Griffey said to The Sun:

Ive had loads of theories proposed by friends and neighbours but none of them add up.

There was no noise whatsoever, it was a bit eerie. Ive driven over this mountain for 17 years and have never seen anything like it.

Read more about this at thaindian.com.

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The pilot and another plane was doing a routine exercise 6km away from Gherla when the incident occured.

The first theories was that a bird had hit the plane, but that theory could be dismissed pretty soon since no birds fly at an altitude of 6300 meters in Romania and no organic material could be found on the plane. The second theory was that pieces of ice hit the plane, but also that theory could be dismissed because of the weather at that time.

Even the theory about human objects, like fall-offs from a civilian plane, could be dismissed since no civilian flights where in that area. In fact no civilian planes where even close to 30 Km from Gherla at that time.

Read the full story at TimesNow.tv.

a

The “UFO” spotted could be the triangular Aurora aircraft built by the US Air Force to replace the aging Blackbird surveillance planes. The Aurora is believed to be capable of speeds well beyond the sound barrier.

a

By BILL KACZOR Associated Press Writer
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A retired Air Force pilot says he
suspects, contrary to official denials, an unknown federal agency is
investigating reports of unidentified flying objects and other close
encounters with extraterrestrial beings.
Donald M. Ware, Florida state director of the Mutual UFO Network Inc., a
private “ufology” organization, says he doesn’t have any direct knowledge but
nearly a lifetime of study leads him to believe probes are secretly being
conducted by some national intelligence agency.
“That idea doesn’t bother me. I don’t mind being an unequal partner,” Ware
said in a recent interview. “I support the policy of secrecy.”
He said secrecy would be necessary because, official statements
notwithstanding, he is convinced the subject involves national security in the
form of advanced alien technology.
Ware said he intends to take that message to the Annual MUFON UFO Symposium
June 26-28 at American University in Washington, D.C., where he is to be part
of a panel discussion on UFOs and the government.
His position is unlikely to be shared by many UFO investigators, Ware
admitted. A common complaint of ufologists is the government‘s professed lack
of interest and its failure to cooperate with private UFO studies.
“I’m so bold as to suggest there is a possibility of cooperation with some
unknown government agency if we show a little more tolerance of their policy
of secrecy,” Ware said.
“As long as we publicly take such an antagonistic attitude, as long as we
place the government in an adversarial relationship,” Ware said, “we are not
going to get much cooperation from them whoever they are.”
The Air Force closed its Project Blue Book investigation of more than
12,000 UFOs in 1969 after a panel of scientists found no evidence of visitors
from outer space. Most sightings were found to be such things as planets,
stars, meteors, weather balloons, satellites, false radar echoes, marsh gas,
clouds, aircraft or optical illusions, but a few have remained unexplained.
The official word ever since has been that the government has nothing to do
with UFO investigations and whatever they might be they pose no threat to
national security.
Ware, 51, joined the service in 1957. He said he was uninvolved in the Air
Force’s UFO activities during his 26-year military career as a teacher, staff
scientist and fighter pilot, including two combat tours in Vietnam.
“That’s one reason I can speak so freely,” he said. “I have no information
from the Air Force.”
His interest began as a teen-ager in 1952 when he saw star-like objects
streaking through the sky while walking near his home in the nation’s capital.
Similar sightings, including radar returns, had been reported a week earlier
and Ware said they remain unexplained.
He began reading everything about UFOs he could get his hands on, including
books in the library at Duke University where he received a mechanical
engineering degree. He later earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering
from the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Ware kept up his interest in UFOs, building up a personal library on the
subject and questioning other pilots.
“I had no qualms about saying, `Anybody seen a UFO?’ ” Ware said. The
answer, he said, usually was “yes.”
However, until March of 1970, military personnel were ordered not to talk
about UFOs, Ware said.
“I think that in the late ’40s and early ’50s the U.S. government really
wanted the public to tell them what they saw and that those people primarily
responsible for investigating UFOs were not listed in the phone book,” Ware
said. “The U.S. Air Force was chosen as Uncle Sam’s public relations agent
because they were listed in the phone book.”
No one thing has convinced him of government involvement, Ware said. “Two
years of study after I saw the UFOs in 1952 convinced me that somebody is
watching us,” he said. “Ten more years of study caused me to think somebody
in our government has known that as a fact at least since 1947.”
Ware said his goals in becoming state director of MUFON, an international
scientific organization based in Seguin, Texas, were to improve relations
between “ufologists” and the government and to learn all he could about alien
technology from abductees and other witnesses of close encounters.
Ware said he hasn’t seen any more UFOs since 1952 and doesn’t expect to.
“I haven’t been selected,” he said. He still scans the skies, but not for
UFOs. When he’s not investigating UFO reports or giving talks about the
subject to civic groups, he is bird watching. He is treasurer of and runs an
annual bird count for the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society and does surveys for
the Florida Breeding Bird Atlas project.
Ware said his two avocations are unrelated. “Lots of people have accused
me of getting a lot of satisfaction from identifying feathered objects,” he
said, grinning. “No, I’m just a nature boy.”

