invented by Western militarists

frighten

hour. This enabled the

campers

to take the photohailed as

taxpayers

accepting

higher

graph published
China's
first

the newspaper, which

defence budgets'.
True, there were occasional tantalizing indications
that despite official explanations,

UFO

photograph.
is

Moreover, though the sighting

itself,
it

unremarkable

in

UFOs

that did not

in

is

significant that

it

is

only one of

many in

seem

to

be mere fantasy were appearing

Soviet

several of

them

multiple

to

have been reported

If

skies. In

1972 a book by the Romanian/Dutch team Ion

China

in

the course of that month.

we suppose

that

126

UFOS AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

only a small fraction of those seen

were reported, we
occurred
at

actually landed at
this truly

Voronezh

in

the Soviet Union.

Was

may

infer that a fairly

massive

UFO wave

an expression of the
or

new freedom

in

Soviet

Had it occurred in the United would have been easy to put it into the perspective of UFO sightings as a whole. Hut because
that time in that place.
it

cultural
this
in

life,

was Soviet propaganda

it?

striking again -

States, say,

time with a deliberate attempt to defuse interest

the subject by ridiculing

was known about the situation in China, it was not clear whether the August 1980 'flap' was a
so
little

Taken

at face value, the reports could

be seen as

one-of-a-kind event or a glimpse of on-going

activity in

UFO
in

China comparable to that experienced

same freedom which was manifesting itself throughout the Eastern bloc now included flying saucer reports. If this is so, they also showed that,
a sign that the

other parts of the world.

given that freedom, the Soviet people and the Soviet

The true state of affairs was revealed a year later when journalist Shi Bo and a colleague launched the journal Exploration UFO, and received more than 3,000 reports in the course of a year. Though these
included a small percentage of tricks and sensationalist
claims,

media would, between them, generate the same kinds

of sensational absurdity as the rest of the world. In his 1967 dossier 'UF'O Sightings in the

USSR'

(never published) Felix Zigel rejects landings and

encounters with
tion

UFO occupants as fiction or hallucina-

the

great

majority

seemed

to

be honest
the silence

reports by sincere witnesses.

Clearly,

which had apparently prevailed hitherto was not an

accurate reflection of what the Chinese

man and

woman

in

the street

were

actually experiencing.

- as most serious ufologists in the West are inclined to do. But just as in the West there is a substantial body of opinion which believes that these events take place on a matter-of-fact level, so it is certain that there will spring up schools of thought,
each favouring different viewpoints,
Union, China and elsewhere
in in

This was confirmed in 1982 when Shi Bo's book China and the Extra-terrestrials was published in France, documenting reports going back to the early
nineteenth century as well as

the Soviet

the Eastern world.

in

Nor
will

is

that the only

problem ufologists
It

the East

more recent

activity

have to learn to deal with.

has been clearly

which compared pretty well with experience else-

established that the Soviet government, on several

where

in

the world.

The English-language
by
Paul

compilation
in

occasions in the 1970s, used the 'flying saucer myth'

as a convenient camouflage for secret rocket launches.

UFOs
the

over modern China, independently published

United

States

Dong and Wendelle

book did not
a

The

Soviet authorities deliberately allowed their

Stevens, confirmed both the quantity and the diversity

of sightings.

citizens to develop a panic situation, causing fears of

Many

of the cases in one

appear

in

the other, hinting that there

was probably

American nuclear attack and all kinds of anxiety and hysteria as occurred at Petrozavodsk on 20 September 1977, rather than reveal their space
activities to
is

vast reservoir of undisclosed material.

A regrettable

consequence of the

political isolation

the rest of the world. Such disinformation

some-

between the Eastern and Western blocs has been that information flow has been very limited. In the cases of the UFO phenomenon, it is characteristic that such East-West exchange of data as has taken place has been for the most part of the poorest and most sensational material. Unless he/she is lucky enough
not only to read English but also to have access to
serious

thing ufologists have to accept as just one of their

problems, whether
Paradoxically,

in

the East or

in

the West. the Soviet

difficult for

the
it

Union may make

effective
on,

new freedom in more rather than less

UFO research to be conducted. From now serious UFO researchers in these countries, like
Western Europe, Australia and the first and most separate the signal from the noise.

their colleagues in

UFO

publications, an Eastern ufologist

would

/Americas, are going to find that their

difficult

have no choice but to get his/her knowledge of Western UFO research from those books which happen to have been translated. These, with rare exceptions, are the silliest and most sensational items, books which any serious Western researcher would dismiss out of hand. By contrast, the work of serious investigators is almost wholly unknown. Of course the same thing is liable to happen in
reverse. Typically, the one

task

is

to

Hilary Evans

is

the overseas liaison consultant and a

Association. He

UFO event in the Soviet Union which made its impact on the entire world was the mid-1989 report that extra-terrestrial entities had

UFO Research many years standing, an author of many books and articles on UFOs and paranormal experiences, and a regular contributor at UFO symposia
specialist publications editor for the British
is

a researcher of

throughout the world. Hilary has been co-editor with John

Spencer on two compilations

in

the

UFO

studies

field.

127

DATABASE
PRE 1900
NAME THE ROBOZERO
DATE
15

horizon and following the explosion

they reported a sinister-looking,

LAKE SIGHTING

NAME THE TUNGUS EVENT

DATE
30 JUNE 1908

mushroom-shaped

cloud.

AUGUST 1663

Even 500
Vanovara,
in

miles (800

km) from
as a

the village of Kansk,

PLACE ROBOZERO LAKE, USSR

PLACE TUNGUS, SIBERIA, USSR

the explosion

was heard

MAPRERES
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

MAPREF:J7
EVENT PRE-ATOMIC AGE ATOMIC
EXPLOSION?

deafening noise and one train driver

in that

town even stopped

his train

thinking that one of his

own

freight

cars had exploded.

Part four of the historical

files

At approximately 7 o'clock on the

compiled and issued by the

Archaeological Commission contains
a report submitted by the St Cyril

morning of 30 June 1908 a massive

explosion was heard from the
forests of the
Siberia.
It

Above the Taiga (forests) an enormous hurricane began to tear away from the Tungus region
destroying roofs of houses and
shattering windows.

Tungus region

of

monastery of a strange sighting over

had been preceded by

Huge waves

Robozero Lake
year 1663.

in

the

USSR in
of the

the

reports from

many hundreds

of

flooded the banks of the Angara

river. In

farmers, hunters and fishermen of

London, shock waves were

On

15 August

many

the remote region

who had
at

recorded on barographs.

inhabitants of the district of

witnessed an object travelling

in

Belozero had gone to church

village of

the

great speed through the sky

emitting a light 'more dazzling than
that of the sun'.

The Tungus explosion has become legendary and the precise

Forest devastation following an airborne

Robozero. While they

were

in

the church there

was

Most

of the

sudden crash from outside and many

people
left

inhabitants of the village of

Vanovara

explosion
in

in

the

Tungus region

of Siberia

to see what had

saw the

light travelling

along the

1908.

happened. One of the witnesses,

Levka Pedorof, saw what happened and even had an explanation for it: it was a sign from God. At approximately midday a huge ball of fire had descended over
Robozero from
fire

a cloudless sky; the

ft

was approximately 148

It

(45
it

m)

wide and projecting

in front of

were two beams.

(there
is

disappeared

no description of how) but

it

approximately an hour later

re-

appeared over the

Later

lake, travelling
it

towards the west where

it

vanished.

returned and hovered over

half.

the lake for an hour and a

Fishermen on the lake were

severely burned by the closeness of
the object and the lake water

was

lit

up to the depth of some 29

fish fled to the

ft

(9 m).

According to the report, even the

banks

128

'I

DATABASE 1910s

details of
fiction

what

is

fact

and what
is

is

troops further forward. Their march

arc obscure but what

that a
in,

very

clear

is

massive explosion
or

NAME
DATE

HILL 60

of a

was witnessed by twenty-two men New Zealand field company.

the cloud and they
into

took place

more probably
the 192()s,

AUGUST 1915

They reached
marched
hour before
all

over, the 'Fungus forests on that

day.
It

it,

taking almost an

was not

until

PLACE SUVLA BAY, GALLIPOLI, TURKEY

the

men had
lifted

following the Russian Revolution,

that an expedition could be put

MAP REF: A8
EVENT THE LOST REGIMENT

disappeared from the observers'

sight. off the

The

cloud unobtrusively

together to

visit

the region - on the

to

ground Joining the smaller

all

basis that they

were going

Many

respected

UFO researchers
of 'cloud

clouds above and then they

recover a giant meteorite that was

believed to have caused the
explosion.

refer to the

phenomenon
is

moved away towards

all

the north. In

lIFOs' and this

certainly the

most

three quarters of an hour they had

extraordinary example of the

disappeared from view.

Since the 1st 4th Norfolk

What they discovered was not a meteorite crater, which was disappointing to them because the
Americans had just recently announced
that they

phenomenon on

record.

At the break of day, unr'er a clear

regiment did not return

it

was

Mediterranean sky, the

4th

reasonably assumed that the

Norfolk regiment was poised to

a

Turkish armies had captured them.

had proven

march on

'Hill

60' near Suvia Bay,

With the Turkish surrender of 1918

Britain

meteorite origin for their huge

crater in the Arizona desert.

during the Gallipoli campaign.

The

demanded the return

of

its

The

regiment noticed
identically

six to eight

regiment. Turkey had not captured

the regiment, had not

suggestion had to be, therefore, that

it

shaped clouds hovering

which
in spite of a

made any

was not a meteorite which had

Of the devastation
itself,

near the

hill

contact with

it,

and was quite

caused the devastation.

the

breeze were not altering position or

shape
the
at
all.

unaware

of

it.

Of the 1,000 men who

none have

Beneath them and on

marched

into the cloud

searchers found a forest of

destruction which basically

hill

800
on the

ft

was a larger cloud some (244 m) long and 200 ft (61 m)

itself

ever been seen since.

consisted of trees lying

flat

wide looking almost

solid.

Lacking the sinister characteristics of the

Hill

ground and strewn outwards from

The

1st 4th Norfolk regiment,

60 phenomenon, these
of lenticular

classic

one central

point. In the
still

very centre

consisting of over 1,000 men,

examples

clouds are both

some

material

standing

marched up the

hill

to reinforce

common

and harmless.

suggested an explosion directly

overhead.
Analysis of a tree trunk from the

epicentre of the explosion also

shows

that the tree accelerated in

after the catastrophe,
a

growth

which

would imply

dosage of radiation.

Comparisons between the

devastation in the

Tungus and the

is

devastations at Hiroshima and

Nagasaki are very clear and there

every appearance

in

the

Tungus
air

of

an airborne nuclear explosion.

What exploded
the forests
it

in

the

above

may never be known but

it

has been speculated that rather

could

than merely a meteorite

have been the malfunctioning power

source of a crashing space
craft,

which

in

1908 would point very

extra-terrestrial

much towards an
origin.

129

rHi
THE EAST

communication and recovered the

plane immediately.

The aircraft was

NAME PUSHKINO
DATE

NAME SVERDLOVSK
DATE
1961

in a

small clearing in a densely

forest.
It

SEPTEMBER 1943

wooded

and intact but

PLACE PUSHKINO, USSR PLACE SVERDLOVSK, USSR

its
it

position

was undamaged made it

facilities

impossible for

to have landed since

MAP

REF:

D8

MAP REF:

F7

there were no runway

clear patches.

or

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

EVENT PERMANENT ABDUCTION

The
that

authorities'
it

comment was

could only have

into the

A report said to arise from the

Spanish volunteers fighting

been lowered gently

clearing.

Moscow Aviation Institute tells of a

mail delivery plane, an

The

mail cargo

was
it

Germans in Russia, in the Azul Division, were in a bunker during a battle between German and
alongside the

Antonov

present and on testing the engine

AN-2P, with seven people aboard,

which was
flying

started without difficulty. But none

of the

between

seven on board were found

report also states that a

Russian Air Forces.

Sverdlovsk and Kurgan.

either then or since.

The witnesses were astonished

to see a disc

Approximately 100 miles (161 km)

out, the pilot radioed

The

shaped
in

UFO stationed
'as
if

ground control
disappeared

UFO was tracked on radar at the

time of the disappearance and a 100
ft

above the planes

watching the

combat

and then the

aircraft

battle' as
it.

one of the

from radar screens. As ground

control could not raise

(30

m) wide

circle of

scorched
ft

witnesses described
After a time the

them again

grass was found

some 300

(92m)

UFO

search party was dispatched.

Helicopter-borne troops went
straight to the scene of the last

from the

aircraft

suggesting the

disappeared at speed without

revealing
its

landing or near landing of a circular

object.

source.

DISAPPEARING PHENOMENA
Aircraft

disappearances occur
is

all

over the world. Perhaps the

The incident occurred

the loss
exactly
is

in

the infamous

Bermuda Triangle and

most famous

that of 'Flight 19'

and

its

associated rescue
aircraft (Left)

generally attributed to that

phenomenon, although

flying boat (Right).

flight of five

TB Avenger

vi/hat

occurs

in this

extraordinary corner of the world has

took

off

from Florida on a routine training

flight

never to return.

yet to be discovered.

130

DATABASE 1960s

NAME
DATE

RYBINSK, USSR

SUMMER

1961

PLACE RYBINSK, USSR

MAP REF:

EG

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

The appearance of

a fleet of flying

saucers hell-bent on breaching

Moscow's

air

defences caused an

unfortunate reaction from a battery

commander and
In the

forced an

interesting response from the

UFOs.

summer

of 1961 missile

emplacements were being set up

near Rybinsk as part of the

Moscow

defences. Suddenly an enormous

flying

saucer appeared, flying at

ft

60,000

(18.208 m) and surrounded

by smaller attendant UF'Os. Despite

the height the battery

commander

authorized firing a salvo at the

objects and
all

exploded before

reaching the target. Before any

harm could be done the

attendant
all

small

UFOs apparently stalled

the electrical apparatus of the

base and then flew back to rejoin the

larger craft; only then did the
electrical apparatus start

up again.

NAME SHANGHAI
DATE

1JANUARY1964

PLACE SHANGHAI, CHINA

MAP REF: 012

EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER
Cigar-shaped UFOs such as the one
in this

Observatory

in Latvia,

USSR,
thought

A large cigar shaped UFO was

by many of the population of
Shanghai
in

seen

illustration are

one

of the

most commonly
the world.

witnessed what they

at first

reported configurations

in

was

a solid triangular object.

it

Once

January 1964.

they examined

through the
it

Apparently

MIG

fighters
it

scrambled to pursue

but

were were not

that the

NAME THE GREEN

DATE

TRIANGLE

telescope they saw that

consisted

26 JULY 1965

of a large object surrounded by

able to engage the object.

Officially
it

three smaller green balls and they

PLACE OGRE OBSERVATORY, LATVIA, USSR

was stated

estimated the large central sphere

to be

object

was an American

missile,

MAP REF: D5
EVENT DISTANT LIGHT

some 300
it

ft

(92

m) wide.

proving yet again that

UFOs in

Their best estimate of altitude

whatever country they appear tend

to

was
Astronomers Robert and Esmeralda Vitolniek and Yan Melderis at Ogre

that

end up being blamed on foreign

miles (96
offer

was at approximately 60 km) high but they could

superpowers

no

identification of the sighting.

131

\l
THE EAST

NAME UKRAINE
DATE
29 SEPTEMBER 1967

It is

believed that the approach of

NAME ZHANG PO COUNTY

DATE
7 JULY 1977

the motorcycles
object as
it

was detected by the

took off immediately they

PUCE

UKRAINE, USSR

closed

in. It

MAP

REF:

C8

the northern border of the

was heading towards USSR.

PUCE ZHANG PO COUNTY,

MAP
REF:

FU JIAN, CHINA

014

EVENT VEHICLE INTERFERENCE

about

An IL-14

aircraft

on the Zaporoje to
over the

As they were not well informed UFOs, the general feeling was that this was a new form of
reconnaissance craft from the Soviet
Union. Examination of the landing
site

EVENT MASS SIGHTING

Although the vast majority of UFO

activity is reported in the

Volgograd

air route, flying

Americas
every

Ukraine, encountered a
altitude

UFO at an
level.

and
has

in

Europe,

it

seems

that

above

its

own flight

showed bum marks on the

continent and indeed every country

its

Alarmingly, the plane's engines cut

ground, confirming the physical

reality of the report.

own

spectacular and unique

in

out and

it

glided

down towards what

a major disaster.
ft

involvement

the

UFO
is

would have been

phenomenon. Such

the case in this

However, 2,625
ground the

(800 m) from the

event though regrettably the uniqueness amounted to mass panic

UFO disappeared and

NAME
DATE
DINGXIAN CITY

the aircraft's engines restarted,

leaving a shaken crew to complete

and death.
Early
in

the evening of 7 July

the remainder of the journey

uneventfully.

SEPTEMBER

1971

1977, at Zhang

China an open

air film

Po County, Fujian, was attended

Of all the vehicle interference

reports received from around the

PUCE

DINGXIAN CITY, HEBEI PROVINCE,

by some 3,000 people. Suddenly

CHINA

two glowing orange

Mil

UFOs

power failures on aircraft are rare and, curiously, seem to be most reported in Asia although many
world
full

MAP

REF:

descended towards the crowd so

low and so close together that panic
ensued. The witnesses could feel
the the heat of the objects and hear a

EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER

'interferences' are reported in

all

Chen Chu was serving with

People's Liberation

forms of transportation.

Army during an
city of

low humming sound and they

claimed that the objects passed so

assignment north of the

Dingxian
in

NAME
DATE

GOBI DESERT

September 1971 when he witnessed a UFO event. It was

approximately 7.30
in

low that they

virtually landed.

The

sighting

was

of short

APRIL 1968
GOBI DESERT, CHINA

the evening

duration and the objects ascended

and Chen Chu, and others,

and disappeared very quickly;

unfortunately in the ensuing panic

PUCE

witnessed a globular object rising

slowly and emitting a misty gas.
After apparently hovering,
it

MAP

REF: L1

200 hundred people had been injured

and two were
killed.

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND

KIND

fired a

Examination of

strong jet and rose higher, then

the film being broadcast

it

showed

that

remained stationary for a time

While working on an irrigation
project in the Gobi desert,

was not the

or

result of

any

optical

before descending again. Eventually

it

illusion

light effect

caused by the

Gu Ying

descended out of

sight.

transmission.

and a companion witnessed the

apparent landing of a

The

incident

was reported

UFO. They
and

immediately and the army unit sent a

car to investigate.
unit claimed to

saw an

illuminated disc-shaped

On returning,

the

NAME PETROZAVODSK
DATE
20 SEPTEMBER 1977

object, red-orange in colour

have chased the

about 10

ft

(3m) wide approximately

object around the mountain roads

half a mile

from where they were.

before losing

it.

When it

landed, the

the military unit which

commander was

of

The

witness's credibility
his

PUCE PETROZAVODSK, USSR MAP REF: E5

is

strengthened by

own attempts

at

EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER

undertaking the engineering project

down-to-earth explanation: he

requested the regiment to send

investigators. Motorcycle troops

confessed that having tried to

explain
it

Although a relatively undramatic

case
in

as a plane, a balloon or
'normal' object he had

terms of

sighting,

it

had

were dispatched on
mission.

a fact-finding

some other
always
felt

interesting repercussions because of

unable to do so.

the government's attitude.

132

DATABASE 1970s

AURORA BOREALIS
The Aurora Borealis,
Lights, like
its

or Northern
in

counterpart

the

southern hemisphere, the Aurora

Australis, or

Southern Lights,
effect

is

natural

atmospheric
at

which can be

observed

near-polar latitudes.
of light

Although usually seen as bands

shimmering over

a long period, there

are sightings of smaller, guicker

'flashes' vi/hich

can account

for

some

of

the distant sightings that are reported.

Auroras are caused by charged

subatomic particles from the sun

interacting with
in

atoms and molecules

the Earth's upper atmosphere. They

at

occur

high latitudes on account of

the fact that the particles from the

sun

are concentrated over the poles by

Earth's magnetic field.

Of the case

itself

there were

electromagnetic effects driving

veliicles off the

NAME SHANXI AIRPORT

DATE
26 JULY 1978

many

reports by residents of
giant,

roads and even one

of a

Petrozavodsk that a
jellyfish

glowing

claim that

it

was the forerunner

city.

shaped
city. It

UFO was hovering

nuclear attack on the

PLACE SHANXI AIRPORT. CHINA

over the

except from a

was never seen distance and was seen

twenty minute
it

The Russian government made

no statement and be an
official

IVJAPREFMII

this

was taken
that the

to

EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER

for only a ten to

acceptance of the UPT)

It

period, during which time

phenomenon.

may be

F~lying instructor

Sha Yongkao was

ft

amounted only to a light phenomenon. It appears to have manoeuvred over the city,
apparently shining
that

Russians decided to use the

UFO
must
to

giving flying instruction at 10,000

phenomenon
event of their

to

cover up a particular
and.
if

(3,048 m)

when both he and

flying

his pupil

own

so,

saw two glowing UFOs

airport

circling the

down

fine

rays

have

felt

somewhat embarrassed
in

and then

away.
of the

appeared to be

like rain.

The

be paid back

pounds

for their

Yongkao attempted pursuit

objects and

object then
circle,

became
it

a bright semi-

pennies of outlay.

was

told

by radio that

red
it

in

the centre with white

finally

Western observers believe

that

there were no other aircraft in the area and that they were not
returning on radar.

around

until

disappeared.

the Russian government did not

outburst of

The case produced a sudden mass hysteria. There were many excited responses from
the population, and legendary tales,

want to admit to the launch of a

military satellite or any other

form of

The same witness had

second

secret satellite from nearby

Plesetsk; a subject which the

encounter less than a year later

when he witnessed
UF"0
at a height of
ft

a fast

mo\ing

unsupported, of holes being bored

into the

Russian government typically never

approximately

pavements, of bizaire

commented

on.

3,000

(914 m).

133

THE EAST

NAME AMANO ABDUCTION

DATE
3 OCTOBER 1978
CITY,

NAME UNTIAOAIRBASE
DATE
23 OCTOBER 1978

On the following night employees

of the centre witnessed a

more

extraordinary encounter: a huge

PLACE SAYAMA

JAPAN

PLACE UNTIAOAIRBASE, GANSU, CHINA

cylindrical object larger than a jumbo

jet

MAPRERQII
EVENT ABDUCTION

MAPREF;K12
EVENT MULTIPLE WITNESS SIGHTING

approached the

site.

witnesses described the

flashing red lights

The seven dome and

it

and watched the

Late

in

the evening on 3 October

Early in the evening on 23 October

object for seven minutes before

1978 Hideicho
top of a

Amano drove to the mountain near his home to

1978 a large crowd of people

including

disappeared. During the duration of

the object's stay the pumping

many military personnel

in

take advantage of the good

were gathered
theatre.

an open

air

system automatically shut down

which suggested there had been

reception on his

CB radio. He was

Together they witnessed

planning to use this to talk to his

brother. His two-year-old daughter,
Juri,

the approach of a

UFO.
east

some

kind of electrical failure.

It

was

also in the car.

was a stars were

It

cloudless night and the

clear

restarted

when the

UFO left,

which

when from the

It

should be physically impossible since

after

At the top of a mountain, with the

radio on, the car
illuminated.

a huge object approached.

was

any shut-down the system has

was suddenly
looked around

apparently oblong, had two powerful

searchlight
trailed a

to

be manually reset.
According to one report cameras

Amano

beams

in front

and
its

but could see no obvious source.

luminous wake from

were handed out

near the
site

to field

workers
did

But the source had located Juri!

