The 1954 French flap:

A flying saucer above Marseille?

They are definitely of topicality, these famous "saucers" reported a little everywhere without the mystery which surrounds them being dissipated. This time, here is a photographic document which relates to them. It was communicated to us by one of our readers, Mr. J. Ates, and it was carried out by a amateur photographer wishing to preserve anonymity. This photo bears at the back the following information:

"Flying craft above Marseille, May 26, 1954. hour: 06:30 p.m., time of observation: three minutes. Slightly covered weather. Enormous disc, coming from the East and speeding in direction of the West, going at an average speed, very sudden acceleration and complete disappearance at the horizon in some split seconds..."

This would be the first photograph of a saucer, if the fact could one day be confirmed scientifically.

SAUCERS IN MARSEILLE

The Martians of the Martigues

THAT'S exactly ten years ago, no one had heard the two expressions which are now the most pronounced in all the languages ??of the world; atomic bomb and flying saucer. But whereas the atomic bomb turns out to be a terrible reality, the least we can say is that unanimity is not made on the existence of the saucers.

Europe, for a few years, seemed curiously untouched by the mysterious craft. Then, from 1950 on, testimonies began to multiply. In 1954, two French "Vampire" pilots began a vain pursuit over the Alpilles. From month to month, the skies of France, Italy, Germany, England, are populated (for some) by dazzling craft. Perhaps favored by our rainy summer, the craft have multiplied for ten days, while the monsoon brought some samples to the Indies.

To the point that a deputy from the Seine, Mr. de Léotard, has just sent a written question to the Minister of Air "Regarding recent testimonies which did not failto intrigue, if not to worry, public opinion"; and calling for a systematic observation of these phenomena "so that it can be established that these are hallucinations or if there is reason to take them into account from the point of view of security and national defense."

So France, in turn, will give the problem a national interest.

But already we are putting into the file the first photos taken in France. All three were taken by two correspondents of our newspaper, MM. L. Alyons and J. Ates. The fact that they were photographed in the sky of Marseille does not allow us to infer anything as to the nature of the phenomenon. The one on the left, taken on May 26, at 6:30 p.m. "enormous, remained motionless at low altitude while vibrating the tiles of the room" before suddenly rush away. Top left: on June 7, this craft lent itself complacently to the telephoto lens. Right: on August 22, this craft, also resembling like a brother to a saucer, hesitated for a long time, sometimes going down to 100 meters and sometimes going up vertically, to land on the hills of Marseilleveyre for the evening pastis. Did the indifference shown by the Marseillais seem suspicious to the mysterious travelers?

More resolved, it seems, were those who in Dizes, near Auxerres, landed: "the time, said our private correspondent, to leave a trace on the road..."

How not to end on this poetic note? But in one of our next issues, we will expose to the French opinion the elements of the problem that will allow them to fear, smile or hope...

THE FIRST
PHOTOGRAPHS
SAUCERS

One is reported in the
sky of La Chapelle-en-Serval

Flying saucers continue to be talked about more than ever. And their detractors, like those who think they exist, are likewise spoiled.

The first ones in particular, by a precision relating to the "saucer" described last week in Grenoble by Dr Martinet.

The observations of a pilot from Challes-les-Eaux, who attended the same show, established that it was in fact a... flight of starlings.

The latter will be able to report new manifestations of the saucers.

In the Oise in particular, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph van Wymersch, of La Chapelle-en-Serval, who declared to have seen in this locality, Wednesday evening, around 9 p.m., for about 15 minutes, "a luminous craft which rose and fell in the sky to then disappear in the direction of the West."

Elsewhere in France, it is at Mas de Bruzy, near Perpignan, in Rixheïm, in Pau and in Nevers, that witnesses said they saw saucers.

At Mas de Bruzy, several grape pickers claimed to have seen a shiny circular object in the sky which, after moving vertically leaving a white trail, disappeared in the clouds.

In Rheim [sic], near Mulhouse two people said they had observed a luminous craft with binoculars. They found, they say, that the object was shaped like a long cigar and was surrounded by a dozen small satellite cigars. A railway worker on night duty said he had observed the same phenomenon.

Finally in Pau, Wednesday morning, around 11:45 a.m., numerous people, says an A.F.P. dispatch, saw a cigar moving at very high altitude and, near Nevers, a farm worker who was riding a bicycle on the road to Saint-Pierre-le-Moutier, saw, he claims, a semi-spherical object that moved silently with great rapidity in a northeast direction.

The "saucer" that Mr. Ates, engineer-architect from Marseille, specifies having photographed from his home on May 26, at 6:30 p.m. - our photo - was, on the contrary according to him, extremely noisy since, he said, it made the tiles of his room vibrate while remaining motionless in the sky and that, when it rose to disappear, its acceleration was accompanied by an astonishing explosion.

[Photo caption:] This photograph, where the only terrestrial element seems to be the clothesline that can be seen below, was taken by an architect from Marseille, and was communicated to us by the great weekly "Semaine du Monde". It was taken on May 26, 1954, at 6:30 in the evening, in a foggy weather. The second photo was taken at night. It would translate an impression of "flying cigar" rather than that of a "saucer".

(19)

Date: 26 May 1954

Time : 18:30

Location: Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône (France)

Format: Picture

Photographer: Unknown (communicated by a Mr. Ates)

Explanation: Not available

References: Le Provençal (Marseille), June 8, 1954. Patrick Gross web site quoting the weekly Semaine du Monde, number 99, October 1-7, 1954.

http://ufologie.net/1954/26mai1954marseille.htm and http://ufologie.net/1954/26mai1954marseillef.htm [Old URL of my file.]

Remarks: Poor information.