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128 ufo contact fantasy, others think that initially it had some meaning. Two centuries ago the mystery attracted the German astronomer, Johan Kepler, while more recently, scientists held an international symposium to discuss the matter. But neither Kepler nor contemporary scientists found the key to the problem, which may turn out to have an altogether unexpected solution. In antiquity and the Middle Ages human imaginat- ion was stirred by an unusual star, now believed to be the Star of Bethlehem. The star was alleged to be able to move and stop. From that let us turn to the Christian Apocrypha- books banned by Church censorship from services and religious reading. The Apocrypha reflects man’s efforts to explain the most dramatic mysteries of life. These books sometimes stand in direct contradiction of Church-approved texts. A familiar one about early Christianity is called "The Tale About the Three Magi’. The original vers- ion must have been written in Latin in the middle of the third century at the earliest, and later trans- lated into many languages. A 15th-century Byelo- russian translation made five centuries before the space era contains a highly unusual interpretation of the tale. The star, it says, was watched by astron- omers (this is the actual word used) in many Oriental countries. Once it appeared at night and "lit up the whole of the sky as the sun does.’’ Then the star hung over Mount Vans for a whole day, after which it alighted on the mountain like an eagle. The text contains a reference to "certain books” which claim that Christ came down from that star. "But it was different from the one pictured in our churches. It had wings, the kind an eagle has, and many long rays.’’, which sent it moving in a circle when it descended upon Mount Vans. This version of the old story unexpectedly introd- uces a new image and a new idea, both sharply at variance with the church texts. Without question, the apocryphal version is fantastic. But it is hardly more fantastic than the approved canonic version. What was at the basis of the author’s fantasy? That, too, is shrouded in mystery. ANGELS IN FLYING MACHINES. The Dechany Monastery in Kosovskaya Metehia, southern Yugoslavia, was built in the first half of the 14th century, and by 1350 contained numerous fresc- oes on subjects from the Old and New Testaments. In the spring of 1964 more frescoes were found in the monastery. The Yugoslav magazine Svet publis- hed photographs entitled: Spaceships on the Dec- hany Crucifix, Sputniks in our frescoes, Could anci- ent icon-painters have depicted spaceships in Dec- hany?” It did not take a journalist's imagination to think up titles like these. Dechany frescoes actually depict angels flying in spaceships like the present sputniks. Two ships are shown flying one after the other from west to east. Sitting in the lead ship is a man without an angel’s halo. He holds an unseen ’’control column” and looks behind him as if watching the flight of his fellow-spaceman. Sitting in the space- ship following is another man, who also has nothing in common with the traditional angel and also has one hand on the ’’controls”’. Both ships have streamlined bodies. Clearly visible jets in their wake accentuate the impression of speed. ’’The saints in the flying machines are in the position of pilots’, says the magazine. Angels watching the flight cover their eyes and ears with their hands and seem to be backing away for fear of being blinded of deafened. Below, two groups are pictured, every face portraying surprise, fear, or perplexity. The central figure represents the crucified Christ. The fresco depicting the Resurrection of Christ looks just as odd. The Messiah looks as if he is in a rocket which has not yet begun to move, explains the Yugoslav magazine. Indeed, the vehicle looks very much like a space rocket, with a two-wing stab- ilizer in its upper part. With his right hand Christ is trying to lift aboard the ship one of the people standing on the ground before starting on his way to the heavenly kingdom. Monks at Dechany, to whom experts turned for an explanation, replied that apparently the drawings of “ships” are pictures of the Sun and the Moon. According to New Testament legend, Christ was crucified during a solar eclipse. But why the ’’sun’” is depicted rising in the west the monks could not say. One of the papers on the Dechany miracle refers to a hypothesis saying that Christ was a man who came down to Earth from space. The magazine comments that such ideas are ’’overbold’’, that the hypothesis, if confirmed, ’'would basically alter the Biblical story about Christ’. The frescoes, it is noted, showing objects obviously resembling sputniks, ’’baff- le layman and specialist alike.” The Dechany '’Miracle”’ is not unique. An icon in the Church Archaeology Study of the Moscow Theo- logical Academy, called The Resurrection of Jesus Christ and dating back to the 17th century, shows Christ in a streamlined container which vaguely resembles a spaceship standing on the ground. Smoke billows from both sides of the container’s lower part, enveloping the legs of the angels who watch from the sidelines. Just as on the Dechany fresco, Christ’s right hand lifts a man (the church version identifies him with Adam). Eve waits for her turn on the other side. The icon is surely of an apocryphal nature. There may have been a written version presenting a non- canonical view of Christ’s resurrection and ascens- ion, but if there is, nothing is known about it. Poss- ibly it was destroyed by Church censors or else it disappeared with