Copyright 1987 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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April 11, 1979

Mr. Lee M Graham
526 West Maple
Monrovia, California 91016

Dear Mr. Graham:

It is true I was denied access to a faclity at
Wright-Patterson. Because I never got in, I can’t
tell you what was inside. We both know about the
rumors.

Apart from that, let me make my position clear: I
do not beleive that we are the only planet, and of
some two billion that exist, that has life on it. I
have never seen what I would call a UFO, but I have
intelligent friends who have, so I can sort of argue
either way.

Sincerely,
(Signature)
Barry Goldwater.
—————————
Source: UFO Universe (magazine) Nov 88 page 41
See also page 3.
351 W. 54th ST. NY, NY 10012.
====
From Joe Holland to Dick Copits 2/3/89
Wright Patterson is plainly marked on my AAA Road Atlas as on
the east side of Dayton, Ohio. Everything should be so easy to
check! I had meant to look it up, but it never occured to me someone
would miss on a thing like that. Well, I’m the one who goes around
reminding people that things may be easier to check than you think,
and trying to get people to do it.
If that story is true about the crashed disk, then the disk went
somewhere. Why they would move it a long distance would be a
question, although there could be a number of reasons. If the
expertise for rebuilding craft existed back then at Wright-Patterson,
as it does now, then that’s a possible answer. Also, you say they
look at the space photos there.
However, it would have soon become evident, from your
description, that Wright-Patterson was not a highest security area,
so it would have been reasonable to move it.
——————-
File prepared by Joe Holland, 2/23/89.

a

—————————————————————————–

FBI DALLAS 7-8-47 6-17 PM

DIRECTOR AND SAC, CINCINNATI URGENT

FLYING DISC, INFORMATION CONCERNING. MAJOR CURTAN, HEADQUARTERS

EIGHTH Air Force, TELEPHONICALLY ADVISED THIS OFFICE THAT AN OBJECT

PURPORTING TO BE A FLYING DISC WAS RE COVERED NEAR Roswell, NEW

MEXICO, THIS DATE. THE DISC IS HEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND WAS SUSPENDED

FROM A BALLON BY A CABLE, WHICH BALLON WAS APPROXIMATELY TWENTY

FEET IN DIAMETER. MAJOR CURTAN FURTHER ADVISED THAT THE OBJECT FOUND

RESEMBLES A HIGH ALTITUDE WEATHER BALLOON WITH A RADAR

REFLECTOR, BUT THAT TELEPHONIC CONVERSATION BETWEEN THEIR OFFICE

AND WRIGHT FIELD HAD NOT xxxxxxxxxx BORNE OUT THIS BELIEF. DISC AND

BALLOON BEING TRANSPORTED TO WRIGHT FIELD BY SPECIAL PLANE FOR EXAMIN

INFORMATION PROVIDED THIS OFFICE BECAUSE OF NATIONAL INTEREST IN CASE

xxxx AND FACT THAT NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY, ASSOCIATED PRESS, A

OTHERS ATTEMPTING TO BREAK STORY OF LOCATION OF DISC TODAY. MAJOR

CURTAN ADVISED WOULD REQUEST WRIGHT FIELD TO ADVISE CINCINNATI

OFFICE RESULTS OF EXAMINATION. NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION BEING

CONDUCTED.

