The Paracast Newsletter
March 3, 2024
www.theparacast.com
A Thorough Look at the Current State of UFO Research and Prospects for Disclosure of UFO Reality with Peter Robbins 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! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: As The Paracast begins its 19th year, Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Peter Robbins, an investigative writer, author and lecturer best known for his books, columns, articles, radio commentaries, interviews and conference talks about UFOs. He has appeared as a guest on and been consultant to numerous television programs and documentaries. Robbins’ longtime interest in and research into the life and scientific discoveries of Dr. Wilhelm Reich have led to series of published papers and conference talks in the US and the UK, and presentations at for the International Conference on the Scientific Discoveries of Wilhelm Reich, Nice France; the American College of Orgonomy’s conferences in New York City and Princeton New Jersey, and For the Orgone Biophysical Research Laboratory conferences held near Ashland Oregon. His professional credits include, Editorial Assistant on United Nations’ Secretary General’s (requested) report “for the establishment of a UN-UFO Department,” and Editorial Assistant for Member of Parliament, the Honorable Brinsley Le Poer Trench, Earl of Clancarty’s (requested) paper for The House of Lords 1980 Debate on UFOs. Robbins was also a founding member of Budd Hopkins’ Intruders Foundation, member of its Advisory Board, and Executive Assistant to Mr. Hopkins. He was Event Coordinator for the SCI FI Channel’s "Alien Abduction Phenomenon: A Symposium," organized to promote the release of the Steven Spielberg miniseries "Taken," and writer, planner and commentator for the “Ultimate UFO” and “Ultimate Crop Circle” DVD sets. You can check out his weekly show, "Meanwhile, Here On Earth LIVE" on Mondays at 7:00 PM EST by going to www.unxnetwork.com and clicking on "X-Stream / Listen or Watch" at the top of the page.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on March 3: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a special interview with Paul Dale Roberts, a Fortean investigator who delves into ALL things paranormal – from Mothman, to the Chupacabra, UFOs, Crop Circles, Ghosts, Poltergeists, Demons and more. In this interview, he gives a cross section of some of the most compelling cases he and his associates have investigated on the scene. Roberts is the HPI (Hegelianism Paranormal Intelligence – International). He the owner of the following Facebook community: www.facebook.com/groups/HPIinternational. He writes community stories and is a former columnist for “The Sacramento Press,” former columnist for “Haunted Times Magazine,” and has written small blurbs for “Newsweek,” “Time,” “National Geographic Traveler” and “People Magazine.” He was recently picked up by “Paranormal Magazine UK” and works for the online national news site “Before It’s News.” Over the years Roberts’ articles were featured in some of the legendary Brad Steiger’s books as well as books by Timothy Green Beckley. He has published four books in the HPI Chronicles series.
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.
A Brief Visit to the Past
By Gene Steinberg
Over the years, I have spoken often of one of the more controversial figures in sci-fi and paranormal worlds from the 1940s through the 1970s — Ray Palmer.
Although few recall him these days, Palmer was both admired and hated — very much because of his creation and involvement in the strange case of Richard S. Shaver while working as editor of the original sci-fi magazine, Amazing Stories. The Shaver Mystery, as it was called, involved claims of real-life subterranean caverns that were occupied by two races descended from ancient Lemuria, the deros (the bad guys) and the teros (the good guys).
According to Shaver, many people who claimed to hear voices were actually receiving rays from the caverns, generated by something called a telaug, a device that could radiate signals to someone’s mind and wreak all sorts of havoc as a result. Perhaps it was an excuse to explain away symptoms of schizophrenia, but till the end of his days, Shaver maintained that they were real.
In 1965, I happened to meet Palmer at his picturesque home in Amherst, Wisconsin. This is a story I’ve told a few times over the years. Palmer, very short and crippled from a childhood accident involving a truck, walked slowly and with pain. But he was personable and spoke with a soft midwestern accent.
He also knew how to handle the public, although he probably hadn’t received many visitors at that isolated location. His sincere manner made you want to believe him, even when he said some simply outrageous things.
Did I say outrageous?
