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<title>NICAP-APRO Evaluate UFO Cases for National Enquirer Panel</title>
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<p>APRO's director, Mr. Jim Lorenzen and NICAP's President, Mr. John Acuff met in a lengthy session at the offices of
  the National Enquirer newspaper in Lantana, Florida on February 9th. The stated purpose of this meeting was to submit
  for review UFO reports for possible submission to the Enquirer's UFO panel. Quick agreement was reached on
  establishing guidelines and criteria for evaluating the merits and strength of reports as listed below:</p>
<ol>
  <li>Close encounter with a possible structured object is preferable to a mere light in the sky.</li>
  <li>Physical residue left behind</li>
  <li>Photographs of object or some kind of instrumental support.</li>
  <li>Behavior of the object suggests it was something other than conventional object.</li>
</ol>
<p>Witnesses:</p>
<ol>
  <li>Multiple witnesses make the best sightings.</li>
  <li>Should have a background which indicates reliability.</li>
  <li>Competency of observation.</li>
  <li>Conditions for observation.</li>
</ol>
<p>Both organizations had gathered cases for review and these were added to information obtained on sightings by the
  staff of the Enquirer. In-depth evaluation was made on each case using the guidelines established earlier. At the
  close of the meeting the following cases had been deemed worthy of submission for further review and where necessary,
  further data gathering and analysis would be required:</p>
<section>
  <h2>Atlanta, Georgia<br> September 9, 1973</h2>
  <p>While filming an early morning (4:00 a.m.) interview with two state patrolmen who had observed a UFO the previous
    night, the patrolmen and the three member news crew of channel 5 (CBS) noticed two unusual bright lights in the
    eastern sky. The news crew consisted of the assistant director of news, a professional cameraman with 15 years
    experience, and newscaster. The cameraman started setting up a tripod to insure a stable base for filming these
    lights and while doing so, he and the other witnesses noticed that one of the two lights dimmed and disappeared. The
    other light remained stationery (while the star background changed) for the next hour and a half until sunrise.
    Seventy-five feet of color motion picture film (SAS 500) was taken of the white light source which changed to blue,
    red and yellow during viewing. The cameraman waited 30 minutes and filmed his remaining 75 feet of film. The
    brightest star (Sirus) in the area was placed in the camera's view finder during this time but did not produce an
    image. There were no planets in that area of the sky. The much brighter light being observed did produce an image on
    every frame and the color change can be clearly seen. A 100-times magnification of the 16 mm frames reveals grain
    and loss of resolution, but also reveals what appears to be a clearly structured object. (UFO investigator, October
    1973)</p></section>
<section>
  <h2>San Diego, California</h2>
  <p>Two boys, both 11, say they rapped on a dull dark grey object on the ground in a darkened field. Lights came on and
    the object rose up into the air and disappeared. Two young boys were the only witnesses, although there were reports
    of T.V. interference. Some foreign residue was found and is being examined.</p></section>
<section>
  <h2>Connersville, Indiana</h2>
  <p>Forty-five workers in Connersville saw a round object during their break. Only one man has been interviewed so far,
    but he said that at 7:30 p.m. on October 15, 1973, five men from the D &amp; M Dishwashing Manufacturing Co. saw a
    round object over the AVCO test area. He rushed into the plant to tell others and a total of 45 watched it. The
    object descended into the trees and rose up again and flew off in a northeast direction. The object had yellow and
    blue lights reflecting onto silver. There was no sound connected with the UFO. It was agreed that this case needs to
    be investigated much further.</p></section>
<section>
  <h2>Santa Cruz, California</h2>
  <p>A UFO apparently triggered a freezer alarm in this West coast city. A family of three were awakened at 5 a.m. by
    intermittent ringing of an alarm bell attached to their freezer. The witnesses reported seeing an object emitting an
    elliptical glow, with a line of white light through the middle, a reddish glow on top and a greenish glow on the
    bottom. The object seemed to be approximately 5 to 8 miles off the coast. It was observed through seven power
    binoculars, and rows of lights along the top and bottom were seen. The bell on the freezer was ringing in
    synchronization with the flashing of the lights on the UFO.</p>
  <p>Two deputies from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department were called. By then it had moved further away. They
    saw the object and heard the ringing of the bell, but were not certain it was synchronized. Investigators reported
    that if an alternating magnetic field from the UFO was affecting the freezer alarm bell, it would have affected the
    TV and shorted out other switches in the house. This did not occur.</p></section>
<section>
  <h2>Ohio<br> October 18, 1973</h2>
  <p>U.S. Army helicopter crew members were buzzed by a UFO over the Ohio area. One full-time army captain and three
    reservists were flying the helicopter between Port Columbus and Cleveland when they wee buzzed by a cigar-shaped
    object with a metallic grey body and a dome on the top. It became necessary to put the helicopter into a crash dive
    to avoid colliding with the object. The object seemed then to hover over the helicopter. At that point, the
    helicopter radio went dead. The UFO sucked the helicopter up more than 2,000 feet in a few seconds and then sped off
    northward. (UFO Investigator, November 1973)</p></section>
<section>
  <h2>Freeport, Long Island</h2>
  <p>Three policemen watched a small UFO link up with a larger one in Freeport, Long Island on November 6, 1973. Two
    policemen were sitting in their patrol car in a parking lot at 9 p.m. and saw a stationary ball of light in the sky
    with no red and green running lights. One followed in the car and the policeman got back on his motor cycle. The
    officers were in radio contact with one another during this time, but there is no record of conversation with the
    dispatcher.</p>
  <p>Officer Steinberg described the UFO as shaped like a football, flatter at each end, glowing silvery blue with an
    occasional pulsating yellow red tint. The UFO seemed to be hanging in the sky but then moved off in a southwest
    direction. A smaller UFO came up from the right and joined the larger one. Officer Brown had also witnessed this
    occurrence. The two men returned to headquarters and spoke to a third officer about the incident and he too had seen
    the UFO's but refused to discuss the sighting with the investigator assigned to the case. (UFO Investigator,
    December 1973)</p></section>
<section>
  <h2>Long Island, New York</h2>
  <p>The president and vice-president of the Long Island Astronomical Society witnesses a UFO on October 21, 1973. The
    two men saw a ball-like red shape and at one end of the object were three blinking lights, a white light in the
    center and green on the left end and red on the right. They were not a plane's lights. (UFO Investigator, December
    1973)</p>
  <p>The meeting attended by decision makers of the National Enquirer, APRO and NICAP accomplished more than the stated
    purpose of evaluating reports. It is well known that data gathering and analysis can be an expensive task. In some
    cases the cost of analysis is beyond the scope of the APRO or NICAP budget allocations. Cases which are submitted
    for the Enquirer's UFO panel evaluation will now receive funding from the National Enquirer to insure complete
    analysis. Of equal importance is the resolve by both Mr. Lorenzen and Mr. Acuff to continue to seek means for mutual
    cooperation between NICAP and APRO.</p></section>
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