WYLY

END

CXXXX ACK IN ORDER

WA ?? FBI CI MJW

BPI HS

S-32 PM O

O-22 PM OM FBI WASH DC VH

a

Before we move on to a summary of new information, let us mention some-
thing we neglected to state in our earlier ravings: Apparently long deceased
Admiral Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter was the most important member of this group
of twelve, because his name comes first on the list (he is referred to as “MJ-
1″) and because he was allegedly the briefing officer who presented this
startling information to president-elect Dwight Eisenhower on or about Nov.
18th, 1952. Hillenkoetter, after retirement from his position as first dir-
ector of the CIA, became a member of the board of directors of NICAP, circa
1957. Can anyone seriously believe he would have dared to OPENLY join a pro-
UFO organization if he had the KNOWLEDGE of UFO reality that the “MJ-12″
briefing document leads us to assume???

We have already published our exclusive information from Dr. Ernest
Taves, a very close friend of Dr. Donald Menzel, who apparently was “MJ-10″.
Taves, like others who knew Menzel well, cannot believe that the long-de-
ceased former director of Harvard Observatory could have had this above-men-
tioned knowledge of UFO reality and still have written 3 anti-saucer books,
and still have debunked UFOs emotionally at every opportunity. Yet Moore and
Friedman see nothing amiss here, and have in fact written long, detailed re-
buttals re the “Menzel Connection” and all other negative evidence that has
been brought up in regard to “MJ-12″. They do seem to believe what they are
saying!

CUFOS, in an editorial by Jerry Clark in the May-June issue of the “In-
ternational UFO Reporter”, and in a more recent press release, seems general-
ly supportive of “MJ-12″, and claims that the “verdict is still open.”

MUFON has expressed various opinions, swaying pro and con. They used our
Taves material in a recent issue of their Journal, and in the August issue of
their Newsletter, edited by MUFON’s Massachusetts director James Melesciuc,
they state: “The results of the MJ-12 circus created by Moore, Shandera and
Friedman could be detrimental to the future of document research. The hunger
for publicity or for financial gain by any type of self-styled expert can be
as damaging to the subject as the crackpots and fanatics. Moore and Friedman,
of all people, should realize that by promoting evidence loaded with loop-
holes, will cause people to question the quality of their research and would
be disastrous to their reputations….”

Needless to say, CSICOP, as personified by Phil Klass, issued a totally
negative press release, based on insufficient information, in our opinion.
Much more interesting than the CSICOP release is the September issue of “Just
Cause”, published by Lawrence Fawcett and Barry Greenwood. In an article en-
titled “The MJ-12 Fiasco,” they give a vast amount of detailed negative data
that no student of this matter should overlook. (Address: P. O. Box 218,
Coventry, CT., 16238). To this Bill Moore’s only comment (to us, by phone)
is: “Sour Grapes.”

“Just Cause” introduces into the fray the name of a present or former
intelligence officer named Richard Doty, assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base,
New Mexico. The magazine alleges that Doty may very likely be Moore’s source.
Alas, when we said in our last “Smear” that “we believe we have the name of
the probably perpetrator”, it was Doty to whom we were referring. We have
thus been “scooped”, but never mind: Moore admits knowing Doty, but denies
that Doty is his source. So the mystery deepens!

