UFOs in the daily Press:

Reach Conclusion Saucers Are Real

by John Stackhouse

MELBOURNE (Reuters). -- Ten flying saucers enthusiasts in Melbourne, who have spent a year investigating sightings of mysterious objects in the sky over the city, have reached the conclusion that flying saucers are real.

The 10 make up the self-styled Flying Saucer Investigation Committee. They are a banker, a journalist, four engineers, two clerks and two industrial engineers. Most of them are members of the Astronomical Society.

A year ago, these men, reading newspapers reports of lights in the sky, flying objects and the various things grouped under the collective title of "flying saucers", decided that they would investigate the phenomena independently.

They cross-examined 55 persons on what they had seen and reached their conclusions: One of the saucers was a balloon; four were meteors; one was a drifting seed of Scotch thistle; two were jet aircraft; and 47 could not be explained.

Cigar-Shaped Objects.

A spokesman of the committee said the 47 "unexplained" saucers broke up into four distinct groups:

1. Six were cigar-shaped glowing objects seen at night gliding in the sky.

2. Fifteen were "proper" flying saucers or discs, rotating bodies appearing in pairs. When seen low down the upper portion appears to rotate. This type have windows and small ball-like wheels underneath.

3. Six more were shooting "moons" - bright lights which flash across the sky, hover for a minute or so, and appear to disappear suddenly.

4. The largest class, with 20 sightings, were small hovering lights, which hang in the sky, then dash off at high speed. In daylight, their surfaces flash in the sun like highly-polished metal.

Convinced by sightings

"It is much easier to say what these objects are not, than what they are," the committee's report states. "It is gratifying to note that of late the authorities are taking a more serious view of the whole matter.

"The committee is convinced that they have a definite, objective existence. They have been seen in places, at to many different times by too many sound and reliable witnesses to be disputed."