CONTENTS

For December, 1963

 

 

SETTING BACK THE CLOCK   .....................................................................................             2

FLYING SAUCERS AND THE BIBLE   ........................................................................             3

THEY'RE HELPING OTHERS   .....................................................................................             5

world report   ...........................................................................................................             7

Poet’s corner   ..........................................................................................................             11

LANGUAGE BARRIERS   ...............................................................................................             12

bulletin board   ........................................................................................................             14

 

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THE STAFF

 

EDITOR ........................................................................................... Dr. DANIEL W. FRY

asst. editor .............................................................................   cleve twitchell

circulation manager ...........................................................  edna basmajian

staff artist ...................................................................................  gus tanasale

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Published monthly by ‘Understanding,’ a non-profit organization

 

ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO

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UNDERSTANDING

VOLUME VIII                               DECEMBER, 1963                                   NUMBER 12

Dedicated to the propagation of a better understanding among all the peoples of the earth, and of those who are not of earth.

 

SETTING BACK THE CLOCK

Back in the middle of 1947 the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a magazine published by men who helped develop atomic energy during World War II, started reproducing the image of a clock on its cover. The hands of the clock were at. 8 minutes to midnight, symbolizing a frank, scientific appraisal of how close earth civilization stood to nuclear destruction at that time. The editor commented on what he called "the slow progress of negotiations for international control of atomic energy."

In September of 1953, when both the United States and the Soviet Union had developed the hydrogen bomb, the hands were moved forward to 2 minutes to midnight.

But then the trend began to reverse itself. In January of 1960, the hands were set back for the first time-to 7 minutes to midnight. The editor on that occasion observed that public and governmental opinion was building a psychological dam that "made unleashing of the destructive power of the atom more difficult-but not impossible."

It is interesting to note that during the period between 1953 and 1960, various New Age organizations and publications, among them Understanding, were founded.

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Now in 1963, the hands of the clock have been set back again to 12 minutes before midnight, the farthest they have been from the hour of doom. Eugene Rabinowitch, editor of the publication and a professor of biophysics at the University of Illinois, explained that the clock is intended to reflect basic changes in the level of danger in which present day civilization exists. The turning back of the clock to 12 of 12 was done "in recognition of the significance of the test ban agreement" between the United States, Russia and Great Britain, Rabinowitch said.

This development serves to accentuate the fact that more and more our civilization is moving into an era in which we are going to have to become prepared for the sudden outbreak of peace.

Phil Newsom, the United Press International news service foreign news analyst, recently had this to say on that subject

"A world which for years has based its foreign policy on the Soviet Union's ability to make war now finds itself in the midst of a curious reversal.

"Policy makers must now consider the Soviet's ability to make peace. The question is a matter of serious debate and already has had an effect on U.S. relations with the U.S.S.R."

But it is also high time that the United States consider its own ability to make peace.

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FLYING SAUCERS AND THE BIBLE

"But there's nothing in the Bible about flying saucers!"

This exclamation is sometimes heard during discussions of the probability of life on other planets and the probability that members of other civilizations have been visiting earth since the beginning of its time.

Actually, there are numerous passages in the Bible which hint ,either directly or indirectly of visitation from space, especially when one considers that writers describe what they see in the language of their era and that the clouds, fiery chariots and pillars of fire could well have been in their day what we refer to as flying saucers, unidentified flying objects and extra-terrestrial spacecraft.

Following are some of these passages. We have chosen the December issue in which to reproduce these, because most of the passages

DECEMBER, 1963                    3

were suggested by a Christmas card which an Understanding member sent to her friends a couple of years ago. The front cover of the card bore the first passage listed below, while others were listed by reference on the inside.

"When they had listened to the king they went their way, and lo, the star which had been seen in the East in its rising went before them, until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was." -Matthew 2:9.

"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light that. they might travel by day and by night." -Exodus 13:21.

"And the Lord said to Moses, "Lo, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you for ever." -Exodus 19:9.

