For several years I have been trying to obtain an rather
unusual contactee book, Suzies Sudden Saucer, written by Dorris Van Tassel
(Dorris Andre). Although it was obviously published in two editions, 1976 and 2000
(revised), I have never seen it in print, nor found one for sale on Amazon, eBay
etc. At AFU we have only one, not very good, copied version. Dorris Van Tassel (1912-1991)
was an enigmatic woman and, what John Keel would call, a silent contactee.
Suzies Sudden Saucer is often portrayed as a children´s book, a poetical story
of contact with space people. But I suspect this 37-page book is actually an
autobiography.
The first edition of Suzies Sudden Saucer was
advertised in Proceedings, Oct-Dec 1976, as ”a small book on the philosophical
approach to life”. Authors were stated as Dorris Van Tassel and Bob Benson
(illustrator). In 2000 a revised edition was published with the subtitle Suzies
Silver Saucer. Foreword was written by Brianna M. Wettlaufer and Heidi Menger
Evans. Heidi had also contributed illustrations and photographs. She is the
daughter of Howard and Conny Menger. This new edition, published by the
Ministry of Universal Wisdom, has 75 pages, possibly because of large type.
Dorris and George Van Tassel
In a former blog post I have presented a summary of
data on Dorris Van Tassel, a woman of mystery and very much involved in behind
the scenes activity among UFO contactees in the 1950s. She was a sort of
booking agent for George Adamski, Truman Bethurum, Daniel Fry and other
contactees. As Mrs. Dorris Andre she lectured on flying saucers but did not
mention her own contacts with space people until 1976, during a lecture at Daniel
Fry´s Understanding Convention. A short note of her lecture was published in
Understanding magazine: ”Two women were a delightful part of the program.
Dorris Van Tassel told the story of her contacts with space people, a fantastic
story it was too. Until you have heard her, you´ve missed something.”
(Understanding, vol. 21, no. 5, 1976, p. 6).
The Press Democrat, March 3, 1954
The Press Democrat, February 24, 1955
Already in the beginning of Suzies Sudden Saucer
there are hints that this story is actually the secret life history of Dorris expressed
in allusion and poetry. Many of the verses mention early childhood contact
experiences reminiscent of the life of Howard Menger.
In several verses we are told that Suzie (Dorris)
very early in life understood that she was different than other men and women
because of her experiences and contacts, both physical and telepathic with the
space people.
Dorris in her younger days acting in a play
On page 15 and 16 are some interesting verses where
Suzie is frightened by ”earthly” saucers that don´t belong to the benevolent
space people but instead belong to occupants who give honor ”to materialistic
rule”.
A connection between the work of the benevolent space
people and the Esoteric Tradition or Ancient Wisdom is narrated on page 21.
Here Dorris also alludes to her special mission on this planet.
In Suzies Sudden Saucer the author mention both
physical and telepathic contacts and the secret work with the space people going
on behind the scenes. Dorris implies that she cannot tell the whole story ”knowing
more than most”.
