The Paracast Newsletter
October 29, 2023
www.theparacast.com
The Latest Discoveries About the 1973 Pascagoula, Mississippi UFO Abduction Presented by Researchers Philip Mantle and Dr. Irena Scott on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus an enhanced version of The Paracast with the network ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! And use the coupon code ufo20 to receive a 20% discount on five-year or lifetime subscriptions. Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present UFO investigators Philip Mantle and Dr. Irena Scott, authors of Beyond Reasonable Doubt — The Pascagoula Alien Abduction. The book takes you behind the classic UFO abduction involving shipyard works Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker on October 11, 1973. That night, they both decided to go fishing after work when something happened that would change their lives forever. A dazzling blue light from behind them illuminated the entire scene. Turning round both men watched in awe as a rugby ball-shaped object descended. A door opened and three bizarre looking humanoid entities glided out across the terrain to the two terrified onlookers. Thus began one of the most credible UFO abduction encounters on record. The book includes newly discovered details, including a report of yet another abduction in Pascagoula that same night. Philip Mantle is a long-standing UFO researcher and author from the UK. He is the founder of Flying Disk Press, publishers of a number of books about UFOs and the paranormal. Dr Scott's wide experience includes working at the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Aerospace Centerin satellite photography; she was also a volunteer astronomer at the Ohio State University Radio Observatory. and she served on the MUFON Board of Directors (1993 to 2000). Dr. Scott is a MUFON consultant in physiology and astronomy and a field investigator.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on October 29: UFO researchers Philip Mantle and Dr. Irena Scott return to reveal more new details about the October 11, 1973 Pascagoula, Mississippi UFO abduction to Gene and cohost Tim Swartz . The results of this research are included in their book, Beyond Reasonable Doubt — The Pascagoula Alien Abduction. In addition to exploring the latest evidence on the case, Mantle and Dr. Scott discuss possible origins for the UFO mystery. Mantle is a long-standing UFO researcher and author. He’s the founder of Flying Disk Press , publishers of a number of books about UFOs and the paranormal, including many titles that have been featured on The Paracast. Dr Scott’s wide experience includes working at the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Aerospace Centerin satellite photography; she was also a volunteer astronomer at the Ohio State University Radio Observatory. Dr. Scott is a MUFON consultant in physiology and astronomy and a field investigator.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. Visit our new online shop for great branded merchandise at: https://www.theparacast.shop.
Still Remembering the Pascagoula UFO Abductions
By Gene Steinberg
October 12, 1973: I barely recall what I was doing when I heard about a certain UFO case in the southeastern United States that involved claims of an abduction. No doubt I was seated in my studio/office at WCOJ Radio in a then-quiet steel mill town, Coatesville, PA.
Every hour, before my newscasts, I’d check the feeds from a news network, UPI, for the top stories. Since it was a radio station, they were presented, with rare exceptions, in brief summaries. After all, we were talking about delivering the top stories around the globe in maybe five minutes.
Now that day, one of those reports described a close encounter of a UFO, involving two shipyard workers, which occurred the previous evening in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The pair, 45-year-old Charles Hickson, and 18-year-old Calvin Parker, Jr., where fishing when their date with destiny occurred.
What was described as a dazzling blue light caught their attention. Three bizarre looking humanoids excited the craft and glided towards them. The details of the experience, which involved being taken aboard the craft, are the stuff of legend.
At the time I was covering news at the radio station, I had another life, working with my first wife, Geneva, as editors and publishers of a New Age-styled paranormal magazine, Caveat Emptor. Based on a collection of newspaper clippings, plus details supplied by our readers and writers, I wrote a one-page summary of the case, entitled “Saucerians Give Physicals,” in our January-February 1974 issue.
Among the UFO contact claims over the years, this case garnered a high level of credibility. Both J. Allen Hynek, the former Air Force UFO guy, and APRO’s Dr. James Harder, investigated this strange encounter and found it credible.