Well, Palmer told me about an incident involving an effort to publish scientific evidence of Shaver’s claims in Amazing. This got to be a hassle. In those days, typesetting was done with a clumsy mechanical device that generated metallic letters using hot lead. Although I worked as a typographer three decades later, I used phototypesetting equipment, where characters were generated on paper and film that were run through a processor machine. The developing process was similar to that of a regular photo lab.
Now about the typesetting incident: Palmer said they had their best person manage setting the complicated text and math in that material. When he got proofs of the article, Palmer saw it was rife with errors. But the operator said he didn’t set that, even though it was clearly his work since his name was on the slug or identifying text.
I suppose one might suggest that Shaver’s deros sent telaug rays to penetrate the mind of that typesetter, causing him to mess up big time. At least that was Palmer’s suggestion, although he didn’t say it outright.
He then told of the occasion where, shortly thereafter, he brought the corrected galleys over to the printer ahead of the publication date for Amazing. As he drove to the plant, he encountered someone who allegedly tried to cut him off at an intersection. Palmer asserted that the act appeared to be deliberate.
But why?
As to Shaver, he said he believed him, but nonetheless admitted that the man had spent several years in a mental institution at a time when he believed he was residing in the caves.
After hearing all this, I didn’t know whether Palmer was being serious or was trying to pull one over on me. He did seem believable.
Not long thereafter, I actually started corresponding with Shaver to get his take on the situation. In turn, he denied being institutionalized, although biographies of Palmer and Shaver through the years confirmed it was true. One possible reason, however, was not that he was mentally ill, but that he was railroaded there by family members who resented his marriage to a woman against their objections.
Other than the claims about subsurface dwellers, much of what Palmer and Shaver told me over the years seemed sincere enough and at least some of was it credible.
Also credible was Palmer’s early involvement in the creation of the modern UFO legend.
As the sightings began to dominate the headlines, Palmer wrote about the saucers in Amazing and, later, in Fate, a magazine he and a colleague, Curtis Fuller, created.
The very first issue of Fate, dated Spring 1948, featured a cover story entitled, “The Truth About the Flying Saucers,” written by none other than Kenneth Arnold. It was he who reported nine objects on June 24th of the previous year, which jump-started interest in the saucers.
Fate has gone through several publishers over the years, but the latest issues are in very much the same vein as the originals that Palmer edited, under the pseudonym Robert N. Webster.
That name was selected to hide the fact that he was still working at Amazing when the magazine hit the stands. A few years later, he moved from Chicago to Wisconsin, and sold off his interest in Fate to Fuller.
So Palmer set up a new publishing operation from his Wisconsin home, and the notable magazines he worked on included Flying Saucers and Search. The latter was largely a knock-off of Fate. Both magazines featured Palmer’s provocative editorials and his punchy responses to readers’ letters.
Over the years, Palmer jumped on several wagons. He argued over whether the Earth was hollow, with holes at the North and South Poles. The concept was spoken of in fiction; indeed Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote several novels about a prehistoric subterranean world known as Pellucidar.
As to his variation of Hollow Earth lore, after being browbeaten by readers over the years for more evidence, he finally claimed that he wasn’t referring to physical holes, but astral ones. In other words, another reality on another plane of existence. To me this concept has always seemed to be an alternate concept of the multiverse.
It’s easy to dismiss Palmer’s writings as just being done to keep up the interest in his magazines. It certainly made for active letter columns from readers. He also said a thing or two that may well provide a hint about UFO reality.
So he often said that flying saucers are here to make us think.
Think about what? The future? What?
I’ve mentioned that phrase from time to time on The Paracast over the years, and I think, to this day, that it gave a provocative hint about the possible truths behind the UFO mystery.
He also wrote yet another provocative article in Flying Saucers that is worth thinking about to this very day. In it, he wondered whether, if there were Martians, they’d have their own UFO mystery to confront.
As much as one can dismiss Palmer’s clever marketing strategy, and how he made people think about some fascinating and sometimes outrageous possibilities, that article is, itself, something worth considering. It was all about the fact that the enigma we are trying to solve does not involve visitors from offworld beings, which remains a provocative concept, but it all may be part and parcel of the mystery of life itself.
Make us think indeed!
Copyright 1999-2024 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!
