The 1954 French flap:

It goes on!

A flying cigar
landed in Blanzy

Montceau-les-Mines (from our P.C.). - Saucers or flying cigars are topical, but the generality of Earthlings remains skeptical about the existence of these mysterious objects. MM. Burato and Bastiani, Blanzy residents, aged 20, were among them, at least until yesterday.

Indeed, on their way to work by bicycle, around 1 p.m., a few hectometers from the Saint-Louis well and 100 meters from the road where they were traveling, they saw a craft in the form of a brown shell placed in plowed land. The craft emitted a rather soft whistling sound. This is actually what caught their attention.

Suffocated by this apparition, they nevertheless dismounted to take a closer look, but the craft suddenly rose vertically and disappeared at breakneck speed.

It was not an optical illusion, MM. Burato and de Bastiani, who are perfectly balanced young people, excellent cyclists well known in Burgundy, moreover.

And now they believe in saucers...

A flying saucer
lands near Melun

Its three crutches leave 10 cm deep marks in the ground

Melun, 2. -- Several road workers from Ponts-et-Chaussées who were working in the rain along the Coulommiers-Meaux road, not far from the Quincy-Voisins airfield, said they saw a flying saucer.

One of them, Mr. Bernard Goujon, 30, said he saw in a field, to the left of the road, about 200 meters from him, at the foot of a poplar bush, a strange oval craft, measuring about 3 meters in diameter, and 2 m. 50 high. It was said to have been posed on the ground on three rather high crutches. Its upper part had a small translucent dome that appeared to be made of plastic. The whole thing was made of a metal shiny like aluminum.

Mr. Goujon said that he wanted to approach the craft, but that when he arrived about 150 meters away, he was tingled as if an invisible electric ray was darted on him.

"I felt," he said, paralyzed, and my eyesight blurred slightly. I then saw the saucer rise slowly, noiselessly, like a dead leaf", until 25 meters from the ground. It stopped for a moment and then, still without noise and without any light trail, disappeared at high speed."

Traces of about 10 centimeters deep were found on the ground.

***

Quillant, 2. -- Yesterday afternoon Mr. Saboureau, lemonade maker in Belesta (Ariège) saw a brilliant ball in the sky.

The object, which was moving relatively slowly and silently, was followed, he said, by a trail of gray smoke.

***

Monceau-les-Mines, 2. -- Two mason workers, MM. Romain Sebastiani and Buratto, both cyclists at the Union Vélocipédique de Roanne, said they saw a craft taking off along the road from Blanzy to Montceau with a shrill whistling sound. The craft was, they said, in the shape of a very dark yellow cigar, three meters long and about 60 to 80 centimeters in diameter.

***

THE TESTIMONY OF THE COMMANDER IN SECOND OF A CARGO SHIP

Brest, 2. -- M. Arsène Stephan, second in command of a freighter ship which stopped at Brest, stated that during the night of September 23-24, when the boat was in the Bay of Biscay, by 44 degrees 48 north and 4 degrees 50, he had seen a star four times larger than the others. Two of his sailors who were by his side also made the same observation. Through binoculars they noticed that it was a moving disc on which green reflections appeared at times.

Last Thursday, at dusk, a sailor who was at the helm of the tanker "Port-Lyautey" saw, at 500 meters from him, a saucer-shaped object of red color grazing the surface of the water and then quickly ascending vertically and disappearing, leaving a red flame.

***

Caudry, 2. -- Three workers from St-Hilaire-les-Cambrai said they saw yesterday morning at 6 a.m. a strange luminous craft which trailed behind it a white gleam comparable to that of a blowtorch.

Saucer with crutches, musical top
and flying can

in Seine-et-Marne, in the Nord
and in England

We did not yet see a flying saucer land on Orly airfield. It is a very sad. But one of them, if we believe two roadmasters, landed in a field not far from the airfield of Quinay-Voisins, near Melun.

- The object, they said, was oval in shape and was about three meters in diameter by 2 m. 50 high. At the top there was a sort of translucent dome. The whole craft shone like aluminum...

It was in broad daylight. The saucer was 200 meters away. The two men, MM. Bernard Goujon and Bernard Pichet, wanted to approach.

- At 150 meters, says Mr. Goujon, I felt tingling as if I had touched an electric current; it was not painful, but I felt like I was paralyzed and my eyesight was blurred slightly. After a moment, the saucer rose slowly and silently to thirty meters from the ground, stopped for a few seconds, then disappeared very quickly.

Traces were found in the field at the location of the saucer; they are about ten centimeters deep and the dimensions of a human foot...

