The 1954 French flap:

Flying saucers
reported in Germany
in Egypt, Lebanon, Cameroon
and of course in France

Several people have, on the Saint-Laurent-les-Mâcon bridge, seen, above the Saône, a disc which disappeared after a short while. New fact: this disc was not shiny but dark.

A worker, Mr. Magnier, and truckers saw in Montluçon a luminous ball crossing the sky at high speed.

In Tourriers, 17 km from Angoulème, around thirty people saw in the night of 8-9 a "kind of cigar" who remained motionless at about forty meters above national road 10 for about twenty minutes. The craft, which had two fins, then decided to leave at a speed of around 250 to 300 km per h.

Mrs. Lebert, guardian of the Pont-Chapelle castle at La Ferté-Macé (Orne), observed in the middle of the afternoon, a mysterious craft in the sky. This craft, which resembled a rocket, rose silently vertically, leaving behind a slight white trail. It could be observed for several seconds and then disappeared quickly. A woman and children living in the local suburbs have also witnessed the phenomenon.

Also, Mr. Christian Couette, son of a plumber from Tesse-la-Madeleine, was riding a bicycle in the direction of Ranes, when near the Lande-Forêt pond, in the commune of Beauvain, he was overtaken by a strange luminous craft which, at high speed, grazed the treetops. The object, about 4 meters in diameter, had the shape of a fireball domed on the top. It could be observed for ten seconds.

Continued on 6^th page, under the title:

THE "SAUCERS"

THE SAUCERS

(Continued from the first page)

In Egypt

ALEXANDRIA, October 11. -- Egypt in its turn enters the competition of flying saucers. At the start of Saturday night, several hundred residents of Alexandria reported the presence in the sky of a luminous object which seemed to change from red to orange, then to green and gray-blue. Officials of the meteorological service of the aerodrome of Alexandria alerted by telephone the observatory of Helouan, close to Cairo, asking that the phenomenon be photographed. However, it disappeared before the special telescope of the observatory could be prepared.

The observatory's deputy director, Azouz Ismail, told the press that it could be an aurora borealis. A magnetic storm had been observed for forty-eight hours, which would make the explanation likely.

In Lebanon

BEIRUT, October 11. -- The newspaper "L'Orient" reports this morning a statement by Mr. Max Favell, representative in Beirut of a German firm, who claims to have seen, Saturday at 10:15 p.m. (loc.), by the sea, a motionless craft in the sky, which emitted a whitish light.

Mr. Favell clarified that the spacecraft, which was a few meters from the ground, landed for a few seconds and then took off vertically, turning on itself and soon disappearing into the sky. The witness did not notice any trace on the ground at the place of landing of the craft.

Following the publication of this statement, a journalist, Mr. Abdelkarim revealed that he also saw the same day, but around 7 p.m., a kind of red ball moving in the sky and coming from the North. Mr. Abdelkarim, fearing that little credit would be given to his "vision", had not revealed it to anyone.

In Germany

BONN, October 11. -- A "flying saucer" was observed for about two minutes by thirteen members of a gliding school above the Ockstardt airfield, near Frankfurt.

The thirteen pilots and student pilots were watching the progress of a monitor when they saw appearing above the glider in flight, at an altitude of about three thousand meters, a "slightly swollen silver disc" which was moving in the slightest noise. The witnesses, including several former Luftwaffe aviators, are formal to declare that they cannot have been victims of an optical illusion.

In Cameroon

YAOUNDE, October 11. -- Several reliable people claim to have witnessed one of these phenomena called "flying saucer" last night.

These are Colonel Cauvin, director of the hygiene and prophylaxis services of Cameroon; Dr. Menu, chief physician of the Younde hospital; from MM. Dumont, director of security services for Cameroon; Po[?] R, adviser to the Territorial Assembly of Cameroon; Moreau, administrator, deputy mayor of Yaoundé, and their wives.

All these people, gathered at the head doctor of the Hospital's, were preparing to go to the cinema when they were intrigued by the attitude of the dog of the house which, suddenly, began to growl and bristle its hairs, Thinking that strangers were prowling near his home, Dr. Menu went outside and saw a bright object in the sky. He immediately called his guests, all of whom then declared that they had seen, almost vertically above the plateau where the hospital is located, a huge, brightly lit, motionless disc at an altitude of about 600 meters.

