UFO-Aktuellt issue 4, 2006

Short article, accompanied by a handful of pictures, about the double 30th celebration of two of UFO-Sweden’s local groups. Several different people held lectures and joined in in the festivities. It’s not a bad accomplishment to have been able to be around for thirty years, so obviously UFO-Sweden and the local groups have every reason to celebrate.

Chairman Clas Svahn devotes this issue’s editorial to Swedish contactees in general, and two in particular, Sten Lindgren and Channie West. These two are quite well-known within Swedish New Age and fringe ufological circles, and they have both published books detailing how to behave when meeting extraterrestrials, what to do, how they function, et cetera. There are more than 100 active contactees in Sweden and obviously their opinions usually differ fundamentally from those of UFO-Sweden. And that’s the way it should be, because while the latter long ago adopted the scientific approach the former concentrates on faith.

Article by Svahn, about a mysterious photograph currently on display at the Davenport Navy Museum in New Zealand. The picture was taken as early as 1965 when the cruiser HMNZS Royalist was passing through Cape Brett in Bay of Islands, but it wasn’t until decades later when Paul Restall was preparing an exhibit for the Devonport Navy Museum that it was discovered. Astronomer Brian Carter thinks it is a small object close to the camera, but no one knows for sure.

Article by Svahn. From time to time, Svahn and other members of UFO-Sweden take the ferry over to Great Britain to visit fellow ufologists and gather material for the Archive for UFO Research. This one took place at the end of November 2006, and besides the massive amount of books, papers, and so on that was collected, Svahn and Anders Persson met up with the following people: Janet and Colin Bord, Jenny Randles, David and Carolyn Clarke, John Rimmer, John Harney, Lionel Beer, Paul Sieveking, Hilary and Mary Evans, Philip Creighton, and finally Ole Jonny Braenne in Oslo, Norway.

Stefan Roslund has written fourteen short news stories about the international UFO and forteana, scene. Among other things, Roslund mentions a strange sighting in Kentucky, the “Global Consciousness Project” in Norway, a crop circle (or beach circle, actually) in Australia, and Mike Hallowell and his theories about “non-corporeal companions”.

Article by Svahn, about a picture of the infamous Area 51, taken by one as of yet unidentified astronaut working on space station Skylab during winter of 1973-74. For some strange reason, this picture is still classified, even though other and much better quality pictures are readily available for anyone who happens to be interested. The article also talks about other bizarre twists and turns when it comes to U.S. military secrecy and classified information.

Article by David Clarke and Gary Anthony, translated by Stefan Roslund. In early May 2006, Clarke and Anthony, together with Joe McGonagle and Andy Roberts discovered a previously classified UFO investigation by the British Ministry of Defense, known as Project Condign. The investigation came to an end as late as February 2000, and the four ufologists spent a year and a half of hard work that eventually resulted in their discovery. The 465-page long report actually admits that there is indeed, without a doubt, certain UFOs (or UAP – Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, as they are called) are caused by a as for now unknown phenomenon. The article details the work conducted by the four ufologists, what they came to learn, their methods for getting hold of this knowledge, and what the report has to say about a myriad of various aerial phenomena. It’s true that the report is filled with errors and is more of an intelligence report than a scientific study, but that doesn’t mean - as the ufologists make sure to emphasize - that it isn’t important.

Article by Svahn, about David Clarke, one of the ufologists behind the discovery of Project Condign. Clarke first became interested in the paranormal and the mysterious at the age of eleven after having seen blockbuster movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In the beginning he believed more or less everything he read about, but when he started university studies in the early 1980s he realized that things weren’t quite as simple as he had thought. Today Clarke is not only an owner of a Ph.D. in ethnology, he is also a journalist, and the world of ufology would definitely benefit if more investigators such as him appeared.

One book review this time, by Håkan Blomqvist. The book Manual för kosmisk kontakt by Swedish contactee Sten Lindgren is available in Swedish only.

UFO-Sweden’s expert on fortean phenomena, Richard Svensson, writes (and as always, draws beautiful pictures) about bizarre things, not necessarily UFO related. This time Svensson talks about Bigfoot. Or actually, different kinds of Bigfoot creatures, as well as a few other freaky “monsters”: Yowie, Australia’s own version of Bigfoot; a Chupacabra-resembling thing from Russia, and Windy; a new lake monster from Great Britain.

Article by Andreas Ohlsson, about the still largely unsolved issue of Russian submarines and unauthorized crossings into Swedish waters during the 1980s. Ohlsson attended a symposium at the Army Museum in Stockholm on 10 and 11 November 2006, about Swedish activities during the Cold War, and his article is a short summary of a debate that back in the days used to captivate more or less the entire Swedish population.

A few ads featuring different UFO-Sweden products, as well as Svahn’s latest book Det okända (English: The Unknown), unfortunately available only in Swedish.

C. Göran Norlén gives a review of news clippings from Swedish media, this time from July to the beginning of November, 2006. As always, there have been both very good and very bad things said in Swedish media about the UFO phenomenon, and as always, Norlén isn’t afraid to speak his mind. In this issue he devoted a few paragraphs to the necessity of serious, scientific UFO research, even though many people find this approach less exciting. Which is very true. And also quite sad.

Strange things are indeed happening in the skies over Sweden. The Report Central runt by UFO-Sweden receive several hundred reports annually, and in this issue three Swedish cases, two from 2006 and one from 2005, are presented.

Like many other non-profit organizations UFO-Sweden sometimes has a hard time making ends meet financially, and here’s a list over people who recently have devoted various sums of money to the organization.

Two short articles, one about how the remains of Lady (or Snippy) – the famous “first” horse to have been mutilated by evil aliens - is up for sale on Ebay, and one about the Archive of UFO Research, its new bookshelves purchased, and new additions to the collections.

Short article about two pictures taken by Brazilian Francisco Baqueiro showing an alleged captured spacecraft. There’s also an ad about a new and extended edition of a book by Richard Svensson about various creatures from Swedish folklore, available in Swedish only.