UFOs in the daily Press:

"I SAY I HAVE SEEN AND FILMED FLYING SAUCERS"

declares an American scientist

From this beginning of 1978, the flying saucers are again talked about. In Guyaquil, a congress is dedicated to them. It takes stock of more or less serious observations. But the most disturbing echo that concerns them is given today by an American professor whose scientific rigor is famous: Hartley Rutledge, head of the physics department at the University of Missouri. For him, UFOs do exist. He watched them night and day. He photographed them, followed their evolution with telescopes, spectrographs and cameras. He believes that they engage in acrobatics far superior to those that could be achieved by a plane built by the hands of men. Of more than 140 phenomena which he has witnessed directly, 25 are absolutely incredible, believes the American specialist. Three of his most convincing observations took place in time, in May 1973. The first lasted 45 seconds, the other 2, 15 days later, a little longer.

During the night of May 24, while he was with other observers, he saw an object with a luminous triangle, which passed above them. Mr. Rutledge initially thought it was an airplane. But, later findings ruled out this hypothesis.

The following night, with his collaborators, he observed an immense object which had almost passed above them without them noticing it. He specifies that the object had four lights: two red and two white. It was close enough that I could see parts of it in my telescope. It had a metal casing, and in the red lights I saw some sort of ribbing.

Because of his delicate situation, the physicist hesitated to talk about these phenomena. But now he thinks he can handle the taunts and feels it's his duty to tell the public what he knows.

According to his aides, Mr. Rutledge is a lively but rational and conservative man.