As to Hickson and Parker, the former may not have profited greatly from his experience, but he wasn’t shy about making public appearances to talk about it. Not so for Parker, who did his best to hide from the prying eyes of the media and UFO enthusiasts. When he was “found out,” he and his family would move elsewhere to attempt to rebuild their lives.
Indeed, Parker’s experiences over the years to some degree mirrored the tales of such fictional characters as Dr. Richard Kimball, in the TV series, “The Fugitive,” where he kept moving on before his true identity was discovered. UFO investigator, author and publisher Philip Mantle likened the situation to that of Dr. Bruce Banner, who became the green monster, The Hulk, if something made him angry. On the TV show of that name, he’d move from town to town to hide from the authorities.
Overall, I found the case to be impressive. Nobody had credibly cracked its core sincerity. Hickson even passed a lie detector test, which, though highly imperfect, was a positive development.
Something serious and frightening happened to these innocent men. Anyone who sought compelling evidence of UFO reality could not ignore the mysterious goings on in Pascagoula..
Segue to 2018 when Mantle sent word about a new book from Parker about his experience, entitled “Pascagoula — The Closest Encounter: My Story.” Unlike most titles of this sort, Mantle didn’t hire a ghost writer or select a co-author to help Parker tell his story. Instead, the book contains Parker’s words, unedited, warts and all. What it lacks in literary quality is more than made up with its sincerity.
The following year, Mantle published Parker’s sequel, “Pascagoula — The Story Continues: New Evidence and New Witnesses.” Long and short is that there were more people who saw UFOs that night, which adds to the credibility. Parker, by the way, had a second encounter, described in the second book, which occurred 20 years later.
We featured Parker on The Paracast in the episodes for September 2, 2018 and October 6, 2029
Here are the links:
I’ve met and interviewed contactees and abductees over the years, including Betty Hill, whose 1961 abduction, also involving her husband, Barney, became the stuff of legend.
I only talked to Betty for a short time. She was calm, friendly and seemed utterly sincere about the details of her experience that I asked about. To this day, the case remains unsolved.
My conversations with Parker were more extensive. In addition to the two interviews, involving several hours in total, I talked with him briefly between episodes, and exchanged an occasional message.
I learned after recording the first show that he was quite ill; he died on August 24th of this year.
But that doesn’t mean the story ends.
Both Mantle and researcher Irena Scott, Ph.D. have written a comprehensive research volume about the case, “Beyond Reasonable Doubt — The Pascagoula Alien Abduction.”
The book focuses on supporting evidence, which includes not just sightings around the same time but the experience of a couple, Jerry and Maria Blair, who were on the opposite side of the Pascagoula River the night of October 11th, and had their own abduction encounter.
As you’ll hear on this weekend’s episode of The Paracast, there were notable similarities between the two cases.
My main concern in the ongoing investigation is strictly about Parker and Ms. Blair undergoing hypnosis. I have always been skeptical of using this process to uncover evidence of a possible paranormal experience, or any experience. It’s so easy to accidentally lead the subject to recalling events that are tailored to the expectations of the hypnotist.
Mantle reassured me, however, that much of the information about these two close encounters were recalled without any action by a therapist. But you can decide for yourself what’s credible, since the sessions are both quoted in the book. I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but it does seem that the hypnotist is trying hard to elicit information without tailoring the questions in a way that could produce an unexpected (or expected) outcome.
The long and short, however, is that I don’t know what to make of the two Pascagoula abductions. The creatures described do not seem to fit with the cultural memes of gray aliens. Does that uniqueness make them more credible?
To be sure, I don’t know if ETs are busy kidnapping Earthlings and doing their things with them. Reports of meetups with strange beings of various forms date back centuries.
It’s easy to attribute some to natural causes, such as sleep paralysis. But the physical marks discovered on the bodies of both Hickson and Parker after their experiences have not been identified. Perhaps there are multiple causes, or perhaps the experience so strongly impacts the abductee that their bodies sometimes react accordingly.
What I can’t do is just dismiss such claims. Not when people as sincere and direct as the late Calvin Parker are among the experiencers.