"And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel encamped." -Numbers 9:17.

"And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward." Numbers 12:5.

"He rode on a cherub, and flew; he was seen upon the wings of the wind." -2 Samuel 22:11.

"And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, And Eli'jah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." 2 Kings 2:11.

"Like birds hovering, so the Lord of hosts will protect Jerusalem;" -Isaiah 31:5.

"Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?" -Isaiah 60:8.

"As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness round about it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming bronze. And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the form of men ..." -Ezekiel 1:4-5.

"Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.

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As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of a chrysolite; and the four had the same likeness, their construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. The four wheels had rims and they had spokes; and their rims were full of eyes round about. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose." -Ezekiel 1:15-19.

“Then I said, ' What are these, my lord?' The angel who talked with me said to me, `I will show you what they are.' So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, `These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth." -Zechariah 1:9-10.

"Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll!" -Zechariah 5:1.

"And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, `Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." -The Acts 1:9-11.

(Above are from the Revised Standard Edition of the Bible.)

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THEY'RE HELPING OTHERS

One afternoon three sweet-faced little children moved into their "dreamhouse." The Petraglia triplets will never actually see their new home, for they have been blind since birth, but they will always know that it is there to keep them warm and safe-a freshly painted one-story brick ranch dwelling built on a vacant lot in the Bronx, New York, and equipped with specially designed stairways for the sightless. This "dream house" was a community endeavor. Construction workers gave their skills and labor free of charge and building contractors and manufacturers came forth with all the materials needed for the home. "It's labor and management working together to help others," one of the volunteer workers told me.

DECEMBER, 1963                    5

All over the country we see this same dedication on the part of labor and management to the service of their fellow man.

In California's vast San Fernando Valley a huge, twenty-acre Youth Center has been built.. Here the Valley's 43,000 teen-age girls will be enriched through recreational and educational facilities. The building materials were a gift from hundreds of business firms in the area and the laborers and supervisory personnel asked for no pay for their work. As a representative of the Los Angeles Building unions told me, "In five years our unions contributed approximately $500,000 in donated labor to such worthy projects as this Youth Center, the Sunair Sanitarium for Asthmatic Children, the Boy's Club, Little League Baseball Diamonds and stands and many other such fine ventures for children."

"We don't generally brag about this," the representative added. "We just go ahead and do the work as parents and as citizens of the United States."

Rising to four stories in New York City is the Sirovich Day Center, which provides useful activities for the city's senior citizens. "A new paint job would certainly add to the cheerfulness of our center," Miss Frances King, the center's director, said one afternoon. She passed on her "dream" to some representatives of several paint companies in the area and to the painters' union telling them, "Our funds are so limited that we really couldn't afford to pay for such a thorough renovation."

Miss King's dream was fulfilled in a very inspiring way. The paint companies got together and delivered some 350 gallons of fresh paint to the center, plus all the plaster and equipment needed for the job. What's more, they sent no bills. Some sixty painters raised their ladders and scaffolds and with the donated materials re-painted the entire building, from top to bottom.

"This job is on us," they said to the now happily smiling Miss King.

Trucks rolling through our mid-western states now carry, in addition to their loads, placards bearing the statement, "DRIVE WITH CARE-MAKE ACCIDENTS RARE." It's part of a campaign by the trucking industry, both labor and management, to impress on the driving public the need for highway safety precautions.

The hand of welcome is always out-thrust at the Hanna Boy's

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Center-a haven for poor and homeless boys set deep in the Sonoma Valley, near San Francisco. But unfortunately there are always more needy boys than facilities to care for them. A short while ago the Center's acute housing problem was brought to the attention of labor and management people in the San Francisco area. A score of business firms dug into their resources and contributed lumber, tools, cement and roofing, and a veritable army of volunteer workers utilized the donated materials to greatly expand the Center's housing facilities, thus opening more doors of shelter for homeless boys.