Suddenly

rear.

There seemed
had the object

to be a fog

should the object

Amano became aware

was
lying across

surrounding the object. Fighter

pilots
in sight for

return and on 21

November it
were

that his daughter

several photographs

allegedly

the rear seat of the car with an

orange beam shining onto her

stomach. Before he could react he
felt

more than two minutes and were certain they were looking at a large
object near the ground flying
relatively slowly.

taken but never published.

a metal object press against his

NAME HUNAN PROVINCE

DATE
12

forehead and he looked up to see a

strange, hideous entity: short and

Apparently nobody had a camera

SEPTEMBER 1979

and was able to photograph

it,

which
PLACE HUNAN PROVINCE, CHINA

with no obvious nose.

was
of
felt

a cause for

some

regret.

They

Although paralyzed there appears

to have

could be comforted by the fact that

in

MAPREF;M14
EVENT THE GREAT CHINESE BLACKOUT

been some kind

the

West

a great

many witnesses

communication attempted; he

have made the same lament, while

those

the presence of visual images being

who

did

have cameras
fact that their
little!

City blackouts associated with

played into his mind and heard high

pitched screaming noises. After an

lamented over the

UFOs have frequently been

reported
in

photographs proved very

the West, and particular

indeterminate period of time the

entity disappeared and the electrical
circuits of the car

reference

is

made

to the Great

North-Eastem Blackout
NAME KUWAIT CLOSE ENCOUNTER
DATE
9

of the

and radio which

life.

United States (see page 50). China too has been able to offer
its

had died, suddenly came back to

NOVEMBER 1978

Amano was in a state of panic and drove down the mountain as rapidly
as possible, not even looking back at
his daughter.

own version from September

in

PLACE UMMALAISH, KUWAIT

1979 when

the early hours of the

failure in

MAPREF:B12
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

evening there was a power

At the bottom, he

Xuginglong and Huaihua,

cities of

turned to her, she appeared

unharmed by the experience and

requested only a drink of water.

Hunan Province. A brilliant UFO was seen over the towns emitting
1978
white rays before vanishing without
a sound.
It is

On the night of 9 November

over the Kuwait
oil

Amano retired to bed with a

severe headache and then

there were reports of flying saucers

centre near

believed that there have

failures associated

remembered
alert

that the entities

had

Umm Alaish to the north of Kuwait

city.

been other power

with

planted something into his brain to

The reports claimed

flying
lights

that

once

UFOs but

that the

government

him to their presence, and they

observed the

saucer had

has

felt

the need to suppress

have promised to return.

dimmed its

and disappeared.

information about these.

134

DATABASE 1980s

NAME LAN XI
DATE
13

OCTOBER 1979
XI.

PLACE LAN

CHINA

MAPREF;013
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

Witnesses to
differently to

UFO events act quite

one another and one
in

such example comes from Lan Xi

China's Shekiang province
in

October 1979.

A trucli driver, Wang

Jian Min, driving at 4 o'clock in the

morning, encountered a parked car.

Inside the car, the driver described
a strange craft that he

had seen

landing ahead of him and told

Jian

Wang

Min

that
it.

he was too scared to

approach

Wang Jian Min was apparently

not so afraid and led the
hill,

way up

the

with the other car following, to

confront the object.

The dome

shaped

UFO was sitting across the

entities

road emitting a blue glow and beside

it

were two short

dressed

in

silver.

The witness

noticed they also

had what appeared to be lamps

beaming from
discouraged,

their helmets.

Still

not

Wang Jian Min picked

his truck

up a crowbar from
sallied forth.

and

an anomalous echo. During the

Radar-detected UFOs are

among
all

the the

most

approach to the airport the plane's

return on the screen lost contact for
several seconds.
Flight

common

types of sightings',

more

The

UFO and its occupants had

is

authoritative

when

visually confirmed.

obviously heard of the expression

'Discretion
valour';

On contacting
However, the captain
of the flight

the better part of

402 they discovered that what

both the entities and the

they were watching on the screen

did not correlate with the aircraft,

indicated that in trying to lock on the

UFO disappeared.

automatic direction finder the plane

indeed

it

should not have been

had locked on to an unknown

transmission source;
later,

showing up on that particular radar

at the time.

the plane

Later during the

successfully locked on to the proper

approach the anomalous radar

transmission.

NAME
DATE

TIENTSIN AIRPORT 16

return

OCTOBER 1980

time

it

came back again, and this was visible alongside the

itself;

The

last

anomaly

in

the case

was

during the touchdown of Flight 404

return of the aircraft

PLACE TIENTSIN AIRPORT, CHINA

the

when one

of the control

tower

image lasted a few seconds and

disappeared again.

personnel heard interference on the

radio and believed

MAPREF:N11
EVENT RADAR DETECTED ANOMALY

someone was

Most
second

extraordinarily there

was

tuning

in to

the control tower. In

flight in

the air at the time.

addition to the tower, the aircraft

Radar control

at Tientsin Civil

Flight 404, which could not

have
it

crew and radar personnel

identifv the source.

listened to

Aviation Bureau

were

plotting Flight

been the source of the

UFO since

the interference but no-one could

402 when the radar screen returned

was moving

in a different direction.

135

THE EAST

NAME
DATE

SPIRAL UFO
24 JULY 1981

Wang Aining in Henan

60
ft

described

An

artist's

impression of an incoming
fiery

what he saw as a wash-basin some

(18.3

meteor. The

glow

is

caused by

m) wide, spinning and

light.

friction whicfi

occurs as

ttie

meteor enters

PLACE GUIZHOU, CHINA

dispersing flashes of blue

also noticed
it

He

the Earth's atmosphere.

MAP

REF: LI 4

was surrounded by
would be many sighting reports,
which indeed occurred. Zhang

EVENT SPIRAL UFO

white fog. Li Zhengai of the People's

Liberation

Of one thing we can be

the spiral

certain about

looking at

Army believed he was the moon until he

was in the wrong part The local weather
it

Zhousheng also described the

that

UFO
would

UFO seen in China in

that it was a real physical was reportedly seen by

recognized
of the sky.

would be seen; he said

it

1981,

it is

be larger than the moon, would

appear to be a disc shape and
possibly spiral, would rotate

object.

It

stations confirmed the sighting but

many hundreds
the province.

of people giving
all

were unable

to confirm its identity.

independent reports from

over

University professor Shi

clockwise and be bright

in

the centre

Zunsheng reported seeing a

with a

UFO
a

with a fog surrounding

it.

Zhang
the

Farmer Tian Jin Fu, in the late first saw the object when it was about the size of the moon and later saw a tail appearing from it
evening,

row

of portholes and

drew

Zhousheng
minutes.
Actually

also

sketch of a classical saucer although

sighting should last

commented that some ten

up

until that

date he had been

of

severely
If all

critical

UFO claims.

Zhang Zhousheng was

any psychic

forming a concentric
the original object.

spiral

around

Across parts of the province

people were frightened by the
apparition, while others

were

excited; an understandable cross-

were not remarkable enough, ever more remarkable was the fact that the sighting had been predicted a month earlier! Astronomer Zhang Zhousheng of Yun'nan Observatory had announced
of this
that

using very simple scientific

principles rather than

powers.

He had been tracking the

path of a meteor shower due to pass

through the atmosphere at the time

of
liis

prediction and in this

way he

section of reaction to something so

strange.

between 10 and 30 July

UFO

had foretold the effects that they

activity

would intensify and there

would have.

136

DATABASE 1980s

NAME BAIKONUR AHACK

DATE
1

broken welds. At the nearby

housing complex where the other

Chinese Air Force

pilots patrolling

JUNE 1982

the North China border reported an

UFO had been there

PLACE BAIKONUR SPACE CENTRE, USSR

were

extraordinary, and potentially

thousands of panes of glass damaged

or broken out.
of action for

dangerous, encounter.

MAP REF:

F9

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

The centre was out two weeks for repairs.

alert of the sighting

The danger came with when

the

first

the jet

fighters' electrical

systems

NAME HEILONG JIANG PROVINCE

malfunctioned and their

On 1 June 1982 two UFOs were

seen hoverinj^ over the Baikonur

DATE

18

JUNE 1982

communication and navigation

system cut
PLACE HEILONG JIANG PROVINCE, CHINA

out.

Ahead

of the planes

Space Centre, one

payinj,' particular

was an

unidentified object
full
it

attention to the launch pads.

MAP REF: N8
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

approximately the size of a

Examination of the pads the

following day revealed that there

moon, glowing yellow-green. As

closed
in

on the planes

it

grew

to

had been considerable structural

resemble a mountain of green mist

During
activity
a localized

damage, with loose rivets and

The Baikonur Cosmodrome.

wave

of

UFO

within which certain black objects

over Heilong Jiang Province

in

could be seen. Because of the

electrical

in

China

June 1982 a

flight of five

system failures the planes were forced to return to their base.

NAME AEROFLOT FLIGHT 8352

DATE
1985

PLACE LAKE CHUD NEAR MINSK, USSR

MAP REF:

C6

EVENT DISTANT NIGHT LIGHTS

This report, which comes from both

the People's
official

Paper and

also the

news agency Tass, was

for the event.

publicized in 1985 though no date

was given
8352 was

According to the report Hight

flying

from

Tbilisi to Tallin
in

when

at

approximately 4 o'clock

the morning the plane, a Tupolev

TU-134 encountered 'cloud UFOs". The first trace of the sighting was apparently when the second officer
noticed a bright star-like object

above and to the

right

to fire a laser-like

which seemed beam down

toward the ground. Other crew

members confirmed the sighting. The laser-like beam of light thinned out into a more diffuse cone
of light;
all

the

crew

of the

Tupolev

estimated that they were looking at

something coming from

approximately 30 miles (48 km)
high.

The cone

of light had

been

137

-^vTS.

In

October 1989 the Soviet

reported

News Agency Tass

that

two giant

entities

were

spotted near their flying

saucer

in

a suburban park
of

300 miles south

Moscow.
.

-i:;>l-,.^.

-'.>-,

c^^e,'

'^.^^^

Wji
%^.-^sdw**-

m\\
THE EAST

scanning the ground and illuminating

the landscape very clearly, suddenly
it

NAME GANSU PROVINCE

DATE
11

JUNE 1985

turned on the aircraft

itself

obscuring the crew's vision.

PLACE LANZ HAU, GANSU, CHINA

Suddenly the
the

star-like

source of

MAPREF:K11
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

beam seemed
it

to increase in size

becoming almost
cloud and

a yellowish-green
if it

looked as
craft.

was

rapidly

approaching the

For

this

China was one of several countries

to report an extraordinary

reason the captain ordered radio

details to

UFO

be confirmed of the

during 1985.

On

11 June, Civil

sighting to air traffic control in

Aviation Administration Boeing 747,

flying

Minsk, which was unable to verify

the sighting visually or by radar.

from Beijing to

Paris,
in

witnessed the object

evening, over Lanz

the late
in

The

cloud

UFO exhibited some

finally

Hau

Gansu

non-ballistic

movement

Province.

swinging round to behind the

The The

UFO flew across the path of

Wang Shuting
One
in

Tupolev and pacing

its flight.

the airliner at extremely high speed

crew noticed smaller

air traffic control

lights

causing the captain -

zigzagging inside the cloud. Finally,

to consider an
particular

admitted they

Of

emergency landing. importance was the

also reported in
in

of

two orange globes which appeared

1

July

989

in

suburb near the Russian

could see flashes of light on their

size of the

UFO,

city of

Perm.

horizon which was

in

approximately

other countries

the

same

year: an

the correct position for the

apparent diameter of 6 miles.

creature with them. Interestingly,

the proportions are the exact

transmission from the Tupolev.

Remarkably, the cloud

point

at

one

opposite of most Western alien

seemed

to be trying to

NAME THE RUSSIAN PARK GIANTS

DATE

descriptions - dwarf bodies, huge

camouflage

its

shape, replicating the

itself!

OCTOBER 1989

heads - though reflect perhaps the

folklore of Russia, in

The passengers were now somewhat

outline of the

Tupolev

which giants
sighting

PLACE VORONEZH, USSR

feature strongly.

The

alarmed by the cloud and the captain

MAP

REF:

D7

them to be told that they were seeing the Aurora Borealis.

instructed

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

seemed to confirm a previous report from Perm in central Russia when a milkmaid had claimed to meet a
taller

A second aircraft flying in the

opposite direction also confirmed

than average creature with a

The

when the two aircraft were some 10 miles (16 km) apart. As they were examining the cloud UFO with Lakes Chud and Pskov in
the sighting
the background they

news agency Tass almost gave way to sensationalism late 1989 when it reported a flying
Soviet

small head.
in

Scientists apparently

went
a
in

to the

park

in

Voronezh and found

60

ft

saucer landing
park.

in a

suburban Russian
certainly

(18.3

m) wide depression

the

However, the report

grass, four

deep dents, which are

left

were

able to

had

credibility as the

involvement of

regarded as landing trace evidence.

After the giants

make

a reasonably accurate

scientists investigating the area

there were

estimate of the size of the cloud,

showed, and perhaps reflected the

liberalization taking place in the

reports that several of the witnesses

some 25

miles (40

km) wide. When

had been gripped by a fear for

several days.

the Tupolev landed at Tallin the

country's media.

radar control there confirmed that radar had detected not just the
aircraft but

According to the report, a

landed
in a

UFO
it

Investigation of a

'flap' is

slow but

suburban park

at

appears

at the

date of writing this

a

In

two additional returns. March 1985 the USSR

of Sciences

Voronezh, some 300 miles (483 km)

south of Moscow, and witnesses

that there

was indeed

wave

of

sightings in the area at that time.

full

Academy

announced

saw two
nearby.

giant entities walking

investigation of this will probably

The

Aeroflot

crew

of Flight

8352

They were described

as

tall

take about five years, assuming a

had encountered "something we

callUFOs".'

and

tliin

but with tiny heads and they

reasonable level of access to the

material.

apparently had a small robot-like

140

INTERACTION BETWEEN EAST

AND WEST

he

introduction
itself

by

Hilary

Evans and the

database

give a very good impression of

the state of ufology in Asia, principally the

USSR

and China as seen through Western

eyes.

However, ufology is a part of a larger spectrum, a spectrum that includes folklore, the paranonnal,
mythology, sociology, and psychology.
of these factors

The

influence
full

on

UFO

sightings

is

crucial to a

understanding of the phenomena. Perhaps reports are

coloured by folklore? Perhaps the
in-built ability to react to

phenomenon has an

people's expectations?

No

true

understanding
while

of

the
sort

phenomenon
of

can

achieved

these

questions

be remain

unanswered. For Western ufologists the problem

not have
full

is

that

we do

access to

all

that

is

necessary to really
in 'closed' societies.
is

understand the picture of ufology

only just opening up (and

China remains relatively closed, and the Soviet bloc

it

is still

early days for any

in-depth analysis).

We

have good reports, of course,

from these countries but have

all

we

can never be certain

we

of the important

components.

We
on

need

full

interaction

between East and West

fuller

this subject, with

access to government opinions

and involvement, and perhaps a

cases.

understanding of

Originally built as an early-warning system, the Great Wall of

those other 'human' factors which surround those

China remains the largest construction ever

lasting

built

by

man and

As

the world opens

its

doors a

fuller picture will

reminder of China's

territorial isolationism.

emerge;

it is beginning to already. Several Soviet delegates have been allowed -

The

picture

even encouraged they obtain

to attend 'Western' conferences

world; the

is the same as in all other parts phenomenon is truly global. It is the

all

of the
'local'

and their input has been most valuable. Hopefully,

chers such as Paul
travelled in China,

interpretations which offer the variety. For

gists the

ufolo-

much from interaction with us. ResearNorman and Timothy Good have
and have been given access to

problem
future
will
full

is

to separate source

from

signal.

The nomenon
future.
will

understanding of
it

tliis

global

phein

be richer, but
picture of

lies,

nevertheless,

the

valuable material. Good, effective, civilian

UFO

re-

UFOs

in this part of

the world

search groups have developed

countries.

in

most 'Eastern

bloc'

we

all

broaden our minds and give us the perspectives need - it cannot be quick enough in coming!

141

AFRICA
WHILE THERE IS LITTLE SHYING AWAY FROM
REPORTS OF 'GHOSTS', THERE DOES SEEM TO BE A

FEAR OF RIDICULE WHEN SOMETHING OCCURS WHICH IS THOROUGHLY ALIEN TO A

PEOPLE'S CULTURE.

KEY TO MAP OF AFRICA

Drakensteen Mountain, Cape Province, South Africa

Lake Mcllwaine, Harare, Zimbabwe
Klarer,

(D Elizabeth

Drakensberg, South Africa

Edwin and George, Patterson's Groyne, Durban, South Africa

(D Fort Beaufort, South Africa

Durban, South Africa

The Tennis Court, Rosmead, South The

Beit Bridge Encounter,

Africa

Zimbabwe/South

Africa border

Indian Ocean Antoine Severin, Reunion The Landing Loxton, Loxton, South The Canary Islands Soap Bubble, Canary Islands @ Groendal Reserve, Uitenhage, South @ The Mindalore Encounter, Johannesburg. South @ La Rochelle, Mutare, Zimbabwe Matabeleland Encounters, Matebeleland South, Zimbabwe North-west Africa The Dogon Tribes,
Island,
at

Africa

Africa

Africa

IVIali,

UFOs WITHIN

AFRICAN CULTURE

n Africa one

is

faced with a great variety of

it

about

it.'

Whatever

village

this

was,

it

had

no

D
is

cultures and beliefs and

is

essential that

electricity,

only the smoking fires of locally

reflect in the

hewn

such diverse attitudes be taken into account

wood. Could that possibly

looking like
falling,

sky above him

when

dealing with any report.

Whereas

in

burning embers? But whatever the

the Karroo, South Africa
to

Western

culture,

UFOs

are treated with great scep-

answer,

got no further.

ticism by the scientific community, the African cul-

In the

Loxton Case

in

tures readily allow for paranormal happenings. Predic-

(see page 151), there

were three other witnesses

by Sangomas (witchdoctors), are often accurate although in the former case this is sometimes caused by severe emotional
tions of death or
attack,

enemy

Danie Van Graan's sighting of a caravan-like UFO.

trauma.

However,
Hypothesis,

spacecraft,

the

Extra-terrestrial

and UFOs,

are totally alien to black

young coloured boy (eight or nine years of age) had noticed the object on the ground. He ran to call his mother, Meitjie Devenish, who was sitting with a young man nearby. They all saw the object on the ground, but were so terrified by its implications and
the possibility of police questioning, that they
area,
left

African literature and folklore. This lack of knowledge

often

the

compounded by

lack of foreign currency in the

moving towards the S.E. Cape,

tells

to East

London.
a

developing countries to purchase books on

overseas. Thus,
of

UFOs from
in

Dave van Rhyn

encounter during the

story

about

UFO

when

approach witnesses
I

cases

supposed sightings or contacts,

can be 99 per cent

babwe

(then

War of Independence in ZimRhodesia) when he was accompanied by

Gilbert.
It

certain that their interpretation will be representative

his black sergeant,

only of their culture.

when Dave was

in
all

The one
cultures
is

overriding factor which appears

that of fear!

The unknown can be seen

as a

physical threat and, despite varying interpretations of

the origins of the threat, creates an overwhelming

traumatic abyss.

While there
'ghosts', there

is little

shying away from reports of

was about 8.30 pm army Landrover from Chiredzi to Mutare in Zimbabwe. They had noted some very bright car headlights behind them when Gilbert pointed out that the vehicle seemed to be travelling above the ground. Realizing there was no landing strip in the area, Dave drew over to the side of the road and stopped. They both got out to look but
driving the

does seem to be a fear of ridicule when something occurs which is alien to a people's culture.

the light had disappeared; suddenly

it

rose up from a

hollow on their right hand side.

Both

men

had a

On

a recent phone-in broadcast in

Zimbabwe,
'I

contacted by a young African boy of twelve.

was was in
I

my
he

grandmother's
said.

village

when

saw

this

"thing"

passing over, and spewing out hot, burning material,

(The

village

and
that

isolated). Later,

was some distance into the bush when contacted him, he said he
I

tremendous fright but Dave stood his ground. The light was huge, like a football field, and it passed over them and then shot up into the sky. When Dave looked for Gilbert, he found him under the vehicle, still trembling with shock. The possibility of a UFO had entered Dave's mind, but the poor sergeant had no
idea what

could not talk to me. 'My mother and father told

me
all

was going

on.

what

saw was the

lights

of another village

nearby' the boy reported. 'They want

me

to forget

Muchena (see page 153) it must be remembered that I never suggested to Clifford
In the case of Clifford

144

UFOs WITHIN AFRICAN CULTURE

Vast, unpopulated areas of scrubland and bush

Africa.
It

make up mucti

of

shouted, the

fireball

moved sideways

for about

820

ft

is little

surprise that

UFO

sightings on this continent are

(250 m) and disappeared behind a bush.

Warrant

ewand

far

between.

Officer van Rensburg, the policeman in charge,

who

had been called

that he had

in

by Bennie Smit, the owner of the

seen

UFO

entities; aliens

and

UFOs were
Clifford

farm, said,
it,

never mentioned
alleged that the

at the original interview.

it

men were

the 'ghosts of

my ancestors'
I

'I did notice that when anyone approached away behind the bushes. Whatever UFOs are: extra-terrestrials or time

shied

and

never attempted to make him think otherwise.

the end of the interview, ask
if

travellers, psychological
let

imagery or even apparitions,

about Africa.
only
I

did, at

he had heard he
asked,

us

not

speculate

wildly

have

that there

were 'men
'Uo

in

space' and he immediately astronauts?'

interviewed

many dozens

of African people in the

I

reacted.

you

mean

course

of

my

research.

apply

the

UFO
lights,

although he admitted that he had never seen a picture

of one.

hypothesis
i.e.

when

certain factors

keep re-appearing,

On subsequent

occasions

we

discussed the

balls of light or the

strange behaviour of

probability that the fireball that he and nineteen other

entities
craft,

which appear to be

totally alien, machine-like

witnesses had seen, could have been some sort of

ozone

(and

other)

smells,

electromagnetic

omen or vehicle, not from this Earth. The largest number of reports I receive are in the form of bails of light (BOLs). One learns to categorize
these and with knowledge gained over the years from

effects

on both humans and machines, paralyzing of

witnesses, etc.

As
I

a field investigator of about fifteen

is

years standing,
sift

believe this

the appropriate

way

to

the ufological data from the varied reports.

books and papers I have read (such as the work of Paul Devereux and Hilary Evans) I can give an identity to most of them. What does still puzzle me is their
intelligent

movement.

Cynthia Hind

is

the

MUFON

representative for Africa, and

that continent.

For example, in the Fort Beaufort case in South Africa, (see page 148) the fiery object reacted to the
voices of the labourers as they

one

of the

most experienced researchers on

Her efforts over the years have done

moved about

to try to

knowledge

of the

way

in

which the

much to enrich UFO phenomenon has

comer

the object.

When

a labourer,

Boer de Klerk.

arisen there.

145

near Lake Mcllwaine,

(then Rhodesia)

in Zimbabwe when the two

apparently a meteorite on a collision

course with the Earth and Elizabeth

NAME DRAKENSTEEN MOUNTAIN

DATE
SPRING 1951

witnesses saw a saucer-shaped

silver object

watched as the

metallic
it

UFO
flying

some VA

miles (2

km)
(9

apparently deflected
collision. In

to avoid a

above them, and about 6 miles

PLACE DRAKENSTEEN MOUNTAIN, CAPE
PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

1937 while

from

MAP

REP:

K20

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

km) away. Taking a closer look they saw that 'it turned on its side and flew away at great speed'. However, as they reached the edge of Lake Mcllwaine they saw
the object coming towards them,

Durban to Baragwanath with her husband they saw a blue-white UFO

approach the plane, pace
while and then disappear.
it

for a

Her most extraordinary

experience began on 27 December

Juan Benitez published

alien

this classic
in

then maintain station some 2V2 miles

1954 when she was again

family farm and
activity

at the

encounter report

1978.