A carpenter from the Cambrésis saw in the sky a "musical spinning top", of coral pink color, two cyclists from Montceau-les-Mines witnessed the take-off of a "dark yellow cigar" and an Englishwoman from Halifax said that she had seen "flying yellow-tailed beer cans..." In Perth, Scotland, two women claim to have seen flying "snails" and, in Jordan, a flying cigar with strong light resembling neon lighting would have crossed the sky. Finally, one of our readers, Mr. Lucien Bordet, assures us that Thursday at 7:30 p.m., a "sphere" descended from the sky to land near him on the Bagatelle sports ground. There came out three gnomes, one of which was "a woman with six breasts". They danced a ballet around him...

The daily chronicle
of the "saucers"

Melun, October 2. -- Several road menders from the Ponts-et-Chaussées who worked in the rain along the Coulommiers-Meaux road, not far from the Quincy - Voisins airfield, said they saw a flying saucer.

One of them, Mr. Bernard Goujon, 30, claimed to have seen in a field, to the left of the road, about 200 meters from him, at the foot of a groupe of poplar tree, a strange craft of oval shape, measuring about 3 meters in diameter, and a height of 2.50 m. It was, he said, posed on the ground with three rather high crutches. Its upper part had a small transparent dome that appeared to be made of plastic. The whole thing was made of a shiny metal like aluminum.

Mr. Goujon said that he wanted to approach the craft, but that when he arrived about 150 meters of it, he was tingled as if an invisible electric beam was aimed at him.

"I felt," he said, paralyzed, and my eyesight blurred slightly. I then saw the saucer rise very slowly silently, like a "dead leaf", until 25 meters above the ground. It stopped for a moment and then, still without noise and without any luminous trail, disappeared at high speed."

Traces of about 10 centimeters deep were found on the ground.

XXX

Quillant, October 2. -- Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Saboureau, lemonade maker in Bélesta (Arière), saw a brilliant ball in the sky.

The object, which moved relatively slowly and silently, was followed, he said, by a trail of gray smoke.

XXX

Montceau-les-Mines, Oct. 2 -- Two mason workers, Mssrs. Romain Sebastiani and Buratto, both cyclists at the Union Vélocipédiste de Roanne, said they saw a craft taking off along the road from Blanzy to Montceau with a shrill whistling sound. The craft was, they said, shaped like a very dark yellow cigar, three meters long and about 60 to 50 centimeters in diameter.

XXX

Brest, October 2. -- Mr. Arsène Stephan, deputy commander of a freighter calling in at Brest, said that during the night of September 23 to 24, while the boat was in the Bay of Biscay, at 44 degrees 48 North and 4 degrees 50 he had seen a star four times larger than the others. Two of his sailors who were at his side were the same observation. Using binoculars, they noticed that it was a moving disc on which green reflections appeared at times.

Last Thursday, at nightfall, a sailor who was at the helm of the Tanker "Port-Lyautey", saw, less than 500 meters from him, a saucer-shaped object, red in color, touching the surface of the water, then quickly ascending vertically and disappearing, leaving a red flame.

XXX

Caudry, October 2. -- Three workers from St-Hilaire-les-Cambrai said they saw this morning, at 6 a.m., a strange luminous craft which trailed after it a white glow comparable to that of a blowtorch.

After the saucers and cigars

Here is the "flying mushroom"
but impossible to approach it

Bernard Goujon, roadmender of the Ponts et Chaussées at Coulommiers, and his work companion, Armand Pichet, will now believe in "flying saucers" or at least in "flying mushrooms". Here is why:

"Thursday evening, said Goujon, we were picking, Pichet and I, on the road from Maisoncelles, to Meaux, near the Quincy-Voisins airfield, when, around 5 p.m., 500 meters from us, here we see a kind of huge mushroom shining like aluminum."

Bernard Goujon is a strong fellow, 30 years old, colorful, certainly not too inclined to hallucinations and who is not afraid of anything. While his comrade is hiding in a ditch, he rushes across fields towards the apparatus:

"As I went on, he explained, I could see it more clearly: it looked like a big mushroom three meters in diameter, resting on three crutches. On the upper part was a cabin in which three portholes were fitted out."

Still running, Goujon arrives about 150 meters from the craft and that's when the "thing" happened:

"Suddenly," he said, "I felt completely stopped in spite of myself. I felt electric tingles all over my body, my eyesight blurred and... I experienced the prettiest fear of my life."

Thirty or forty seconds passed, then the craft rose slowly, turned on itself and disappeared at full speed without noise, flames or smoke.