Anyone who visits South Bend, Indiana, today is almost immediately attracted by the beautiful, tree-shaded park in the center of the city. Yet. few realize that this park came into being because of labor and management's desire to help others.

A park had been needed in South Bend for many years but the city treasury, burdened by many civic needs, was unable to advance enough money to pay for such an expensive undertaking. At the local plant of the Studebaker Automobile Company, everyone was especially aware of how a new park would enhance their community. Therefore the officials at the plant decided, "We'll build the park as our personal contribution to the betterment of our city."

And the workers at the plant added, "We'll help too. We'll pay for the park's playground." And a short while after the park was completed these same workers collected some $27,000 to be used to buy sports equipment for South Bend's young people.

The United Fund in Detroit is a labor-management project designed to help worthy charity groups in the area. Detroit companies designate regular amounts as their contributions to the Fund and the workers at the company follow in kind by allowing specific deductions from their weekly paychecks to go into the Fund. When a goodly amount has been accumulated representatives of labor and management get together and decide among which needy charities the money is to be divided.

William C. Day, the president of the Michigan Bell Telephone Co., readily testifies to the good effect of this labor-management fund. "We used to sit around the negotiation table when a strike was imminent. It was the only time we met union representatives. Now we work with them on each charity drive and the result has been

DECEMBER, 1963                    7

proof that management and labor can work handsomely together. It has helped in many a negotiation.”

The handbag workshop at the New York Training School for Girls in Hudson, New York, is always buzzing with activity Handbag manufacturers donated the machines and other materials for the shop and the handbag workers union supervises the work. Here teen-age girls are learning valuable skills that will help them obtain positions in the handbag industry when they leave the school. New York's Governor has commended labor and management for this public-spirited program. "Efforts as genuine as yours," the Governor said, "will have far-reaching results." And the same can be said for all incidents of labor and management working together for others now taking place in many parts of the country.

-Alfred K. Allan

New York, N. Y.

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world report

Expert In Rocketry Believes Venus May Have Life

(United Press International, Oct. 10, 1963)

CAPE CANAVERAL-Venus, that planetary beauty in the sky, still has at least, one champion.

Venus has fared rather poorly at the hands of non-esthetic scientists this year. They have ruled that this ancient queen of the heavens actually is nothing but a sort of oven in the sky, hiding her dreary ugliness, beneath a perpetual skirt of brilliant clouds.

But up steps a U.S. space scientist, Kraft Ehricke, with a dissenting opinion to the general scientific conclusion that Venus is a broiling, lifeless desert.

At the risk of getting into a man-versus-machine argument, Ehricke remains unconvinced that the planet is broiling,

That poses an interesting point of speculation. If Venus is not broiling, then it is cool -- perhaps cool enough to support life...

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Ehricke deplores the current tendency to rule out Venus as having no merit for future manned exploration.

"Venus is an example of why you need man in space," he said. It does not disturb the stocky ex-German rocket expert that he is at odds with popular scientific sentiment. about the planet, Venus. Actually his argument is not that his fellow anti-Venus scientists are wrong-but that they do not have enough information to prove they are right.

Ehricke is director of advanced studies at General Dynamics Astronautics in San Diego, Calif.-and, as such, he is one of the so-called "four-out " group that is studying where, when and how man should go into interplanetary space after he conquers the moon.

Despite the apparently negative results from America's Mariner-2 space probe-the basis for most of the present ill thoughts about that planet-Venus remains Ehricke's favorite initial planetary port-of-call in his own proposals for post-lunar expeditions.

"Venus might hold even more surprises than Mars" is his opinion. There is an element of mystery about Venus, whose surface is 100 per cent hidden by clouds. Mars, on the other hand, is naked in its reddish brilliance to earth-bound telescopes.

Ehricke takes exception to the inclination of the space science fraternity to almost completely write Venus off as a worthwhile target on the basis of information gleaned by the 447-pound Mariner-2 that swung to within 21,648 miles of that planet last Dec. 14.