The
Africa,

witness, a British engineer

km) away. There were no portholes or external means of

(4

was

alerted to

some

by the great excitement of

working

Cape Province, South had been driving up the

in in his

propulsion visible; they estimated

the object to be approximately 40
(12
ft

young Zulu children outside. She rushed to the hill where she had first
seen a

Drakensteen Mountain
at night

car late

m) wide. The object disappeared

UFO and watched as a huge

some 60 ft
(18.3

when a man

flagged him

at incredible speed.

disc-like craft

m)

down and claimed he needed water. The man was under 5 ft (152 cm) tall, was bald with a domed head and spoke in a strange accent. The
witness offered to drive him to a

wide descended and hovered near

her.
It

was

flat

with a dome, and

NAME
DATE

ELIZABETH KLARER
27

portholes facing her. Through one of

the portholes she could see a

DECEMBER 1954

humanoid
PLACE DRAKENSBERG. SOUTH AFRICA

figure surveying her and

nearby mountain stream.

the landscape. Shortly afterwards

On returning the man

original point, the

MAP
to the

REF:

K20

the craft flew off at speed.

In April

witness saw a

EVENT CONTACTEE

1956 Elizabeth Klarer

felt

disc-shaped

craft.

The

'man' invited

compelled to return to the family

'Not afraid this time?' Potentially a
chilling question,

him inside the object and showed

him that he needed water because
one of his colleagues had burned
himself.

farm apparently aware of something

'waiting for her' there. Early in the

not least

when

asked by an extra-terrestrial
standing beside his hovering flying

morning she climbed the

she had come to
Hill',

hill,

which

When the

witness asked the

call

'Flying Saucer
a similar

entity

where he came from the

there!"

saucer

when you and he

are the only

hill

and discovered on top

craft resting

entity pointed at the sky and said

people at the top of a deserted

in

huge metallic
ground.

on the
time

"P>om

a desolate landscape. Fortunately for Elizabeth Klarer not only

The

entity

was m)

this

she not afraid but

felt

was enormous

standing outside the ship.

tall,

He was
had

some

6ft 4in (2

high,

NAME
DATE

LAKE MCILWAINE
26 JULY 1954

warmth and trust for the alien; indeed she was to fall in love with
him and have
his child.
in

clear grey, slanted eyes and high

cheekbones.
piece
suit. It

He was wearing a one was at this stage that

PU\CE LAKE MCILWAINE, ZIMBABWE

In

her young years,

October

the alien asked 'Not afraid this time?' Elizabeth boarded the craft;
inside she

MAPREF:K16
EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER

1917, Elizabeth

saw her

first

UFO.

She was with her

sunset from a
hill

sister watching the

met

second

alien similar

near her family

in

to the first and the door

was

closed.

On 26 July

1954 Squadron Leader A.

pik)t, K.

farm

at

Drakensberg

South Africa

Roberts and a student

when an orange-red

globe

came

Howarth, were

flying a

Tiger Moth

rushing towards them. This was

She began to panic in case she was never to return to Earth, and when she went to the windows they too

146

DATABASE 1960s

aware

became was anions friends which she was sure emanated from
were
closed, but she quickly
that she

Just fifteen minutes later an

anomalous

light

appeared

in

the sky
ftidwin.

NAME EDWIN AND GEORGE

DATE

which George pointed out to

It

telepathic communication.

EARLY 1960

was about the

was

size of a tennis ball

The
same

craft flew

up to

its
full

at

arm's length; George explained

a spacecraft zeroing in

mothership, which was

aliens
all

of the
to

PLACE PATTERSONS GROYNE, DURBAN,

that this

of

whom appeared
On
home

SOUTH AFRICA

on the

radio.

Suddenly, to Edwin's
Hlnglish voice

be very

friendly.

board she was

MAPREF:K19
EVENT CONTACTEE

amazement, an

spoke

shown
planet,

'videos' of the aliens'

identifying itself as belonging to

known

as Meton.
in

Wy-Ora who was

In

in

charge of the

She discovered
contact

her dealings

1960 Edwin was 18 years old and

a radio

spaceship; he and his

crew
the planet

with the aliens that her principal

working as

mechanic
in

in

apparently

came from

was named Akon,

that they

factory south of
Africa.

Durban

South

Koldas and one of their number was

were
could

a race of vegetarians, they

move

freely within the galaxy

but could not cross the gulf between

galaxies.

They

lived in a perfect

While he was there, a man named George took the post of supervisor in Edwin's section. The two of them got on very well
together and often went fishing at

named

Valdar. Valdar was in fact none other than George who scoured

Earth to find suitable people to

spread the word about their mission.

world unaffected by pollution and on

their planet they

George impressed Edwin

in

have no

politics or

money, no wars or
In order to

hostility

and have

long ago rid themselves of disease.

Groyne where their friendship grew. George was quiet and gave few clues about his
Patterson's

many ways;
radio to

during this contact he

apparently gave instructions to the

make
did.

the spacecraft

communicate
Akon, Elizabeth

personal

life.

undertake certain manoeuvres,

effectively with

One
to

day, responding to a light'I

which

it

On one

occasion

when

learnt telepathy.

Akon explained

hearted question, George said

am

they were at work Edwin watched

Elizabeth that he needed her for

'stock breeding' but she accepted
this happily as

going to give you absolute proof that

lights in the

sky are not

all

Sputniks.

George - who apparently thought he was alone - physically manhandle a

machine
into place

she was

now

in

love

Then you
exist.
'

will

know

that spaceships

which had just

people to set

with her extra-terrestrial. She

On one

of their fishing trips

taken a crane and

five

became pregnant and spent four months of her pregnancy - up to the

birth

George took

a black

bag with him

Edwin surveying Patterson's Groyne,

which contained some sort of

living

on Meton, with Akon.

communication device and when

where he used
and where he

to fish with

George (Valdar)

The

child

was

bom and now lives

George switched

it

on they both

first

saw

the

UFO

with which

there in the care of his father.

heard a strange language.

George was communicating.

Akon

told

her that he came from

a planet four light years

away which

would seem to put

the Earth's sun.

it

in

the vicinity of

Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to

They
is

are surveying

us to ensure that our pollution and

nuclear progress
not too

damaging. Apparently the gradual

and somewhat haphazard exposure

of the

human race

to

UFOs was an

acclimatization device.

The nature

of the experience,
its

and the description of many of

the claims of

components, have many echoes

in

page

28),

George Adamski (see Antonio Villas Boas (see

page 181) and other claims that have

been received across America and

Europe

in

more recent

years.

147

it

down. According to George there

of similar aliens

is

nearly 30
of

ft (9.

14

m) across and

were hundreds
living

made
NAME FORT BEAUFORT
DATE
26 JUNE 1972

heavy brick and cement,

on the Earth, interacting with

in his

had been shattered. Indeed large

pieces of its structure were lying

humans.

One day George handed

notice and told
leave.

some 60
PLACE FORT BEAUFORT, SOUTH AFRICA

ft

(18.3

m)

fi-om the site.

Edwin that he had to Edwin took George, at his request, to a beach at Richard's Bay
where they fished for some time and then George apparently changed
from
his ordinary clothes into a

MAP

REF: J20

Smit stated that shortly before the explosions occurred he had seen the

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND

KIND

UFO again.

one

In June

1972 an event was to occur

in

NAME DURBAN
DATE

piece zip-up coverall and gave Edwin

the communication radio.
instructed,

near the town of Fort Beaufort

1JULY1972

As

South Africa which, extraordinarily,

exhibited an apparent sensitivity
PLACE DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA

Edwin sheltered behind a sand dune and saw the arrival of a 150 ft (40 m) wide disc-shaped flying
saucer; he noticed a figure inside a

towards the sound of the human

voice.

MAP

REF: L19

EVENT DISTANT NIGHT LIGHT

in

Early

the morning the

owner
to

of

dome on

top as the craft landed.

Braeside Farm,
of his labourers,

Mr Smit,

sent one

During a Boeing 727

flight

from
pilot

George boarded and within seconds

the object
in

Boer de Klerk,

Johannesburg to Durban the

senior flight officer

was merely

a distant dot

inspect the farm's reservoir. At 9

o'clock de Klerk returned in a clearly

Captain Chester Chandler, the

the sky.

Graham Smith
close as

Edwin has received messages from George and based

Ever
since,

agitated condition.

and the

flight

engineer G.

An hour earlier de Klerk had

apparently been at the reservoir

Koekemoer all witnessed the

approach of a
they prepared to descend for
landing.
It

on them has collected a

around him.

cult

group

light to their aircraft

Much

material has been

when he had
site

noticed a

ball of fire

transmitted, describing the lifestyle

of the aliens

near a ridge. Smit went back to the

with de Klerk and also saw the
It

and the technical

was nearly 9

o'clock in the

features of their craft. In particular

object.
ft

was

a fiery red ball

some 2

evening and the sky was clear and

dark. Suddenly the
light
.

some

of the

messages indicated

that

(61

cm) wide hovering at treetop

crew noticed

there were rival factions of aliens

height and spitting out flames.

Incredibly,

apparently pacing the aircraft.

manipulating the Earth.

Investigator Cynthia Hind
listened to
it

when de Klerk

shouted,

They contacted Durban approach

control and reported the sighting,

the object appeared to back off by

one of the broadcasts as

It

some 820
Smit

ft

(250 m) behind a bush

later.

approach control confirmed no other

aircraft in the area
aircraft operating.

was

received.

described aspects

and reappeared
left

and no military

of the aliens'

purpose on Earth.

de Klerk to watch the

The

sighting

Undoubtedly, the broadcast could

object while he returned to his

ended when the

light

accelerated

have been faked, but

it

would have

homestead

to collect his rifle

and

and turned away.

been expensive

to

do so and Cynthia
to

contact the police.

Two officers
all

was given freedom

examine the

arrived at 10.30 and Smit took

radio receiving equipment at her

leisure (though she admitted she

back to the

site

where

them four shot at

A check of the aircraft indicated no malfunction of instruments on

board (as
is

often reported by

UFO

together with three other labourers

approaches). Chandler
that

was not expert enough to comment on its workings. ) She has

- watched the
it,

object.
hit

They
it

commented he accepted there was

and apparently

once though
effect;

'something out there' which pilots

could not explain, speaking

commented

that the affair 'had a

that

seemed
it

to

have

little

disturbing effect on me'.

She

eventually

crashed through the

presumably not only of his own

sighting but of
generally.

maintains a healthy questioning

attitude

undergrowth and disappeared.

UFO reporting

towards the

UFO
is

The

following day an

phenomenon and she

not in
I

my

investigation of the area uncovered

opinion a gullible person.

echo her
'Can
off?'

nine supposed landing traces.

Opposite Following
area, the

UFO

sightings

in

the

own

question, raised

in

her book

On

the 8 July Smit heard

two loud

tarmac of

this tennis court at

UFOs -African Encounters:

we
really afford to laugh
it all

explosions from his farm and

Rosmead Junior School was found

up and scattered.

torn

discovered that the reservoir, which

148

II

DATABASE 1970s

NAME THE TENNIS COURT

DATE
12

up and scattered. The gates were,

NAME
DATE

THE BEIT BRIDGE ENCOUNTER

30/31

NOVEMBER 1972

however,
police

still

securely locked.
in.

The

MAY

1974

were

called

PLACE ROSMEAD, SOUTH AFRICA

It is

worth noting

at this stage

PLACE BEIT BRIDGE, ZIMBABWE BORDER

MAP REF:

J20

that there
rei)()rts

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE SECOND

KIND

were many other \]\'() received from the same area

including reports of

MAP

REF: K1

EVENT A MOST EXTRAORDINARY VEHICLE

INTERFERENCE

at the

same time

sightings by police officers.

Harold Truter, the principal of the

junior school at Kosniead, had

Investigation of the tennis court

indicated a symmetrical pattern of
identical holes;

Peter and his wife Frances

(pseudonyms) were

travelling
in

from

locked up the house and the

attendant tennis court on Friday 10

some

of the tar from

Harare (then Salisbury)

Zimbabwe
in

the court had been strewn

ft

some 600

(then Rhodesia) to Durban

South

November when he
weekend.

left for

the

(183 m) away, on to a ridge

Africa via Fort Victoria and the Beit

On returning in
light in

the

nearby.

Bluegum trees alongside

Bridge border, crossing over the

evening of Sunday 12 November he

noticed a strange
the sky but

the tennis court had been badly

Limpopo River on the

night of 30/31

burnt and they died about two

May

1974.

considered
natural

it

just an unusual but

months

later.

Approximately 6Va miles (10 km)

to the south of

phenomenon. Whether or

Analysis of samples taken from

the site indicated no obvious

Umvuma,

a small

not this

was connected
is

to

what he

farming town amidst the dry

desolate scrublands, Peter,

then discovered

unknown. As he
he saw that

anomalies though indicated no

solution either.

who
well

was unloading
been broken
it

his car

the surface of the tennis court had

up; there

tennis

Whether or not the court was the landing site of a

speculated by some,

was
in

driving,

slowed down

considerably as he

and tar and coal

were holes in ash had been lifted

UFO remains
but unproven.

excess of the speed

knew he was limit. He

thought he saw a policeman on the

149

AFRICA

The

Beit Bridge crossing of the

Limpopo

speed, without headlights and

During

this

next leg of the drive

River which forms the border between

completely out of Peter's control.

the couple thought they might be off

Zimbabwe and South

of Peter

Africa

and the scene

He

could not stop, brake, steer or in

car.

course because of the strange

landscape around them; low bushes,
high grass, marshes and swamps.
It

and Frances's encounter.

any way control the

nothing to his wife

Although he said
already

Peter was terrified by

road ahead and the road was noted
for its

this

who was

appeared that they were shrouded

a 'cone of silence'; there

in

speed

traps.

As they passed
plastic or

concerned enough by the

miles (18

UFO
some
1

was no

the 'policeman' they noticed that he

sighting. This continued for

noise from the engine and no noise

of insect
life.

seemed

to

be wearing a

km)

until

reaching a petrol

Yet again, Peter

metallic-looking suit and

when they

station at Fort Victoria

by which

completely lost control of the car

looked back after passing him they

could see nothing at
all!

time the
It

UFO had disappeared.

in

now at a speed

of

something
'I

like

125

was 4.30

the morning
in

when
Fort

miles (200 km) per hour.

driving' said Peter.

wasn't

Fifteen minutes later, at 2.30 in

they drove into the garage

The road from

is

the morning, Frances

to the left

saw

a light off

Victoria and the garage attendant,

Fort Victoria to Beit Bridge

very
it

hand side of the vehicle

dressed

in

vest and shorts,

at their

curved and twisted but that night

apparently keeping pace with them.

expressed surprise
about

remark
later,

was absolutely
Frances
fell

straight!

The

car lights began to fade. Other

how

cold

it

was.

An hour

asleep at around

6.

15

electrical

equipment

in

the car, such

all

they set

off again.

a.m. and at 7.30 they arrived at Beit

as the radio

was

unaffected;

Six and a quarter miles (10

km)

Bridge.

It

was now
still

light

but the two

around them there was

a light bright

out of Fort Victoria the

its left

UFO took up UFO

this

UFOs were

visible high
in

above

enough

to cast

shadows. Both Peter

remarkably cold and
coats and blankets

hand position yet again and

Although

them. The clock

the

Zimbabwe

and P'rances

felt

there was also a second

directly above.

customs post showed 8.30 a.m.

wrapped up
while they

in

was

though both Peter's and Frances'

were driving. Peter was again driving fast, between 87-93 miles (140-150 km)
per hour and he eased his foot
off

potentially

busy route, because of

watches showed 7.30 as did the

clock inside their car.

the daytime heat

many people would

and the

A radio time

have driven

at night,

previous day had been a public

holiday, the couple

the accelerator. Nothing happened!

The

car continued to

move

at

full

that the roads

were surprised were totally deserted.

was indeed 8.30. Analysis of the car was to provide some of the most extraordinary
check indicated
it

details yet!

When he

had

left

Fort

150

DATABASE 1970s

Victoria Peter had set the trip

meter
and
it

flight

deck, etc.

It

was
ft

testified to

us believe Antoine

to give himself a mileage count

approximately 90

(27.4m) wide

Severin to have been hallucinating,

when he looked at it at Beit Bridge showed that the car had travelled some 10'/^ miles (17 km). Fort
Victoria to Beit Bridge
is

and60ft(18.;Jm)high.
Interestingly, there

and they

all

take his statement

was

a special
craft;

seriously.'

abduction

'unit'

on board the

a distance

an empty room into which abducted

of 179 miles (288 km). In addition he

humans could be taken where they

could be induced to believe they

NAME THE LANDING AT LOXTON

DATE

should

now have had

to

fill

the petrol

31JULY1975

tanks of his Peugeot 404 which should have been virtually drained

were

still in

a (simulated) Earth

surrounding. Other parts of the

recall indicated that the

PLACE LOXTON, SOUTH AFRICA

by the journey;
full

in fact

they were

still

beings were

MAPREF:I20
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

and took only 22 cents worth of

physical, they had

no reproductive

petrol.

The

tyres provided an even

organs, they
galaxies,

more extraordinary puzzle; in order to save money Peter had fitted

cheap retreads for the drive,
proposing to replace them with

came from the outer were like gods and

travelled in time rather than space.

It

On

the

chilly,

misty morning of 31

seems

that their

purpose

is

to

July 1975 Uanie

Van
ft

(jraan
(3

was

influence the course of the Earth

walking over a 10

m) high earth
below him
the

decent tyres more cheaply available

in

without making direct interference.

bank, which protects his village from

flood water. In the field

South

Africa.

At best they should

As

part of their contact they

live

have given him about 746 miles

(1,200 km) worth of driving. Peter

apparently

amongst us as

he saw what looked

like

businessmen, university students,

lecturers, and so on.

aluminium roof of a caravan.

showed the tyres

to investigators;

The

'caravan'

was an

oval shape

they had done nearly 4,970 miles

(8,000 km) and were
still

and Van Graan could see four people

as

if

brand

moving about

inside as

if

in

slow

new. Regression hypnosis was to

reveal a stunning story!

NAME ANTOINESEVERIN
DATE
14

FEBRUARY 1975
ISL;\ND, INDIAN

According to Peter's
wife's falling asleep

recall, his

They were small, thin, pale and wore cream-coloured overalls. They had fair hair, slanting eyes,
motion.

on the road to

PLACE REUNION

OCEAN

long faces and high cheekbones - a

description reminiscent of the

Beit Bridge had not been

IVIAPREF:Q17

coincidence;

it

was

quite deliberate.

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

female abductor of Antonio Villas

After she had gone to sleep a 'space

being' had

been projected

into the
It

Boas (see page 181). Van Graan could hear

after

humming

backseat of the car and had

was just

noon on 14

sound and when he approached

approximately 15
ft

remained there
journey.
told

for the rest of the

February 1975 when Antoine

Severin saw a
at Petite He.
ft

(45

m) from the

The space-being apparently

domed
tall

UFO in a field
some
it

machine, the entities inside

Peter that he would be able to

Peter wanted the entity to
it

Small entities

3-4

suddenly looked up at him. At that

see him as anything he wanted to

see;
if

(91-122 cm)

got out of

and

moment
a flap

there was a slight click and

at the side of the

fired a

white

beam

at Severin,

opened

look like a duck then

like a like a

would look
it

rendering him unconscious. For

several days Severin suffered from

object; a bright
in

beam
light

of light hit

him

duck,

if

he wanted
it

to look
like a

the face.

The

disorientated
that time

monster

would look

impaired vision and lack of speech

him and indeed from

he has

monster. In some strange way

which a

local psychiatrist interpreted

suffered blurred and double \nsion,

Peter also examined the inside of

the spacecraft though there appears
to

as being reaction to shock.

though prior to that he had had no

trouble with his eyes. At the time.

When

the police published their

be some suggestion that he made

trip

report on the incident their

Van Graan
'It

also noticed that

he had

an out-of-body

from the car and

Lieutenant Colonel Lobet said

suffered a nose bleed, which

later

was

into the spacecraft, leaving his

turned out that (the witness)

is

confirmed by an acquaintance.

physical form to run the vehicle.

normally a well balanced, well

Suddenly the humming noise

According to the regression

hypnosis the craft was
levels divided
built

behaved
on three

individual of excellent

became louder and

off

the machine took

character, and not given to the

very

fast

and very smoothly.

it

between engineering,
living quarters,

perpetration of hoaxes.

communications,

He added 'None of the persons who have

'

Within about twenty seconds

had

disappeared from view.

151

fffr
AFRICA

Subsequent investigation
site

at the

revealed landing leg traces. Of

alfalfa field

the

where the

UFO had

was barren, the soil hard baked. Van Graan, echoing Maurice Masse in
rested, the landing site itself

was moving at some 1,865 miles (3,000 km) per hour. On Gran Canaria, a doctor and three others in a taxi saw the UFO
as an

wearing

suits similar to

by

fire fighters,

those worn some 900 yards

(823 m) away. Witnesses noticed

that they did not

seem

to walk but

enormous

electric-blue ball
ft
ft

hanging stationary some 6

(183
(46

France a decade
here nothing

earlier, stated

cm) from the ground, 150

m)
it.

'Ever since that machine landed

will

away with two

In the

tall

entities inside

common to many UFO reports. One of the entities had a silver case or box with him but how it was
rather to glide, a feature

grow

in this spot'

twenty minutes that the four

object
it

being held

is

unclear as none of the

(see page 89).

of

them watched the

witnesses could identify any arms.

There

is

the entities

some suggestion that may have done a survey

Van Graan

changed
like

size dramatically.

It

was

Indeed even the legs were

appearing from the knees

indistinct

an enormous soap bubble

outside the craft before

approximately the size of a twostorey house at

taxi
first

downwards almost

'like

fin'.

encountered them. Investigator

Cynthia Hind located a second
witness, Jan

but

when

the

According to the investigator,

Cynthia Hind, none of the boys had

turned
it

its

spotlight onto the

all

Van Der Westhuizen,

object

rose, getting larger

it

the

been exposed
films

to

UFO literature or
were
the event.

who had seen nothing but had heard a humming noise at approximately
7.30
in

time, until

was the

size of a

and did not consider the any way

twenty-storey building although the

entities

possibility that the entities

the morning. Since he

it

and equipment inside

size.

alien in

until after

thought

was
If

a helicopter he did not

that noise

remained the same

witnesses

was the machine landing then it was there for twenty minutes before Van Graan came across it. At the far comer of Van Graan's field there was a virtually dried up duck pond and Van
investigate.

This was enough for the

entities
hill

The witnesses watched the move over a fence and up

who

fled to a

nearby

though noticed that they did not

house but remained watching the

object through the windows.

appear to move as humans would,

bending forward, but rather gliding
erectly up the
hill.

Suddenly the object changed shape,

surrounded
itself

Before reaching

with a white halo

the top they suddenly disappeared

Graan found footprints

in

the ground

and disappeared rapidly towards

Tenerife giving off the sound of a

and the

UFO was also gone.

some 60 seconds it was speed of movement
for

unlike those of any of his workers.