Phil Klass, relying largely on information from British researcher Chris-
topher Allan, has made a big deal out of the fact that the “MJ-12″ briefing
paper uses an unusual format in writing the dates, which happens to be ex-
actly the same unusual format that Bill Moore uses in writing HIS dates. Our
comment is: Whereas the notorious Straith Letter Hoax of 1957 DID reflect
Gray Barkers’ stylistic peculiarities, since it was written late one drunken
night with no forethought, Moore would have to be remarkably stupid or insane
to make such a naive mistake. If the dating similarity means anything, it
more likely means that the REAL hoaxter was trying deliberately to frame
Moore!

So, to get to the point: It appears that most thoughtful Ufologists be-
lieve “MJ-12″ is possibly or probably a hoax, and some Ufologists, plus all
of the debunkers, believe that Moore & Co. are behind it. Our position is
that, although “MJ-12″ is a hoax in all probability, Moore’s group is NOT
behind it. On to our exclusive information:

Your humble “Smear” editor spent large parts of three days with Moore
and Shandera recently (Sept. 23-25), in Burbank, California, discussing “MJ-
12″ and related topics. We were left with the strong impression that they
are, if anything VICTIMS of a complex sophisticated hoax that has engulfed
them for several years – a DISINFORMATION campaign of some sort, for what
purpose we do not know.

Ufologists don’t seem to realize that Moore has been involved since 1980
in the receipt of supposed “inside” government information from first one in-
formant, and eventually several, on a more or less continuing basis. Like
“Deep Throat” in the Watergate Scandal, these informants do not always hand
him answers, but they tell him where to look. As a result, Moore has given up
his literary career, which looked very promising after the publication of
“The Roswell Incident” (with Charles Berlitz) in 1980, and has devoted all of
his spare time to research related to these ufological matters. He earns a
bare living by selling UFO books and his own tracts by mail order.

Shandera joined Moore in the quest in 1982. He too has largely given up
his career, which was in film and broadcasting. His financial situation is
better than Moore’s however, as his wife has a very good job in the TV in-
dustry.

Friedman is, it seems, a more passive partner, in that he is merely kept
informed of information received by the other two. He continues to work at a
normal science-related job in his home town in Canada.

Another thing that Ufologists don’t seem to realize is that Moore’s evi-
dence consists of a great deal more than what he has released so far. (Appar-
ently his sources tell him what he can release, and were he to disobey, he
would blow the whole ongoing relationship.) There are other documents, includ-
ing one he claims was given to him for exactly 20 minutes to do what he want-
ed with, and then was taken back. He photographed it and read it into a tape
recorder, in the presence of the agent who lent it to him.

There are also several videotapes. We were allowed to see one 20-minute
tape and most of another. These consist of a supposed agent talking in a tot-
ally disguised voice, answering a list of questions from a supposed newsman.
The agent is disguised, and the newsman has his back to the camera. The prov-
en identities of these two are known to Moore and Shandera, they say. No one
was present at the tapings except these two, plus Moore, Shandera, and the
producer.

The contents of the tapes are Way Out – literally and figuratively. We
have been asked not to print anything about the contents, so we will merely
comment that we find the material literally incredible without further evi-
dence to back it up. Moore & Co. apparently have such evidence and expect to
get more.

The scenario is that by the end of this year, Moore’s informants will
either come forth with more information and public disclosures, or else Moore
will give up on his informants and go public, himself, with all the inform-
ation he has obtained so far. In either case, we are in for some interesting
times!

There is much more to all this, but Space prevents us from rambling fur-
ther in this issue. Re our continuing “MJ-12″ quest: Our sincere thanks to,
among others, Tommy Roy Blann (who now says he has suddenly withdrawn from
the UFO field!); to Jim Speiser of ParaNet; to Antonio Huneeus for material
on the deeply mysterious “Humo Papers” which he has not yet sent (See Next
Issue!); and to the alleged Space People for making all this madness pos-
sible.