An official report said the probe's reading indicated "a fairly uniform 80,0 degrees Fahrenheit ... of the entire surface." This is four times the boiling point of water, enough to turn any form of life on earth into well-done steak within minutes.

But Ehricke questions whether the readings from a comparatively small but almost primitive sort of instrument, like Mariner-2 during a comparatively brief 35-minute `near approach' to Venus should constitute irrefutable proof.

For instance, he does not doubt that Mariner-2 detected a high temperature reading somewhere. But was that "somewhere" actually on the surface or was it somewhere in the thick cloud layers?

If the latter was the case, said Ehricke, then "Venus does not necessarily have an 800-degree temperature on the surface, and therefore (if the temperature is lower) the surface is not necessarily dry" as has been the common interpretation.

DECEMBER, 1963                    9

Thus: "If Venus has oceans, they could contain life." And they could have more life than Mars."

Premonitions of Yugoslav Earthquake

(From Family Weekly magazine, Oct. 13, 1963)

"Whenever there's a disaster, there are premonitions!"

That is the opinion of Dr. Zarco Hantchef, chief medical officer for the International Red Cross, who was sent to Skoplje, Yugoslavia, the day after an earthquake destroyed that capital of Macedonia and killed almost. 2,000 persons on July 26.

I interviewed Dr. Hantchef in Geneva, Switzerland, shortly after he returned from the disaster scene. A medical doctor, former university lecturer, and Red Cross executive since 1949, he told me of three widely diversified incidents to prove his point.

"While the most intricate seismographs gave no indication whatsoever of the coming earthquake," Dr. Hantchef said, "the wild animals in the zoo were the first to sense the approaching tragedy. Shortly before midnight they became terribly excited. The lions started to roar, elephants trumpet, jackets squeal. One water buffalo swayed crazily from side to side as if he were going mad. This had never happened before, and the keepers were mystified." But the animals weren't the only ones to sense the danger.

"There was a 17-year-old girl whose bedroom was on the second floor of a three-story apartment house," Dr. Hantchef told me. "Shortly after midnight she rushed into her mother's bedroom on the street floor and complained she couldn't sleep, that something terrible was about to happen. She said she would feel safe only if she could stay with her mother.

"The older woman wasn't about to put up with such nonsense and ordered the girl back to her own room. Mind you," Dr. Hantchef pointed out, "European children are brought up to obey, yet the girl refused to do as she was told. Finally, the mother had no choice but to let the girl stay with her.

"Five hours later the first rumble shattered the house. The building collapsed, and every human being in it died-except the mother and daughter. Their room alone escaped destruction."

Probably the most amazing account of premonition that Dr. Hantchef related to me involved a Belgian wife who woke up in her room

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at the Macedonia Hotel four hours before the quake, got dressed, and left the building. She walked up and down the street for a while, feeling something was terribly wrong. Suddenly she rushed back to her room on the second floor and excitedly shook her husband awake. She begged him to get dressed and leave the hotel because there was going to be a quake. He told her she was silly and to get some sleep.

She tried, but half and hour later got up and again walked out of the building. When she returned, she again awakened her husband and pleaded with him to get dressed.

The scene repeated itself once more, but this time he offered a compromise: since they'd planned to leave the hotel about 8 o'clock the next morning, he agreed to set the alarm for 6.

At 5:10 the wife got up for the fourth time. She went into the bathroom, but no sooner had she entered when something made her race back into the bedroom and shake her husband awake. "Let's get out of here," she screamed.

He sat up in bed and upon his wife's insistent prodding reached for his clothes-just as the quake struck! Seconds later the hotel crumbled into a pile of debris. Out of 180 persons who were staying there, only 55 survived.

"Had the women remained in the bathroom," Dr. Hantchef recalled, "she would have been crushed to death. Had she followed her original intuition, she and her husband could have avoided the ordeal of being buried under the debris for almost 60 hours before being rescued."