Goujon's story was confirmed not only by his comrade Pichet, but also by many cyclists who passed on the road and who, too, observed the extraordinary apparatus.

A flying cigar
landed in Blanzy

Yesterday, around 1 p.m., MM. Burato and Bastiani, Blanzy residents, aged 20, saw, 100 meters from the road where they were traveling, a shell-shaped object, brown in color, posed in plowed land. The craft emitted a fairly soft hissing sound. This is what caught their attention.

Suffocated by this apparition, they nonetheless dismounted to get a closer look, but the craft suddenly rose vertically and disappeared at breakneck speed.

"It was not an optical illusion," said MM. Burato and de Bastiani, who are perfectly balanced young people, excellent cyclists well known in Burgundy, moreover.

A saucer close

to Avesnes-lez-Aubert

Two residents of Avesnes-lez-Aubert, both driving in their cars, saw in the night, a glow some 40 or 50 meters in the fields, at the place called "Le Champ des Alouettes", on the road from Saint-Hilaire, to Avesnes-lez-Aubert.

They are certain that they did not dream. They are not jokers and, moreover, they are considered to be perfectly balanced.

A written question
to the Ministry of Air

In a written question, Jean Nocher, MP for Loire, told the Air Secretary of the emotion aroused in the public by the many and various testimonies about the "flying saucers."

He asked him "if his predecessors at the Secretary of State for Air had been concerned, as in the United States and the USSR for many years, to open an investigation into the presence in our atmosphere of unidentified flying objects."

"If so, he asks him for the publishable results of these investigations. If not, he asks him to set up a commission widely extended to all the concerned scientific branches, in order to objectively study this phenomenon by revealing the truth from the errors or possible mystifications."

Like in Quarouble

A saucer on crutches
(with "paralyzing ray")
wandering near Melun

One who must be happy is Mr. Marius Dewilde from Quarouble, near Valenciennes. We had smiled - a little too much in his taste - of his story of flying saucers and Martians of 0.95 meters. And now his story has just been renewed - close to Melun this time.

Road workers from the Ponts-et-Chaussées say they witnessed it. As on the sleepers on Marius Dewilde's railway, "crutches traces" were found.

Several road workers who worked in the rain along the Coulommiers-Meaux road, not far from the Quincy-Voisin airfield, said they saw a flying saucer on Friday October 1.

One of them, Mr. Bernard Goujon, 30, said he saw a strange device in a field, on the left side of the road, about 200 meters from him, at the foot of a poplar bush measuring approximately 3 meters in diameter, and 2 m high. 50. It was placed on the ground using three fairly high crutches. Its upper part had a small translucent dome that appeared to be made of plastic. The whole thing was made of a shiny metal like aluminum.

Mr. Goujon said that he wanted to approach the craft, but that when he arrived at about 150 meters, he was panicked as if an invisible electric ray was darted on him.

"I felt paralyzed, and my eyesight blurred slightly. I then saw the saucer rise very slowly, silently, like a dead leaf, up to 15 meters from the ground. It immobilized for a moment then, still without noise and without any light trail, disappeared at high speed."

Traces of about 10 centimeters were found on the ground.

But it's not just Melun...

In the single day of Friday, following the dazzling "spinning top" seen Thursday in the Cambrésis by a carpenter from Saint-Hilaire and a mason from Quiévy, the most diverse craft haunted our sky - a "cigar" near Montceau-les-Mines, a greenish "disc" near Brest, a brilliant "ball" in the Ariège...

Who doesn't have his saucer yet?

A "SAUCER" WOULD HAVE PLACED
NEAR THE AVIATION GROUND
OF QUINCY-VOISINS (Seine-et-Marne)

Several road mender from the Ponts et Chaussées, who worked along the Coulommiers-Meaux road, not far from the Quincy airfield, saw a flying saucer.

One of them, Mr. Bernard Goujon, 30, claimed to have seen in a field, about 200 m. from him, at the foot of a group of poplar trees, a strange oval-shaped craft, measuring about 3 meters in diameter, and 2.50 m. high. "It was, he said, posed on the ground with the help of three rather high crutches. Its upper part had a small translucent dome which seemed to be made of plastic. The whole craft was made of metal, shiny like aluminum."

Mr. Goujon said that he had wanted to approach the craft, but when he arrived at about 150 meters, he was seized with tingling as if an invisible electric beam was darted on him. "I felt paralyzed, and my eyesight was slightly blurred. I then saw the saucer rise very slowly, silently, like a 'dead leaf', up to 25 meters above the ground. It stopped for a moment then, still silently and without any luminous trail, disappeared at a brisk pace."