Also a tip of the “Smear” sombrero to the various zines that have seen
fit to reprint or condense some of our “MJ-12″ material in earlier issues:
“California UFO”; “Would You Believe?”; “The MUFON Journal”; and (ugh!)
“Skeptical Inquirer”.

a

(UFO Reporting Center, March 12, 1988.) A pilot who was
driving 40 miles east of Edwards Air Force Base in California
today saw a huge box-shaped object glowing brilliant white in the
afternoon sky. He called the FAA ARTCC at 2:00 p.m. and was told
they had had it on their radar. It had gone across their radar
screens in just a single sweep. It made an instantaneous 90
degree turn while the witness was watching it. He estimated it
was flying at 30,000 feet and was bigger than a 747. Contact
Robert Gribble of the National UFO Reporting Center for more
information, 206-722-3000.

–Donald A. Johnson, Ph.D.
MUFON Washington State Director
s
something different than missles and aircraft.

Moreover, the term “UFO,” as used in these regulations,
is given very

a

Unidentified flying objects – sometimes treated lightly by the
press and referred to as “flyiny saucers” – must be rapidly and acc-
urately identified as serious USAF business in the ZI. As AFR 200-2
points out, the Air Force concern with these sightings is threefold:
First of all, is the object a threat to the defense of the US?
Secondly, does it contribute to technical or scientific knowledge?
And then there’s the inherent USAF responsibility to explain to the
American people through public-information media what is going on in
their skies.

The phenomenon or actual objects encompassing UFO’s will tend to
increase, with the public more aware of goings on in space but still
inclined to some apprehenson. Techinical and defense considerations
will continue to exist in this area.

Published about three months ago, AFR 200-2 outlines necessary
orderly qualifed reporting as well as public-information procedures.
This is where the Base should stand today, with practices judged at
least satisfactory by commander and inspector:

-Reasponsibility for handling UFO’s should rest with either intelli-
gence, operations, the Provost Marshal or the Information Offices -
in order of preference, dictated by limits of the base organisation;

-A specific officer should be designated as responsible;

-He should have experience in investigative techniques and also,
if possible, scientific or technical background;

-He should have authority to obtain the assistance of specialists
on the base;

-He should be equipped with binoculars, cameria, Geiger counter,
magnifying glass and have a source for containers in which to
store samples.

What is required is that every UFO sighting be investigated and
reported to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson
AFB and that explanation to the public be realistic and knowledgable.
Normally that explanation will be made by the OSAF information Officer.

a

NORTH QUEENSLAND UFO SAGA – By Stan Seers and William
Lasich.