What caused these premonitions? As a Red Cross official, Dr. Hantchef has visited the scenes of many disasters. And it is always the same: some of the survivors, animals and human, had sensed beforehand the approach of sudden death.

Dane to Run UFO Lab in Mexico

(Associated Press, Sept. 24, 1963)

COPENHAGEN-Danish Air Force Maj. H. C. Petersen said Monday he had been appointed by the International UFO (unidentified flying objects) Organization to build a center for cosmic studies 35 miles north of Guadalajara, Mexico.

The plan will be financed by the organization on the initiative of the California author and UFO expert, George Adamski.

DECEMBER, 1963                    11

For 15 years Petersen has investigated flying saucers as a hobby.

He is chief editor of the Scandinavian magazine UFO News.

"We already have the site near Guadalajara where the center will be built," he said.

In the new center, specialists will study cosmic philosophy and make preparations for the new "abstract" age, he said.

Ghost Haunts Saloon

(From Philadelphia, Pa., Inquirer, Aug. 27, 1963)

BRENTWOOD, England-The owner of the 500-year-old Swan Inn said Monday it was haunted by the ghost of a 19-year-old "heretic" who was burned at the stake here centuries ago.

Mrs. Elizabeth Harding, who took over the Swan six weeks ago, said she believed the nightly intruder was the ghost of William Hunter, a Protestant martyr, who spent his last night at the inn before going to his death.

Mrs. Harding's daughter, Carol, 26, who helps run the inn, agrees "We are visited each night by the ghost," she said.

"Religious plates and ornaments fixed to the wall tumble down mysteriously. The saloon doors crash in the night, and my Alsatian, Trudy, who has been brought up in bars, refuses to sleep there.

"When we come down from our rooms each morning, we find the saloon door blocked by chairs moved in the night. We hear furniture being dragged about the floor. Lights that were switched off are blazing.

"My mother loves it all, but I am quite frightened," she reports. A memorial to the Protestant martyr stands on the spot where he died.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

From the Editors of UNDERSTANDING

Our Gifts to You: From Now Through Dec. 31, 1963

Understanding Subscriptions: $2 per year

THE WHITE SANDS INCIDENT

and ATOMS, GALAXIES AND UNDERSTANDING

Both by Dan Fry-$1 each

Order From: Understanding

P. O. Box 76                               Merlin, Oregon

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Poet’s corner

 

The Christmas Song

Beloved:

As the Spirit of Christmas springs anew within the heart, how can such deep soul happiness be expressed excepting that it be breathed out into the living-ever just as the flower effortlessly sends its fragrance upon the desert air? And how can one find response in others excepting that they be drawn together by the vital Essence of life as naturally as the honey bee is drawn to the heart of the flower?

Only through spiritual union can two or more be brought together to partake of the Pure Essence. Each one has the power to unite with the "beingness" of everything else and in whatever way is essential to the fulfilling of all life throughout the Universes of Being.

When conception takes place within pure hearts, new forms of UNDERSTANDING are born.

Listen for that Christ-Mass Song. Its music fills the air and is carried to fathomless heights. The stars send back their wealth of love, and together-men and angels sing.

-I.M.

DECEMBER, 1963                    13

"My Brother"

My anger raged deep within

For those who walked alone in sin.

I tried to help them see the way,

Tried to help through each hard day.

 

But they would not listen to my plea,

Their devious plans thwarted me.

I knew the way my brothers should go;

That was my thought. They did not think so.

 

"Lord," I cried, "what is wrong with these men?

They do not listen to my plans to win.

Diligently I tell them of Thy story,

Yet they follow not my path for glory."

 

Heaven opened and I heard above,

"My child, do you seek to help through Love?

How is it that you seek to aid

Through Me, or by the ways you have made?

 

"To whom do you seek to give

The knowledge by which men shall live?

It is not for you, my child, to choose

Whom to receive and whom to refuse.

 

"Nor is it for you to tell your brother

He must go your way and no other.

Surrender unto Me your heart first,

That through you I may quench your brother's thirst.”

