An particularly weird story perhaps coming from a local newspaper, or a saucerist bulletin by James Moseley, survived by fragments in the ufological literature, about claims from one to eight children from 9 to 15 years old, in Casa Blanca or Riverside, county of Riverside, southern California, USA; which is said to have occurred on August 22, 1955 at 02:00 p.m..
The stories indicate that these children were played in the garden of the house of the Douglas family, when one of the children, Kermit Douglas, noticed a luminous object hovering above the house. The object disappeared, and was replaced by a metallic flying disc. Then, other discs started to appear and disappear with musical "ping" sounds, these objects are sometimes described as semi-transparent, or in rotation and with luminous rays around them.
One of the objects "as big as three houses" is said to have landed or floated above a nearby field, and an entity reportedly came out, described as 3.5 feet tall, with a perfectly spherical head, large red and square eyes, a large opened red mouth and four things in diamond shapes as nose. The creature seems to have also been described as having had two arms divided in two forearms each, and four legs or tentacles.
Two of the children said they saw a being similar to the first but translucent, floating in front of the house of a neighbor, and still another boy stated to have seen, floating in the air, a silver arm without body that beckoned him, after that he "floated in space" to find himself on the top of the roof of a house, from which he reportedly fell on the head with no other damage that some amnesia.
Another boy allegedly stated to have walked towards one of these spaceships but was stopped by a force. Still another boy, or perhaps the same one, allegedly told journalists that he had met a strange man who had two guns and paralysed him.
The first entity allegedly said to Kermit Douglas that if he climbed in one tree, "they" would take him on a trop in one their spaceship in 15 minutes. This boy and another one reportedly climbed up the tree, but the other children turned a garden hose at them and forced them to climb down the tree.
One child or children declared that just like the entity had said, one of the discs then approached the tree, waited a while and then flew away, accompanied by all the others flying discs. Only of the sources specified that the parents came to see what was going on and saw nothing of all this.
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[Ref. cl1:] CORAL LORENZEN:
Coral Lorenzen says that "one" told her about an incident that reportedly took place in Riverside, California, in August 1955, but which was never investigated properly.
A group of children from 4 to 14 years old reportedly stated to have seen flying saucers and "little men."
Coral Lorenzen indicates that this bit of information was published in Saucer News for October - November 1955, in which the information given by the children is qualified of "contradictory", but the writer of Saucer News indicates neither newspaper source nor any other source.
The article said only that a boy said he climbed on a tree when the first of a series of saucers arrived, that a silver arm made a sign at him, and that said "I just started to float in space from the roof of a house."
There was no mention of the means by which boy found himself on the house, except that he "slipped there, to some extent."
Other members of the group claimed that they had seen the boy leaving the roof and falling straight down, landing on the head but without hurting himself. Another child had said that he had seen a man of approximately 3 feet tall who emerged of a saucer landed in a nearby field, a man with a "large red mouth, large red eyes and four things in the diamond shape where its nose should have been."
Another boy told with the reporters that he had seen a strange man carrying two guns, they paralyzed two of the boys with it.
Coral Lorenzen indicates that this last case "is currently examined by one of the A.P.R.O. consultant, geologist Philip Seff, and we hope that the years did not attenuate the memories of these teenagers."
[Ref. jv1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
In his catalogue of UFO landings, Jacques Vallée indicates that on August 22, 1955, at 02:00 p.m. in Casa Blanca, near Riverside, California, a group of children was playing in the garden of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas when they observed a hovering object which disappeared and reappeared as a spinning disk with curved lines radiating from it. Other objects, silvery and semi-transparent, soon appeared and were seen by all children. They made musical sounds as they vanished and reappeared. One of them landed, and a creature the size of a 4-year-old child, transparent, wearing a belt with a bright disk, was seen nearby. Another creature appeared and spoke to one of the boys. All the children experienced visions of the object and the creatures, as well as "arms" which appeared to beckon to them.
Vallée indicates that his source is "FSR 67, 5."
[Ref. ht1:] PATRICK HUGHES AND HARRY TRUMBORE:
The authors classify as "Octiartus proselytus" an alien they say was recorded on August 22, 1955 at Riverside, California by Kermit Douglas and seven other children. They describe it as a 1 meter tall "exotic species with two forearms emerging at the elbow of each arm and four legs protruding from the hips", large eyes and mouth red in color, and between them four diamond-shaped nostrils. They say their technology included silver disc-like craft.
[Ref. go1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:
The Belgian ufologist indicates that on August 22, 1955 in Casa Blanca, California, USA, at 02:00 p.m. in the garden of the Douglas, children followed the capricious evolutions of sometimes silver sometimes semi transparent UFOs; which hovered, disappeared, returned, their flight being accompanied by musical sounds.
One of the objects landed and a small being carrying a kind of disc shining disc at the belt a came towards the children, and a second character also appeared.
Godelieve van Overmeire indicates that the source is Inforespace #11, page 4, 1973, SOBEPS.
[Ref. ab1:] ALAN BAKER:
Alan Baker indicates that in Riverside, California, USA, on August 22, 1955, in the early afternoon, a group of children aged between 5 and 15 were playing in the garden of the home of the Douglas family, when one of the children, Kermit Douglas, noticed a bright object hovering over the house. It disappeared, and was replaced by a metallic disc, then other discs began to appear and disappear with odd, bell-like sounds, and then one of them landed in an adjacent field.