March 3, 2024
www.theparacast.com
A Thorough Look at the Current State of UFO Research and Prospects for Disclosure of UFO Reality with Peter Robbins 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! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: As The Paracast begins its 19th year, Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Peter Robbins, an investigative writer, author and lecturer best known for his books, columns, articles, radio commentaries, interviews and conference talks about UFOs. He has appeared as a guest on and been consultant to numerous television programs and documentaries. Robbins’ longtime interest in and research into the life and scientific discoveries of Dr. Wilhelm Reich have led to series of published papers and conference talks in the US and the UK, and presentations at for the International Conference on the Scientific Discoveries of Wilhelm Reich, Nice France; the American College of Orgonomy’s conferences in New York City and Princeton New Jersey, and For the Orgone Biophysical Research Laboratory conferences held near Ashland Oregon. His professional credits include, Editorial Assistant on United Nations’ Secretary General’s (requested) report “for the establishment of a UN-UFO Department,” and Editorial Assistant for Member of Parliament, the Honorable Brinsley Le Poer Trench, Earl of Clancarty’s (requested) paper for The House of Lords 1980 Debate on UFOs. Robbins was also a founding member of Budd Hopkins’ Intruders Foundation, member of its Advisory Board, and Executive Assistant to Mr. Hopkins. He was Event Coordinator for the SCI FI Channel’s "Alien Abduction Phenomenon: A Symposium," organized to promote the release of the Steven Spielberg miniseries "Taken," and writer, planner and commentator for the “Ultimate UFO” and “Ultimate Crop Circle” DVD sets. You can check out his weekly show, "Meanwhile, Here On Earth LIVE" on Mondays at 7:00 PM EST by going to www.unxnetwork.com and clicking on "X-Stream / Listen or Watch" at the top of the page.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on March 3: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a special interview with Paul Dale Roberts, a Fortean investigator who delves into ALL things paranormal – from Mothman, to the Chupacabra, UFOs, Crop Circles, Ghosts, Poltergeists, Demons and more. In this interview, he gives a cross section of some of the most compelling cases he and his associates have investigated on the scene. Roberts is the HPI (Hegelianism Paranormal Intelligence – International). He the owner of the following Facebook community: www.facebook.com/groups/HPIinternational. He writes community stories and is a former columnist for “The Sacramento Press,” former columnist for “Haunted Times Magazine,” and has written small blurbs for “Newsweek,” “Time,” “National Geographic Traveler” and “People Magazine.” He was recently picked up by “Paranormal Magazine UK” and works for the online national news site “Before It’s News.” Over the years Roberts’ articles were featured in some of the legendary Brad Steiger’s books as well as books by Timothy Green Beckley. He has published four books in the HPI Chronicles series.
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.
A Brief Visit to the Past
By Gene Steinberg
Over the years, I have spoken often of one of the more controversial figures in sci-fi and paranormal worlds from the 1940s through the 1970s — Ray Palmer.
Although few recall him these days, Palmer was both admired and hated — very much because of his creation and involvement in the strange case of Richard S. Shaver while working as editor of the original sci-fi magazine, Amazing Stories. The Shaver Mystery, as it was called, involved claims of real-life subterranean caverns that were occupied by two races descended from ancient Lemuria, the deros (the bad guys) and the teros (the good guys).
According to Shaver, many people who claimed to hear voices were actually receiving rays from the caverns, generated by something called a telaug, a device that could radiate signals to someone’s mind and wreak all sorts of havoc as a result. Perhaps it was an excuse to explain away symptoms of schizophrenia, but till the end of his days, Shaver maintained that they were real.
In 1965, I happened to meet Palmer at his picturesque home in Amherst, Wisconsin. This is a story I’ve told a few times over the years. Palmer, very short and crippled from a childhood accident involving a truck, walked slowly and with pain. But he was personable and spoke with a soft midwestern accent.
He also knew how to handle the public, although he probably hadn’t received many visitors at that isolated location. His sincere manner made you want to believe him, even when he said some simply outrageous things.
Did I say outrageous?