Copyright 1999-2023 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
October 29, 2023
www.theparacast.com
The Latest Discoveries About the 1973 Pascagoula, Mississippi UFO Abduction Presented by Researchers Philip Mantle and Dr. Irena Scott on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus an enhanced version of The Paracast with the network ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! And use the coupon code ufo20 to receive a 20% discount on five-year or lifetime subscriptions. Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present UFO investigators Philip Mantle and Dr. Irena Scott, authors of Beyond Reasonable Doubt — The Pascagoula Alien Abduction. The book takes you behind the classic UFO abduction involving shipyard works Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker on October 11, 1973. That night, they both decided to go fishing after work when something happened that would change their lives forever. A dazzling blue light from behind them illuminated the entire scene. Turning round both men watched in awe as a rugby ball-shaped object descended. A door opened and three bizarre looking humanoid entities glided out across the terrain to the two terrified onlookers. Thus began one of the most credible UFO abduction encounters on record. The book includes newly discovered details, including a report of yet another abduction in Pascagoula that same night. Philip Mantle is a long-standing UFO researcher and author from the UK. He is the founder of Flying Disk Press, publishers of a number of books about UFOs and the paranormal. Dr Scott's wide experience includes working at the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Aerospace Centerin satellite photography; she was also a volunteer astronomer at the Ohio State University Radio Observatory. and she served on the MUFON Board of Directors (1993 to 2000). Dr. Scott is a MUFON consultant in physiology and astronomy and a field investigator.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on October 29: UFO researchers Philip Mantle and Dr. Irena Scott return to reveal more new details about the October 11, 1973 Pascagoula, Mississippi UFO abduction to Gene and cohost Tim Swartz . The results of this research are included in their book, Beyond Reasonable Doubt — The Pascagoula Alien Abduction. In addition to exploring the latest evidence on the case, Mantle and Dr. Scott discuss possible origins for the UFO mystery. Mantle is a long-standing UFO researcher and author. He’s the founder of Flying Disk Press , publishers of a number of books about UFOs and the paranormal, including many titles that have been featured on The Paracast. Dr Scott’s wide experience includes working at the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Aerospace Centerin satellite photography; she was also a volunteer astronomer at the Ohio State University Radio Observatory. Dr. Scott is a MUFON consultant in physiology and astronomy and a field investigator.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. Visit our new online shop for great branded merchandise at: https://www.theparacast.shop.
Still Remembering the Pascagoula UFO Abductions
By Gene Steinberg
October 12, 1973: I barely recall what I was doing when I heard about a certain UFO case in the southeastern United States that involved claims of an abduction. No doubt I was seated in my studio/office at WCOJ Radio in a then-quiet steel mill town, Coatesville, PA.
Every hour, before my newscasts, I’d check the feeds from a news network, UPI, for the top stories. Since it was a radio station, they were presented, with rare exceptions, in brief summaries. After all, we were talking about delivering the top stories around the globe in maybe five minutes.
Now that day, one of those reports described a close encounter of a UFO, involving two shipyard workers, which occurred the previous evening in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The pair, 45-year-old Charles Hickson, and 18-year-old Calvin Parker, Jr., where fishing when their date with destiny occurred.
What was described as a dazzling blue light caught their attention. Three bizarre looking humanoids excited the craft and glided towards them. The details of the experience, which involved being taken aboard the craft, are the stuff of legend.
At the time I was covering news at the radio station, I had another life, working with my first wife, Geneva, as editors and publishers of a New Age-styled paranormal magazine, Caveat Emptor. Based on a collection of newspaper clippings, plus details supplied by our readers and writers, I wrote a one-page summary of the case, entitled “Saucerians Give Physicals,” in our January-February 1974 issue.
Among the UFO contact claims over the years, this case garnered a high level of credibility. Both J. Allen Hynek, the former Air Force UFO guy, and APRO’s Dr. James Harder, investigated this strange encounter and found it credible.