Although the sighting had only

lasted for
felt

Although he had not seen them

outside the craft
it

screaming whistle. Investigation

revealed that the object was also

is

possible that

that their

they had

made an excursion. Van Graan was asked what he felt when they left and he said, 'What I
it

detected on radar.

was exceptional
Indeed
at

normal people.

one point a third entity had

joined the other

two though no-one

did think, although

wasn't at that
it

NAME GROENDAL RESERVE

DATE
2

could

very moment, was what a pity

that
I

was

OCTOBER 1978

remember exactly how. Trackers in the reserve were

couldn't

go up to the machine
PLACE GROENDAL RESERVE, UITENHAGE,

unable to offer an explanation.

and

talk to

those people'.

SOUTH AFRICA

MAP REF:

J21

NAME THE MINDALORE ENCOUNTER

DATE
3

NAME THE CANARY ISLANDS SOAP BUBBLE

DATE
22 JUNE 1976

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

JANUARY 1979

PLACE MINDALORE, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH

PUCE CANARY ISLANDS MAP REF: A5

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

On Sunday
sixteen

October 1978 four

AFRICA

boys aged between twelve and

MAP

REF: K1

were hiking in the Groendal Reserve and had arranged to be

collected by the

EVENT ABDUCTION

mother
in

of the eldest

Meagan Quezet and her son Andre

left

There were many reports

of this

on the following day, Monday. At

approximately 11. 15
the four the morning

their

house and walked up the

in for

UFO as

it

flew on what

is

presumed

road to bring the family dog

the night.
It

to be a course

from Fuerteventura

saw

a silver object

between

island to Tenerife, via

Gran Canaria.

the trees about a half mile

also

away and

According to the sightings the object

two

silver-suited entities.

was around midnight. As they were walking along they noticed that there was a pink glow

152

DATABASE 1980s

<''v

on the road and Meaj^an said 'Look,

they've
there'.
j^ot lijjhts

on that road up

It must be noted that the doctor was not supportive of the testimcjny

Andre replied tliat there were no street lights up there, as he

under hypnosis and commented

'The impression
I

have
.
. .

is

that this is

knew the road well. As they got closer they saw

the pink
light

a hysterical fantasy
that

and the

material that she then produced,

was emanating from an

on landing

was very

fanciful.

'

Andre has always

egg-shaped

craft standing

resisted hypnosis and has also

legs, not dissimilar to the

American

turned away from further

investigation into the event.

lunar landing module.

height of the object

The overall was some 12 ft

4
ft

(3.65m), the width possibly the

same and each

leg

was about

(122 cm) high. Apparently neither

witness was afraid because they

NAME L^ROCHELLE
DATE
SOCXXB f^h^
15

thought

at the

time

it

must be some

AUGUST

1981

sort of experimental aircraft.

Suddenly

five

or six people
Andre Quezet's drawing
which he and
his
of the object

PLACE MUTARE, ZIMBABWE

onto

stepped out of the opening and onto

MAPREF:L17
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

They approached and them came close to the witnesses and began speaking to them in something that sounded like
the ground.

mother were abducted.

two

of

had also seen the object. Paul

suggested phoning the newspapers.

La Rochelle

is

a large estate just

in

a high pitched

Chinese language.
in

Meagan agreed

to take a

lie

outside Mutare

Zimbabwe.

It

They were dressed

one of the

coveralls and

detector test but was reluctant to

forms part of the Nyabara Poorest

Training School and
attraction.
is

men had
were

thick hair and a

undergo hypnosis and summed up

her reluctance as 'Things happen

a tourist

beard; they

of

normal height.

Suddenly Meagan got the feeling

that

under hypnosis. The hypnotist

might say "What happened when

At around

half past six in the

something was not quite normal

evening Clifford Muchena, the

principal witness,

and said to Andre 'Go and get

you went
which

into the craft?"

and he

saw saw

a ball of light

Daddy, and run, please

ran and

run'.

Andre

could be suggesting things to

1

me

near the tearoom on the estate.

Meagan continued her

entities
craft with

know

didn't do'.

Many others
and
rolling

also

it.

It

was

big
It

conversation but the next thing she

In fact,

however, Meagan
session

towards the tearoom. up

remembered was the

jumping back into the
apparent
difficulty

eventually did agree to regression

reached the observation tower,

no
it

hypnosis and during

this

it

seemed
although

to roll

it

and appeared to

even though
a

came out
and that

that the aliens strongly

craft

set light to the inside of the

it

tower
of

had no steps. There was

buzzing

attempted to lure her into the

later rolled

back down

sound and the

still

craft

rose up although
the legs
it

apparently on

its legs,

at one point both she and Andre climbed in. Inside, she

the tower leaving no

marks

extending. Shortly after this

off into

took

described chairs and 'funny

lights'

the sky and disappeared.

did not get

and they apparently imparted a

The fireball gathered itself and moved across the lawns to a building known as 'The
burning behind.
F"antasy'

Andre

very

far

before

message

to her that

shocked and
which she

which was an outhouse

returning to his mother

when he saw

surprised her but

in fact

designed for the protection of

orchids
It

the craft take off and together they

has never been able to remember.

went back

to the house.

chose not to
very long
until

Meagan wake her husband, who

tired following a

Apparently before any kind of

physical examination (which might

grown on the estate. was then that Clifford saw

three

men
it

standing on the lawns.

He

would have been

shift at

have been expected given 'normal'

abduction stories) the witnesses

thought

must have been

warden,
but

work.

the next day

It was not when he was

Andrew Connolley and others

tall.

were
and
it

able to jump out of the craft

then realized the figures were too

already at work, that Andre

was

at this point that

Meagan

When

Clifford called out

Mr

telephoned him and told him the

story, telling

shouted to Andre to run quickly and

get his father.

Connolley's

name

the

men

turned

him

that his

mother

towards him. turning their whole

153

^^m^f

'-^m^^.:
Clifford

i;

Muchena

fell

to his

knees

after first witnessing

a ball of fire streak through

the

Zimbabwean

!^>;v^
estate
in

which he worked, and then

being confronted by silversuited aliens.

mi

III!"

??ri

ill

^^:^%,^
"--*:^-]*"-

[rilllllilllP
AFRICA

NAME MATABELELAND ENCOUNTERS

DATE
22 JULY 1985

PLACE MATABELELAND SOUTH, ZIMBABWE

MAPREF:K17
EVENT DISTANT ENCOUNTER

During the 22 July 1985 a rash of

UF^O sightings occurred

quarter to six
in

in

the urban

areas of Matabeleland South. At a

the evening two

Hawk fighters from the Zimbabwe

Air Force

were scrambled

to

intercept them.

The

fighters intercepted the

it

UFO at 7, 000 ft (2, 130 m) but

launched
itself

upwards reaching
in

70,000

ft

(21,336 m)

under a

minute. Unable to chase, the

Hawks

returned to Formhill Airbase where

Clifford

Muchena

(Right) with Naison, the

of the

had perhaps arrived without paying and that

Clifford has misinterpreted
this
it

the

UFO was seen disappearing at

Commodore David Thome comment that follows: 'As my air staff is concemed, we
the

head gardener, two

main witnesses

high speed on a horizontal path.

Air

toeventsat LaRochelle.

what he had seen, though

seems
bodies and not just their heads.

unlikely.

Of the

ball of fire

made
far as

has been suggested that this could

They were wearing

shiny silver

have been ignited methane or

believe implicitly that the

suits but Clifford could not

see their

swamp

gas or even

ball lightning

but

unexplained
civilization

UFOs

are from

some

faces as the light shining from

them

none of these explanations quite

bear out the details of the sighting,

beyond our

planet'.

was so

bright. Clifford
it

fell

to his

knees and

is

not clear whether this

was from
fireball.
ft

fear or because of

some

force emanating from the

men or The men were now only 10

Kachiti,

where the was there were no bum marks or even marks of heat.
particularly the fact that
fire
It is

NAME THE DOGON TRIBES

DATE
c

200 BC TO PRESENT

interesting to note that the

(3

m) away.
on

witnesses did not attribute

UFOs

to

PLACE MALI, NORTH-WEST AFRICA

Another witness, Eunice

their sightings. Clifford believed that

MAP

REF:

D8

also recalled seeing the fireball

what he was seeing may have been

spirits of his ancestors. Clifford is

EVENT TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE

the lawns near a cassia tree in the

centre of the lawn. She saw two strange

described as pleasant, not highly

to

Examination of the claims of the

men

holding what

be torches
description

in their
is

hands.

seemed Her

educated but able to read and speak

reasonable English.

Dogon tribesmen

of Mali indicates

The

fact that

he

that they appear to

have

of

them wearing
jeans and

does not have the technological or

sophisticated background of those of

extraordinary knowledge of the star

Sirius.
in his

something

like blue

may
was

According to Robert Temple

had knowledge for over

therefore not be the

same

sighting

us

in

the

West who study UFOs

book The Sirius Mystery, the

tribe

as Clifford's. Nonetheless she

could well account for his

own

Dogon

excited enough to

make her

report.

particular interpretation of these

2,000 years of the star Sirius B,

Neither of the witnesses actually

specified a connection
ball of light

events.

It

might also be that our

which was only discovered by

between the

technological background distances

astronomers

in

the

West
that

in

1862.

clearly

men though two concurrent events may

and the

us from the truth. Perhaps

we

Temple believes

we must

should be considering the spirits of

consider that the information the

well have

been associated.

our ancestors theory alongside more

technologically orientated ones such

tribesmen have, was passed to them

Suggestions have been made that

the

by

intelligent beings
Sirius.

from planets

men were merely

visitors

who

as the extra-terrestrial theory.

around

156

UFOsOR ANCESTRAL

^m

frican ufology, like its

South American coun-

Q
life in

terpart,

is

hindered by the immense size of

the continent and the few good researchers

available to collect the
it

raw
to,

data.

It is

a fact of

areas where

has been tested that

when

there

are people available to report

then the reports

come

in.

Unfortunately,

reports are not the only

requirement. For an effective, meaningful study the

reports must be well investigated, and a few people on
a large continent are hard pressed to do the work.

Cynthia Hind

is

one of the best,

is

if

not the best.

Certainly her energy in travelling, sometimes days, to

investigate one report

one of the most important

Furthermore, she has a

factors in our having any real understanding of the

phenomenon
mindedness

in

Africa at

all.

well balanced approach to the subject and an

that
is

open

always refreshing.
Dogon tribesman. This people's knowledge
of the star Sirius dates

Perhaps most importantly, she has an understanding of the basic tribal overtones that influence the

reports being received. Cynthia has taken the trouble

to learn about tribal divisions and their beliefs. result of this she
is

back 2000 years and Dogon folklore suggests possible contact

with extra-terrestrials.

As

able to

sift

out the raw data from

ancestors. Conversely, perhaps

the interpretations and provide the necessary input to

a global

we

should also con-

view

of

the

phenomenon.

Those
fair to

tribal

sider that our technological interpretations have no

overtones are important, though to be

Cynthia,

more

substantiation than Clifford's theory.

Perhaps

researchers including myself are sometimes at odds to

'our' classic

cases

in fact

represent the spirits of our

know how to Muchena saw

react properly to them.

When

Clifford

ancestors.

Who

can say for sure? This question

silver-suited entities (see

page 153) he
vitally

that researchers

must come

considered they might be the

correct.

spirits of his ancestors.

must recognize

that

is one Each of us we have a world view which may

to grips with.

Cynthia never suggested otherwise, which was

be as erroneous as the next person's.

We

in

the West, and Cynthia too,

who comes

from a Western background, sift away those interpretations and - in effect - replace them with our own.
Silver-suited entities have time and time again

The question must be raised again, can the phenomenon react to the culture, rather than be dependent on it? Can it send extra-terrestrials to
Europe and North America, and
spirits to Africa, as a

been

seen

in

association with flying saucers, therefore

if

we

way
but

of being appropriately noticed?

The answer

to

might reasonably ask

saucer entities

saw flying and merely mistook them for his

in

fact

Clifford

that question contains the

will

answer
it?

to the

phenomenon,

we ever be

able to find

157

AUSTRALASIA
THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE IS
INTERESTED IN ALL WELL REPORTED SIGHTINGS
[OF UFOs],

WHICH ARE INVESTIGATED

DETAILS

OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS ARE NOT MADE

PUBLIC
.

.'

IT

WAS A POLICY THAT BEGAN TO

CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE

1970s

AND

1980s.

KEY TO MAP OF AUSTRALASIA

Submarine UFO, Bass

Strait, Australia
Strait, Australia

The Beaufort Bomber, Bass

(D Maralinga, South Australia

The Father
Australasia

Gill

Sighting,

Papua New Guinea,

Bougainville Reef, Queensland Coast, Australia

Horseshoe Lagoon, Queensland Coast, Australia

Gardin/Smith Encounter, NearKalgourie. Australia Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia Mooraduc Road, Near Melbourne, Australia @ Jindabyne, Snowy Mountains, Australia Australia The Valentich Encounter, Bass @ The Kaikoura Controversy, Kaikoura, New Zealand Western Australia @ Nullarbor
Strait,

Plain,

AUSTRAUSIAN
PERSPECTIVE

ustralia

is

not just the only island continent but

Marshall, Sir

also a continent of

extreme contrast. Despite

co-operation
individuals

George Jones; an indication that some even at that time existed between

E!
this

this

it

has an amazingly similar record of

I

UFO

reports to those of other continents.

associated
/ith
in

learned

Australian

UFO

from the ranks of officialdom and the research community.

when becoming
since

the Victorian

One
official

of the first definite indications that official

UFO
Ever
in

Research Society (VUFORS;

the early 1960s.

investigators

were not

in

agreement with the

overall

voyage to Australia when serving the American Navy, I had wanted to return. My involvement in UFO research prompted me to
first

my

policy concerning
in

UFOs came

to light during a

meeting
ters.

Canberra, with an officer

who had

investi-

gated one of the most interesting Australian encoun-

make

inquiries with regard to

what was being carried

When we showed him a

letter

from headquarters

out both privately and

officially in this field.

Recomin

concerning the case, he said the letter was altogether

different

mendations came from individuals actually engaged

from the actual report he had submitted.

UFO

investigations,

who were

not only doing private

There have been many examples when personnel

in all

research but associated with the military community

branches of the services have assisted private

in

was from these pioneers of ufology that I learned of the original Melbourne group and follow-up organization founded by Peter Norris LLB. He headed the Victorian group which is one of the most reliable in
as well.
It

researchers

trying to ascertain the whither,

whence

and why of the UFOs. Time and time again the scientific community has been called on for assistance
only to be told by

some

'professor of possibility' (or

the world.

armchair ufologist) that

in

UFOs

are nonsense.

After emigrating to Australia

1

1963,

found that

Restrictions on the free exchange of information

had been the recipient of good advice and have never

on

UFO

encounters are applied. For instance, a

to Port

UFO
The
air

regretted
policy
is

my

association with a group

its

where the
is

was

filmed by the captain of an airliner during a flight

to

mind

own

business and to co-operate

from Australia
captain
traffic control.

Moresby (see page

163).

with individuals and groups

reciprocal.

when

that co-operation

reported the encounter to Townsville

He was
his

instructed not to have the film

Soon

after

my arrival,

learned the

official

attitude

developed
return two

until

return to Australia.

Upon

his

concerning the subject from The Royal Australian Air

Force who stated: 'The

RAAF

is

interested

in all

well
. . .

reported sightings, which are being investigated

Details of these investigations are not
.

were on hand to take the film from him. Although VUFORS was aware of the incident, it was a few years before we discovered the captain's
officials

made

public

identity.

'

It

was

a policy that

began

to

change over the next

is

The most outstanding event

incident has

in

Australian ufology

two decades.

the Frederick Valentich encounter (see page 1 69).

The

The
Ballarat,

first

Australian

UFO

conference took place

in

Victoria,

organized

by

the

astronomical
not only
officials

society of that city.

The conference was

attended by ufologists and astronomers but by

done more to change the attitude of some officials than any other UFO related event. VUFORS, located near the Moorabbin Airport from where the ill-fated flight commenced, undertook the bulk of the
investigations.

from the

RAAF

as well,

including the fomier Air

Information concerning this greatest

160

THE AUSTRALASIAN PERSPECTIVE

mystery

in

Auslraliaii

aviation

history

has

been
and

Island.

journalist, (juentin Fogarty,

was on holiday
fly

published around the world.

when

his

manager, Leonard Lee, requested him to

The most

outstanding encounter with a

UFO

the route and interview one of the pilots

humanoids in Australasia occurred on 26 and 27 June 1959 at Boianai, Papua New (kiinea (see pa^e 162). Reverend CAW who witnessed the event was interviewed by Ur J. Allen Hynek on
1973.
ters
his visit to Australia in

made
the
a

several sightings,

it

came

as a

who had surprise when

flying

crew and passengers found themselves whole fleet of UFOs.

amid

News

of this encounter,
station,

broadcast on a Mel-

Many

other witnesses
well.

who had

close encoun-

bourne radio

appeared to be similar to the

were interviewed as
While researching

in this

part of the world,

have

which occurred during the Washington Flap (see page 25). The same sort of
radar/visual encounters

had the pleasure of meeting top researchers from

pattern

was unfolding

in

the

New
in

Zealand

case.

New
home

Zealand.

My

first visit

to the country coincided

at the

Objects were detected on radar

Christchurch; at the

Wellington and
filmed

with the

visit of L)r

Hynek, where we met again

same time they were being

of Harold Fulton. Harold did

much

'spade work'

by the cameraman and witnessed by those on board

the aircraft. At one stage the aircraft

for ufology in the late fifties

this visit,
I

and early

sixties.

During

was being paced

film

met another well known pioneer of ufology, Henk Henflairr. The highlight of this visit was to
first-hand

by the UFOs.

Two
activity,

days later excerpts of the

receive

information

on the outstanding
a

cast worldwide.

Not

familiar with the extent of

were broadUF^O

Moreland encounter from Henk who was

friend of the Morelands.

close

The
land

Morelands

owned

small

farm

near

Blenheim, where the encounter occurred.

milk

Mrs More-

was on her way to the shed early one morning to two cows. Something caused her to look up when she saw two green lights 'like eyes' coming down through the clouds. As the object descended she saw it was headed for the spot where she was standing so
she ran several yards, frightened that otherwise she would be crushed. By the time she reached her new

was hovering at about 15 ft (4.5 m), some pine trees. The object was described as having a dome and inside were two human-shaped beings. Mrs Moreland was wondering
position the object

as estimated from

what would happen next when the object

tilted,

rose

above the pine trees then flew away with a whining noise. At the same time there was an odour like
ozone.

news programme was mistakenly pre'first ever' film of UFOs. Soon after the broadcasts, 'explanations' were coming in from the scientific community worldwide, all contradictory, none satisfactory. The leading New Zealand astronomer was 99 per cent sure that the planet Jupiter was the answer. Sir Bernard Lovell at Jodrell Bank Observatory in England, was sure the objects were meteorites. The objects refused to bum out. They kept buzzing the aircraft! An ornithologist in New Zealand held the view that the objects were mutton birds flying inland to mate. If true, they were anxious to get on with the job: the birds were out-flying the aircraft. The New Zealand Air F'orce explained them as reflections from squid boats although no fishing boats were in the position required to cast such reflections. A more plausible explanation
the

senting the case as the

would have been a formation

10,000
ft

flight of flying fish at

(3,048 m)!
is

The incident created confusion in the household because Mrs Moreland's husband was a security guard at the nearby Woodbum Air Force Base. Mr
Moreland decided to contact the authorities so the sighting could be identified. Mrs Moreland was interviewed by the Air Force psychologist who put her
through some tests. After the news became known,
locals visited the

Australasia

experiencing

its

share of extraordin-

ary and fascinating

phenomena and the database which

follows bears out that fact.

profile

Much

of the continued high

is

of Australasian ufology

due

to

VUFORS

which operates as an authoritative, highly active body adding a valuable Australasian perspective to any
international study of the subject.

farm

in large

numbers. Henk knew

the witness as a

down

to earth, credible person.

Mrs
Paul Norman, of the Victorian
of the
of,

Moreland's attitude was that of revulsion. She would not like to go through the experience again.

UFO Research
He
international
articles

Society,
is

is

one

The most outstanding

series of

UFO

encounters

most

active utologists in Australia.

at,

a supporter

in New Zealand took place between October 1978 and January 1979 when mystery objects were observed by pilots who flew along the coasts of North and South

and valued guest

many

congresses and
to

symposia and has contributed

publications
all

on the subject

over the world.

161

DATABASE
case of 1978.
a large dark

The

pilot

reported that

area at the time. Unfortunately

shadow was keeping

ft

because of the high security

at the

NAME SUBMARINE UFO

DATE

pace with the plane just 100

exhaust appeared to

(30

m)

base there were no cameras

available to take photographs of the

SUMMER

1942

or so away. Something resembling

come from it.

object which stayed for

some

fifteen

PLACE BASS STRAIT, AUSTRALIA

During the encounter, which

lasted approximately twenty

minutes or so before leaving.

MAP REF: G20

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

minutes, the bomber's radio and

navigational instruments

knocked
In the

out.

summer of 1942
Bass

a Royal

when
As

the

were The encounter ended object accelerated away

Bill

NAME THE FATHER GILL SIGHTING

DATE
27 JUNE 1959

PLACE PAPUA
at speed.

NEW GUINEA
111

Australian Air Force pilot

patrolling the

was
local

MAP REF:
Australian researcher
this particular
in

Strait in

response to reports from

fishermen of night
area.
lights

Chalker points out,

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

over that

type of plane 'figured heavily

official
list

the

He watched
was

as a

UFO came

Royal Australian Air Force

out of the overhead cloud cover.

It

of planes that

went missing

June of 1959 brought a

in

UFO 'flap' to
in

daylight, before 6 o'clock

without trace during World

War II

Papua
all,

New Guinea.

There were,

in

the evening, and the pilot had

visibility.

the Bass Strait area - an area that

seventy-nine detailed sighting

good

The

UFO was
in

described as shining, bronze

colour,

was not linked to any enemy activity'.

significant

reports from Boianai, Banaira,

50

ft

some 150 ft (46 m) long and (15 m) wide. On top of the

something
like a plexiglass

Giwa, Menapi and Ruaba plain. The most important of these would seem
to of

be the Boianai mission encounter

UFO
the

27 June although the story most

At 6.45 p.m. on 26 June

canopy could be seen.

F"or a while

probably starts the night before.

UFO paced the aircraft and then

away
at

NAME MARALINGA
DATE

pulled

remarkable speed and

OCTOBER 1957

Reverend William

Gill

went out

of

dived straight into the ocean.

PLACE MARALINGA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

the main mission to look for

Venus

which should have been conspicuous

in

MAP

REF: F1

the sky at the time.

He saw Venus
it

NAME THE BEAUFORT BOMBER

DATE

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND

but also noticed a very bright

sparkling object above
that

FEBRUARY 1944

seemed
PLACE BASS STRAIT, AUSTRALIA

to

be descending towards

Maralinga

in

South Australia was

the mission.
mission's

He

called

two

of the

MAP REF: H20

EVENT AIRCRAFT INTERFERENCE

one of the nuclear testing ranges

used by the British government.
Following such testing
in

staff,

Stephen Moi and

Eric Langford and later other

men

October

from the mission joined them to

witness the object.

What appears
took place
in

to be Australia's

1957 a Royal Air Force corporal and

other servicemen stationed at the

earliest case of vehicle interference

The

object
It

was

circular with a

Februarv 1944.

base witnessed a
nearby.
It

UFO hovering
silver-blue
its

wide base.

appeared to have an

Royal Australian Air Force Beaufort

was shiny and

upper deck with something

resembling legs beneath
light
it.

bomber was flying at 4,500 ft {\,'A72 m) and almost 250 miles (400 km) per hour over the Bass Strait the scene of so much UFO activity
including the remarkable Valentich

with portholes along the edge of

clear metallic structure.