Well, Palmer told me about an incident involving an effort to publish scientific evidence of Shaver’s claims in Amazing. This got to be a hassle. In those days, typesetting was done with a clumsy mechanical device that generated metallic letters using hot lead. Although I worked as a typographer three decades later, I used phototypesetting equipment, where characters were generated on paper and film that were run through a processor machine. The developing process was similar to that of a regular photo lab.
Now about the typesetting incident: Palmer said they had their best person manage setting the complicated text and math in that material. When he got proofs of the article, Palmer saw it was rife with errors. But the operator said he didn’t set that, even though it was clearly his work since his name was on the slug or identifying text.
I suppose one might suggest that Shaver’s deros sent telaug rays to penetrate the mind of that typesetter, causing him to mess up big time. At least that was Palmer’s suggestion, although he didn’t say it outright.
He then told of the occasion where, shortly thereafter, he brought the corrected galleys over to the printer ahead of the publication date for Amazing. As he drove to the plant, he encountered someone who allegedly tried to cut him off at an intersection. Palmer asserted that the act appeared to be deliberate.
But why?
As to Shaver, he said he believed him, but nonetheless admitted that the man had spent several years in a mental institution at a time when he believed he was residing in the caves.
After hearing all this, I didn’t know whether Palmer was being serious or was trying to pull one over on me. He did seem believable.
Not long thereafter, I actually started corresponding with Shaver to get his take on the situation. In turn, he denied being institutionalized, although biographies of Palmer and Shaver through the years confirmed it was true. One possible reason, however, was not that he was mentally ill, but that he was railroaded there by family members who resented his marriage to a woman against their objections.
Other than the claims about subsurface dwellers, much of what Palmer and Shaver told me over the years seemed sincere enough and at least some of was it credible.
Also credible was Palmer’s early involvement in the creation of the modern UFO legend.
As the sightings began to dominate the headlines, Palmer wrote about the saucers in Amazing and, later, in Fate, a magazine he and a colleague, Curtis Fuller, created.
The very first issue of Fate, dated Spring 1948, featured a cover story entitled, “The Truth About the Flying Saucers,” written by none other than Kenneth Arnold. It was he who reported nine objects on June 24th of the previous year, which jump-started interest in the saucers.
Fate has gone through several publishers over the years, but the latest issues are in very much the same vein as the originals that Palmer edited, under the pseudonym Robert N. Webster.
That name was selected to hide the fact that he was still working at Amazing when the magazine hit the stands. A few years later, he moved from Chicago to Wisconsin, and sold off his interest in Fate to Fuller.
So Palmer set up a new publishing operation from his Wisconsin home, and the notable magazines he worked on included Flying Saucers and Search. The latter was largely a knock-off of Fate. Both magazines featured Palmer’s provocative editorials and his punchy responses to readers’ letters.
Over the years, Palmer jumped on several wagons. He argued over whether the Earth was hollow, with holes at the North and South Poles. The concept was spoken of in fiction; indeed Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote several novels about a prehistoric subterranean world known as Pellucidar.
As to his variation of Hollow Earth lore, after being browbeaten by readers over the years for more evidence, he finally claimed that he wasn’t referring to physical holes, but astral ones. In other words, another reality on another plane of existence. To me this concept has always seemed to be an alternate concept of the multiverse.
It’s easy to dismiss Palmer’s writings as just being done to keep up the interest in his magazines. It certainly made for active letter columns from readers. He also said a thing or two that may well provide a hint about UFO reality.
So he often said that flying saucers are here to make us think.
Think about what? The future? What?
I’ve mentioned that phrase from time to time on The Paracast over the years, and I think, to this day, that it gave a provocative hint about the possible truths behind the UFO mystery.
He also wrote yet another provocative article in Flying Saucers that is worth thinking about to this very day. In it, he wondered whether, if there were Martians, they’d have their own UFO mystery to confront.
As much as one can dismiss Palmer’s clever marketing strategy, and how he made people think about some fascinating and sometimes outrageous possibilities, that article is, itself, something worth considering. It was all about the fact that the enigma we are trying to solve does not involve visitors from offworld beings, which remains a provocative concept, but it all may be part and parcel of the mystery of life itself.
Make us think indeed!
Copyright 1999-2024 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!