As to Hickson and Parker, the former may not have profited greatly from his experience, but he wasn’t shy about making public appearances to talk about it. Not so for Parker, who did his best to hide from the prying eyes of the media and UFO enthusiasts. When he was “found out,” he and his family would move elsewhere to attempt to rebuild their lives.
Indeed, Parker’s experiences over the years to some degree mirrored the tales of such fictional characters as Dr. Richard Kimball, in the TV series, “The Fugitive,” where he kept moving on before his true identity was discovered. UFO investigator, author and publisher Philip Mantle likened the situation to that of Dr. Bruce Banner, who became the green monster, The Hulk, if something made him angry. On the TV show of that name, he’d move from town to town to hide from the authorities.
Overall, I found the case to be impressive. Nobody had credibly cracked its core sincerity. Hickson even passed a lie detector test, which, though highly imperfect, was a positive development.
Something serious and frightening happened to these innocent men. Anyone who sought compelling evidence of UFO reality could not ignore the mysterious goings on in Pascagoula..
Segue to 2018 when Mantle sent word about a new book from Parker about his experience, entitled “Pascagoula — The Closest Encounter: My Story.” Unlike most titles of this sort, Mantle didn’t hire a ghost writer or select a co-author to help Parker tell his story. Instead, the book contains Parker’s words, unedited, warts and all. What it lacks in literary quality is more than made up with its sincerity.
The following year, Mantle published Parker’s sequel, “Pascagoula — The Story Continues: New Evidence and New Witnesses.” Long and short is that there were more people who saw UFOs that night, which adds to the credibility. Parker, by the way, had a second encounter, described in the second book, which occurred 20 years later.
We featured Parker on The Paracast in the episodes for September 2, 2018 and October 6, 2029
Here are the links:
I’ve met and interviewed contactees and abductees over the years, including Betty Hill, whose 1961 abduction, also involving her husband, Barney, became the stuff of legend.
I only talked to Betty for a short time. She was calm, friendly and seemed utterly sincere about the details of her experience that I asked about. To this day, the case remains unsolved.
My conversations with Parker were more extensive. In addition to the two interviews, involving several hours in total, I talked with him briefly between episodes, and exchanged an occasional message.
I learned after recording the first show that he was quite ill; he died on August 24th of this year.
But that doesn’t mean the story ends.
Both Mantle and researcher Irena Scott, Ph.D. have written a comprehensive research volume about the case, “Beyond Reasonable Doubt — The Pascagoula Alien Abduction.”
The book focuses on supporting evidence, which includes not just sightings around the same time but the experience of a couple, Jerry and Maria Blair, who were on the opposite side of the Pascagoula River the night of October 11th, and had their own abduction encounter.
As you’ll hear on this weekend’s episode of The Paracast, there were notable similarities between the two cases.
My main concern in the ongoing investigation is strictly about Parker and Ms. Blair undergoing hypnosis. I have always been skeptical of using this process to uncover evidence of a possible paranormal experience, or any experience. It’s so easy to accidentally lead the subject to recalling events that are tailored to the expectations of the hypnotist.
Mantle reassured me, however, that much of the information about these two close encounters were recalled without any action by a therapist. But you can decide for yourself what’s credible, since the sessions are both quoted in the book. I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but it does seem that the hypnotist is trying hard to elicit information without tailoring the questions in a way that could produce an unexpected (or expected) outcome.
The long and short, however, is that I don’t know what to make of the two Pascagoula abductions. The creatures described do not seem to fit with the cultural memes of gray aliens. Does that uniqueness make them more credible?
To be sure, I don’t know if ETs are busy kidnapping Earthlings and doing their things with them. Reports of meetups with strange beings of various forms date back centuries.
It’s easy to attribute some to natural causes, such as sleep paralysis. But the physical marks discovered on the bodies of both Hickson and Parker after their experiences have not been identified. Perhaps there are multiple causes, or perhaps the experience so strongly impacts the abductee that their bodies sometimes react accordingly.
What I can’t do is just dismiss such claims. Not when people as sincere and direct as the late Calvin Parker are among the experiencers.
Copyright 1999-2023 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!