The sparsely-populated coast of North Queensland opposite
the Great Barrier Reef abounds in vegetative growth. Tall reed
or cane concealing “flying saucer nests” form a notable feature
of the UFO saga which began(1) with the adventure of George
Pedley, a 27-year-old banana farmer of Euramo near Tully, some
95 miles south of Cairns.
At about 9.00 a.m. on the clear sunny morning of Wednesday,
January 19, 1966, Pedley was driving a petrol tractor across
the property of a friend and neighbour, Mr. Albert Pennisi,
cane farmer and resident of some 19 years.
The farm track along which he drove wound its way towards,
and thence alongside, what is locally known as Horseshoe Lagoon.
This contained an area of still water about 5ft. deep and an
acre or so in extent, much of which was covered by a thick
growth of water reeds, the stems of these, about 1/2in. in
diameter protruding above the surface to a height of
approximately 2ft.
As he approached the lagoon, which was to his right, with
the sun by this time well up in the sky to his left, he thought
he detected a misfire in the tractor motor. Almost immediately
over the noise of the tractor he heard a sharp hissing noise,
and then to his amazement he saw rising from the reeds,
approximately 25 yards to his right and slightly ahead of him,
a saucer-shaped object which ascended fairly slowly to an
estimated height of 60ft., tilted a little to one side and then
with a burst of speed quickly vanished in a south-westerly
direction. Except for the original hissing noise, no other
sound was heard. The total time of observation was estimated at
4 to 5 seconds.
Mr. Pedley stated that the object was approximately 25ft. in
diameter, about 9ft thick at the centre, silver-grey in colour
and generally sharp in outline. He jumped from the tractor and
hurried across to the lagoon from whence the object had
ascended and immediately discovered a circular flattened area
within the tall green reeds. The flattened stems were radially
distributed in a noticeably anti-clockwise manner(2). He was
emphatic that the swathed reeds were at that time quite green,
as were all other reeds outside this area. The swathe of
newly-flattened reeds formed a “nest” of 30ft diameter.
He further noted an area of giant water couch grass
immediately outside the perimeter of the “nest”, about a square
yard of which had been apperently clipped short and the
clippings removed. Pedley is positive in recollection that the
water of the “nest” was STILL SWIRLING slightly in a circular
motion at the moment when he first saw it.
After a few minutes he returned to the tractor, started the
motor and went on his way. When questioned later, Mr. Pedley
stated that he could not remember whether or not he switched
the motor off when leaving it, stalled the motor when stopping,
or whether it just cut out after he left it, but is quite
certain that the tractor motor was “dead” when he returned
since he clearly remembers restarting it. The motor electrical
ignition system was the conventional one for the model.
Later in the day he felt that he should tell someone of what
he had seen, so called on Mr. Albert Pennisi, owner of the
lagoon and surrounding property and related to him his
experience. At about 4.00 p.m. they returned together to the
lagoon. Mr. Pennisi stripped, waded out to the “nest” and found
that it was possible to swim through from side to side BELOW
the flattened area, without meeting with any obstruction,
indicating quite clearly that the whole mass of the “nest” was
actually FLOATING on the surface.
Shortly afterwards, at about 5.00 p.m., Mr. Pennisi, using
colour film took a series of photographs. The prints
subsequently obtained, clearly substantiate a remarkable
feature which both witnesses had observed and remarked on. The
flattened reeds in the “nest” had turned noticeably brown, but
ONLY ON THE UPPER SURFACES. The underside of each reed nearest
the water still remained quite green. this “browning” of the
upper surfaces of the reeds had quite obviously taken place
since 9 a.m. that morning.
A resurgence of “nest” phenomena at the same Tully lagoon
has occurred recently (January/February 1968). Sometime
earlier, noting a prediction of sunspot maximum for May 1968 by
the Swiss authority M. Waldmeive, QFSRB [Queensland Flying
Saucer Research Bureau - now; UFO Research Queensland. M.W.]
were primed(3) to the possibility of increased UFO activity in
1968.
With this in mind, it was decided to set up two monitor
stations, No. 1 in the Tully district (North Queensland) and
No. 2 in the South, some 20 miles out of Brisbane. The precise
location of sites must remain undisclosed, since the monitors
operate virtually unattended at some distance from habitation.