time. Or perhaps the manuscript exists undiscovered, in which case it may have inspired icon (or mural) painters to present space episodes. (Continued). ufo contact 125 to the Conference Special Agencies related to the subject. The proposed representation should be headed by the world’s most highly honored, awarded and res- pected scientist in the field of Space and Rockets — the "father of astronautics’ Prof. Dr. Hermann Oberth. The team of scientists should be completed according to enclosure No. 1. with highly competent scientific UFO researchers whose statements can be screened and verified on the basis of various documentation media in possession of our world-wide analytic network, such as; existing records of the UFO observers, embracing continental documentation by historical background, statistics, photographs, motion pictures, and other documentations exhibited and witnessed by originators, about the UFOs and their global reconnaissance activities. As a former international civil servant on your staff, and founder of the Intercontinental UFO Net- work, supporting our request, may | call your attent- ion to the constructive and progressive values of my proposals, submitted during the last year, to your cabinet, assisting voluntarily the UFO problem within the framework of the UN, which have already been realized during the past 11 months. 1) The PROJECT UN-UFO, the organization scheme of an international analytic team within your staff, to keep under control the UFO global surveillance, and its 135 documentation, has been objected to by the government of the United States of America as nonsense”... but in spite of this, the same gov- ernment, instead of investing money in the investig- ation at the U.N. has, three months later, invested 300 thousand dollars for the same purpose in the Colorado University. The U.S. government has cas- ually been investigating UFO cases, classified as Confidential” since 1944, under project names, such as, Sigma, Grudge, and Bluebook. Valuated back- wards this represents budgetary expenditures amount- ing to more millions of dollars. 2) The INTERCONTINENTAL SPACE SECURITY PACT proposal, submitted to your cabinet on May 10, 1966 has been accepted in part, in that the Articles No., 1. Il. V. and Par., 1.2.3.4.5. 14., therein have been transferred to the Governing Principles of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Treaty, which was negotiated in the Outer Space Committee, — a res- olution adopted by acclamation by the General Ass- embly last December 19, and signed by 62 nations, exploring in outer space. The transplanted articles of the mentioned Security Pact are as follows: a. earth and earthman security — supreme constit- utional authority of UN in relation to outer space in articles No. I.IILV.IX. . establishment of international responsibility for damages by exploring nations in articles No. VI. and VII. . astronauts to be considered envoys of the UN., expressed as "envoys of mankind’ in articles No. V. . not prohibited of high explosive weapons in manned space crafts for self defense in outer space and celestial bodies, in article No. VI. . all phenomena” observed in space and cel- estial bodies to be reported to the Secretary General in article No. V. is exactly an "unex- plained UFO Article’ from article No. V. The enclosure No. 2. clearly shows, that these articles were not proposed in the original issues of the ’’Treaty Draft’ by the United States filed 24 hours before, — while the USSR filed 20 days after my Space Security Pact proposal, which had been filed and issued to all the UN Missions on June 27, 1966. See the enclosed letter to the Perm. Mission of Italy to the UN. /Enclosure No. 2./ (Enclosures No’s 2 and 3 are not included as we have dealt at length with these items in previous issues of UFO CONTACT - Ed.) In the enclosure No. 3 you will find the constitut- ional build up for the Intercontinental UFO Observer & Analytic Network. The Press Release for which, dated January 11, 1967, was usually silenced as... "not in the public interest’. In spite of all this, there has been an increase of UFO appearances in the past year and a growing impatience on the part of the public with the gov- ernments’ policies in this regard. We are convinced now more than ever that this proposal to accept information from world famous authorities will meet with the wholehearted approval of the United Nations. For the first time perhaps, an opportunity will be afforded to study first hand the voluminous evidence that has heretofore been suppressed. It is a special honor for us to assist the United Nations through our continental representation in the UFO problem. We are awaiting your information regarding our proposal. In behalf of our continental representat- ives, | remain very respectfully yours signature Colman VonKeviczky 3 enclosures. ICUFON ENCLOSURE NO. 1. The Intercontinental UFO Observer and Analytic Network proposes to invite, to the Outer Space Conference, /Sept., 1967, Vienna/ the following: A. SCIENTISTS. Prof. Dr. Hermann Oberth internationally acclaimed rocket scientist, UFO researcher. GERMANY. Prof. Dr. Gabriel Alvial director of Cosmic Radiation Institute, Santiago. CHILE. Prof. Dr. Alexander Kazantsev Soviet radio astron- omer and archeologist. USSR. Prof. Dr. Carl Sagan noted astronomer and astro physicist, member of NASA. USA. Prof. Dr. Mitrovan Zverer radio astronomer. USSR. Representative of Colorado University, UFO research project. USA. B. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS. Knut Hammarskjéld general director of the intern’1 Air Transport Association. CANADA.