The 1954 French flap:

THE TEST OF THE METEOR. October 16, as if it was purposely, a splendid meteor crossed the north of France towards 09:30 p.m.. It was observed on a score of departments by thousands of people, from the Allier to Lorraine and from the Swiss border to Paris. Naturally many witnesses believed to have seen a Flying Saucer and said so. The newspapers printed "Flying Saucer in Orly", or "in Montididier", or "in Metz." But once again the description made by all these weak brains appeared of a remarkable honesty.

[...]

The innumerable gathered testimonys show indeed that even when the witnesses called "Flying saucer" the observed object, their description is identical on 200.000 square kilometres where the visible phenomenon was visible: an "orange ball followed by a trail", a "large luminous ball with a tail", a "flying egg followed by a trail", a "bottle's bottom with a trail of thirty times its diameter", etc. The same phenomenon is uniformly described.

[...]

10/16/1954 Dorémat [sic] Les Gozis (09:30 p.m.).

Mr. Louis Boudeau saw coming from the east and seeming to make a large arc of a circle, a luminous machine followed by a long white trail with blue-green reflections. The disk-like device disappeared quickly and silently towards the west. Mr. Albert Bizet de Couraud was also question [sic] of the appearance. (Centre Matin for 10/22/1954).

October 16 (Centre Matin for 10/22) Domérat-les-Gozis 09:30 p.m..

Mr. Louis Boudeau perceived, coming from the E and seeming to make a vast arc of circle, a vast luminous machine followed by a white trail with blue-green reflections. It disappeared towards the W. At Couraud, Mr. Albert Bizet makes the same observation.

020 10/16/1954 09:30 p.m. Domérat (Les Gozis) witness Mr. Boudeau.

The witness observed a disc-shaped object that seemed to describe an arc in the sky (Cf case O17) (Centre Matin for 10/22/54.)

17. Dommerat (Allier), on October 16, 1954. B&B version: Obvious description of a bolide. The press was talking about a vast machine that could have the shape of a disk... delirium of Centre-Matin of October 22 on the case of Dommerat. LDLN version: It is the witness himself who wrote to Centre-Matin (October 22, 1954 issue) to say that he saw a disc, not a cigar. There is no more trace of delirium in Centre-Matin on the 22nd, unless for B&B the mere fact of admitting that a witness saw something weird is a case of "delirium".

22 - Case of Domérat, Allier.

As regards this incident, which took place at the same time as that of Arpheuilles mentioned above, and which our duettists also refer to as a "bolide", here are the exact terms of the alleged "delirium" of Centre-Matin of October 22, page 3: "We continue to receive letters from readers... Today, our correspondent is Mr. Louis Bourdeau, Les Gozis, Domérat. He does not agree on the shape of the object and classifies it rather among the saucers than among the cigars. Let him express himself: "Having read the article of Centre-Matin reporting the passage of a flying cigar on Saturday at 9:30 p.m., I would like to give you some details that will support the statements of the two other witnesses to this show. At the same time on Saturday evening, five members of my family, including myself and a friend, saw a luminous craft followed by a long luminous trail, coming from the east and seeming to describe an arc of a circle. The vision lasted about ten seconds and disappeared towards the west at high speed without any noise. The craft appeared to us to have the shape of a disc rather than a cigar and did not appear to be moving at a very high altitude. Before observing the craft, the moped of our friend, Mr. Albert Bizet, residing in Couraud, commune of Domérat, had broken down, and he had tried in vain to make it restart, he had not succeeded. When the craft disappeared, the moped could be started again".

If we consult the list of people thanked, very instructive, we can find on page 221 a Mr. Albert Bise, and a Mr. Louis Roudeau, mistyped names copied from an erroneous file. Plus, here's what B & B tell on this case: "Domérat-les-Gozis, Allier, 9:30 p.m.: investigation (two witnesses questioned). Obvious description of a nolide. The press spoke of a "huge craft" which could have the shape of a disk".

What "huge craft"? This terminology does not appear in the "delusional" letter reproduced above. One more invention by B & B. Also, the testimony of Mr. Bourdeau confirms that of Mr. Sivade, and if he saw a disc in place of a cigar from a different place, that means that the phenomenon was moving at low altitude and that it was noticed by this witness (and five other people) from a different angle.

As for stopping the engine of a moped for a moment, it is a performance that a large meteorite is quite incapable of doing, something that Schatzman himself should be able to admit...

Note that the journalist ends his article by suggesting that the momentary stop of the moped may have been fortuitous. Is this the "delirium" put forward by B & B? It seems to me, however, that this is the reaction of a man who wants to remain rational.

Who is delirious? Who invents? Wouldn't that be more B&B?

[Footnote:]

"Mystyped names: references to Centre-Matin indicate that the witnesses were not contacted, and that their surnames misspelled for unknown reasons were added to the list of acknowledgments to inflate it and impresses the naive. Closer checks would show, I am convinced, that some of these names, at the time of the B&B "contacts", should be on graves! See for example the case of Jonches (nr 12) which can enter in this category...