The equipment at No. 1 station was set up by Mr. Vince Mele
with the assistance of an electronics friend. The monitor is
built around a photo-cell and sensitive magnetic compass. The
photo-cell light beam is interrupted if magnetic dusturbance is
present, and the fluctuation of photo-cell current then
activates the cine-camera release. The camera (Eumig 8mm auto.)
is energised so long as magnetic field disturbance continues
(five frames exposed per 2-second interval).
During February a spontaneous magnetic field disturbance was
actually recorded during initial trials. On the same day a UFO
sighting was reported by an isolated witness, some eight miles
from the base. Heavy cloud cover in the area impeded further
observation of the UFO flight trajectory. The information was
not enough to provide 100 per cent proof that the detector was
UFO-triggered on this occasion. Nevertheless things looked
quite promising.
At the end of February both monitors were fitted with
cameras, tested and operating. On March 2, Tully lagoon
contained four nests, then about three weeks old. The camera
site was screened from view some 50ft. from the nearest “nest”.
On this date radio 4KZ broadcast an arresting news flash! An
airliner en route Cairns to Iron Range had been paced at
6,000ft. for some minutes by a UFO some 2,000ft above the
aircraft. Both airline pilots witnessed the event. Somewhere
over Cooktown area the UFO broke contact and shot off at
enormous speed (described as something like 1,500 m.p.h.). An
inspection of the No. 1 monitor found the camera still in
motion although all 25ft of colour film(4) had been run through
and the batteries were nearly exhausted. The roll of 16-mm film
was removed and reversed for a second run, and new batteries
installed. (Technically this indicates the field perturbation -
cum UFO – was present for the whole 10 minutes the film was
run.)
On March 4, two days later, quite a number of local
inhabitants reported the passage of another UFO. An inspection
of the monitor again revealed that it had been “triggered”, but
this time, for some unknown reason, only some 15 or 16 frames
had been exposed. An examination of the batteries which had
been carefully tested and were fully charged when fitted,
revealed that they were quite flat.
The remainder of the film was wound through by hand, removed
from the camera, sealed in the usual container and addressed to
Kodak Ltd., Melbourne, for processing, all of this in the
presence of two reliable witnesses. It was then conveyed to
Tully for posting, the packet was weighed, and the charge was
14 cents. Some 10 days later a letter was received from Kodak
stating that the container, which was returned to the sender,
HAD BEEN EMPTY ON ARRIVAL! The empty container still had the 14
cent stamp attached, and a quick check at the Post Office
established that the postage on an empty container was 5 cents
only. Further exchanges with Kodak Ltd. produced no results.
The loss of the film was reported to the civil police who
were very co-operative, but after a careful detective
investigation interstate, were unable to shed light on the
mystery of the vanished film so far as can be quoted from
official statement. Unofficially, however, a hint was thrown
out by a person of reliable character and seemingly well
informed in police matters, that it was likely that
Commonwealth authorities had taken possession of the film and
therefore it would be useless to pursue enquiries further.
To complete the “cloak and dagger ” atmosphere, even more
bizarre was a seemingly casual suggestion conveyed to one of
the UFO investigators by an individual undoubtedly
knowledgeable in government intelligence activities. This
“contact” advised our UFO researching colleague that NEXT time
the UFO camera ought to be loaded with black and white film. Is
this too incredible? No, probably just the verdict of hard-won
experience in the photographic lab. of “salvaging” difficult
aircraft images, under-exposed and diffused by grain and
distortion. Even perhaps of UFOs?
It is not without interest also to record, shortly after
loss of the film, circa March 13, two R.A.A.F. [Royal
Australian Air Force] helicopters were observed for some time
deploying over the site of the very lagoon significant to the
events described, by the owner of the properties concerned.
Several “saucer nests” were still visible at this date.
Mr. Colin Bennett, M.L.A., [Member of the Legislative
Assembly] Barrister, after studying complete documentation of
the incident, expressed keen interest and promptly offered his
every assistance in inquiries. Mr. Bennett then wrote to
Canberra [Federal government] concerning the missing UFO film,
presenting, he stated, “a submission to the Commonwealth
Authorities in rather strong terms.”
In a reply from Canberra dated August 29, Mr. Gordon Freeth,
Minister for Air stated he was unable to offer any suggestion
as to the fate of the film. He denied positively the Department
of Air had ever, at any time, removed from Kodak Ltd., material
relating to UFOs.

So far a disappointing outcome for UFO researchers. Could it
be that sensible lifemanship indicates the affair might as well
be allowed to fade into limbo? Let the UFOs “buzz-off” so we
can get on with our own affairs. A public philosophy endorsed
by our officialdom!
MORE VISITATIONS

