The
UFO Enigma in Portugal
by
Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos and Juan
Fernández Peris
The
contribution made to this catalogue by the foremost Portuguese scholars has
been of the first rank, not only in quantity but also in quality of the
information supplied. The correspondence received on cases has been intense,
verging on the polemical (when it came to judging certain sightings) and always
friendly and interesting.
We
may consider the set of information that follows as a good representation of
the landing phenomenon in our neighboring country. We have collected
these observations as there appears to be evidence that the simple political or
administrative line that divides the Iberian Peninsula into Portugal and Spain
keeps the "flaps" which develop in the latter from carrying over into
the former.
The
Portuguese cases must also be examined as to their similarity/dissimilarity
with regarding the claims made by Spaniards.
Here are a few notes on ufology
in Portugal, which happens to be federated. Recently, Portuguese researchers decided
to form a coalition to improve their performance. Thus, the CNIFO was born
(National Commission of UFO Phenomena Investigation), legally constituted in
1984 as a result of the fusion of a number of researchers, at least the more
persistent ones who survived the diaspora of the many groups which flourished
in Portugal from the middle of the 1970's. Around twenty active and experienced
members having proven reputations, distributed the national territory into four
zones from North to South, having fully autonomous operation but sharing the
same essential methodological approaches, seeking the rigorous application of
various disciplinary instruments taken from the humanities and from the natural
sciences.
CNIFO
has and tries to stimulate contacts with academic consultants, and has set up a
good relationship with official Portuguese entities, mainly with the Air Force
and with the Republican National Guard (similar to Spain's Guardia Civil).
Within its limits, it has published a number of journals and assorted
monographs which seriously reflect the UFO phenomenon's numerous implications.
The
distribution of responsibilities of this association is the following: CNIFO
North -- Joaquim Fernandes; CNIFO North/Central -- Eduardo Rui; CNIFO
Center/South -- José Sottomayor; CNIFO South -- Leonte Paixao.
Two
other notable Portuguese researchers, Cassiano José Monteiro (Villa Nova de
Gaia) and engineer Fernando Fernándes (Oporto), who are distinguished members
of CNIFO and CEAFI, remain the most thorough sources of information on close
encounters, after Joaquim Fernandes.
* Tuesday, January 4, 1977 (00:30 hrs.) Carapito,
Guarda (Beira Alta)
C.A.C.M.,
a technician in an auto plant, was training his German Shepherd dog in a copse
of pine trees when the animal exhibited suspiciously and remained close to him.
It was then he noticed an object suspended in mid-air at a distance of some 10
meters and at some 10 meters in the air. The object had a metallic, dark,
ellipsoid shape and a protuberance resembling a dome which was also dark. The
object had a diameter of approximately 6 to 7 meters and made a noise similar
to "radio static".
The
witness then perceived a humanoid shape standing close to the vehicle: the
figure stood around 1.80 or 2 meters and was physically impressive. 10 seconds later, the UFO produced a
"brilliant, metallic lightning bolt" and disappeared at once along
with the humanoid figure on the ground beneath it. The strange noise also
ceased. The dog's behavior returned to normal. The skies were clear, and the
moon was visible.
It
was later known through relatives that the witness suffered painful headaches
coupled to certain torpor some 2 or 3 days after the incident, which kept him
from going to work. Apparently fearing any repercussions in his social and
professional life, it appears that the witness removed himself to Salamanca to
consult a doctor, thus avoiding the publicity that a visit to a local physician
would have produced.
The
dog, which was still quite young, vanished shortly after the incident and
reappeared months later, only to die in late August 1977.
Around
21:30 hrs. on the previous evening, not far from the Diz River in the locality
of Carapito, two sisters (Maria Conceiçao Reis, 24, and Elisabete, 9) were
washing clothes next to their rural homes when the noticed a large motionless
figure on top of nearby hill, some 60 meters away. It resembled a
"box" measuring some 2.5 meters in height and 1 meter wide,
surmounted by a head darker than the rest of its body, "a shapeless
monster with sharp legs bound to its feet," was the witnesses'
description.
The women’s'
attention was drawn to the creature when they heard a sound similar to
"several dogs barking next to a loudspeaker". Somewhat frightened,
they went into their house two minutes later and shutting the door behind them.
It was then that they heard,
coming from the house's exterior, a sound of continuous crushing, as if
something heavy were moving along the sanded path which ran beside the house.
The sound went from one wall to
another, suddenly ending at a pine grove almost bordering the small rural home.
Elisabete
experienced a nervous shock, which may have been the cause of a subsequent
heart condition.
At
the foot of the hill upon which the witnesses had first seen the creature,
researchers discovered a small radioactive area (with measurements of 20 to 30
rads), although it should be noted that uranium deposits can be found in the
region. They also saw a circular zone 2.6 meters in diameter in a sparsely
forested region used as a pasture, not far from the pine trees. The earth
within the circular zone had been compressed, grass would not grow and horses
avoided it altogether.
The
cases were not reported until both had been collected, thus apparently avoiding
the possibility of any "contagion" (CEAFI, Insolito, IV, 33
June-July 1978, 14-17 and 26).
* October 15, 1978 (22:00 hrs.). Fuzeta,
Olhao (Algarve). Approximate day.
Antonio
Viegas Mendonça, 71, and his wife Leonor Dias Vasquez, 67, illiterate
farmworkers, were in their home (a farmhouse located in a flat area in the
vicinity of Fuzeta, approximately 550 meters NNW from the "fishermen's
neighborhood" when they became aware of an intense red light coming in
through the windows. Husband and wife went outside the house and headed to the
rear, where they were startled to see a circular object some 5 meters away from
them.
It
had an ashen, metallic color and had a door=like, rectangular opening which
began in its midsection and ended at its base. A powerful reddish light issued
from the opening. The UFO was 2 meters in diameter and hovered 10 to 15
centimeters over the ground, making a constant up-and-down motion and no noise
whatsoever. Frightened, Mr. Viegas remained partially concealed behind a wall
while his wife, paying no heed to his warnings, approached the object.
Through
the open doorway, she was able to see two dark contour chairs within the UFO
and two humanlike creatures measuring approximately 1.80 in height and having a
robust appearance. Their bodies were covered in an ash-colored one-piece
garment and their heads were covered by helmets having the same color, with two
large circular elements resembling spectacles at eye level. When the woman
approached to within 1.5 meters of the object, it rose to an altitude of 5
meters and moved off toward the SSE. After traveling some 100 meters in a
straight line, the UFO avoided colliding into two almond trees by making a
zigzagging movement. The object flew over a nearby railway and off into the
Atlantic Ocean.
The
skies were clear that evening and the night was dark and moonless. Dogs barked
during the early stage of the observation. A brother of witness Leonor Dias
also observed the object from the pine forests of "Marechal Carmona"
not far from the "fishermen’s' neighborhood". It should be noted that
her husband, Antonio Viegas, was locally known as a person having "special
powers of a clairvoyant type."
[Translation ©1997 S. Corrales, IHU]
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