-Marian M. Poe

Groveport, Ohio

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LANGUAGE BARRIERS

You stated in a recent editorial that only about 15 per cent of our diplomatic and military personnel in Russia could speak Russian. This lack of interest in, or aversion to, learning a foreign language is hard to understand; but it is common and I observed it frequently while living in Florida.

I met scores of persons who had made their living for years in trade with Spanish America, yet had never bothered to learn Spanish. I even have friends and relatives who married persons from Latin countries, yet have never displayed any interest in their native language.

Latin America has repeatedly urged North American business men to send representatives who show some interest in the language, the citizens and the customs of the country to which they are assigned. The prewar Nazis were the best commercial representatives ever sent to South America. They made a very favorable impression on the natives because they were subjected to a long period of intensive training in the language, customs and habits of the Latinos before they were allowed to leave Germany.

In contrast with the American and English agents Who spoke only their own language and remained aloof, the Germans mixed with the people, evinced a sincere interest in them, joined in their social life and became an integral part of the community. We should have learned a lesson there, but we didn't.

As a diplomatic representative of an organization with branches in every country of the Western Hemisphere, it was my duty to meet, entertain and otherwise take care of important visitors from Spanish America, in cooperation with the State Department which handled the top brass. Things always went well until the visitors were introduced to the president and other top executives of the company who couldn't speak Spanish. The president, who had been in office 25 years, had depended on sign language and interpreters all during that time.

Some of this apathy may be due to the fact that, in most cases, a knowledge of up to five languages does not, to be blunt, pay off. A steno gets no more pay for taking dictation in two or three languages

DECEMBER, 1963                    15

than she does for one. The smart ones now conceal the fact that they can speak anything besides English.

With few exceptions, the ability to use a foreign language is, like virtue, its own reward, from a financial standpoint. On the other hand, it can lead to many rich and satisfying experiences in human relationships. I myself have spent literally hundreds of happy hours in the company of Latin Americans, instructing them and learning their language and way of life. I find them charming, extremely fascinating and very well-mannered. They make excellent companions and loyal friends.

One just can't evaluate such things in terms of ready cash. If you can sit down to a meal of chicken and Spanish rice with a soft-eyed senorita from Cuzco or Callao and keep your mind on matters monetary, you must. have (you'll pardon the expression) a hole in your head.

-Douglas W. Ringey

Pittsfield, Mass.

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bulletin board

 

Understanding, Inc., Has Annual Meeting

One of the most successful annual meetings in the eight years of Understanding's existence was held at Chico, Calif., on Oct. 12 and 13. About 50 or more persons attended, and more than half of Understanding's units were represented either in person or by proxy.

Accomplishments of the past year were reviewed. Reports were

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made by or for various units that conducted ambitious undertakings during the year, among them Sacramento, Calif. #46, which had a booth at the California State, Fair, and Twin Cities, Minn. Unit #41, which played host for a gathering of foreign students last Christmas and then during July sponsored an ESP lecture which drew an audience of 1,500.

President Dan Fry set the keynote for the year ahead by reviewing how earth civilization has evolved from the era of "Eat or Be Eaten" to the time of "Live and Let Live" to the point where it is now time to go forward into the age of "Live and Help Live."

A new board of directors was elected. Its members are Gerald Cooper of Sacramento, Calif.; Richard Dachner of Oroville, Calif.; Steele Goodman of Sacramento; Ron Hansen of Monterey, Calif.; J. L. McGury of Chico, Calif.; Johanna Van Poperin of St. Paul, Minn.; Gary Shearman of Merlin, Ore., and Cleve Twitchell of Medford, Ore. Dan Fry is automatically a member of the board.

Kerttu Campbell was re-elected treasurer, Florence Twitchell corresponding secretary, and Aleta Johnston chairman of membership. Lyle Westergren of Monterey, Calif., was elected recording secretary.