Traces about 10 centimeters deep were noted on the ground.

A "cigar" takes off in the Saône-et-Loire

Two masonry workers, MM. R. Sébastiani, and Buratto, both cyclists, at the Cycling Union of Roanne, declared having seen, on the edge of the road from Blanzy to Montceau, a craft taking off with a strident whistling sound. The craft was, they said, shaped like a very dark yellow cigar, three meters long and about 60 to 80 centimeters in diameter.

Mr. Arsène Stephan, second in command of a cargo ship that called at Brest, said that, during the night of September 23 to 24, while the boat was in the Bay of Biscay, at 44° 48 North and 4° 30, he had seen a star four times larger than the others.

Two of his sailors, who were at his side, also made the same observation. Using binoculars, they noticed that it was a moving disc, on which appeared, at times, green reflections.

At nightfall, a sailor who was at the helm of the tanker Port-Lyautey, saw, less than 500 meters from him, a saucer-shaped craft of red color touching the surface of the water, then quickly rise vertically and disappear, leaving a red flame.

Flying saucers (continued)

"A roadmender sees a strange apparatus posed on the ground, with assistance of crutches! But when he approached of the craft, he is paralyzed by an invisible ray."

Melun, October 2.

Several roadmenders of the Bridges and Road who worked under the rain at the edge of the Coulommiers-Meaux road, not far from the Quincy-Voisin airfield, stated they saw a flying saucer.

One of them, Mr. Bernard Goujon, 30 year-old, claimed to have seen in a field, on the left of the road, at approximately 200 meters of him, at the foot of a group of poplars, a strange apparatus of oval form, measuring approximately three meters in diameter and of a height of 2,50m. "It was, he said, posed on the ground with the assistance of three rather high crutches. Its higher part comprised a small translucent cupola that seemed made of plastic. The whole of the craft was of a metal shining like aluminum."

Mr. Goujon told that he had wanted to approach the craft but when he arrived at approximately 150 meters, he felt tickling as if "an invisible electric ray" were aimed at him.

"I felt, he said, paralyzed, and my sight was slightly scrambled. I then saw the saucer rise very slowly, without noise, in the manner of a falling leaf up to 25 meters of the ground. It was motionless one moment, then, still without noise nor any luminous trail, it disappeared at sharp pace."

On the ground, traces of approximately 10 cm depth were found.

A shining ball.

Quillant. -- Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Saboureau, bar owner in Belestre (the Ariège), saw in the sky, a brilliant ball. The craft machine which moved rather slowly and without noise, was followed, he said, of a trail of gray smoke.

A strong whistling sound.

Montceau-les-Mines. -- Two bricklayers, Misters Romain Sebastiani and Buratte, both cyclists racing with the velocipedic union of Roanne, stated to have seen at the edge of the road of Blanzy, in Montceau, a machine taking off with a strong whistling sound. The craft, they said, was cigar-shaped, of very dark yellow color, of three meters in length and a diameter of approximately 60 to 85 cm.

Sailors report their sightings.

Brest. -- Mr. Arsène Stephan, second in command of a cargo ship which made a stopover in Brest, declared that during the night from September 23 to 24, whereas the boat was in the Bay of Biscay, at 44° 48' north and 4°50', he had seen a star four times larger than the others. Two of its sailors, who were at his sides also made the same observation. With the binocular, they noted that it was an object in which the green reflections appeared at times.

Last Thursday, at dayfall, a sailor who was conducting the tanker "Port Lyautey" saw, within less than 500 meters of him, a craft in the shape of a saucer and red in color skim the surface of water, to then go up fast and vertically, and to disappear while leaving a red flame.

An aerial blowtorch.

Caudry. -- Three workmen of St Hilaire les Cambrai claimed to have seen, this morning at 6, a strange luminous machine which trailed in its continuation a white gleam comparable with that of a blowtorch.

The seven workers of the quarry of Marcilly-sur-Vienne told us their strange adventure

The seven concordant testimonies of the workers of a quarry in Marcilly-sur-Vienne who, on Thursday, around 4:30 p.m., saw near them a mysterious craft and its passenger, intrigued the people of the region.

We were able to interview Mr. Georges Gatey, chief of the building site and main witness of the event, as well as his six comrades.

We report the impression that these men are sincere and trustworthy. Their statements, they confirmed them Friday and Saturday to professional investigators who did not fail, in their turn, to be impressed by the emphasis of sincerity of the witnesses.

