The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 17-Oct-54-Forêt-de-Meudon.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
In his 1997 book on the French wave of 1954, author Jean Sider indicated that a letter from a reader, René Cotard, who called himself a normalien and a former teacher, appeared in the newspaper Ici Paris for October 25, 1954, on page 7.
René Cotard reportedly said that on October 17, 1954, he wandered during the day in splendid weather in the forest of Meudon in the Hauts-de-Seine department, and by the time he arrived in a clearing, he suddenly came nose to nose with a strange character who just came out of a strange craft "in the shape of an inverted coffee cup."
Cotard hardly recovered from his surprise, that the being and his machine whistled in a sharp hissing sound accompanied by bizarre gleams, rising vertically at a vertiginous speed.
René Cotard assured himself that he had not been deluded. Jean Sider notes that he gave no description of the occupant, but that a small size sketch of its head was published, showing a face intermediate between man and animal.
Jean Sider wonders if the case is a hoax, indicating that the comparison with an inverted coffee cup looks like a joke about the "saucer" of the time, but he noted that on the other hand the witness identifies himself by name.
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
French ufologist and author Jean Sider found this case in the form of a reader's letter in the newspaper Ici Paris. Jean Sider indicates that he provides it with caution.
The letter is of one Rene Cotard, who presents himself as a student of the Ecole Normale and a former professor, and explains that on October 17, 1954, he was walking during the day and under a splendid weather, in the forest of Meudon in the department of Hauts-de-Seine.
At the time when he came into a clearing, he suddenly found himself face to face with a strange being who had just come out of a strange apparatus in form of a reversed coffee cup.
Hardly had the witness recovered from his surprise, that the being and its machine fled away in an acute whistle accompanied by odd gleams, rising vertically at a tremendous speed.
The witness ensures not to have been in illusion. There is no description of the occupant, but a drawing of its head is published in reduction, showing a face intermediate between man and animal.
Jean Sider wonders whether the case is hoax, indicating that the comparison with a reversed coffee cup resembles a joke compared to the "saucer" of the time, but he notes that on another end, the witness identified himself by name.
[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:
Location: Foret De Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Date: October 17 1954
Time: afternoon
Student Rene Cotard was walking under splendid weather in the forest of Meudon when he came to a clearing and suddenly found himself face to face with a strange being that had just come out of a strange apparatus in the form of an upside down coffee cup. Hardly had the witness recovered from his surprise that the being and its machine left emitting an acute whistle accompanied by odd beams of light, rising vertically at a tremendous speed. The face of the humanoid is described as a combination “human and animal”.
Source: Jean Sider
[Ref. jgz1:] JULIEN GONZALEZ:
The author indicates that there was a close encounter of the third kind in the Forest of Meudon, in the Hauts-de-Seine, on October 17, 1954, by day at an unknown exact hour.
René Cotard, pupil of the Ecole Normale and former professor, walked in the forest of Meudon when he suddenly was face to face with a strange character at the time when he arrived in a clearing.
The being just came out of a strange apparatus in the shape of a reversed coffee cup. Hardly had the witness recovered from his surprise that the being and its machine disappeared in a high-pitched whistling sound accompanied by odd gleams, rising to the vertical at a vertiginous speed.
Julien Gonzalez points out that this is a reader's letter sent to a sensation weekly magazine, that the witness does not give any description of the ufonaut, but that a sketch of its head is published, showing a face intermediate between man and animal.
The sources are indicated as Ici-Paris for October 25, 1954; Jean Sider, Le dossier 1954 et l'imposture rationaliste, pages 206-207.
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 17 1954.
FORET DE MEUDON (HAUTS DE SEINE : FRANCE)
Retired professor Rene Cotard was out walking the forest when, in a clearing, he encountered an object like an inverted coffee mug and by it a being with an animal like face. The creature entered the object which then took off vertically at terrific speed, emitting a whistling sound and strange lights.
Evaluation - Just another letter to a notoriously sensationalist paper. Is there any evidence that Rene Cotard actually existed.
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Probable hoax.
The fact that the letter's author gave a name is of no value: anyone can use a false name, and nothing indicates that Ici Paris cared for checking whether "René Cotard" was real. He certainly did not five his address.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Forêt de Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine, craft, landing, forest, clearing, occupant, animal, cup, whistle, vertical, takeoff, head, gleams
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 23, 2005 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | February 4, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | October 9, 2014 | Addition [tai1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | October 29, 2016 | Addition [jgz1]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | December 11, 2019 | Additions [prn2], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet. Probable hoax." |