A blue
sky

was beamed up

into the

Investigation with the local

airfields indicated that

periodically and

on top of the object,

there should

which appears to have been some

sort of 'cabriolet' flying saucer, four

have been no

aircraft activity in the

162

DATABASE 1960s

humanoid

entities could

be seen.

The

Australian Department of Air

was instructed not

Australia.

to

have the
it

film

Some

of the witnesses reported

suggested 'Most probably they were

reflections on a cloud of a major light

developed but to return with

to

seeinji portholes

around the side of

On

his return

he was

the object. 'I'here

were

also small
flyinj^ in

source of unknown
explanation hardly

origin'.

Such an do
and

flown to Canberra where both the

film

UFOs in

the sky at the time,

seems

to

and

his

own

plane's flight

an irrej^lar pattern.

The

large

justice to the sheer weight

quality of witness reports.

recorder were confiscated.

Captain Barker's
official
'I

object disappeared at 9.30 at

tremendous speed towards

(iiwa.

statement includes the comment

a

The

following night the

same or

had always scoffed

but
I

at

these reports,
it.

similar object

was seen. Again there

on the top
Gill

saw

it.

We all
known

saw

It

seemed

to be four entities

under

intelligent control,

and

was it was

of the saucer

and Reverend

NAME
DATE

BOUGAINVILLE REEF
28

certainly no

aircraft'.

noticed that one of

them seemed to be operating equipment somewhere

in

MAY

1965

the centre of the disc but out of

PUCE

BOUGAINVILLE REEF, QUEENSLAND

COAST, AUSTRALIA

NAME HORSESHOE LAGOON

DATE
19

their line of vision.

Reverend
back!

Gill

stretched out his arm and

the figures

waved

waved and More of the

waved

MAPREF;J13
EVENT CONFISCATED FILM

JANUARY 1966

PLACE HORSESHOE LAGOON, QUEENSLAND

COAST, AUSTRALIA

mission staff started waving and

then

all

of the four entities

staff.

In the early

hours of the morning of

MAPREF:I14
EVENT 'CORNFIELD' CIRCLES

back, astonishing the

28

May

1965 Captain John Barker

an Ansett

Reverend
and the

Gill

used a torch to

was

flying

DC-6B

airliner

flash a series of lights at the

UFO

from Brisbane to

New Guinea when

the object as
It

Circles of flattened grasses are

UFO seemed to be

he found he was being paced by a

perhaps most famous for their

frequent appearances
in

responding by making a pendulumlike

UFO. He described

the

motion waving backwards and

oblate, with an exhaust.

was

also

southern counties of England.

forwards.

The

UFO closed in on the

below deck.

seen by the co-pilot and stewardess.

Contrary to popular mythology,

this

in

witnesses but after a while the

entities disappeared

The

sighting

was reported by
in

area they are rarely linked with

radio to Townsville control

actual

UFO sightings.

At

6.

25

in

the evening

two

of the

Queensland; Barker radioed that he

entities

came back on deck and

to be

was

taking photographs of the

UFO.

landing nesf of flattened grass

seemed
later,

working by the

light of

When

he landed
in

at

Port

allegedly created by a

UFO witnessed by

the blue spotlight. Five minutes

rather bored with this limited

Moresby,

New Guinea,

Barker

George Pedley

at

Horseshoe Lagoon.

interaction.

Reverend

Gill

decided

to

go

in for

dinner and did not

come

out again for half an hour by which

time the

UFO, though
in

still

visible,

was now away

In total, Gill

the distance.

and thirty-seven
at

other witnesses

the Boianai
in

mission saw the objects

In 1977, Gill

the sky.

was

specifically

questioned about breaking off the

sighting for dinner and stated:

'We

were

a bit fed up that they wouldn't

after
all

come down
to people
.

the waving

this is the difficult thing to get

.

across

here was a
it

flying

saucer; therefore
a

must have been traumatic experience. It was

nothing of the kind.'

163

\N

w. ^^

*^^
,
,

,.r^

'**"

..'W

jt

'%

TheBoianai Mission

in

June 1959 responded

warmly with waving hands

to a visitation by four

humanoid

entities in

their

'cabriolet' flying

saucer.

AUSTRALASIA

However, one such

circle that

theory was that the circles are the

love nests of mating crocodiles.
If

very clearly was associated with a

UFO sighting occurred in the

Horseshoe Lagoon in Australia and was witnessed by a
at

the

UFO phenomenon produces

it

NAME KEMPSEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

DATE
2 APRIL 1971

swamps

nothing else,

produces variety!

banana grower by the name of

PLACE KEMPSEY,

NEW SOUTH WALES,

George Pedley.
While he was driving his tractor
at

NAME GARDIN/SMITH ENCOUNTER

DATE
22

AUSTRALIA

MAPREF:K17

AUGUST 1968
EVENT ABDUCTION?

9 o'clock

in

the morning he
PLACE NEAR KALGOURLIE, AUSTRALIA

suddenly heard a loud hissing noise

like

rushing compressed

air

and saw

MAPREF:C17
EVENT VEHICLE INTERFERENCE

At approximately 10 o'clock
spate of

in

the

just

25 yds (23 m) ahead a blue-grey

evening on 2 April 1971, after a

spinning

UFO rising from the

It
I

UFO sightings in the area,

at

was approximately 25 ft (7.62 m) wide and 9 ft (2. 74 m) high and when it reached a height of about 60 ft (18.3 m) it shot off at
ground.
terrific

am grateful to Paul Norman for

Captains

middle-aged aborigine
in

Kempsey
form of

clarifying certain details of this case.

New South Wales seems to have

most
incredible

W. Gardin and G. Smith

suffered a
abduction.

flying

from Adelaide to Perth on 22

The man was

in his

speed.

August 1968 suffered

electromagnetic interference
landing, or

kitchen obtaining water for a drink

On investigation Pedley
discovered that under
its

encountering a
plane

fleet

when of UFOs. The

ft

when he suddenly saw a

outside the window.

small entity
a

He felt

at least hovering, site there

was

was an eight-seater Piper

(2,438 m)

sucking force which picked him up

into the air

circular area of flattened grasses.

Navajo, flying at 8,000

at

and rendered him

appears that

Other investigators to the

discovered a
total of five

site

approximately 200 knots; only the

unconscious.

such circles

two captains were aboard. Smith

When he came
the

to

it

and also obtained many other

reports from other witnesses

who

was woken by Gardin and asked to come to the cockpit to confirm what
he had seen.

he had been sucked clean through

had seen the same UFO.

The
is

precise

mechanism which

Ahead

of the plane and at

forms the so-called cornfield circles

not
fully

approximately the same altitude was

a formation of

window and he was discovered some 7 ft (2m) away from the smashed glass. More incredibly, the window was secured
cut and bruised

understood. Investigation

UFOs.

In the centre
it

by an iron bar across the middle,

which had not been broken, leaving
the only possible exit for the
aborigine a 32 by 10 in (81 by 25.4

mechanism in the United Kingdom by such people as Dr Terence Meaden of Tornado and Storm Research has indicated that
of the

was

a large craft and around

were

four or five smaller objects which

seemed
parent

to have flown out of the

craft.

During the sighting the

cm) space!

they are caused by wind vortices;

main

craft

broke into several

however, there are other energy

forms associated which may well of
course be perfectly natural. One
such energy appears to be an
ionization of the air

sections and the whole formation

appeared to be making strange

interactive

NAME MOORADUC ROAD

DATE

manoeuvres.

1972-1973

Kalgourlie communication centre

which creates a

glow above the area where the

vortices are touching the ground;
this could

was radioed for information but the captains were informed that there was no air traffic in the area. The
captains reported the sighting and at
that time the radio suffered

PLACE MOORADUC ROAD, NEAR

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

MAPREF:H19
EVENT CONTACTEE/ABDUCTION

be the explanation for the

Pedley saw, though
is

UFO that
usually
it

some
For witness Maureen Puddy the
encounter began on 5 July 1972

described as red rather

form of breakdown.
After approximately ten minutes
the

than blue-grey.
Australia,
a

however, came up with

UFO formation gathered itself

'as
if

when she was

driving

between
of

few unique suggestions of its own;

the blue heron or the bald
for the

together

at a single

command'
at

Frankston and Dromana along the

birds featured heavily with species

like

and disappeared from sight

Mooraduc Road, south-east

her car she saw a blue
life.

remarkable speed; immediately

following their departure radio

Melbourne. From above and behind

light
first

headed coot being blamed

impressions on the ground. Another

communications came back to

approaching, which she

took to

166

DATABASE 1970s

be

a helicopter

ambulance
in this

((luite

commonly used

region of

wide open spaces). She stopped the

car and stepped out to look, noticing

no sound from the

light.

What she
object

saw was

incredible.

A huge
ft

approximately 100

(30

m) wide

was hovering and completely

overlapping the road at about twice
the height of the telegraph poles.
It

was shaped like two saucers; there were no signs of welds or rivets,
windows, portholes or other
and
it

details

was glowing
At
this

intensely and

blue.

time

noticed there

was

Mrs Puddy a faint humming

the object at
all.

noise though she could see no sign

of

movement from

Terrified, she leapt back into the

car and sped off but she noticed that

VUFORS

investigators Judith

Magee and

no matter how

fast

she drove the

Paul Norman.

The Royal Australian Air Force commented that they could not
explain the sighting but could

object always maintained station

exactly behind her. After 8 miles (13

Mrs Puddy
wheel

gripped the steering

confirm there were no aircraft

in

the

km)

it

seemed

the chase

was over

in real fear.

Looking upwards

area at the time and, interestingly,

the Flying Saucer Review (FSR)

and Mrs Puddy noticed the object

streaking
direction.

through the top of the windscreen of her car she could see part of the rim
of the object directly

away

in

the opposite

report states 'She was advised to

above her. She

remain quiet about the incident

rather than chance causing panic'.

Mrs Puddy reported

police, friends

the event to

began

to receive

messages!

and family though

it

A voice - in her head rather than

her ears - said
'Tell the

There were corroborative

sightings which suggest

generally speaking

was received with banter and humour and

probably for this reason she decided
to say nothing

media

Mrs
was
in

do not panic ...

It

we mean no harm.
'All

Puddy's encounter was a very real

one.

went on

to say
'

your tests
'Tell

will

A Mr Maris

Ezergailis

more about
to
at

it.

The 25

be negative. And then,

me
we
was

the south-east suburb of Melbourne,

July 1972

was
day

change her mind!

dear comrade, do not panic,

Mount Waverley,

at

approximately

more or less the same time and in the same place on the Mooraduc Road she was driving again, home to Rye after visiting her
this

On

mean no harm.
a final
control' at

'

Incredibly there

three quarters of an hour after

Mrs

message 'You now have

which time the car engine

Puddy's encounter and he states

that he

saw

a flash of blue light

started up.

Near

to panic,

Mrs

travelling horizontally.

son

in hospital at

Heidelberg.
light all

Puddy drove quickly

to the police

herself

Suddenly there was a blue

around her car and her

station and in an agitated

and upset

first

reaction

condition reported her encounter.

was 'Oh

hell!

Not

again!'

The

police reported the event to the

Immediately thinking of the

Royal Australian Air Force.

encounter of twenty days earlier she

accelerated to get

Mrs Puddy made

several

Mrs Puddy commented on Mr Ezergailis' report 'That's the way it looked when it took off the first time I saw it'. At around the same time as Mrs Puddy's encounter another couple, a Mr and Mrs Beel, also
reported seeing an unusual
light

away and
far

to her

illuminating observations about her

horror discovered that

from

own
the

sighting to the

UFO

"Something unlike anything

we had

succeeding the engine of the car cut

out, she lost control of her steering

researchers; she pointed out that

seen before'.

word

'media'

and the car rolled

the road.
All

off to the

verge of

she would be

likely to use.

commented
in

that

was not one that She also she did not know
'tests' since

The

report in Flying Saucer

Review ends by saying that 'Mrs

Puddy says she won't drive along

that road again at night unless she

around, the trees and bushes

the blue light and

what could be meant by

were bathed

she did not have anv test results.

has company'.

167

I(

illii"

AUSTRALASIA

On 22 February
the publication

1973, following
report, she

oiFSR's

did again drive along that road and

with most illustrious company

indeed.

The

results

were
day Mrs Puddy

extraordinary.

was not consciously fabricating she was really upset'. The entity was apparently beckoning to Mrs Puddy to follow it and even though Ms Magee offered to go with her the witness was
. .
.

In the event that

we conclude

that the abduction experience here,

and elsewhere, was not a

psychological event but an external

one imposed on the witness, then a

possible conclusion
is

that the
is

Throughout

that

resolute in her determination not to

abduction experience

more

in

the

had heard voices saying 'Maureen,

move and

continued to tightly clasp

nature of a message being received

than of a visitation.

come

to the

meeting

place'.

She

the steering wheel.

Even more

was a further telepathic message from those who had contacted her those months
realized that this

extraordinary events were ahead!

Suddenly Maureen Puddy was

screaming that she had been
kidnapped and she was describing
the inside of the

NAME JINDABYNE
DATE
27 SEPTEMBER 1974

Mrs Puddy telephoned Judith Magee who, along with Paul

ago.

UFO and shouting

because

meet her at 8.30 in the evening on the Mooraduc Road. They went to exactly the same place the previous events had occurred and Ms Magee, getting into Mrs Puddy's car, commented 'I was experiencing a tingling
Norman, agreed
to

that she could not get out

PUCE

JINDABYNE,

SNOWY MOUNTAINS,

there were no doors or windows.

AUSTRALIA

Throughout
sight of the

all

of this she

never

MAPREF:I19
left

the driving seat of the car nor the

EVENT ABDUCTION

two investigators but her agitation was very real. Now

apparently inside the

Two young men,

in

one aged nineteen

UFO, she

and the other only eleven, were

hunting
in

sensation like a mild electric shock.

It

described a mushroom-like object

the

the

shortly passed off.

room with a jelly moving about

it;

near Jindabyne

Snowy Mountains when they saw a

An

extraordinary part of the

inside

she relaxed into an almost

bright white light on the horizon and

encounter had already taken place.

entranced state and then suddenly

the experience

heard a deep humming noise.

Mrs Puddy commented that she had nearly driven off the road on the way
to the

was

over.

Approximately nine years later

the eleven-year-old witness,

This case, probably more than

now

meeting because, as she had

any other, raises questions about

the true nature of abduction

himself a young adult, had dreams

been

driving, a gold-foil-suited entity

which suggested an abduction

had appeared inside her car between

the two front seats and then

experiences.

If

Mrs Puddy had been

memory of that earlier time.

dreams he
and
laid

In the

alone then almost certainly she

recalled being

drawn

disappeared again!

would have reported the event with

all

towards the object, floated inside

The convoy of Mrs Puddy's car (containing Mrs Puddy and Ms Magee), followed by Paul Norman in
his car, arrived at the site. Paul

the clarity of a physical

it is

on a bed or
similar to

table (in a

experience and

only the

manner

Hickson and

presence of the investigators that

confirms that this was not the case.

Parker's abduction in Pascagoula,

USA - see page 59).

Tall, thin,

Norman left

his car

and got into the

On the

other hand

it

would be too
of

grey entities

back seat of Mrs Puddy's. There

they discussed the materialization of
the entity. Suddenly he reappeared

simplistic to dismiss the abduction

conducted some form of examination

here as purely psychological; for one

thing
it

him including measuring the

follows corroborated

electro-magnetic fields around his

Mrs Puddy in a frantic Ms Magee and said 'There he is! Can't you see him? He is in the same clothes. The figure
again and
state grabbed
'

sightings and for another the

body.
of

The younger witness

also

was not one trance throughout most of the

witness's reaction

recalls the elder witness being

drugged

to prevent resistance.

The

experience. Of particular

witness told investigator

Mark

was walking towards the

stopped by the
left

car and had

importance
abduction
is

is

the fact that this

headlight.

very similar to many

to consider

There was

a catch! Neither Judith

others and

we have

how

Moravec 'We were not afraid but we were not really conscious either'. They were apparently annoyed at
the feeling of having been used like

Magee nor

Paul

Norman
it

could see

many

of those others reporting a

the entity though

at this stage that

must be stated
felt

physical presence would have been

specimens.

Ms Magee was

contradicted had there been

On the

night following their bright

quite certain that the agitation

corroborative witnesses to say

light sighting,

saw the same

Moravec's

light

was

real

and that 'Maureen Puddy

otherwise.

again. Part of

168

DATABASE 1970s

investigation

was
in

to establish

between Valentich and

minutes later - the
Valentich
I

Flight

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, and you

confirm you cannot identify the
aircraft?

wJK'thcr this was the

same
first

object
instance.

Service from that point to just over 6

last

which was seen

If tiiis

the

time

had been established there

for

was ever heard from.

DSJ Affirmative.
of

would have been good reason

believing the

am

grateful to Paul

Norman

FS Delta Sierra Juliet,

roger, standby.

UFO to be a star or

planet. If this were the case then the dreams the younger witness

VUFOKS for supplying me, through BUFOKA with the following

transcript.

1909:27
DSJ Melbourne, Delta Sierra Juliet,
it's

not an aircraft
for

it is

(open

experienced were either shielding

microphone

two seconds].

some deeper memory

were
triggered by a

or the dreams

1906:14
DSJ Melbourne,
Juliet. Is there
this is

1909:42
Delta Sierra
traffic

a psychological event

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, can you

describe the

mundane

sighting.

any known

below

-er- aircraft?
it's

five

thousand feet (1,520 m)?

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, as

past
it's

flying

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, no known

NAME THE VALENTICH ENCOUNTER
DATE
21
traffic.

a long shape [open microphone

cannot
identify

for three seconds]

OCTOBER 1978

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet,

am, seems

to

more than

it

has such speed [open

for three seconds]. It's

be a large aircraft below five thousand.

microphone
before

PLACE BASS STRAIT, AUSTRALIA

MAP REF: H20

EVENT FATAL ENCOUNTER

1906:44 FS Delta Sierra Juliet, What type of

aircraft is it?

me right now Melbourne. 1910:00

roger and how

FS Delta Sierra Juliet,

I cannot
. .

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet,

In 1978 there occurred
largest

large
to

would

the

-er- object be?

it

one of the
of

affirm,

it is

four bright

it

seems

1910:19
DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, Melbourne,
seems
like
it's

UFO flaps in Australian

number

history with a great

sightings concentrated around the

south-eastern quarter of the

continent, and the highest

me like landing lights. 1907:00 FS Delta Sierra Juliet. 1907:31

DSJ Melbourne,
this is

stationary.
is

What I'm
and
the

doing right
thing

now

orbiting

is just

orbiting on top of me also.

Delta Sierra

It's

got a green light and sort of metallic

shiny on the outside.

concentration around the Bass

Strait.
is

Juliet, the aircraft

has just passed over

like. It's all

On 21 October 1978 one

all

case

made

the

more

interesting

me at least a thousand feet above. FS Delta Sierra Juliet, roger, and it is

a large
aircraft,

FS Delta Sierra Juliet. 1910:46

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet [open
microphone
vanished.
for five seconds]. It's just

because of the corroboration by

other witnesses and the

confirmed?

DSJ

Er- unknown,

due

to the

speed

circumstances of the witness's

report.
It is

own
in

it's

travelling, is there

any airforce

unfortunately also tragic

activity in the vicinity?

as

it

has almost certainly resulted

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, no known

aircraft in the vicinity.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet. 1911:00

DSJ Melbourne, would you know what
kind of aircraft I've got? Is
it

the witness's death.

At

6.

19 p.m. on 21 October a
pilot,

1908:18
DSJ Melbourne,
it's

a military - er

young Australian

Frederick

approaching

now

aircraft?

Valentich, took off from

Airport, Melbourne; he

Moorabbin

from due east towards me.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet,

- aircraft just vanished. DSJ Say again.

confirtn the

was

flying to

FS Delta Sierra Juliet.

King

Island, just off the coast of

1908:41
[open microphone for two seconds].

Victoria. His flight took

him over the

FS
still

Delta Sierra Juliet,

with you?

is

the aircraft

Bass

Strait,

one of the most

1908:48
DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet,
it

ufologically active areas in Australia.

seems

to

me

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet,

microphone
for

it's

[open

At 6 minutes and 14 seconds past

7 o'clock that evening Valentich
(aircraft designation

that he's playing some sort ofgame, he's

two seconds] now

flying over me, two, three times at

approaching from the south-west.

DSJ) radioed

speeds I could not identify.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet.

Flight Service (FS) with an enquiry,

the consequences of which he

1909:00 FS Delta Sierra Juliet,

your actual
level?

1911:50
roger,

what

is

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet,

rough-idling. I've got
three tiventy-four
it

the engine

is

obviously
the time.

was unable to foresee What follows is the

communication

at

set at twenty-

DSJ

My level is four and a half

and the

thing

is

transcript of the

thousand, four five zero zero.

coughing.

169

Il

AUSTRALASIA

FS Delta Sierra Juliet,

your intentions?

roger,

what are

spirit of

Valentich to rest, wherever

he

now is.
There have been rumours, some

DSJ My intentions are -ah- logo to King Island -ah- Melbourne. That
strange aircraft
is

dubious, surrounding Valentich's

hovering on top of me

present whereabouts; one

again, [open microphone for

two
not an

suggested that he crashed into the

seconds]. //
aircraft.

is

hovering and

it's

Bass

Strait

and that the Cessna was

stated they had taken

on the seabed. The claim came from

divers

FS

Delta Sierra Juliet.

who

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, Melbourne

[open microphone for seventeen
seconds].

sixteen photographs and

offering
dollars.

were them for 10,000 Australian There were few takers for
although a potential

[No

official

conclusion has been given

this offer

for the strange

sound which was heard

salvage operation

was suggested.
is

It

that interrupted the pilot's last

has come to nothing and

generally

statement].

regarded as a hoax.

A second story even had

Neither Valentich nor his blue and
white Cessna 182 have ever been
Frederick Valentich.

Valentich alive and working at a gas

station in Tasmania. This

seems

to

heard from again.

This was a case which brought

be a not uncommon reaction among

Bass

Strait, a

green

lit

starfish-

those
in

who

try to involve themselves

is in

UFOs 'into the open' as far as the

Royal Australian Air Force were
concerned.
of a

shaped object, which could well have

any major event and

the

same

been the object Valentich was

reporting. Indeed for several days

league as suggesting that Elvis

They made

the request

Presley

is still alive

or that half a
for

UFO witness that he be

in

VUFORS was flooded with reports

the

dozen gunmen were responsible

shooting President Kennedy. In
truth,
it

interviewed by the press

from around the Bass

confirming
if

Strait area

hopes of encouraging other

witnesses to

nothing else that

in

is

highly likely that

come

forward, so

something was

the sky on the

Valentich's whereabouts are not

concerned were they to investigate

the pilot's last minutes.

evening of Valentich's disappearance

There was
fire

other

official activity;

the Forestry

- a something not just mysterious enough to cause puzzlement in

witnesses but also to cause
sufficient

known with any certainty by anyone. The official reaction to the case
reveals elements of a cover-up.
Bill

Commission requested
to report

lookouts

Chalker

who has been

given access

UFOs,

police officers

puzzlement and curiosity

to report

to the Royal Australian Air

Force

interviewed

UFO witnesses and

were asked
in

to

make them need

what
that a

UFO files found that this particular

among their number. It was eventually explained to him that the Valentich case was listed as an
case was not
'air

aircraft pilots

to notify

they had seen.

their traffic controllers of

any

The other reports suggest

truly external

unusual object

the sky.

event had played a

VUFORS is based at Moorabbin

and was
this

major part

in

the case.