However the UFOs must be immune to exorcism, or have ignored
the message, since the Cairns-Tully area continues to sport its
UFO-active events. A further “nest” was discovered soon after
on April 25 in a cane field close to Cairns (25 miles north of
Tully). Flattened stems lay in an oval-shaped area 70ft. by
30ft. These were described by a horse-riding party as
completely screened by standing cane.
A more recent close encounter with a UFO (October 1) was
reported by Louie Maule, 35, a Tully district farmer. Near on
8.00 p.m. he was headed north driving home from South
Johnstone, when he saw descending from the night sky, a large
black object ringed with red lights. “I got a shock”, Maule
said. “It was GIGANTIC and looked to be slowing up.”
The headlights of a passing car momentarily obscured his
vision, and he slowed to a stop. “When I looked again it was
travelling towards South Johnstone at maybe 100 m.p.h.”
Interviewed by Vince Mele, the motorist Louie Maule stated
the UFOs’ altitude was about 500ft. It was circular in shape,
and about 60ft. in diameter, as clearly out-lined by the red
lights around the perimeter. The red-ringed disc was last seen
to bank and proceed towards the clouds at very high speed.
On the same evening, some 3 miles to the north, Vince Mele
had set up his mobile detector on a hill site overlooking the
surrounding area. Promptly at 8.00 p.m. his detector alarm
sounded and it was two minutes before the alarm re-set itself
automatically. After this, it was quiet for the rest of the
evening.
Although it must be noted that Vince Mele did not himself
see any lights, the October 1 incident now seems to provide
the first good evidence for independent visual sighting
correlated with triggering of the detector by the ambient field
of a UFO.(5)

A Continued Mystery

The Tully UFO photographs (presuming something WAS on the
film) are by no means the first UFO shots to disappear from the
Australian scene. A recapitulation made at the CAPIO Convention
(Canberra, July 1968) produced the following list:
1. 11.00 a.m., August 23, 1953, of nine photographs taken at
Port Moresby by T.P. Drury, Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation,
the five best shots were “lost” by CAD, who had loaned them
to the United States Air Force, Washington. **[I will type
up and post the full report on this particular sighting
shortly. It is contained in the complete, original 45 page
report entitled "Flying Saucers Over Papua - A Report on
Papuan Unidentified Flying Objects." dated March 1960, by
the Revd. Norman E.G. Cruttwell, M.A. Oxon, of the Anglican
Mission, Menapi, Papua, New Guinea, and documents a lot of
the 79 Papuan sightings of the time, including the full
report on the 'Father Gill' case. M.W.]**

2. Daytime, Easter 1954, some 200 photographs, cine and
stills, of an object pacing three young men in an Austin
sedan, driving through the interior near the Western and
South Australian border. “Borrowed” by the R.A.A.F. and
never returned.

3. 11.00 a.m., July 7, 1961, 6in. by 3in negative of the
“Thing” observed by scores of North Queenslanders and
photographed by R.T. Sheward of the Cairns Post. This
negative was sent to Kodak Melbourne by Mt. Stromlo
scientists. This time the container did not arrive empty -
according to Kodak, IT JUST DID NOT ARRIVE.

4. 3.25 a.m., May 27, 1965, several photographs taken by an
airline pilot (Ansett-ANA) of a UFO pacing an air liner in
flight for 10 minutes over Bougainville Reef en route to
Port Moresby. Film confiscated by the authorities.

5. Actual time unknown, March 4 of this year, Tully, North
Queensland, Missing cine film. We wonder where they all
are?

NOTES
—–
(1) ‘Queensland Again’ by Judith Magee, FLYING SAUCER REVIEW,
March/April 1966 (Vol. 12, No. 2.)
(2) Clockwise swirl observed contrary to hypothetical ground
effects from a helicopter landing. Rotor blades are driven
with left-hand screw motion.
(3) A study of the graphs (1851 to 1961) contained in the work
‘Anatomy of a Phenomenon’ by Jaques Vallee strongly suggests
the possibility of peak UFO activity being related to maximum
and minimum sunspot activity and/or geo-magnetic activity. The
latter could well be the significant factor, in view of the
UFOs’ well-known electro-magnetic effects.
(4) Film was Kodachrome II, ASA speed 25.
(5) No electric cables, geophysical prospecting, etc., are
present in the area to act as source of magnetic field
disturbances.

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