Mr. Gatey and his five workers were busy pulling sand and gravel from a quarry near the road near Marcilly. Everyone was at his workplace, some with a mechanical shovel, others with a hoist. Mr. Gatey was on the sidelines, closer to the end of the quarry. He was the first to see the machine, a device of circular shape surmounted by a dome, apparently equipped with blades similar to those of a helicopter.

The machine was standing motionless one meter from the ground, the blades turning very rapidly. It did not land on the ground.

A man of small size, 1.50 m to 1.55 m approximately

Wearing a helmet of opaque material on the head, resembling scrambled glass, dressed in a combination of neutral tone, booted with booties, it stood next to it. He had in his hand a kind of big revolver or a pipe, and on the chest a very brilliant disc, emitting a jet of intense light.

No one in the quarry, which lies below several meters from the road and the surrounding grounds, had seen the apparatus arrive and no one heard it. Everyone was busy at work and the machines that worked at the same time were very noisy.

Mr. Gatey is formal: the machine remained there for a half minute, enough time to be able to examine it. The site supervisor is an excellent draftsman. His first reflex, after his astonishment, was to run to the tent of the site to get a paper, a pencil and draw the sketch of

The saucers Courier...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the extraordinary machine and its occupant.

My legs were cut

"But my legs were cut," he said, "and I could not take a step, nailed to the ground certainly by the effects of the luminous ray emitted by the man.

Mr. Gatey was at that moment about fifteen meters from the craft and two meters below. He saw it from below. The machine, it should be pointed out, was at the entrance of the quarry, on the edge of the excavation, 3 meters from the road. On this road came a truck which came to get a load at the quarry, driven by M. Amirault, who saw the quarry men look towards the entrance of the shipyard, and he also looked. He saw "something gray" that was not there usually. This thing rose in the air.

That's it

Mr. Gatey also told us: "The man climbed back into his craft without I being able to tell by where, and then the craft rose vertically in jerks and a noise like the jet engines Of fighter planes. At 200 meters of altitude, roughly, it emitted a fog that completely concealed it and disappeared before our eyes."

"That's it," said the other witnesses of the scene.

Moved to the vicinity of fear, then men tacitly shut up about their adventure of the afternoon when in the evening they found themselves in the small restaurant of Parçay-aux-Vienne where they take their meal.

It was not until much later, around 7:30 p.m. or 20 p.m., that they decided to speak.

Alone, I would not have said anything

"If I had been alone, I would never have said anything about it," said Mr. Gatey, for fear of being the laughing stock of the country.

The site supervisor had gone to the edge of the quarry to see whether the craft had left any traces. He hoped to find some burned grass but there was nothing like it, only the grass soiled and trampled by trucks.

The 7 men, 6 of them at least being 30 years old, are sympathetically known in the area where they have been working for some time and there is no reason to suppose that they have attempted to set up a huge joke. Mr. Gatey drew from memory the silhouette of the craft and its passenger.

His comrades, MM. René Rougier, André Beurrois, André Sèche, Georges Lubanowich and Maurice Dubrocs, in the presence of the sketch, affirmed: "It is this shape that the apparatus in question had." The craft could measure 4 m. 50 in diameter and 2 meters in thickness. It was gray.

In [?] of Bressuire

[Missing part]

[en]terprise Goursault of Melle, came back to start their air compressor.

In the Indre

Châteauroux, 3. - Mrs. widow Janiki, residing in the village of Le Cerisier, commune of Levroux (Indre), told the Gendarmerie that she had seen in the sky a luminous machine with a diameter of about 3 meters and which Was at the height of the buildings.

Ms. widow Lacotte witnessed the same phenomenon.

Mrs. Baron of Vatan (the Indre), said she saw last night a luminous ball in the sky.

She alerted her husband, as well as about fifteen people from her neighborhood, all of whom saw the yellow-greenish craft rising and falling in the sky at a very high altitude.

In the Nièvre

Nevers, 3. -- A representative of an insurance company in Clamecy and several residents of Corbigny said they saw an orange luminous disc moving in the sky.

SAINT BRIEUC

Several people claimed to have seen, at 300 or 400 meters from them, last night, around 8:45 p.m., a "flying cigar", at an altitude of about 50 meters.

LILLE

Mr. Anicet Corneille, an agricultural worker, said he saw a cigar-shaped craft 8 to 10 meters long by 3 meters in thickness last night in Comines; which evolved at about forty meters in height and emitted a sharp violet glow.

MONTCEAU-LES-MINES

Two bricklayers, MM. Romain Sebastiani and Buratto, both cyclist racers, said they saw a craft take off with a shrill whistle along the road from Blanzy to Montceau.

