The 1954 French flap:

A FLYING SAUCER
in the sky of Chaumonts

It is allowed to doubt when one speaks about flying saucers and more particularly about so-called Martiens, and the recent inconsistencies of the "witness" of Wassy are not helping to accredit the real existence of these craft that some name interplanetary in the minds of our readers. A saucer or more exactly a luminous object considered as such, crossed the sky of Chaumont Saturday evening, around 09:30 p.m.. We gathered testimonys of several people, who all initially preferred to keep silent in order not to be the object of undue scoffing.

We report the facts such as they occurred without indulging in the least comment about them.

THE FIRST WITNESS BELIEVED HE WAS SEEING A SHOOTING STAR

Mr. Jean Montagne, 22-year-old, plumber-zinc worker, resident of 22, street Juvet, in Chaumont, was going home after having accompanied a girl friend, and was at the top of the Côte des Tanneries when, looking up by chance, he saw a kind of luminous strip which he initially mistook for a shooting star.

Observing with more attention the object which evolved in the starry sky, he admitted he was dealing with a kind of lengthened apparatus, of a very shining white, which left behind a very long trail spread with green reflections.

The craft seemed to come from the West and moved towards the South-east. No noise betrayed its passage.

Mr. Montagne went to his sister's, Mrs. Gobetti, resident of the Clamart street, to whom he told his adventure. Then, he went to the Alemany bar where he again explained the vision that had just been offered to him. It is in this coffee-shop that two young motorcyclists who had heard Mr. Montagne's claims, stood up and stated thay had also seen the mysterious machine, when they had just crossed Juzzenécourt.

STILL THE SHOOTING STAR

Miss Marie Gondz, typist, residing temporarily at one of her friends in Chaumont, came from the Bridge and Roadways Services when Saturday evening, around 09:30 p.m. - the same hour that the preceding witnesses - whereas she circulated street Victor-Fourcault, she saw the mysterious brilliant apparatus. She too, first believed it was a shooting star and she was on the point of making a wish when she realized that the machine continued its travel at a very high speed and leaving a long silver wake with green reflections. It is in the "Sélect" (formerly Beer Palace) that she explained what she had just seen in the sky of Chaumont. There, these customers of passage stated that certain people had also seen the "saucer", in particular Mrs. Blosse, hardware store, Jules-Tréfousse street.

A workman of the base of Semoutiers, Mr. Emmanuel Carrier, 48 years old, carpenter, also saw the brilliant object, and at the same hour as the previous witnesses, whereas he was on National Road 19, approximately 500 meters from the viaduct.

It thus seems plausible that a craft at extremely high speed, of unknown model, crossed the sky of Chaumont in the evening of Saturday.