Some
more

accident investigation' rather

ideally placed to follow

up

abductions and indeed even

than a

UFO case,

therefore not

most important
it

investigation;

mundane

UFO reports are

for believing they are

coming within the framework of

immediately

did so.

They

uncorroborated or there are very

what they were prepared

him to see.

to allow

uncovered no less than twenty

people at different points around the

good reasons
reaction to

mostly an internal, self-generated

Of the

air

accident investigation

Bass
the

Strait

who were

reporting a

mundane

stimuli.

Many

report two rather obvious

green
in

light in the same location and same time-frame that Valentich was describing his contact

cases certainly have no

corroboration where there ought to

statements conclude the matter as

far as the official line goes:
1.

be some. But cases such as

Valentich's prove

Degree
fatal'.

of injury

- 'presumed

with the green

light

or object.

beyond doubt

that
2.

One most interesting report came from a bank manager and his wife who were driving near
Melbourne and observed, over the

there

is

a hard core of objective

Opinion as to cause - 'The

reality in the subject of UF^Os,

which

reason for the disappearance of

the aircraft has not been

must be resolved,

if

not just for

curiosity's sake but also to put the

determined'.

172

'Hiiliiiill
DATABASE 1970s

NAME THE KAIKOURA CONTROVERSY

DATE

Wellington radar reported a series of

targets up to 4 miles (6.4

Thirty-two miles (51 km) out of

Christchurch a huge target was

DECEMBER 1978

km) from

the plane.
PLACE KAIKOURA,

reported

in

the 3 o'ckx:k position

NEW ZEALAND

At 12.22 a.m. Wellington radar

reported another target and the

some
radar

12 miles (19

km) from the

MAP REF:

P21

plane but unfortunately Wellington

EVENT DISTANT SIGHTING

Argosy confirmed
saying
'It's

a visual sighting
light'.

was too

distant to pick up the

got a flashing

return. Film footage

film

showed

oval

On 31 December 1978 a
hired by Channel filmed a
of

film

crew

Crockett took twelve seconds of

shaped objects with rings of

sort of bell shape with bright

light.

'A

Melbourne

showing bright oval blue-white

images and then a further
seconds of
film

the Kaikoura area of

UKO during its flight over New Zealand.

Captain

five

bottoms and

less bright tops.

ft

showing horizontal
off.

At 2.51 a.m.. 7

(213 cm) of film

On 21 December 1978
Handle
in

lights flashing

on and
later,

was taken showing

lights.

further bright

Vem Powell and Captain John

an Argosy cargo aircraft

Four minutes
traffic control,

before switching
air

At

3.

10 a.m. the plane landed

frequencies to join Christchurch

at

Blenheim.

were

flying

from Blenheim to

Wellington confirmed

There have been endless

suggestions as to what was being
filmed:

Christchurch and then on to

Duneden when they made

of radar

number

were now behind the Argosy. Throughout the

that the targets

Venus, Jupiter, weather

reflections,

and visual sightings.

remainder of the
targets

flight

various

phenomena, wave

On
in

31

December 1978 Channel

first
it

were

visually spotted

and

Japanese squid boats, birds

reflecting light, bubbles of pollution

Melbourne chartered an Argosy

in

confirmed on radar. The plane

landed shortly after
1

plane

order to retrace the

flight path.

o'clock in the

and so on.

No final

conclusion has

Argosy's

This was not,

morning.

ever been drawn.

in

must be stressed,

to search for

At just gone a quarter past two

the morning the Argosy took off
again flying back to Blenheim to
obtain

UFOs but to obtain background

material for their report on the
earlier sighting.

Alleged
aircraft
in

UFO photographed fmm an

over Kaikoura,

New

Zealand,

Channel O's

more

film footage.

1978.

reporter, Quentin Fogarty,

(who

was on holiday in New Zealand at the time) was asked to undertake the investigation; the plane was crewed
by
pilot Bill

Startup and co-pilot

film

Robert Guard. The

David Crockett and

crew

consisted of P'ogarty along with

his wife Ngaire.
off at

The
p.

first

Argosy took
1978.

11.46

m. from Wellington airport on 30

December
12.

Less than 25 minutes

10 a.m. (now 31
1978) the film crew were

later at

December
in

the

loading bay filming background

material, the plane

was

flying at

117

knots at 10,000

ft

(3,048 m) and

suddenly Startup and Guard spotted

lights in the direction of Kaikoura.

They radioed Wellington control and

requested information and were told
'There are targets
in

your 10 o'clock

position at 13 miles (21

km)
they were a

appearing and disappearing; not

showing

at present, but
'

minute ago. For a while after that

173

AUSTRALASIA

collision.

Sean, the son that had

then this

is

the

most crude form

yet seen.

of

been

driving,

made

a U-turn and
in

abduction

we have

NAME NULLARBOR
DATE

PLAIN

chased the

light

which

due course

Dust surrounded the car and

21JANUARY1988

changed

its

course and headed back

car.

came
there

in

through an open window and

a smell like

towards the Knowles' own

PLACE NULLARBOR PLAIN, WESTERN

Sean

was

decomposing

turned again but

this

time the object

its

bodies.

One

of the sons, Sean,

AUSTRALIA

sped up to the car and landed on

roof with an audible thump.

stated that he had missed

some

of

MAPREF:E18
EVENT VEHICLE INTERFERENCE

the details as he had 'gone out cold'

at

The
of

car

seemed

to

be being

one stage. Once back on the

dragged upwards and the family was

I

ground Sean stopped the car and the

family jumped out and hid in the

am indebted

to Paul

Norman

unsure what course of action to

VUFORS for sending me details of

his report into this incident.

The two dogs in the car became very agitated and one
take.

bushes along the side of the highway

of the
until

the

UFO was gone.

the

The mother and three sons of the Knowles family from Perth were driving towards Mundrabilla when they saw lights ahead of them. As they were in the outback they
realised these could be no ordinary

sons, Patrick, said he

his brains

felt

as though

From outside, they described

the

were

pulled from his head.

object as a white light approximately

In fact the family did not really

same

size as the car with a

realize that the car

until
it

was

in

the air

yellow centre and making a sound

like electrical

dropped back to the ground

its

humming. The family

to

bursting one of

tyres. Incredibly,

changed the tyre and drove on

street lights. Just a quarter of an

while the object had been attached

to the roof, the mother, Faye, had
rolled

Mundrabilla where they discussed

the experience with truck drivers.

hour before the

lights

were seen the

car radio had begun malfunctioning.

down the window and reached

felt

Paul

Norman and a

colleague

As
in fact

the car got closer to the

it

up and touched the object which

it

investigated the radio and found that

it

'lights'

became obvious

that

was
off

warm and
pad.
If

spongy, possibly a suction

is

was now operating perfectly even

it

one strangely glowing

light

the description

accurate.

though

had been malfunctioning

hovering above the ground just

during the encounter.

The Knowles's family
car,

On the

roof of

the side of the highway. In fact they

complete with

the car they found an indentation

seemed

to be seeing a light that

was

burst tyre, being examined by

investigators from

matching the description given by

the family. Of the tyre,
it

hovering over another vehicle and they had to swerve to avoid a

VUFORS

following a

was

in

close encounter on the Nullarbor Plain.

good condition and should not have

blown but
in fact
its

was ripped

all

the

way round

edge.

Laboratory analysis of the dust

revealed oxygen, carbon, calcium,
silicon,

potassium and other traces

and

a possible trace of astatine

is

which

a radioactive chemical that

can only be produced synthetically.

However, the

half

life

of astatine

is

only a few hours and any normal

isotope of this element would have

deteriorated before the investigation

was under way.

Investigation by

VUF^ORS

revealed that there were other

UFO

reports around the Nullarbor plain

on the night of the encounter. Paul

Norman's comment on

this

case

remains level-headed. 'Before

we

know what is happening, there are more reports to check out and much more research remains to be done'.

174

uslralasia, the

Asian islands,
is

New Zealand and

clumsily drop saucers

last

all

over North America -

at the

Q
Gill,
all

principally Australia,

a ufologically rich part

count there could be as

alien

many

as forty saucers and

The introduction by one of its most active researchers - Paul Norman of VUFORS - and the database itself gives a good idea of the variety of the reports coming from that area of the
of the world.

over a hundred

cadavers stored for examination

there - yet they never get clumsy over Australia.

world, and of the importance of such cases as Father the Valentich case and the

Mooraduc Road

case;

of
I

which have been most thoroughly investigated.

(The absence of crash retrieval cases in South America and Africa is more understandable given the size of the continents, the meagre scattering of researchers, and poor communications.) So why is this type of phenomenon absent from Australia? Is it a
factor of the people,

would
in

like to

concentrate
not there.
is

continent on what
Australia

is

my summary of this What is missing from

great

the researchers, or the pheis

nomenon
itself

itself?

If it

a factor of the

phenomenon

particular

of

importance

to

then one could reach a bizarre conclusion: they

in

researchers

who seek an

overall understanding of the

drop saucers

the United States because they want

phenomenon on

a global basis.

Why,

for example,
It
is

them

to

be found there!

does Australia have no crash retrieval cases?

certainly reasonable to expect

Until

we

can understand the answer to that

real
still

them given the availability of wide open spaces, good lines of communication and good researchers. The country even has military and space programme installations. All of these components exist in Australia as they do in
North America. Yet
'aliens' (to

question then no
possible;

understanding of

UFOs

is

we may

be a long way from a real

in

perspective that

will

allow us to appreciate the truth.

study of the development of Australian ufolog>will

comparison with other areas of the world

provide

take the classic

line)

some

of the pieces necessary to complete the jig-saw.

Ayers Rock, a mysterious but

much

admired feature

in this

land of vast

open spaces.

175

SOUTH AMERICA
WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH,
ESPECIALLY IN BRAZIL, ARGENTINA AND CHILE,

PEOPLE HAVE BECOME AWARE THAT THEY

SHOULD CALL A UFOLOGIST WHEN THEY NOTICE

SOMETHING UNUSUAL IN THE SKY.

KEY TO MAP OF SOUTH AMERICA

Lego Argentino, Argentina @ Caracas, Venezuela Ubatuba, Boas, Minas Geraes Antonio Attack, The Fort Trindade Island photographs, Trindade Island
BauriJ, Brazil
Brazil

Villas

Brazil

Italpu

Fori Itaipu, Brazil

Atlantic

Ocean

Venezuela Lake Maracaibo, Santa FamiliaSagrada, Belo Horizonte, Deaths, Rio de Janeiro, The Bebedouro, North Belo Horizonte, The Bananeiras Bus, Bananeiras, @ IsladeLobos, Uruguay Seixas Abduction, ConceigaodeAraguaia, Goias, @
Rita,

Brazil

Niteroi

Brazil

of

Brazil

Brazil

Ellas

Brazil

THE SOUTH AMERICAN

VIEWPOINT

outh America

is

such a large continent (Brazil

it

B
of
all

is,

itself,

the size of a continent) that

is

hazardous to offer generalizations on any one subject. Nonetheless, UFOs are a common
the world, and close encounters

phenomenon around

kinds are basically the

same here

as they are

throughout the rest of the world.

However, here the

alien-looking aliens

'grays',
in

known

which are the more North America and to

some extent
cases
1

in

Europe, are less frequently met. In the

entities,

have investigated,

even when they

involve smaller beings, have not behaved in a hostile

manner.
taller

Many

are very

human

looking, and

some

are

than humans.

To

take for example the Elias

Seixas Abduction (see page 188), a

human

being's

semen was
ill

forcibly extracted, yet the

abductee has no
that

feelings about this.

He

sees the positive side of his

UFO
that
is

experience. Generally,

we

feel

it

is

the

human

being's personal attitude towards his captors

important.

With the development of research, especially in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, people have become aware that they should call a ufologist when they
notice something unusual in the sky. In the past they

only called the national astronomical observatories, or the control towers at airports, always obtaining the

same

reply,

'You must have seen a meteorological

balloon'.

(Official

imagination -

astronomers seem why do they never say

to

have

no

anything else

when they wish to debunk a sighting, are they complying with orders they have received?) On one occasion, however, they were not inscreens were were also observed visually) and echoes, first in Sao Jose dos Campos, then Brasilia and the Santa Cruz Air Base in Rio de
1986,
volved.

On

19

May

radar

saturated

with

lights

(which

South America

is

rich in cultural history

and images of ancient

see
in

gods

like

these on Easter Island.

.

Some
.
.

these figures the

Janeiro.

This

caused

confusion

in

the

air

traffic

reflection of ancient astronauts

178

THE SOUTH AMERICAN VIEWPOINT

controls, so

FE Mirage jets were

scrambled by the Air

with his

own UFO

group, received a message

in

which

Force to intercept the UFOs. Finally the Air Minister

Brigadier Octavio Moreira Lima came forward on TV and stated that UF'Os had been observed and promised to give a full report within two months. He did not keep his word, obviously pressure was
himself,

he was told to meet extra-terrestrials

place and date.

at a certain

He

complied, and found a metallic

sphere on his way that led him to the meeting place.

There he met several

landed
in a

extra-terrestrials
of

who had
South

UPX).

He had met one

is

them

before, here

brought to bear, but by

whom?

on Earth. There

a similarity here with the

On TV two
presented
all

or three days later the Brigadier

this unearthly

African case of Edwin,

who met

'Oeorge' (see page

the pilots and air traffic controllers, ten

147), as described in Cynthia Hind's African

ters

Encoun-

altogether 'hunt'. All

who had

participated
lights,

in

and

in

Koldas by C. Van Vlierden and W. Stevens.

had watched the

intercept them, their speed having been

none were able to beyond 930

In Brazil

we

also accept the contactee as part of

the picture and give their cases as

nuts-and-bolts accounts.

much care

as the
is

miles

(1,500

km)

per

hour.

witness was Ozires Silva,

President of

Another interested then taking up his post as

travelling in his

As

to

what interpretation

given them, that

is

the researcher's responsibility.

PETROBRAS, who was

when he witnessed

private plane,

the

UFO. He

has

Ufologists - in South America as in the rest of the world - have different attitudes according to their

now just been appointed Minister of Infrastructure in the new Collor government, so ufologists have hopes for a more open attitude on the subject. We have good ufologists in Brazil. One of them.
Engineer Claudeir Covo, interviewed
findings.
all

outlook and belief systems.

On

the one hand

we have

'advanced ufology', which

in

is

mystical, yet well-rooted

culture and folklore.

We

also have the die-hard

all

scientific ufologists,

who

discard

but scientific data.

the pilots,

Finally there are those, like myself,

who

are deeply

studied every facet of the case, and published his

interested in the esoteric and spiritual aspects of

ufology, yet

Captain Basilio Baranoff, of Sao Jose dos

at

work on
visitors.

a data-gathering basis, with a

Campos, who works

Institute (I.T.A.),

Technological Aeronautics

view towards future communication with our extraterrestrial

also compiled a very extensive,

Brazilians

are

interested
healing

in

detailed report.

myself gathered a collection of over

alternative

culture,

which

includes

and
para-

thirty reports of lights

seen

in

the sky on, or around

homeopathy,
that

chromotherapy,

astrology,
I

were very interesting and implied close encounters. This was published by
of which

the 19-20 May,

some

psychology and so on, and includes ufology.

know

Europeans do not accept such

if

a seemingly hybrid

the review

UFO. Then

Fabio Zerpa, President of

combination - but
would.
here.

they lived here, perhaps they

is

ONIFE,

Buenos Aires, brought out a complete monograph on the subject, after he too visited Brazil and met some of the witnesses. This, for him, was a
follow up to a similar
in

The

situation in Argentina

much

the

same

as

In Argentina,

Fabio Zerpa published Cuarta

in
I

Dimension, which has been

thirty-one years. In Brazil,
scientifically
in

existence for the past

UFO
also

flyover the preceding year

was

editor of the

first

Argentina.

Chile

contributed

its

share

oriented

UFO

review which closed down

Eugenio Bahamonde of Ponta Arenas

told

me how

1980.

Now

for the past

in

few years

we have had

UFOs
As

had

flovra

over his country

at that time.

UFO,

edited by Gevaerd
in

to the true extent of

cases such as the

UFOs, well documented one above do much to enlighten the

Planeta, published

Sul, and Sao Paulo, that intermittently

Mato Crosso do

features information about

I

UFOs.
same
I

population, especially people with enquiring minds.

believe the difficulties for ufology are the

in

Multiple-witness sightings are important as at

everywhere
persistence

the world, but

am

also sure that

times they involve thousands of spectators, however,

abductions are far

will

break

down

all

barriers.

more

interesting and

more frequent

than imagined by even a keen ufologist.

Several really outstanding cases have

come my
Irene Granchi
is

way, others were

examined by colleagues in Brazil. Argentina and Chile have their share of them too, though I know less about Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay and other smaller countries in South America for lack of sufficient data. However, in Colombia there is the famous Engineer Rincon case, 1973, which has a wealth of interesting data. This engineer.
first

one

of the

most respected
She

ufologists on the

South American continent, and has been an active

researcher for

many

years.

is

president of CISNE, the

Centre de Investigacoes Sobre a Natureza dos ExtraTerrestres.

She has been involved

is

in

most

of the

major

cases on that continent, she

literature

a regular contributor to
at

UFO

and a valued speaker

many symposia.

179

suburbs of the Venezuelan

capital.

NAME BAURU,
DATE

BRAZIL

NAME LEGOARGENTINO
DATE
18

They stopped when they saw a glowing globe some 10 ft (3 m ) wide

hovering over the road.

23 JULY 1947

MARCH

1950

What was
PLACE BAURU, BRAZIL PLACE LEGOARGENTINO, ARGENTINA

to follow

is

most

unusual contact claim. Gonzalez

MAPREF;K13
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

MAP REF:

E21

ended up brawling with

a hairy,

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

dwarf like entity which was wearing

a loin-cloth, had glowing eyes and

displayed deceptive strength.

On 23 July

1947 Jose Higgins was

In the early evening of 18

March
flying

Although
able to
(4.

it

was very

light,

it

was
ft

one of a group of workers who

witnessed the landing of a 150
(46
ft

1950 rancher Wilfredo Arevalo

witnessed the landing of a
saucer while a second companion
saucer hovered overhead, as
if

knock Gonzalez some 15

m) wide grey-white
in

flying

m) without any obvious effort. The brawling ended when another

5 creature from inside the globe
blinded Gonzalez with a ray from a

saucer at Bauni

the state of Sao

Paulo, Brazil. Higgins

was

left

alone

guarding the
within 400
ft

first.

Arevalo walked to

when

the other

workmen
ft

fled the

(120 m) of the craft

'like

tube he was carrying. Ponce,

in

the

area and he was confronted by three

entities about 7

noticing an intense smell

meantime, watched creatures carry

soil

(213 cm)

tall

burning benzine'.

The

craft

was

and rocks into the globe after

wearing

inflated transparent suits

giving off a blue vapour through

marching out from nearby bushes.

Gonzalez had a long scar on
side from the fight and the
his

and carrying boxes on their backs.

Their clothing,
suits,

which Arevalo could see that the

surface of
it

visible

through the

seemed

to

be made of

two men

appeared to be made of
had large rounded bald

something

like

aluminium.
landed, part of the
'like

were placed under medical

observation for a few days.
first

brightly coloured paper. All the

entities

Even when it
disc

remained revolving

heads, huge eyes, no eyebrows and

long legs. Oddly, Higgins found

gramophone
well shaped

record'. In the glass

tall,

cabin Arevalo could see four

It was assumed that the men must have been drunk but later one of the doctors treating them admitted that

them beautiful. They seemed

him
them.

men dressed in
a search light at
off,

he accepted their story because on

driving back from a night time call he

to be trying to lure

something

like cellophane.

into the saucer but

he eluded

The men shone

had actually seen the

entities!

fight with the

some bushes and then, amazingly, watched them appear to play. They spent half an
hid in

He

Arevalo then the craft took

The doctor was

apparently

leaving an area of burnt grass later

sufficiently curious to take

up

confirmed by other ranchers.

discussion of the case with American

authorities in Washington.

hour leaping and jumping and tossing

huge stones. Eventually they reentered the craft and

it

vanished

NAME CARACAS
DATE
28

towards the north. At one point they

had drawn what Higgins took to be a

NOVEMBER

1954

NAME UBATUBA
DATE

map

of the solar

system which

PUCE

CARACAS, VENEZUELA

SEPTEMBER 1957

seemed to indicate that they had come from Uranus.

Of
flying

MAP

REF: F2

PIACE UBATUBA, BRAZIL

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD

KIND

MAP

REF: LIS

particular interest

was the
a 'Saturn-

EVENT CRASH RETRIEVAL

distinct rim

around the edge of the

it

saucer which gave

In the early

hours of 28 November

Reports from Ubatuba, Brazil

in

shape' (see Trindade Island

1954 Gustavo Gonzalez and Jose

September 1957
flying

indicated that a

photographs incident page 185).

Ponce were driving

van

in

the

saucer had approached

180

DATABASE 1950s

fishermen

who had

then seen

it

looked through their bedroom

their clothes at the back

Villas

and sides.
a

explode, scatterinj^ material

window.

It

seemed

to scan their
its

Boas found himself in

and with no

everywhere. There was some doubt

about the authenticity of the claim as
the exposure

home

but they could not see

small

room with
lit

polished metal
visible

source.

walls, brightly

was through

a
in

On

14

October around 10 o'clock

signs of the door he had entered

newspaper columnist, and the

fishermen were never available for
questioninf^.
It

the evening, Villas Boas and his

through. Flventually his captors led

brother were ploughing the family's

fields. In

him through several rooms to one

Curiously at the time, but perhaps

in

the high temperatures of

which they forcibly undressed him.

understandable with hindsight, one
of the entities spread a thick,

was thought

that they might

silent

Brazil

it

is

customary

for the land-

have been asked to remain

the government.

by

Some

of the alleged material

was

recovered and analyzed; the analysis

indicated that
it

work through the night and employ labourers to work during the hot daytime hours. They saw a ball of red light, which was too
owning
class to
brilliant to

transparent liquid over his skin and

then he was taken into a small room

was

a pure

look at directly, hovering

ft

where

a blood

sample was taken

left

magnesium, of a purity beyond the

capabilities of

approximately 300
their field. Villas

(92

m) above
his

from him. This operation

subsequent investigation.

a scar

our

own

metallurgical

Boas asked

which investigators verified

in

the

processes, therefore indicating an

extra-terrestrial origin. Clearly this

brother to accompany him to

investigate the light but his brother

For over

half

an hour Villas Boas

may be overstating the case though

it

refused so he went alone.

was
it

left

alone

in a virtually

is

interesting that in Ashland,

As he approached the
evaded him
at high

light,

featureless

room

sitting

on a kind of
in

Nebraska when patrolman Schirmer

speed and

for
it

couch bed. He noticed pipes

the

was abducted (see page 54) he was told that the flying saucers were made from 100 per cent pure
magnesium. Various inconclusive
tests

some time

Villas

Boas chased
field.

back

walls from which small puffs of

and forth across the

He gave

smoke were
vomited
in

spreading, the smell of

feel sick;

up after approximately twenty

attempts to catch up with the

which made him

indeed he

UFO
for a

one comer of the room.

to an

were

carried out, and at the

it is

and returned to

his brother.

