Flying Saucers

The file contains correspondence (3 letters), drawings with associated handwritten notes (40 sketches and notes), publications (20 newspaper clippings), and 3 reports.

Only one drawing (front page only) from the section titled 'Flying Saucers - 2nd Group Pictures' has been digitised.

History is Full of Them: Flying Saucers or Optical Illusions?

On 5 November 1950, FW Wood wrote to Professor Frank Stanley Cotton, Professor of Physiology, "You may have heard that recently there has been another outbreak of "flying saucer" stories including a photograph in "Life" magazine taken by a farmer in the mid-west who claims the objects actually flew. Unfortunately for the story, there were no independent witnesses, so we are still waiting for the first real evidence. None of the stories carried here, in explanation of the visions that many persons appear to have had, refer to the physiological basis that you proposed, and which you supported by having your class gaze at the sky and draw what they saw...I have endeavoured to counter some of the wilder claims made here, in discussing the matter with colleagues and others at Harvard, by describing your investigations...Of course, the Americans are by and large, as you probably know very well, of a somewhat temperamental and unstable nature and are given to expressing themselves volubly rather than intelligently on any matter that they find a little incomprehensible and therefore potentially a cause of fear. I would like to do something to calm those fears if possible and the only way to do that is to remove the question of the flying saucer from the realm of horrendous speculation and reason it with a grain or two of common scientific cause. I hope you have one or two to offer".

Professor Cotton was also contacted by the Australian Military Forces (Southern Command) on 19 March 1951 with a report on "flying saucer" sightings, "As you say, since the phenomenon occurred twice, there should be further repetitions, but quite frankly I never expected to see a "flying-saucer" again, much less in company: this did not of course prevent me from keeping my eyes open. Four individuals have now witnessed this "flying-saucer" phenomenon in this area to my knowledge. Naturally the observations have been discussed in the Mess but by and large they have been treated with some incredulity - apparently: it's more comfortable to turn the mind away from the inexplicable".

A paper by Professor Cotton argued that, "A careful analysis of the great number and variety of reports of flying saucers will indicate that at least six separate phenomena could have been involved in these and allied manifestations. Three of these may arise from something purely external to the body and three may be considered with well recognised physiological behaviour, in that their origin is within the body itself...two arise within the eye itself and one within the brain. The commoner of the optical phenomena are called 'muscae volitantes' and are described in the standard medical dictionary as 'floating specks in the field of vision due to opacities in the media of the eye'. These may give rise to many queer optical effects, as of objects seen in the distance. The second are not given a name but appear as rapidly moving tiny specks which when projected against a suitable background can be seen as bright oval objects...Normally one learns to disregard them and they may only be realised under special conditions. There is little doubt that these were originally responsible for the epidemic of flying saucers reporting by hundreds of people looking for them all over the world...The visual manifestations arising within the mind embrace the great variety of 'visions' primarily regarded as of psychological origin. History is full of them". This drawing is one from a set of drawings and notes from an experiment conducted by Professor Cotton, referred to in the letter by Wood, "Late in June 1947 the first reports appeared in the overseas cables following in a few days by further reports in U.S.A. and then in quick succession by reports from all over the world...when the Sydney Morning Herald published a cable "U.S. Planes ready to pursue flying saucers" I got together some twenty odd students (with no knowledge of the physiology of the eye) and I asked them simply to look at the blue sky and draw whatever they seemed to see, while looking fixedly into space without allowing the gaze to waver about or stray at all...When the sketches were handed in it was seen that some eight different features were drawn...All seven points would be characteristic of the appearance produced by the red corpuscles on the retina. Hence we conclude that the cascade of reports coming from U.S.A., Canada, South America, South Africa, England and Denmark had the same origin as in the students eyes...No one eye is free from such defects...When normal vision is upset...these strange appearances seem very real and give rise to the idea of seeing pink elephants fiery wriggling snakes [sic] etc. Possibly many of the reported visions of history have been due to some such set of circumstances".

Not everyone was convinced with Professor Cotton's line of reasoning, as E McDermott adamantly stated, on 10 July 1947, that they did not, "...agree with your report...that "flying saucers" are an optical illusion but think when the objects reach that stage a person's energy is at a very low ebb". [Ref 1].

This item is part of the University Archives' 70 Years, 70 Stories series, created to celebrate our 70th birthday on 3 May 2024. To discover more stories, explore the 70 Years, 70 Stories collection.

Ref 1: Flying Saucers (1947 to 1955), [REF-00080115]. University of Sydney Archives.