A bizarre entity emerged from the landed UFO. It was about 305 feet tall, had a perfectly spherical head, large, square red eyes, a large open mouth and four diamond-shaped features instead of a nose.
Two of the children saw a translucent being similar to the first floating in front of a neighbor's house, while another boy reported seeing a disembodied arm beckoning to him.
One of the entities then spoke to another boy, it was described as having four legs hanging below its narrow torso. It had two arms, but with two forearms extending from each elbow. This entity said to the boy that if he climbed into a nearby tree they would give him a ride in one of their ships in 15 minutes.
Although the boys were generally afraid, the boy and a friend climbed the tree, but the other children turned a garden hose on them and forced them back to the ground.
As the entity said, one of the discs then approached that tree, waited a moment and then flew away, accompanied by the other UFOs.
Alan Baker comments that although it would be easy to dismiss this case as a product of overactive young imaginations, the children's parents noted that they were very frightened for days after their encounter, but children can and do convince themselves that their fantasies are real, and thus it would not be surprising that they frightened themselves so considerably.
[Ref. tk1:] THOMAS KULP:
This clergyman wrote in the Flying Saucer Review that UFOs are not physical objects but creations of Satan, and he indicates as an example that in 1955, near Riverside, California, children observed a disk-shaped object spinning overhead, and subsequently, "there appeared a recurring series of spectral-like shapes. They were semi-transparent."
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Casa Blanca, California, on August 29, 1955, at 1500, 8 or 9 children 4 to 15 years old saw "semi transparent" round objects of various colors in the sky; they kept appearing and disappearing with musical "pings." Adults called to look saw nothing. One object, "as large as 3 houses," came down to hover 3 feet from the ground. Beside it appeared a transparent being 3.5 ft tall, with red eyes and mouth, and a brilliant disc on its belt. Other objects also landed, one on a housetop. One boy started walking toward one of the vessels and was forcibly restrained; another saw a beckoning arm in mid-air. A creature with four arms appeared, and told 2 boys to climb a tree to be "picked up;" they did so, and a UFO approached with little men riding on its rim. One boy climbed down after a garden hose was turned on him; the other "slid" onto a nearby roof and then walked off it, landing on his head, unhurt, but amnesiac.
Albert Rosales indicates that the source is Bob Boden, Mrs. Jean Rowlands and Mary Starbuck for BSRA, and Humcat 1955-21.
[Ref. al1:] ALVIN H. LAWSON:
In an article arguing that we do not have any alien visitors because they are either too much like us or not different enough, Alvin Lawson provides a gallery of sketches of alien beings from various CE3 cases, and includes this one in a category "apparitional beings" with the caption "A ghostly apparition, Riverside", with no further information or source for the sketch:
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[Ref. dj1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
Donald Johnson indicates that on August 29, 1955, at 3 p.m., eight children in Casa Blanca, Riverside County, California, aged from 4 to 15, saw a "semi transparent" round object of various colors in the sky. It appeared and disappeared with musical "pings." Some adults were called to come see it, but saw nothing. An object "as large as 3 houses" came down to hover three feet from the ground. Beside it appeared a transparent being 3.5 feet tall, with red eyes and mouth, and a brilliant disc on its belt. Other similar objects also landed, one on a housetop. One boy started walking toward one of the vessels and was forcibly restrained. Another saw a beckoning, disembodied arm in mid-air. A creature with four arms appeared, and told two of the boys to climb a tree to be "picked up." They did so, and a UFO started to approach with little men riding on its rim. One boy climbed down after a garden hose was turned on him by the other children; the other "slid" onto a nearby roof and then walked off it, landing on his head, stunned but with no apparent serious injury.
Donald Johnson indicates that the sources are the Riverside Daily Press for August 30, 1955; David F. Webb and Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case 1955-21 (A0387), citing Bob Boden, Jean Rowlands and Mary Starbuck for BSRA, Uranus, February 1956.
This is very possibly the silliest UFO story from the Fifties. But the question remains: what is it? Kids telling nonsense? A story invented by some crazed ufologist? A journalistic hoax, a parody?
I do not have the answer. However, here are some notes that might be relevant for further research:
Whatever the true origin and nature of the story, one must bear in mind that at least one source specifies that the parents are said to have been called and saw nothing - which all other sources do not mention.
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data | Severe | February 21, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Missing alleged article in the Riverside Daily Press, Riverside, California, USA, August 30, 1955. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 2 | Data | Severe | February 21, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Missing alleged article in "Saucer News" for October / November 1955. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 3 | Data | Severe | February 21, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Missing alleged source Bob Boden, Jean Rowlands and Mary Starbuck for the Borderland Sciences Research Associates (BSRA) of California, Uranus, February 1956. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 4 | Ufology | Severe | February 21, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Fragmentary and unreliable data. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 5 | Ufology | Severe | February 21, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | No trace of any investigation. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 6 | Ufology | Severe | February 21, 2008 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Negative witnesses: parents went to see and saw nothing. | Help needed. | Opened. |
Probable inventions of obscure origin. No credibility. Insufficient information.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | February 21, 2008 | Creation, [cl1], [jv1], [ht1], [go1], [ab1], [tk1], [ar1], [al1], [dj1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 21, 2008 | First published. |