They

After half an hour had passed

Villas

present time

believed that

all

watched as
rays

it

remained around

Boas was treated

the recovered material has

now

short while, sending intermittent

in

extraordinary twist which took his

been either used up or

lost.

random

directions.

experience beyond the realms of the

The Ubatuba retrieval has become a great debating point

for,

On
for

the following night Villas Boas

ufologists seeking either support

was ploughing alone and shortly after midnight he saw the red ball
again.

or denial

of,

the Extra-

Although
ft

still

hovering

at

terrestrial Hypothesis.

some 300
enough
is

(92

m) he got close
it

phenomenon. His was broken by the arrival of another alien. 'Her body was much more beautiful than any I have ever seen before. It was slim, and her
usual abduction
solitude

Unfortunately

it

is

one of those

to see that

contained a

breasts stood up high and well

separated.

cases about which far more

written than
is

bright oval shaped object. Perhaps

Her

waistline

was

thin,

known.

because of its closeness.

lost his

Villas

Boas

her belly

flat,

her hips well

enthusiasm of the previous

developed, and her thighs were

large.
'

night to catch up with the object and

This

new

distracting arrival

NAME ANTONIO VILLAS BOAS

DATE
15

considered making a getaway

tractor.

in his

was

a human-like

naked

woman with
blue

OCTOBER 1957

He was

not successful!

blonde
(12

hair, pale skin, large

lips,

The
PIACE MINAS GERAES, BRAZIL

object landed

some 40

ft

slanted eyes, reduced

nose,
that

m)

in front of
it

him on three metallic

ears and high

flat

cheekbones

MAPREF:L11
EVENT ABDUCTION

The most

extraordinary and

now
Boas
his

famous case of Antonio

Villas

actually started in the first

week of beam
of

was an egg-shaped craft with a rotating dome. Villas Boas left the tractor and ran but was chased by five entities and overcome. They carried him aboard. The entities wore grey
legs;
tight-fitting suits

gave the impression of a sharply

pointed chin. She was short and

came towards Villas Boas in silence. As Villas Boas later put it, she was 'looking at me all the while as if
she wanted something from me". She certainly did! She hugged Villas Boas and rubbed her face and body
against his. In the circumstances,

October 1957.

Villas

Boas and

and helmets which

tubes ran into

brother Joao saw a

light

brilliant

revealed only their small blue eyes.

coming from the sky as they

From the helmets,

181

''llliMPiilldWWiW**

SI*' ^\i

^m

n
SOUTH AMERICA

any lack of interest from

Villas

Boas

interpreted this gesture as a sign

that she

At approximately 2 o'clock
morning two guards
at

in the

would have been quite

understandable but
in fact

would be taking
child

his

seed
to dress
craft

Fort Itaipu

he

back and a
Villas

would be bom.

saw

a bright light

above them; they

became excited by the

enthusiasm.

contact,

Boas was allowed

thought they had seen a nova, or

exploding star. Quickly they realized
that they

responding to her touch with

and was given a tour of the

He

later

considered

during which time he attempted to

steal

were looking at an object

at

that the liquid spread over

him may

one of the instruments as a

descending directly towards them

rapid speed.

have been a sexual stimulant.

proof of his experience; one of the

aliens caught

The embrace ended on the couch where the couple had a normal act of sexual intercourse which Villas Boas found exciting and pleasing. She
reacted as any healthy

him and took the object

a field

About 1,000 ft (304 m) above them the UFO reduced speed

and descended slowly to a height of
approximately 150
ft

from him. Rather brusquely he was

turfed off the craft and
to
left in

(46 m).
able to see that

watch the object take

off at

The guards were

object

woman would

astonishing speed. Villas Boas had

inside the constant orange

glow the
to be

with one slight exception: she never

kissed him (though she did bite him
softly

spent over four hours on board.

Later, medical examination

was

circular,

some 100 ft
Although

(30

m) wide and appeared

intelligent control.

on the

chin).

She

also had a

revealed a scar where the blood

under

somewhat disconcerting habit

Later, Villas

of

sample had been taken and what

both guards were armed with powerful submachine guns, neither

growling and barking occasionally.

Boas was

to

understand that they wanted him

only for breeding stock which

may have been radioactive burning on parts of his skin. Top Brazilian researcher Mrs Irene Granchi spoke
to Villas Boas's wife, Marlena, at the

him somewhat angry and

if

that

made was

made any aggressive gesture towards the UFO. The UFO, however, appears to have made one
towards them.

time and asked her

how she

felt

the case then presumably the object

of the exercise had already

about the possibility of her husband

having an extra-terrestrial offspring.

The guards heard

hit

humming,

been

generator type sound and were then

achieved. However, unfulfilled in

She

said she did not

mind and indeed

some

capacity or the other the

was rather proud

of the idea.

woman did not stop at this point but

continued petting, arousing Villas

The case has attracted

considerable speculation, the most

by a sudden blistering heat. There was no flame or visible ray but an instant overwhelming feeling of burning and it seemed to the
guards that their bodies were
actually

Boas

to a further successful act of

It

obvious of which was the suggestion

that Villas

sexual intercourse.

was

after the

Boas was subject

to an

on

fire.

second act that she apparently

erotic fantasy.
it

The screams
reality. Villas

of the guards

became frigid and withdrawn and was then that he realized he had
been used, which caused him,
to

Whatever the
never retracted
being annoyed

Boas

alerted other troops but, before

his claims despite

they could organize themselves, a

too,

at the

way

his

power failure plunged the base

darkness. Shortly afterwards,
the heat disappeared and the

into

become

frigid.

experience had been exploited by

the media (the encounter has even

when

In an interview twenty-one years

later Villas

Boas added one

detail to

been the subject of a French comic

strip)

came back
glowing

on, the soldiers

it

the encounter which had not

hitherto been revealed. After this

and throughout

his

life

his

UFO as

power saw the streaked away

recall

was never contradictory.

into the sky.

The unfortunate guards

second act of sexual intercourse the

were
NAME THE FORT ITAIPU AHACK
DATE
4

in a

serious condition and

sperm sample from him which he assumes was preserved for later use.
also extracted a

woman

required considerable medical

attention for their

bums.

NOVEMBER 1957
ITAIPU, BRAZIL

Brazilian military officials

were so

Before she

left

him the

woman
PLACE FORT

concerned that a request was made

to the United States for assistance

pointed at her belly and then at the

sky. Villas

Boas

said

'I

interpreted

MAPREF:K13
EVENT POSSIBLE UFO ATFACK

and

officially

the case has never

is

the sign as meaning to say that she

been closed. There

that has

a question

intended to return and take

me

with

never been answered: were

her to wherever
lived.

it

was
I

that she
feel afraid;
I'd
if

Evidence of possible
part of

hostility

on the

the guards the unfortunate victims

of a backlash of

That

is

why

still

UFO occupants comes from a

in

power emission from

they came back to fetch me,

lost.
'

be

remarkable case that occurred

Brazil in 1957.

the

UFO or where they the target of

it?

Researchers have also

an attack by

184

'I

II

DATABASE 1950s

NAME TRINDADE
DATE
16

ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHS

JANUARY 1958

PLACE TRINDADE ISLAND, ATLANTIC OCEAN

MAP REP:

Q1

EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST

KIND/PHOTOGRAPHIC CASE

'A flying saucer sighting would be

unlikely at the very barren island of

Trindade, as everyone

knows

Martians are extremely comfort

loving creatures.
'

The above
been
report

comment might
fact,
it

well have

written for a tabloid newspaper. In

was

part of an

official

by the U.S. Navy attache on a

photographic case involving fortyeight witnesses.

The

s\np

A Imirante Saldanha of
Barauna took
six

the Hydrographic and Navigation

photographs within
first

UFO photographed over Trindade

on 16 January 1958.

Island

Service of the Brazilian

Navy was
sail
is

a fifteen second time span; the

anchored

in

Trindade Island on 16
to Rio

January 1958 preparing to

de Janeiro. Trindade Island

two as the object approached the it emerged from behind Desegado Mountain, two
island, the third as

him to conceal
developed
film

a previously

and thereby produce

approximately 750 miles (12,070

km) from the

Brazilian coast.

photographs that missed the object and a sixth photograph was taken as
the object
a

any kind of hoax photograph. This

indicates the

degree of seriousness

Apart from the ship's normal

was moving away.

which followed the event.

crew complement there was also team of divers on board who had been taking underwater
photographs around the
island.

Despite the brief duration of the

sighting the case has

The
it

Brazilian

Navy undertook
film

become one

of

photographic analysis of the

and

the most famous and the

They

photographs have been perhaps the

was pronounced genuine. Indeed, the photographs were released to

the Press by none other than

included the principal witness,

most widely published

history.

in

UFO

Mr

Almiro Barauna, a professional

photographer. At the time the

The

object in the

Juscelino Kubitschek, the President

of Brazil.

UFOs

photographs appears to be a
flattened globe surrounded by a

Subsequent investigation

approached the island there were

around forty-eight witnesses on the

central ring not unlike the planet

revealed that there had been at least seven other sightings between the

deck watching the incident. Below

Saturn.

The image

is

hazy, which

end of 1957 and early 1958, witnesses

to these included Captain Bacellar.

deck the captain, Carlos Alberto

may reflect

the characteristics of a

was unaware of events. As preparations were made to get underway, Barauna was getting
Bacellar,

camera, but witnesses confirmed

that the object

The

Brazilian

government

was

'blurred'.

appears to have been very open

about the photographs although
did not
it

Captain Bacellar took immediate

steps to safeguard the authenticity
of the film

ready to take photographs of the

ship-to-shore transfer boat and
at the

make

all

details of its

was

Barauna had taken. He

it

investigation public.

own They seem to

object

time feeling unwell not having

pills

insisted that

be developed
a

accept that an

unknown

was

taken the seasickness

he

immediately

in

washroom which

observed over Trindade Island by

the witnesses.

customarily took. At just after noon

a bright object

was suddenly seen

in

was converted to a darkroom on the spot. As an extra precaution

Bacellar insisted that Barauna,

The paragraph with

opened, by the
hardly

which

this section

approaching the island and

the

US Naval attache in Rio,

seems
Brazilian

general melee several people

before going into the darkroom,

should strip to his swimming trunks
in

respectful in view of the

shouted to Barauna as
that

if

to indicate
it.

government's own sensible

he should photograph

order to

make

it

impossible for

appraisal of the situation.

185

SOUTH AMERICA

vivid red

complexion and only one

NAME BEBEDOURO
DATE
4

large

brown eye.
of the

MAY 1969

NAME
DATE

LAKE MARACAIBO
6 OCTOBER 1961
RITA,

One

boys

tried to

throw

brick at one of the entities but

was

PLACE BEBEDOURO, NORTH OF BELO

HORIZONTE, BRAZIL

prevented from doing so by a beam

PLACE SANTA

VENEZUELA

fired

from the

entity's chest

which

MAPREF:L12
EVENT ABDUCTION

MAPREF:D2
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FIRST
KIND

paralyzed the boy's arm.

The boys

were

left

unharmed as the sphere

floated back into the sky.

On a sunny afternoon in May

Silva

1969

Brazilian soldier Jose Antonio da

Panic caused by the close approach

of

became the

target of a

most

UFOs can sometimes have

tragic

NAME THE NITEROI DEATHS

DATE
20 AUGUST 1966

extraordinary

UFO abduction.
fishing

consequences.

On the night of 6

Da Silva was

when at
in the

October 1961 a large

Venezuela,
lighting

UFO flew low

Rita,

approximately 3 o'clock
PLACE NITEROI, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

over the town of Santa

its

afternoon he was aware of figures

MAPREF:M12
radiance apparently
It

moving behind him. Suddenly he

up the entire town.

moved

EVENT UNEXPLAINED DEATHS/UFO CONTACT

saw

beam of light which hit him in

slowly over the nearby Lake

the legs and caused a paralysis,

Maracaibo causing considerable

panic.

Late

in

the evening of 20 August

at Niter oi, a

bringing him to his knees.

Most

of the fishermen leapt

1966 police from a

suburb of

He was
by the two
(122 cm)

seized and dragged

entities that

away
in

overboard and
sadly Bartolme

swam ashore but

Romero, drowned.

Rio de Janeiro, received a report

had closed

woman that a UFO

hill

had
Police

on him; they were approximately 4

ft
tall,

landed on a nearby

hillside.

wearing

dull silver

climbed the

on a routine, and

suits, their

heads covered by

NAME FAMILIASAGRADA
DATE
28

probably light-hearted, survey.

metallic helmets.

AUGUST 1963

Near the top of the hill lay the bodies of two men, their faces
covered with lead masks.
'At 4.30 p.m.

The

entities

dragged him to a
tall

craft described as being a

PLACE FAMILIASAGRADA, BELO HORIZONTE,

BRAZIL

A note

cylinder with a saucer on top and

was found with the bodies reading

bottom, standing upright. The

device was apparently 6
high and 8
ft
ft

MAPREF:M11
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

we will take the

is

(183 cm)

capsule. After the effect

(244 cm) wide.

the entities

produced, protect half the face with

lead masks. Wait for agreed signal.

Da Silva and
of

were

secured to the seats and a sensation

One

of the

most

striking features of
is

South American humanoid reports

the description of the entities

It has been suggested that the men were preparing to make contact with

their incredible variety. In this case,

the the

UFO occupants and if so

it

was

a contact that

went badly wrong.

movement combined with a humming sound indicated to da Silva that the craft had taken off. They landed and, blindfolded, da Silva was
dragged from the
craft into

appears quite unique.

Laboratory tests on the bodies

what

The witnesses
were playing
in

to the event

were

indicated no clue as to the cause of

appeared to be a different room.

three boys aged about twelve

the garden

who when

death and stated only that there was

When the blindfold was removed the

beings had removed their spacesuits

no medical reason 'Our

lab

men have

they saw a large, transparent,

ruled out the possibility of poison,

violence or asphyxiation'.

and stood before him. They were

stockily built, had long beards and

glowing globe with four entities

inside.

One

of the entities

No official connection between

the deaths and the

wavy red hair falling down to below

their waist. Their faces

descended on a beam of light.

All of the entities

UFO sighting has

but the Brazilian

appeared

were

tall,

been admitted
the usual

to,

almost

troll-like

with big noses,

around 7

ft

(213 cm), and were

'divers' suits'

press suggested a modification to

official

bushy eyebrows, large ears and

toothless mouths. Their eyes
a shade of green.

wearing brown

and

conclusion in such

were

high black boots. Their heads

were

cases (death caused by person or

round and bald and they wore

transparent helmets.

persons unknown) and suggested

instead 'death caused by beings or

They had no

ears or nose, a 'strange mouth', a

persons from the unknown'.

On a wide bench in the room with them were the dead bodies of four humans and da Silva speculated that

186

DATABASE 1970s

this

may have been designed to

his compliance.

THE PALENQUE ANCIENT ASTRONAUT

The position
in this

encourage

The

entities

searched through da
such
of the central figure

Silva's belongings retaining

items as bank notes and his identity

card.

ancient carving fronn

Somehow

da Silva

felt

they

Palenque, IVlexico (Below) bears

were asking him to be their spy on Earth. Da Silva refused, which

caused some consternation.
Suddenly da Silva saw what

an uncanny resemblance

to the

Mercury astronaut (Above).

appeared to be a Christ-like
dark robe.

entity,

barefoot and wearing a long monklike

The

figure

spoke

fluent

Portuguese and gave da Silva

message which da Silva stated he was told he should not pass on for several years. Even now da Silva is
a

hesitant to give details.

Da

Silva

was

blindfolded again,

led back to the craft and again taken

on a journey. The same jolt announced that the craft had landed,
helmet was pulled off and da Silva was unceremoniously turfed off the
his
craft.

He drank from a nearby

his
city

stream, caught a fish which he

cooked and ate and found to

amazement
of Victoria,

that he

was near the

some 200 miles (322 km) from where he had set out. Even more incredibly, it was now over
four days since the time of his

business meeting, were driving

in

medical examination which included

the early evening through the town

of Antividad de Carangola.
principal witness

having a blood sample taken. This

left

abduction!

On returning to

Belo

The
B.

a scar which

Horizonte, da Silva reported his

story which

was one Paulo

from the research group

days after the event.

UFO investigators SBEVD

some suggested he

Gaetano, travelling with

Mr E.

witnessed and photographed some

E. B. apparently did not see an
extra-terrestrial craft.

invented to explain his absence

As they passed

which seems both out of character

and unwisely attention-seeking.

town of Bananeiras, Gaetano felt that the car was not responding properly. The engine then stalled and Gaetano
the

bus! His story of events

parked on the side of the road.

It

the

He saw a is that when car had slowed down and

fallen

seems

highly probable that the

stopped Gaetano had got out,

to the
pull

malfunction of the car

was not due

to

ground and E. B. had had to

his feet

NAME THE BANANEIRAS BUS

DATE
17

a normal mechanical failure because

just next to

him to

and take him by

first aid clinic.

NOVEMBER

1971

rest

where it had come to Gaetano noticed a red ray of

from a parked object

bus to Itaperuna, to a

Did Gaetano see a bus and for

PUCE

BANANEIRAS, BRAZIL

light radiating

MAPREF:P8
EVENT CAMOUFLAGED UFO?

out of which several small creatures

related to his

some unexplained internal reason own mental make-up

suffer a fantasy of alien abduction?

emerged and were now

approaching!

Or, did an alien abduction take place

Gaetano was apparently abducted

which did not involve E. B. who had

,

An extraordinary case occurred in 1971 when two men, leaving a

from the car and taken aboard the

craft

a false
to

memory planted in his mind

details of the attack?

where he was subjected

to a

remove the

187

SOUTH AMERICA

NAME
DATE

ISLA DE

LOBOS

Because of the single-witness

factor the investigating group,

had used up only

litre)

0.

22 gallons

(1

28 OCTOBER 1972

CIOVI,

of diesel, having covered a

obtained professional help to put the

PLACE ISLADE LOBOS, URUGUAY

distance of 89 miles (143 km).

in

Once
the

witness through over nine hours of

psychological testing which

Rio de Janeiro, Guaracf placed his

MAPREF:I16
EVENT CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE THIRD
KIND

seemed

own

station-wagon

in front of

to support the validity of his claims.

truck,

and the station-wagon started on and

off,

blinking its lights

although neither vehicle had

its

On the evening of 28 October 1972 five men manning a 200 ft (61 m)

lighthouse

engine on.
walking

On reaching home,

Elias,

in front of his truck,

saw the
lift

were

to receive

NAME
DATE

ELIASSEIXAS ABDUCTION
25 SEPTEMBER 1981
GOIAS,

bonnet (hood), which had always

given him trouble
itself in

extraordinary visitors.
Just after ten o'clock
in

opening,

by

the
left

and bang down again.

evening Corporal Juan Fuentes

PUCE CONCEIQAO DE ARAGUAIA,

BRAZIL

A wart on Elias's hand

disappeared mysteriously. Later
recollections revealed that

the others to inspect the generators

at the

base of the lighthouse. As

left

MAPRERKIO
EVENT ABDUCTION

semen

soon as he

the quarters he

had forcibly been drawn from his

penis. This caused

noticed an object apparently parked

him temporary

next to the lighthouse on top of a

terrace.

flat

Fuentes immediately

am grateful to Irene Granchi of CISNE for supplying this report.

Elias Seixas, his cousin

impotence,

visits to a psychiatrist

and a near divorce.

Irene Granchi
after a talk she

returned to the garrison house to

collect a

and a
of

met the three men

at a

gun from

his

room.
the object

friend

were crossing the State

gave

As he walked towards

Goias, near Conceigao de Araguaia

symposium, and they asked her to

fix

Fuentes noticed shining white,

yellow and purple lights which
illuminated a

on 25 September 1981.
driving his truck and
to Rio de Janeiro,
lived.

humanoid

figure.

Elias was was returning where the three

an appointment with

Dr Silvio

Lago

for regression hypnosis.

Two

sessions with him were most

revealing: Elias described his

Almost immediately Fuentes noticed

Odd

things started happening:

off,

two others, one apparently

descending from the
flying

headlights blinked on and

Elias

abduction, the aliens he met, the

place he visited, his return journey.

saucer to

felt

a cold liquid pressing against the

the terrace where he was.

back of his head.

He

turned off the

Whereas the
into

ship he
tall,

was

first

taken

Fuentes was a decisive man and

on seeing the
ft

engine, but the lights continued

blinking.

had only one

long-limbed

(24

his

sight, and at some 80 m) from the object, he raised arm - pointing the gun forward

He stopped the

car and the

man

with penetrating lilac-blue eyes,

three got out, the two others also

the beings he

saw

after landing

were

having noticed a blue flash cross the

sky.

the small, large-headed ones, and he

also

ready to shoot. The entities

They now saw something that

like a bonfire in

saw two human beings he was

to.

prevented him from shooting at

them.

looked
is

the distance
it

not allowed to speak

ill

He bears no

How they did this,

The

Fuentes

across the plains, but realized

could not be a bonfire:
pulsating
light. Elias
it

feelings

towards

his captors, in

unclear.
craft

entities re-boarded the

was

UFO,

spite of everything. Shortly after

which started rising and then

took his newly

undergoing hypnosis he started

developing paranormal powers and

disappeared at fantastic speed.

acquired Super-8 camera and filmed

White as a sheet and gun

and told them he had seen a
saucer.

in

hand

it

for a

few seconds. The

light

film later

discovered that he could heal.

has

He
for

Fuentes returned to the other

men

revealed flashes of
a

coming

fi"om

now been working for free

flying

20

ft

(6

m) wide

fiery-red object.

years with a famous Brazilian doctor

They appear
It

to

have been
his story

Back
hat,

in

the truck, Guaracf s straw

and parapsychologist, Dr Sobral,

very practical

men and

was

not well received.

intention to
tell

was Fuentes'

his story to the

media but before doing so he

reported to a higher ranking
officer,

wedged between his neck and the seat, flew off. There was no wind. The three felt drowsy, and the journey was long. When they
reached a petrol station
in

where he helps

to

make diagnoses

with a group of channellers of

ethereal or psychic energies.

The memory

of Guaracf,

was

Guarai,

entirely blocked, but the third in the

who then apparently conferred

personnel at the American

with

Elias discovered that five hours

group gave a description which,

although less detailed than that of
Elias,

were missing in
4.

their lives:

it

was

Embassy.

30

a.

m. Later, he found that he

had certain points

in

common.

UFOs

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

he database of South America bears out the

D
A
that

belief that the

UFO
it.

phenomenon

is

a uniform

experience throughout the world, as far as can understand

This point goes hand

we
in

hand with the suspicion that 'local' cultural overtones can colour the picture. South America provides by far
the clearest examples of
this,

which makes

this

aspect

of its ufology rich for researchers.

There
Antonio
pleasant,

is

much

higher rate of reporting sexual

encounters from South America. Taking the case of

Villas

Boas (see page

satisfying,

181),

which while

strange and perhaps frightening seems to have

many

even sexually

components.

Why
is

should this be?

further characteristic of ufology in this area

coming from South America are much more varied. Across Europe and North America (ufologically worlds apart in many other ways) there is some standardization in the form of dwarf-like entities with large heads and prominent, alien eyes. In South America there is really no standardization: one report even has red-skinned creatures with one eye!
the
'entity'

descriptions

These extraordinary images were created centuries before any

form of successful airborne impulsion on
appreciated from
air.

What

is

apparent

in

South America

is

that reports

a scale that

can only be

are frequent

where there are people

to

to report to.

For

whom

were they drawn?