Report On Radio Station

Completion of the blueprints and supervision of the final stages of construction of wiring and roofing by Col. Harry F. May mean the external housing of the radio station will soon be accomplished. Material has been purchased with the generous contributions of the following persons, including a number of anonymous donors: Mr. and Mrs. Paul Johnston, Peg Ham, Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Twitchell, Airs. Roy Welter, Col. and Mrs. Harry May, Mr. John Nunez, Mr. D. B. Fairfield, Merlin Unit #1, of the Merlin, Ore., area; Muriel Erlewine, Big Bear Lake, Calif.; Unit #15, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Maupin, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Revs. Emma and J. R. Kingharn, Fresno, Calif.; Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Spencer, Somers, Montana.; Mrs. Isabel Shearman, Vancouver, B.C., Canada; Mrs. Chester Stock, Pasadena, Calif.; Mrs. Marian Nigl, Sayre, Pa.; Mrs. Verna Barker, Riverside Calif.; Unit #11, San Francisco, Calif.; Mr. Donald Knight, Milford, Mich. ; Harriet Foster, San Diego, Calif.; Mrs. Frances Wyatt, El Verano, Calif.; Mrs. H. P. Reinecker, Inglewood,

DECEMBER, 1963                    17

Calif., and Members, Delegates and Guests of the Annual Understanding Meeting at Chico, Calif.

UFO Appears Over Sacramento

A few days after the Sacramento Unit's State Fair Project was finished and acclaimed a success in behalf of Understanding, Inc., there appeared over Sacramento a glowing lunar size ship-in fact, the few who witnessed this great phenomena stated clearly that it was miles in length.

This sighting was verified by witnesses one hundred miles away as the police officers of San Francisco were in contact with officers of Sacramento and Auburn. Officers in Sacramento stated it apparently was stationary for a short period of time, then moving slowly covered about 10 degrees in 90 seconds and was about 25 degrees above horizon.

This huge ship or UFO gave off a white glow which pulsated light to dark, approximately once per second. By the fact this sighting occurred at 4:00 A.M. there were few witnesses other than the officers from the above named cities.

A News Report Follows:

AUBURN, Placer Co.-An unidentified flying object, looking like the moon and giving off a pulsating white glow, was spotted west of here and was sighted as far away as San Francisco.

Highway Patrolmen R. L. Pfeiffer and R. L. Gudge made the first report at 4:09 A.M. yesterday, stating they were near Clipper Gap, traveling toward Auburn, when they observed the object for approximately 90 seconds.

Officers in Sacramento and residents of the bay area also said they saw it at the same time.

During the sighting, officers in the two counties kept radio contact. Pfeiffer and Gudge described the UFO as about the size of the moon in the first quarter, with the crescent giving off a white glow and pulsating white to dark approximately once per second.

The object was about in line with Sacramento, approximately 20 to 25 degrees above the horizon and was moving from left to right. It. was traveling slowly, according to the officers, who estimated it covered about 10 degrees in the 90 seconds and left a faint smoke or vapor trail.

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200 Attend Vista Unit `Understandorama'

(From report in the Vista, Calif., Press, Oct. 11, 1963)

Despite several counter attractions, better than 200 people were in attendance at the "Understandorama" held at Harmony Grove, the weekend of Oct. 12 and 13, under the auspices of the Vista Unit of Understanding.

The theme of "Understanding" permeated the entire proceedings from the opening address given by Esther Stilgebouer, president of the Riverside unit, and one of the directors of International, to the closing remarks of Brother "Bill" Cassiere, well known lecturer and mystic.

Other speakers were Dr. Judith Tyberg, distinguished Orientalist lecturer and authority on Sanskrit; Ralph Huffman, one of the originals with Dan Fry in the founding of the Understanding movement; Dr. Harold Hull, pastor of the Church of Life, Riverside; Frances Parker Taber, student of Yoga, and member of several metaphysical organizations; Violet Gilbert, minister and founder of the Rainbow Temple, Santa Barbara, and Dr. Russel Schofield, noted teacher and lecturer.