A written question to the Minister of the Air

In a written question, Mr. Jean Nocher, Deputy for the Loire, informed the Secretary of the Air about the emotion aroused in the public by the numerous and various testimonies concerning the "flying saucers".

He asked him "if his predecessors in the Secretary of State for the Air had been concerned, as in the US and U.S.S.R., to open an investigation about the presence in our atmosphere of unidentified flying objects?

"If so, he asks him to publish the results of these investigations, if not, he asks him to set up a committee widely extended to all the scientific branches concerned in order to study this phenomenon objectively."

THE "SAUCERS" LEFT TRACES NEAR MEAUX

MELUN. -- Several roadmakers of the Bridges and Roads who worked in the rain along the Coulommiers-Meaux road, not far from the Quincy-Voisins airfield, said they had seen a flying saucer. One of them, Mr. Bernard Goujon, 30, said he saw in a field, to the left of the road, about 200 meters from him, at the foot of a poplar bush, a strange oval-shaped apparatus, measuring about three meters in diameter and a height of 2 m. 50. He was, he said, placed on the ground with three high crutches. Its upper part consisted of a small translucent dome, apparently made of plastic material. The whole thing was a shiny metal like aluminum.

Mr. Goujon said that he wanted to approach the machine, but arrived at about 150 meters, he was seized by tingling as if an invisible electric beam was darted at him. I felt, he said, paralyzed, and my vision blurred slightly.

I then saw the saucer rise very slowly, noiselessly like a "dead leaf", up to 25 meters from the ground. It froze for a moment, then still without noise and without any luminous trail, it disappeared at a brisk pace. On the ground, traces of about 10 centimeters have been found.

CAUDRY. -- Three workers of Saint-Hilaire-les-Cambrais said they saw, Saturday morning, at 6 o'clock, a strange luminous machine which dragged after it a white glow comparable to that of a blowtorch.

MONTCEAU-LES-MINES. -- Two mason workers, MM. Romain Sebastiani and Buratto, both cyclists at the Roanne Vélocipédique Union, said that they saw a machine taking off along the road from Blanzy to Montceau with a shrill whistling sound.

The apparatus had, they said, the shape of a very dark yellow cigar, of a length of three meters and a diameter of about 60 to 80 centimeters.

Saucers on the sea

BREST. -- Mr. Arsène Stéphan, second in command of a freighter ship who stopped over at Brest, said that during the night of September 23 to 24, while the boat was in the Bay of Biscay, he had seen a star four times larger than the others.

(See more on page 5)

Flying saucers...

(Continued from the first page)

Two of his sailors who were at his side also made the same observation. With the binoculars, they noticed that it was a disc in movement on which green reflections sometimes appeared.

Last Thursday, at dusk, a sailor who was at the helm of the tanker "Port-Lyautey" saw, within 500 meters of him, a saucer-shaped craft and of red color graze the surface of the water, then go up quickly vertically and disappear leaving a red flame.

October 4 [, 1954]

[... Other cases...]

01:00 p.m.: Road Blanzy-Montceau-les-Mines (near Roanne) (Saône-et-Loire): "cigar" on the ground) (10/4/54) ([unreadable])

[... Other cases...]

170) October 1^st, 1954 01:00 p.m. Blanzy (France).

Two masons, Mssrs. Sebastiani and Buratto, approached a cigar-shaped object, 3 m long and 80 cm wide, which took off from the ground with a whistling sound. The pointed section of the object was yellow, the rest brown. From the fore part, two appendages extended to the ground (P 30).

October 1, 1954 01:00 p.m. Blanzy (France).

Two masons, Mssrs. Sebastiani and Buratto, approached a cigar-shaped object, 3 m long and 80 cm wide, which took off from the ground with a whistling sound. The pointed section of the object was yellow, the rest brown. From the fore part, two appendages extended to the ground. (Le Figaro, Le Parisien, Oct. 2, 1954; La Croix, France-Soir, Paris-Presse, Oct. 3, 1954.

October 1st, 1954, 01 p.m. Blanzy (Saône-et-Loire).

Two masons, MM. Sebastiani and Buratto, approached a cigar-shaped object, 3 meters long and 80 centimeters wide; which rose from the ground with a hissing sound. The pointed part of the object was yellow, the rest was brown. Forward extended two appendices touching the ground.

344 1 October 1954 1300 hrs

BLANZY (FRANCE) Two bricklayers, Romain Sebastiani and Bruno Buratto, approached a cigar-shaped object 3m long & 80cm wide, which took off from the ground with a whistling sound. The pointed section of the object was yellow, the rest brown. From the forepart two appendages reached to the ground. (Ml70; Carrouges, S 115: Le Figaro, Le Parisian, 2 Oct 1954; France-Soir 4 Oct 1954)

The "Structured Cigars"

[... other cases...]

