Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Meanwhile, Over at Flying Saucer Review. . .



Great Britain's Flying Saucer Review began publishing in 1955, unquestionably the best international journal about the UFO phenomenon for years. Like the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO), FSR's editors and writers forged an early connection with the possibility that occupant and abduction reports might have an extended relationship to the very enigma featured in their publications.

The late Gordon Creighton served as FSR's editor for many years and turned out some great issues, as had previous dedicated editors. However, in later years some readers expressed concern that Flying Saucer Review had taken on a more esoteric or "new age" format, far removed from its original concept. I can't comment on that in any depth because, even though I began subscribing in 1964 and remained a faithful reader for many years, I haven't seen an issue for ages.

Recently, I referenced here my article about Coral Lorenzen and the Ubatuba, Brazil "UFO fragments," which may be read at the NICAP memorial web site (see NICAP link in margin). Actually, the article initially went to FSR and Gordon Creighton accepted it, and I looked forward to its appearance in FSR's traditionally outstanding pages. However, over a year later, seeing no trace of it in the journal, I wrote Gordon again and he replied with a profoundly different attitude, obviously under stress, both personally and professionally. The two letters shown almost seem as though written by two different people, and the second clearly states my article won't be printed.

If you write, you already know that rejection's hatchet usually carves out far more territory than acceptance. But for me, to quote the tired old chestnut, this particular editorial change of horses in mid-stream already indicated trouble brewing at Flying Saucer Review. Still, considering most of its history over the decades, nobody can dispute the superb education about the international UFO situation that FSR presented to a curious world.