The 1974 Arrubal UFO Symbols (from Jose Antonio Caravaca)

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We think that symbols, insigniae, and/or letters and writing seen on UFOs are important clues -- perhaps leading to the source of UFOs or something else vital to an explanation of the UFO phenomenon, provided the sighting is bona fide and actual, not a hoax.


Spanish researcher Jose Caravaca provides material from his UFO blog that intrigues:

THE UFO AT ARRUBAL

In Logroño November 29, 1974 an interesting UFO episode occurred.

It happened in the town of Arrubal, about 20 Kilometros from Bilbao, when in a field near the school, a group of 10 schoolchildren, ages between 6 and 12 years were playing football.

About 6 pm, Oscar Sagasti, looked up at the sky and saw a silver, metal-like object with elongated bright orange lights.It moved in a strange way, from one side in a zig-zag motion. Suddenly, in complete silence, it stopped short before the watchful eyes of children. One of the children threw a stone at the object and despite repeated attempts, missed the object as it was too far above them.

It was about four feet long, compared to the size of a vehicle.

But what surprised them most was the existence of letters and symbols on the object.



After a few minutes of watching, the UFO rose slowly until it was lost behind a curtain of clouds.They also saw a red cloud that could belong to another object or perhaps the same from another angle.

The teacher was sure the children were telling the truth, all interviewed separately. They did not contradict their statements.

Then children drew what they saw on the whiteboard in class; some being like a letter, "M", "X" and "L".

"La Gaceta del Norte" sent an editor to cover the story, and readers know the details of the case under the headline: "El OVNI DE LOGROÑO".



This is part of his interview with the students:

It was six o'clock. We had left school. We were playing in the field together. Oscar saw it first.

We looked up in to the sky and saw it. It was quiet. It went from one place to another.

In zig zag?

Yeah, And it also stood still, not moving,[for] like half a minute.

What shape was it?, Was it round?

No, elongated and down. So ...

One of the students, close to the blackboard, drew an ellipse reversed. It was cigar-shaped.

Was it big or small?

Large. More or less like a car. It was high, high, high. Higher than the height of a house.

Did it have lights?

Si. And it had letters.

Lyrics [letters]?

Yes, yes.

And you saw?

A “M”, an “X” and who knows what else...(another student interjected, a ”D” reversed).

One of the students drew, on the blackboard, the mysterious letters, with a sure hand, followed closely by his peers. The boys drew, one by one, all the signs vertically, as seen on the UFO.

Everyone agreed: "The letters were pure (sic) and very large."

At that time, Ana Mari, the Arrubal teacher, told us:

"They also repeated what they saw next day, one by one, separately and without contradictions"

The metal plate, was it shining?

Shining with silver and orange lights. Similar to an airplane.

But it was a plane?

No, no, and not a helicopter. We already know what they are. What we saw did not make any noise.

Did you see anyone?

No.

And the lyrics [letters],were they black?

No, the color of the dish (sic). You could see that some letters were a lot (sic) big and bright. They were like little lights.

Were you scared?

No, no. We told the gentlemen [the object] to come down (then we started throwing stones.)

In total how long did you see it? Five minutes?

Not less.

How did it disappear?

It was slowly getting through the clouds, slowly to Logroño. After that we did not see it. And then,in the clouds, came a red thing. As a light.

As if there was another flying saucer?

All red.

In 1997 "UFO Group" managed to locate some of the protagonists of the story who re-affirmed, point by point, what happened during that football game. UFO Group members, themselves, were able to speak personally with several of the former students who perfectly remembered the event of their childhood.

Joseba Orraca Cardaso interviewed Jose Antonio Ascaciba:



"It was a very long, silent, the witness recalled, like a big cigar with bright reds, above our heads. I remember seeing signs or letters ... X M L ....is all I can remember. We started throwing stones throw at it and soon disappeared."



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Nota Bene -- Another UFO event happened in the same time-frame:

Curiously, the press of the time offered the testimony of a 18 year-old on 28 December, flowing through the N-111, between Viana and Logroño, near the intersection of Oyón, about 18:30 pm. The 18 year-old spotted a metal object in the sky and his vehicle was stopped in an inexplicable way. This is his narration:

"... the UFO released a kind of light rays into the engine of the car, as if to explore that part of the vehicle. Moments later, the flying object in the sky was lost The youth could not, implement without major difficulties, the car engine."

Courtesy of Jose Antonio Caravaca, edited by Rich Reynolds (from the submission)