The 1954 French flap:

Reduced activity
on the frontline
of the "Saucers"

For the first time in a long time, yesterday we did not have to report any appearance of strange objects in the sky of Picardy. Would the "Martians" get tired of observing our world or would the "Earthlings" finally get used to the spooky visions that are widely spread onto them?

The mail that we received in the past twenty-four hours hardly brings any new evidence, except that of some Amiens residents who would have distinguished "something" in the sky, yesterday, around 2 p.m., above the Cathedral.

In Monsboubert, the day before yesterday evening, around 8:40 p.m., Mr. Paul Coulombel, farmer, ex-pilot of civil aviation and Mr. Fernand Poirel, country gardener, were able to contemplate a kind of "luminous ball followed by a trail of multicolored sparks". which moved from South-West to North-East.

We also received confirmation of a phenomenon of natural appearance which we ourselves witnessed, last Monday, around 9 p.m. Residents of Eramecourt and of Ercheu, saw, indeed, like us, and also two teachers from Amiens, a blinding fireball that violently lit up the night sky for a few too brief seconds.

Other readers, whom we thank here, share with us their personal opinions on astronomical problems in general and the hypotheses - sometimes categorical - that they believe they should draw from maneuvers of unknown or indeterminate craft.

We will take the liberty of giving them advice. That of remaining cautiously, for the time being, in dubitation, and conforming, in this, to the attitude adopted, by the most distinguished experts of this time.

Is it not, moreover, the mark of real scientists, this perpetual uncertainty born of the relative smallness of science acquired in the face of the immense unknown of unsolved problems?

Let's be wise and not anticipate. Above all, let us be careful of random speculations, in one direction as in the other and limit ourselves to recording what we believe to see, while waiting for the revelation which will manifest (maybe) one day or another.