June 24 of this year will be the 75th anniversary of flying saucers. It was on that date in 1947 that Kenneth Arnold's historic sighting put the term 'flying saucer' into the public domain and UFO investigations soon followed with groups and individuals looking for answers to these enigmatic sightings. Charles Lear, author of The Flying Saucer Investigators, joined guest host Richard Syrett (Twitter) to discuss the history of the people involved in the mystery of flying saucers, mostly the investigators, but also the witnesses, some of whom were profoundly affected by their sightings.
Lear connected Raymond Arthur Palmer, editor of Amazing Stories, to popularizing so-called flying saucers. Palmer had invented the "what if" story by publishing the intriguing ramblings of Richard Shaver, Lear explained. On June 24, 1947, Kenneth Arnold claimed to witness several shiny UFOs flying past Mount Rainier, he continued, noting Arnold's account was published by the the Chicago Sun which used the term "flying saucers" in their headline. "Palmer and Shaver... tied [Shaver Mysteries] into the flying saucer mystery," Lear revealed.
Later, Palmer contacted Arnold and asked him to investigate claims made by Fred Crisman and Harold Dahl, who reported seeing six doughnut-shaped objects and falling debris in the sky over Maury Island in Puget Sound. Lear also talked about James Moseley, who had a several decades-long career as an investigator and lecturer on flying saucers.
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Open Lines followed in the latter half of the program. Brad from New Orleans claimed to have been a nuclear missile site security officer with top secret clearance in 1984. According to Brad, the military recovered an alien spacecraft where he was stationed. He recalled being ordered to clear a bunker where parts from the craft could be off loaded. "I did pick up one piece and it was light as aluminum but it was very strong," he recalled.
Jason in Iowa recounted a ghost story he once heard. The paranormal tale took place at the shipyards in San Pedro, California, where a person was performing routine cleaning services on a WWII-era ship. According to Jason, as the man went from room to room cleaning he would also open the curtains over the porthole window. After he finished cleaning the last room, "he heard a noise and he looked back, and... there came a hand that closed those curtains," Jason said.
Andrea in Wisconsin shared her theory about multiple universes, time traveling, and black holes. "The universe we're in is constantly being recreated," explained, noting we may actually be in a black hole as we can see material being emitted. According to Andrea, time travelers can get trapped by the gravitational waves caused by black holes as well as disruptions in gravity caused by nuclear testing.