There seem

be great chunks of the continent

devoid of large numbers of reports, almost certainly

because there are no easy channels of communication. Experience in other countries suggests that when the
investigators are available, the reports

been strongly influenced by their work. Another factor that almost certainly helped to bring the South American cases to the general UFO world is
to-date has

come
of

in.

the involvement of
finest
in

Gordon Creighton. He was

did

fluent

South America does have

researchers
in

some

the

many languages and

As

much

to publish the material

the world:

Mrs

Irene Granchi,

who

coming from that continent.

contributions to our understanding of

wrote the introduction to this section, is very well respected and has been involved in many of the
important
cases.
is

UFOs

as a

global

phenomenon continue
so

to
bit

emerge from South

closer to the
final

Our understanding
all

of

the

phe-

America,
solution.

we edge
it

that
will

nomenon

made

the clearer because of the

work

of such people as herself.

What we have learned

But I suspect easy answers.

be a long road, with few

189

Italic

page numbers refer to

B
Baikonur Space Centre,
137,

D
USSR
757
Dapple Grey Lane, Los Angeles 56-7
Darbishire, Stephen 82,
'Davis, Kathie' 66, 66,

illustrations or their captions

Gardin/Smith encounter 166 Gdansk, Poland 86. 88

Bananeiras, Brazil 187

82

Abductions 62, 77 Amano case 134 Anders encounter 103-4, 103 Andreasson, Betty 52 Aveley case 106 Bananeiras bus case 187 Bebedouro case 186-7

Basel, Switzerland 78

68

Bass

Strait, Australia 162,

169-70

Day, Peter 100-1, 100 Dayton, Texas 65

Batman encounter 88-9

Bauni, Brazil 180

Beaufort bomber 162 Bebedouro, Brazil 186-7

Beit Bridge,

Cergy-Pontoise case 114, 774

Zimbabwe

149-51,

Delphos Ring, Kansas 58, 58, 70 Denmark 77, 99 Desvergers encounter 26 Dewilde encounter 83, 83 Dingxian City, China 132
Disappearing phenomena 130,

68 Godfrey encounter 115, 775 Gulf Breeze case 67

'Davis, Kathie' 66, 66,

Higdon, Carl 63-3

Betty and Barney 68,69 Howard, Kathryn 95

Hill,

42-3, 45,

750 Belgium 77, 84, 102-3 Bellingeri sighting 106 Bentwaters/Lakenheath, Bermuda Triangle 130 Birch, Alex 93

130

Gdynia humanoid 86. 88 Germany 77, 79 Ghost rockets 69, 74, 80, 80 Gill, Father 161, 162-3, 164, 175 Gobi Desert, China 132 Godfrey encounter 115, 775 Godman Field, Kentucky 20-1 Goose Bay, Labrador 35 Great North-Eastem blackout 50-1, 57 Greece 80

Dogon

tribes 156

UK 86

Domsten, Sweden 88
Drakensberg, South Africa 146-7 Drakensteen Mountain, South
Africa 146 Durban, South Africa 148 Dyfed enigma 122

Green triangle case 131 Greenhaw, Jeff 60

Greensburg, Pennsylvania 61-2 Groendal Reserve, South Africa 152 Groth, Ame 103, 104 Guizhou, China 136 Gulf Breeze. Florida 11. 12, 67 Gulf of Mexico 32

Blackford County, Indiana 61

case 39, 41 Jindabyne case 168-9

'Jennie'

Blue Book, Project 23, 26, 26,

48-9, 51, 71, 77
Boianai,

Kempsey case 166

Kurz, Shane 55

Papua

New Guinea

161,

162-3, 164

Langford BudviUe 101 Medinaceli case 108 Mindalore encounter 152-3, 153 Mooraduc Road case 166-8 Nullarbor Plain case 174, 774 Pascagoula encounter 59-60 St Catherine's case 57 Seixas, Elias 178, 188 Sverdlovsk case 130 Tujunga Canyon case 32-3
Villas

Bolazec, France 90

BoUvia 179
Bougainville Reef, Australia 163
Brazil 12, 178-84, 186-9

Eagle River, Wisconsin 42 Easter Island figures 7 78 Edwin and George 147-8, 747, 179
Electrical interference 50, 108,

H
Hadersley, Jylland 99 Hawaii 63

Butler, Pennsylvania 56

Heilong Jiang Province, China 137

131, 134, 137

see also Vehicle interference
Cagliari, Sardinia

Hessdalen 119

lights,

Norway

118-19,

108

Energy
Exeter,

lines 103,

104

Higdon, Carl 63-4

California 28-9, 29, 31

Everglades, Florida 48

HiU 60 case 129

Hill,

Gallery chemical plant,

New Hampshire 48-9

Theory
10,

Betty and Barney 42-3, 43,

Boas, Antonio 69, 181, 182, 184, 189

Pennsylvania 56

Extra-terrestrial

76

45, 56, 68,

69

Walton, Travis 64-5, 70

Canada 50-1, 57, 59, 59 Canary Islands soap bubble 152

Caracas, Venezuela 180
Fairbanks, Alaska

Hoaxes 40

87, 114, 774, 122

Wegierska Gorka case 83 Adamski, George 28-9, 29, 31 34-5, 68

Aerial cattle rustling 14

Caselle Airport, Torino 101-2

Fakes

24,

93

Cash/Landrum encounter 65
Catalina Island, California 52

Falcon Lake, Ontario/Manitoba 52-3

Falconbridge, Ontario 65
Falkville,

Hook, UK 90-1 Horseshoe Lagoon, Australia 163, 163, 166 Howard, Kathryn 94-5. 95

Hunan Province, China 134

Hynek, Dr.
J.

Aeroflot Flight 8352 137, 140

Aircraft interference see Vehicle

Cergy-Pontoise, France 114, 7/4 Charlton crater 122-3

Chile 179

Allen 47, 49, 51, 71,

Alabama 60
I

77, 119, 161

interference

Familia Sagrada, Brazil 186

Allingham, Cedric 122, 123

ChilesAVhitted case 22-3

Fargo, North Dakota 23

Faulkner, Gordon 121-2, 123
Figueras, Catalonia 86
Finland 89, 98-9

Amano abduction

134 Anchorage Airport, Alaska 66 Anders encounter 103-4, 7 ft? Andreasson, Betty 52 Andersson, Mrs 104 Angel hair precipitation 81 Angelu encounter 86 Ann Arbor, Michigan 51 Argentina 179, 180
Arnold, Kenneth 14, 15-16, 75,

China 126-7, 131, 132, 133, 134-7 Cisco Grove, California 47 Cloera, Ireland 78 Columbia 179 Conceigao de Araguaia, Brazil 188 Concorde, New Hampshire 42-3

Imbeault, Michel 59.

Ireland 78
Irish airship

59

Imjarvi, Finland 96, 98-9

Flatter/Dona than case 61

Flight 19 disappearance 130,

130

Isla

78 de Lobos, Uruguay 188

Flying elephant case 110 Flying saucers 14, 15-16

Italy 77, 78, 84, 101-2, 106, 108,

Condon committee Cone of silence 63,

Coniston,

24,

54 106, 150

109

Flynn incident 48

UK 82 Contactees 28-9, 34-5, 54, 56-7,

146-8, 747, 166-8

Foo

fighters 69, 74, 79, 79 Fort Beaufort, South Africa 145,

77,68,69

Ashbumham, Massachusetts 52
Ashland, Nebraska 54

Coquil encounter 90
Cornfield circles 12, 77, 121, 121,
163, 163, 166

Aurora Borealis 40. 133

Australia 160-70. 174

148 Fort Itaipu, Brazil 184 France 12, 74-7, 81, 83, 84. 89-90,94, 114, 121
Fry, Daniel 34-5, 34,

Japan 134 Japan Air Lines case 66

Jelly entities of
'Jennie' 39,

Sweden 88

41

Jindabyne, Australia 168-9

Cover ups

UK 106 Aviano blackout 108

Aveley,

Ayers Rock
Aztec,

75

New Mexico 22, 22

70 Coyne, Captain 60-1, 70 Crash retrieval see Physical evidence Czluchow, Poland 83, 110
14, 74, 15,

35

K
Kaikoura,
Gallipoli,

New Zealand

161, 171,

Turkey 129

777
Kalgourlie, Australia 166

Gansu Province case 140

190

INDEX

Kjillavi'si

Lake, Kuopio H9

Mount

Rainier,

Washington State

Karroo, South Africa 144

Kclly-Ilopkiiisvillc,

15-16

Kentucky

Muchena,

Clifford 144-5, 1.53.

;-9, :iH

155. 156, 156, 157

Loxton landings 1.52 Rendlesham Forest case 16 Ros well incident 18-20 Stephen Michalaq case .5.3
1

Stonehenge, UK 76 Submarine UFO 162 Sverdlovsk, USSR 130 Swamp gas debacle 51

Kenipsey, Australia Kiti Keyhoe, Major Donald K.

69, 71

'.i2,

43,

Mutare, Zimbabwe 156

1.5.3,

155,

1.56,

tennis court case 14H, 149

Sweden
103-4

77, 80. 86, 8, 95-5,

Ubatuba

retrieval 180-1

Vaddo

retrieval

86

Kiarer, Elizabeth 146-7

N
Nakayama, Tsutoma
Nebraska 39, 41
63,

Valensole sighting 89

Kurz, Shane 55

Ki

Piastow,

Warsaw 110

Kuwait close encounter 134

I.

Naniur, Belgium 84. 85

Piedmont, Alessandra 106 Planets mistaken for lIFOs 40

Poland 81, 83, 86,88, 110
Polaski encounter 61-2

Temple, Robert 1.56 Tennis court case /4.^, 149 Thames Estuary, UK 84
Tientsin AinK)rt, China 135

New Zealand
L%,

161, 17.!

LaR()cheilol5;5, 155,

Niteroi deaths, Brazil 18()

Tioga,

New

York State 47

156 Lake Chaud, Minsk 137, 140 Lake Kolmjarv, Sweden 80, HO Lake Mcllwaine, Zimbabwe 14(i Lake Maracaibo case 186 Lan Xi, China 135
Langford Hudville, UK 101 Lanz Hau, (lansu 140

North America 9-71 Northern Lights -/ry,

Portugal 106-7
1.33

Pushkino,

USSR

1,30

Norway 118-19
Nuclear research and industry
20,
15,

Q
(^uaroubie, France 83

69

Nullarbor Plain, Australia 174, 174

O
Ogre Observatory, Latvia 131 Oloron-Ste-Marie, Pays Basques
^\,81 Orthoteny 75

Radar detection 25-6, 32, 43, 65,

66, 86, 101-2, 107, 130, 135,

UK 115 Torino sighting 101-2 Trent photographs 24, 24 Tribal knowledge 156 Trident sighting 106-7 Trindade Island photographs 185, 185 Tujunga Canyon, California 32-3
Todmorden,

Lawson, Professor Alvin 62 Le Roy, Kansas 14

135, 152, 161, 178

Radioactivity 65, 174, 128-9, 128
see also nuclear research

Tungus event, USSR Turkey 129

128-9,

128

Lego Argentino, Argentina 180 Light phenomena 25, 25, 40, 77,
100, 118-19, 119, 133, 145
Lintiao Airbase, (iansu 134

and

U
Ubatuba, Brazil 180-1 UFO fleet 84

industry

Livemiore, California 34
Livingston,

UK

110-11, 777, 112

Lochraven Uani, Baltimore 41 Long Crendon, UK 100-1 Lorenzen, Jim and Coral 39, 39 Loxton, South Africa 144, 151-2 Lubbock, Texas 25, 25

Palenque carving 187, 187 Palm Beach, Florida 26 Papua New Guinea 162-3, 164 Paraguay 179
Pascagoula, Mississippi 59-60, 60
Patterson's Groyne, South Africa
147-8,

Rendlesham Forest, 117

Reunion
Revisionists 77

UK

116-17,

Ukraine vehicle interference 132

Island, Indian

Ocean 151

Umm Alaish,

Kuwait 134 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

12, 126. 127. 128-9, 131-3,

Rincon, Engineer 179

147
140

Perm,

USSR

M
Maarup encounters 99 McMinnville, Oregon 24, 24
Majestic 12 (MJ-12) 12
Mali,

Petrozavodsk,

USSR

127, 132-3

Georgia 23 Robozero Lake, USSR 128 Rome, Italy 84 Rosmead, South Africa 14S, 149 Roswell Incident 12, 18-20, 18, 19

Robbins

Field,

137, 140 United Kingdom

12, 74, 77, 82,

84, 86, 88-9, 90-2, 100-1, 106,

110-11, 115-17, 121-3

United States of America 9-71,

Phobos 105
Photographic evidence 27, 49, 63 Adamski, George 29, 29 Bougainville Reef case 163
Catalina Island film 52

Ruppelt, Captain
26,

Edward

J.

23,

175

26

Uruguay

179. 188

North-West Africa 156

Russian Park Giants 138, 140 Rybinsk, USSR 131

Mansfield, Ohio 60-1

Mantell, Captain

Thomas

20-1, 21

Darbishire, Stephen 82,

82
St Catherine's Ontario St George, Minnesota

Maralinga, Australia 162

Day, Peter 100-1, 100

fakes 24, 93 Faulkner, Gordon 121-2, 123
Fry, Daniel
.34

57

Mars 105
Maryland 29
Matabeleland, Zimbabwe 156

49

Salandin, Flight Lieutenant 84

Vaddo, Sweden 86 Valensole, France 89, 90 Valentich encounter 160-1, 169-70, 170, 172, 175 Vallentuna wave 104
Vehicle interference 41, 61, 90-1,
132, 134, 149-51, 150, 162, 166, 174, 174, 188 Venezuela 180. 186 Villas Boas, Antonio 55, 69, 181, 182. 184, 189 Vilvorde, Brussels 102-3, 102 Voronezh, USSR 127, 138, 140

Salem, Massachusetts 27
Salonika,

Maury

Island,

Washington State

14,69 Medicine

Greenhaw, Jeff 60 Gulf Breeze case 67

Hessdalen lights 119, 119 hoaxes 87 Imbeault, Michel 59 Kaikoura controversy 171, 171

Greece 80

Saltwood,

UK 88-9

Bow National Forest,

Wyoming 63
Medinaceli, Soria 108

Meier,

Billy

107
15,

Santa Rita, Venezuela 186 Sardinia helicopter encounter 108 Sayama City, Japan 134 Schirmer, Patrolman 54
Schweinfurt.

'Men in black' 14, 14, Meteors 136, 136 Mexico 187

MinasGeraes,
153 Missing time

69

Lubbock
Meier,

lights 25,

25
63, 63

Germany 79

Billy

107

Seixas, Elias 178, 188

Michalaq, Stephen 52-3, 53

Brazil 181, 184

Nakayama, Tsutomu Namur case 84, 85

Seixas, Elias 188

Serra de Almos, Spain 92-3

Severin, Antoine 151

W
Walton, Travis 64-5. 70 Warminster, UK 75, 121-3, 123 Washington flap 25-6, 26 W^gierska Gorka, Poland 83 White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico 23. 34-5
Wilcox, Gary 47

Shanghai, China 131

Mindalore, South Africa 152-3,

33, 54, 95, 101, 106,

150, 187, 188

Moigne Downs, UK 91-2 Montgomery, Georgia 22-3

Montreal, Canada 59, 5.9 Mooraduc Road, Australia 166-8,
167, 175

Trent photographs 24, 24 Trindade Island photographs 185, 185 Washington flap 26 Physical evidence 19, 22, 46-7, 46, 175
angel hair precipitation 81

Shanxi Airport, China 133

Sign, Project

22

75 Simonton, Joe 42 Sinceny, Aisne 84 Snowflake, Arizona 64-5 Socorro, New Mexico 19, 23,
Silbury
Hill,

UK

Wolin Island, Szczecin 81

Aztec crash retrieval 22

46-7,

46

X
X',

Moreland encounter 161 Moth Men 88-9. 88

Czluchow sighting 1 10 Delphos Ring 58, 55 Dewilde encounter 83

Flynn incident 48 Gdynia humanoid 86, 88
Kallavesi Lake retrieval 89

Soderby, Gustavslund 103-4 South Africa 144-9, 151-3 South America 178-89

Dr. 94

Mount Etna, Sicily 108, 109 Mount Palomar Observatory, California 29, 29

Southampton,
Spiral

UK

110

Zhang Po County, China 132

Spain 77, 86, 92-3, 108, 122

Zimbabwe
156

146, 149-51, 153,

UFO

136

191

As

the current chairman of the International Committee for

UFO Research (ICUR) - and a former chairman of the British UFO Research Association (BUFORA) - am very pleased to
1

be invited to provide an afterword.

UFOs, as we have seen in this World Atlas is The database cases reveal how certain types of phenomena transcend cultural boundaries. But if the

The

subject of

a truly international one.

events being reported are

similar, the interpretations could not

is

be more

different.

sighting of silver-suited aliens in Africa

interpreted as being a visitation by ancestors while the

sighting in

same

knowledge of specialist contributors. The World Atlas of UFO's is a fine example of the cooperation which is beginning to develop between UFO groups from all over the world. The better this is, the more investigators there are, and the more authoritative the information that is exchanged, the nearer we will be to providing explanations of phenomena. The International Committee for UFO Research (ICUR) is committed to this approach. As a final note, I appeal for even greater cooperation between groups and individuals and a greater tolerance of
viewpoints. Let's
all

Europe or the USA is classified as an 'alien It is clear from this that an understanding of different cultures is paramount in the world study of UFOs and the World Atlas of UFO' s is much enhanced by the local
encounter'.

pull

together!

Robert Digby, Chairman, International Committee For UFO Research.

The
Hill,

ORGANIZATIONS British UFO Research Association

Limited

(BUFORA), 16 Southway, Burgess

John G The Interrupted Journey Souvenir Press (1966) Fumeaux, Rupert The Tungus Event Panther
Fuller,

Rogo,

D Scott Alien Abductions Signet (1980)

UFOs?
Signet Books (1968)

Saunders, David; Harkins, Roger

y^-s.'

Sussex,

RH15 9ST,

United Kingdom.

(1977)

BUFORA operate a 24-hr UFOCALL LINE: (0898) 121886. It contains UFO national
news and information (special charges apply). The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), 103 Oldtowne Road, Seguin, TX 78155, USA. International Committee for UFO Research (ICUR), P.O. Box 314, Penn, High Wycombe, Bucks, HPIO 8PB, United
Kingdom. ICUR
the
will

Good, T\mo\hY Above Top Secret ?>\AffmcV. and Jackson (1987) Hind, Cynthia UFCJs - African Encounters

Warren UFO Trek Sphere (1977) Spencer, John; Evans, Hilary (Eds.)
Smith,

Gemini (1982) Hobana, Ion; Weverbergh, Julien UFOs From Behind The Iron Curtain Bantam
(1975)

Phenomenon MacDonald (1988) Spencer, ]o\m Perspectives MacDonald (1990) Stanford, Ray Socorro Saucer Fontana (1978)
Brad (Ed. ) Project Blue Book The UFO Abductors Berkley (1988) Stringfield, Leonard Situation Red FawcettCrest (1977) Time-Life Editors Psychic Powers Time-Life
Steiger,

Ballantine (1976);

Hopkins, Budd Missing Time Richard

be pleased to provide
of specific

Merrick (1981); Intruders Random House

(1987)

name and address

organizations in specific countries on request.

Organizations seeking to join the

International

Hynek, Dr J Allen TheHynek Sphere (1978)

Jung,

UFO Report

(1988)
Vallee, Jacques and Janine Challenge to

Committee are

invited to apply.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Close Encounters of an Australian Kind Reed (1981) Berlitz, Charles; Moore, William The Roswell
Basterfield,

C G Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies Arc (1987, first published 1959) Keel, John Operation Trojan Horse Putman (1970); Strange Creatures from Time and
S/)af'

Science Neville Spearman (1967)

Vallee, Jacques Passport to

Magonia

Spearman

The Invisible College Dutton (1975); Dimensions Souvenir

(1970);

Press (1988)

Sphere (1976);
first

Visitors from

Space

Incident (iranada Publishing (1980)

Panther (1976

published as The

Magazines and Periodicals

Blum,

R mA] Beyond Earth

Corgi (1974)

Mothman Prophecies); The Cosmic

Omps/kw Panther (1978) Keyhoe, Major Donald E Flying Saucers from Outer Space Tandem (1969); Aliens from S/Jflce Panther (1975) Leslie, Desmond; Adamski, George Flying
Saucers Have Landed Futura (1977,
first

B UFORA Journal and Bulletin (1968- 1988)

Cuadernos dc Ufologia (Editors Julio Areas and Jose Ruesga)
Italian

Bowen, Charles (Ed.) The Humanoids Futura (1974); Encounter Cases from Flying Saucer Review Signet (1977) Chapman, Robert UFO (Canada (1968) Emenegger, Robert UFOs Past, Present and
FM/Mr<'Ballantine(1974) Evans, Hilary The Evidence for UFOs Aquarian Press (1983); Visions,

UFO Reporter (Editors Gian

Grassino, Eduardo Russo, Paolo Toselli

and Maurizio Verga) The Journal of Transient Aerial Phenomena

(1980-1988)
Mystery of the Circles BUFORA Publications (Compiled by Paul Fuller and Jenny
Randies)

The

published 19.53)

Lorenzen, Coral E Flying Saucers

(originally:

Apparitions. Alien Visitors Aquarian Press (1984)

Evans, Hilary; Spencer, John (Eds.)

UFOs

1947-I9H7FonQim Tomes (1987)

Evans-Wentz,
Faiiy Faith in the Celtic Countries Oxford University Press (19 11)

The Great Flying Saucer Hoax) Signet Books (1966) Lorenzen, Jim and Coral UFOs Over the Americas Signet Books (1968) Michel, Aime The Truth About Flying Saucers

MUFON UFO Journal (Editor Dennis Stacy)

OVNI Presence
(1988) (Editor Yves Bosson)

A sample survey of the incidents of

geometrically shaped crop
Fuller (1988).

When Propheiy Harper & Row (1964) Flammonde, Paris UFO Exist! Ballantinc
Festinger/Reichen/Schacker
fV//7.s

(1976)

Fowler, R The Andreasson Affair VrvniKaHall(1979)

USAF (ret) The UFO Casebook Warner Books (1989) Randies, Jenny UFO Study Robert Hale (1981); Abduction Robert Hale (1988) Rimmer, John The Evidence for Alien Abductions Aquarian Press (1984)

Corgi (1958) Randle, Capt. Kevin,

damage C P

SOBERS News (Editor Michel Bougard) UFO Brigantia (Editor Andy Roberts) UFOAFRI News (Editor Cynthia Hind) UFO Times BUFORA Publications (Editor
Michael Wootten)

192

,\t-^

JOHN
chairman

SPENCER
of

is

Vice-

the

British

UFO

Research Association (BUFORA),

Officer
of

the
for

International

Committee

UFO Research,
for the

and Research Specialist

Mutual UFO Network (MUFON)

operating worldwide. His particular specialization
interaction of
is

the

UFO phenomena with

to

the

human mind.
acting

He has several books

principal contributor

his

credit,

as

and

joint editor of

UFOs 1947-87

and Phenomenon, and as author

also

of

Perspectives. He
journals

contributes

regularly

to

UFO

and

periodicals,
to lecture

and travels extensively throughout the world

his subject.
is

and broadcast on

Outside the world of ufology, John

an accountant

and business trainer

children.

for industry.

He

is

married with two

SMITHMARK
PUBLISHERS
112

INC.
10016

Madison Avenue, New York,

NY

Cover Photographs: Background,

Edinburgh. Inset,

1978 Royal Observatory,

Man/ Evans

Picture Library

Jacket printed

in

Hong Kong

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,^

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GUSTAVSLUND. SWEDEN. 1974
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BEFORE RELEASING
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