In addition to the foregoing, Joe Dun Sloan gave an interesting account of the development and history of the "D" cell, the use of which makes for better plants and flowers; Riley Crabb with an illustrated talk on Hawaii, and the philosophy of the Kahunas; Fred Kimball, with his ability to read the minds of animals, as well as humans; Chief Standing Horse, who described his early life, and his trips to the various planets, and finally, Kitty White, in her interesting demonstration of the characteristics of people as derived from their handwriting.

The reaction of the audience was very noticeable, and the remarks on every side was that it was one of the best conventions ever held at the "Grove."

Mention must be made of the cooperation of the Harmony Grove officials, and this coupled with ideal weather made it a very memorable occasion.

The next Understandorama will be held shortly after the first of the year, but due notice will be given later.

Inglewood Unit Hears Dr. Joseph Hansell

Dr. Joseph Hansell of Albuquerque, New Mexico, world traveler,

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lecturer and researcher in the field of UFO phenomena, addressed the Inglewood Understanding Unit the evening of September 21st on the subject of "UFO in South America." He is director and minister of the Metaphysical Research Foundation with headquarters located in Albuquerque, and has done extensive work in South American countries as well as in the U.S.A. Dr. Hansell was well-known in the Los Angeles area up to a few years ago when he moved east.

Dr. Hansell has done great work searching into the Ancient Records for the continuity of the so-called Flying Saucer phenomena and has found substantial proof of the presence and knowledge among the people of various countries of `flying saucers'; just as many ancient and even more modern books have told of the massive ruins of ancient cities buried deep in the jungles of So. America and other areas of the earth. He found proof as well as legend of unusual people, active civilizations at present, great lighted ships and other unusual phenomenal lights in the sky over certain areas, aerial ships of unusual design and other aerial phenomena observed frequently and plainly.

Brazilia, the new and rather fabulous city of Brazil, the so-called capitol of the future, experienced a grand display of aerial phenomena during the days of its initial celebration as a new type city of the future. Dr. Hansell states that a great space ship appeared over the city in full view of the thousands attending the great fete.

Dr. Hansell reminded his Understanding audience of the seeming legends of old, telling of the ancient continents of Lemuria and Atlantis, Plato's story of Atlantis and the many and varied tales of buried cities in jungles and oceans' deep and just as the Jules Verne tales are becoming realities in this great Atomic-Space Age, these others are also becoming true life stories of our modern civilization.

There is also the well-known story, says Dr. Hansell, in the South American area, of the great and wise spiritual teacher who walked among the people and who was transported from place to place in a great white cigar-shaped ship, and also the story of the White Indians from whom the name "Amazon" came into being. The crosses in the sands of Peru are a legendary mystery and were written about in the National Geographic Magazine of 1951-52. Extensive research was done by Dr. Hansell also in the so-called

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`kidnapping' phenomena, in which numerous mysterious disappearances of individuals have occurred. He states that the ignorance and superstitions of the majority of the people in South America prevents any real progressive research in this field.

The Inglewood Unit also heard a talk by the Larry Chatertons on "Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls" during October. Col. Arthur Burks spoke in November on "The Invisible Physician."

News of Other Units

Santa Cruz, Calif., Unit #9, still meets at Hackley Hall, 513 Center St., in Santa Cruz, and some lively discussions are held. D.B. Fairfield lectured on the Great Pyramid for the unit recently. The unit also is interested in the work of the National Health Federation. Buffalo, N.Y., Unit #37, is now meeting on the second and last Saturdays of each month at the home of Paul Weast, 95 Humboldt Parkway. Some public lectures are contemplated by the unit.

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Address manuscripts to Understanding, P.O. Box 76, Merlin Ore. 97532

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NOW FORMING, Cooperative New Age Retreat Colony

A Place of Happiness, Safety and Security from Strikes, Uprisings,

Revolutions, Wars and Earth Cataclysms

Write to Walter Jerome Gordon, P.O. Box 261, Soquel, California

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