No 6. 10/01/1954 Blanzy (Saône et Loire) 1 p.m.; length 2m.

10/01/1954 Blanzy (Saône et Loire)

Around 1 p.m., misters Bastiani and Burrato discovered an object in the shape of a cigar in a field 100m from the road. It was 2m long and 80cm in diameter. One end was more pointed than the other, it was yellow in color while the rest of the craft was brown. At the "front" of the craft two "feet" hung and rested on the ground... The craft took off vertically with a very soft whistle. (J. Giraud: "Centre Matin" for 10/04/54)

It is unthinkable that a craft can stand on such a landing gear. Exploration of our planet had therefore already begun in 1954, and certainly even before. We reported all the points where such prospecting had taken place on a geological map of France. Nothing comes of it. The “Flying Saucers” seem to be interested in all geological structures and none in particular. [...]

MONDAY OCTOBER 4 [publishing date in Le Bien Public]: "CIGARS AND SAUCERS" ARE REPORTED AGAIN -

IN SAINT-BRIEUC: Several people claimed to have seen at 300 or 400 m of them, last night, around 08:45 p.m., a cigar flying at an altitude of 50 m. The machine could be 15 meters long and was intermittently lit with a pink glow. It was moving noiselessly.

IN BREST: Mrs. Henry, farmer, said she saw on Thursday and Friday evening at the same hour in the sky, a purple cylindrical craft that moved noiselessly from west to east.

IN LILLE: Mr. Anicet Corneille, farm worker, said he saw last night in Comines, a machine in the shape of a cigar 8 to 10 meters long and 3 meters wide, which moved at a height of 40 meters, and gave off a bright purple glow. After flying over the city, for a few seconds, the craft reportedly disappeared in the sky. Statement confirmed by a motorist passing through Comines.

IN MONTCEAU LES MINES: Two workers, Messrs. Sebastiani and Buratto, said that they had seen at the edge of the road from Blanzy to Montceau, a craft take off with a shrill whistle. The craft had the shape of a very dark yellow cigar with a length of 3m and a diameter of about 60 to 80 cm.

"Churchills."

A "cigar volant," or what some Frenchmen called a "Churchill," an affectionate allusion to the famed British Prime Minister who was always seen with his mouth clamped on a big roll of tobacco; was reported on the first of the month"at Blanzy, France, at 1:00 in the afternoon. According to two brick layers, M. Romain Sebastiani and M. Bruno Buratto, they viewed a cigar-like object that flew with a whistling sound. This "cigar volant" was on the small side, however, an object the men said was about 3 meters long and some 80 millimeters in diameter. The pointed nose, the witnesses claimed, was a yellow color and the remainder of the body brown. A pair of long appendages were said to be attached to the object's nose section. (This UFO seems unlike any other that was reported so there is a chance the story is a hoax) 3.

A front page story.

October 3rd. London's Sunday Dispatch.

So much was happening in France the English press was forced to take note. Actually the story was too big. The London Sunday Dispatch could only print a summary on its front page. With the situation unclear, errors and the lack of detail was inevitable in the reporting. The Dispatch informed its readers:

"Near Grenoble farmer Joseph Habrat saw a luminous engine moving at great speed.

"His daughter, Yvette, said it came to within 600 yards with a gentle snoring sound.

"A little later two thousand people saw a dozen of them 'dancing a ballet' in the sky.

"Two people at Rixheim, near Mulhouse, watched a cigar-shaped luminous engine surrounded by twelve smaller satellite cigars.

"Three holiday-makers on Carry-le-Rouet beach saw a half-cigar over the port. Three women who saw it described it as leaving a trail of smoke.

"A flying mushroom was reported by a lorry-driver and his friend at Faremontiers. It was in a field and had three tripod-like legs.

"'I tried to approach it,' he said, 'but about four hundred feet away I was stopped by a ray. I felt little prickings. My head swam. I had a cold sweat. I could not move.'

"The mushroom then rose slowly and flew off.

"Dr. Martinet, skin disease specialist at Chambery, watched a flying saucer manoeuvring in the sky for four minutes.

"In the gulf of Gascony the mate and two seamen of a cargo boat saw a moving disc with a greenish glow.

"Actress Michele Morgan saw a luminous disc over the Invalides air terminal in Paris.

"There have been three reports of men from another planet landing in France.

"At Vienne a farmer said the visitor, who wore a kind of diving suit, caressed his arm.

"A woman at Drome saw a being about the size of a child and with a human face. He seemed to be wrapped in a transparent sack.'

"Both visitors to France returned to their saucers and took off vertically.

"A little helmeted and booted man with a revolver firing 'luminous and paralysing rays' was seen by the foreman of a quarry at Marcilly-sur-Vienne and six of his workmen.

"A whistling sound drew the attention of two men at Blanzy to a cigar-shaped machine in a freshly ploughed field.

"The men said the machine was about six feet in length. The pointed tip was yellow, the rest of the cigar brown.

"As they approached the machine it rose vertically.

"A policeman, a grocer, and eight other people saw an incandescent 'cigar' at Agen.

"A brilliant ball appeared to a stallkeeper at Belesta. He said it left a trail of grey smoke as it shot through the sky."

The author of the aforementioned account noted that at the same time that day (October 3, 1954) 40 miles away an amazing "sky display" was taking place above a wooded area near the village of Marcoign, France, before 20 witnesses. That so many people at the same moment at different locations should have a similar hallucination boggled the writer's mind, so much so he consulted a psychiatrist assigned to the Law Courts of the Seine, a Dr. Gouriou.

"Is mass "delusion upon this scale possible?"

The above question was put to the mental health expert who replied he had never known a flying saucer to play a role in any of his patient's hallucinations, and that hallucinations were usually sounds rather than visual images. Moreover, when on rare occasions visual disorders did occur, such problems were nearly always due to toxemia or cerebral lesions which would certainly help to rule out the possibility of a "mass visual delusion." 24.

Dr. Gouriou then wisely ended the interview with: "...I for one think that those who maintain that they have seen saucers do so in good faith, unless of course they are trying to hoax us. But we must never forget that whatever a normal human being sees, he, to a considerable extent interprets, and this fact alone renders all human evidence fallible." 25.

3869: 1954/09/30 13:00 2 4:24:00 E 46:42:00 N 3333 WEU FRN S&L 7:7

BLANZY/MONTCEAU-les-MINES,FR:CGR RESTS/2 LEGS:WHISTLES AWAY/2 CYCLISTS NEAR

Ref# 30 FIGEUT[sic]&RUCHON: OVNI: Le 1er Dossier Page No. 94 : MOUNTAINS

Blanzy (France).

10/1/1954 13:00

Two bricklayers, Sebastiani and Buratto, approached a cigar-shaped object 3 m long, 80 cm wide, which took off from the ground with a whistling sound. The pointed section of the object was yellow, the rest brown. From the forepart, two appendages extended to the ground.

2? October. Monceau les Mines, France. (no time)

Yellow cigar?

Our source states: "At Monceau les Mines, two masons said they saw a cigar-shaped object coloured yellow take off with a hissing noise." (xx.)

(xx.) Ibid. ["Paris, October 2. (Reuters - AP)"]

Encounters With Aliens On this Day

September 30

[...]

1954 - At one o'clock in the afternoon in Blanzy, France two bricklayers, Romain de Bastiani, age 21, and Bruno Burato, age 20, witnessed a partially yellow, partially maroon colored cigar-shaped object landed on the ground. They started to approach the three-meter long object when it took off from the ground with a whistling sound. The pointed section of the object was yellow; the rest of the object was reddish-brown. Two foot-like appendages extended to the ground from the fore section.

(Sources: Le Figaro, October 2, 1954; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 214; Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, pp. 94-95).

*30 sep. 1954 - At one o'clock in the afternoon in Blanzy, France two bricklayers, Romain de Bastiani, age 21, and Bruno Burato, age 20, witnessed a partially yellow, partially maroon colored cigar-shaped object landed on the ground. They started to approach the three-meter long object when it took off from the ground with a whistling sound. The pointed section of the object was yellow; the rest of the object was reddish-brown. Two foot-like appendages extended to the ground from the fore section. (Source: Le Figaro, October 2, 1954; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 214; Michel Figuet & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, pp. 94-95). [Note: Vallee incorrectly lists the date as October 1.]

September 30 1954. (or following day) 1300hrs.

BLANZY (SAONE-ET-LOIRE : FRANCE)

Two bricklayers Romain Sebastiani (or De Bastiani or Bastiani) (20) and Bruno Buratto (21) were out bicycling when their attention was caught by a hissing noise and they saw about 100m away an object 2m long, resting on two feet at the front. The thing took off with a "sweet" hiss. The pointed end was yellow, the rest of the object was brown.

• Gross 1954. citing Garreau and Lavier 1975 210 + Figuet and Ruchon 1979 p94 + Carrouges 1963 p90