This "appearance" lasted fifteen seconds. The craft was very exactly in the shape of a mushroom whose people could not exactly assess the diameter, under which a cylinder very slightly swayed, the length equal to the diameter of the hat and also very bright.

Suddenly, the "saucer" headed east, and its volume seemed to decrease visibly. Then it stopped for a few seconds before quickly gaining altitude and disappearing.

SAUCERS, DISCS, CIGARS...

A mustached Martian was walking
in the Vienne

If the round of "flying saucers" continues throughout France, we should not believe that our country is the only one to receive the visit of these craft. Now Cameroon, Lebanon, Germany, Egypt are entering their competition.

Mr. Roger Barrault, laborer in Lavoux (Vienne), riding a bicycle, was suddenly stopped by a double beam of light emanating from a sort of "diver" just 1.50 m high with boots without heels, very bright eyes and a strong mustache.

The diver strolled about a minute on the road, says Barrault, then suddenly disappeared into the nearby forest

Several people have, on the bridge of Saint-Laurent-les-Mâcon, seeb, above the Saône a disc which disappeared after a short while. New think, this disc was not bright but dark.

In Tourrières [sic], 17 km from Angoulême, around thirty people saw a kind of cigar which remained motionless at about forty meters above national road number 10 for about twenty minutes. The craft, which had two fins, then decided to leave at a speed of around 150 to 300 km / hour.

Mrs. Lebert, guardian of the Pont Chapelle castle at La Ferté-Macé (Orne), observed a mysterious craft in the middle of the afternoon in the sky. This craft, which looked like a rocket, rose silently vertically, leaving behind a luminous white trail. It could be observed for several seconds and then disappeared quickly. A woman and children living in the local suburbs have also witnessed the phenomenon.

Mr. Christian Couette, son of a plumber from Tesse-la-Madeleine, was riding a bicycle in the direction of Ranes, when he was overtaken near the pond of Lande-Forêt in the commune of Beauvain by a luminous craft which, at high speed, grazed the treetops. The object, about four meters in diameter, had the shape of a ball of fire domed on the top. It could be observed for ten seconds.

While driving his car, Mr. Jean Bertrand, mechanic in Carcassonne, saw, flying at low altitude, a spherical craft of shiny metal, the upper part of which seemed to be made of plastic. He was able, he says, to easily distinguish two hum-

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The saucers

(Continued from the first page)

an forms in this craft; which disappeared at a high speed in the East direction.

IN CAMEROON

Yaoundé, 11. -- Several trustworthy people claim to have witnessed one of these phenomena known as "flying saucers".

These are Colonel Cauvin, director of hygiene and prophylaxis services in Cameroon, Doctor Menu, chief doctor of the Yaoundé hospital, and Mssrs. Dumont, director of security services in Cameroon, Pouilleux, adviser to the territorial assembly of Cameroon, Moreau, administrator, deputy mayor of Yaoundé, and their wives.

All these people, gathered at the hospital’s chief doctor, were preparing to go to the cinema when they were intrigued by the attitude of the house dog who suddenly began to growl and bristle his hair. Thinking that strangers were prowling around his house, Doctor Menu went out and saw a bright object in the sky. He immediately called his guests who all then declared that they had seen, almost vertically above the plateau where the hospital is located, a huge disc, violently illuminated, motionless at an altitude of about 800 meters.

This "appearance" lasted 15 seconds. The craft was very exactly in the shape of a mushroom, whose diameter could not be precisely estimated by those present - under which a cylinder very slightly swayed whose length was equal to the diameter of the hat and also very bright.

Suddenly, the "saucer" took the direction of the East and its volume seemed to decrease visibly. Then it stopped for a few seconds before quickly gaining altitude and disappearing.

IN LEBANON

Beirut, 11. -- Mr. Max Favell, representative in Beirut of a German firm, claims to have seen at the seaside a motionless craft in the sky which emitted a whitish light.

Mr. Favell clarified that the craft which was a few meters from the ground landed for a few seconds, then took off vertically, spinning on itself, and soon disappeared into the sky. The witness did not notice any trace on the ground at the place of landing of the craft.

Following this statement, a journalist, Mr. Abdelkarim revealed that he had also seen the same day, but around 7 p.m., a kind of red ball moving in the sky and coming from the North. Mr. Abdelkarim, fearing that little credit would be given to his "vision", had not revealed it to anyone.

IN EGYPT

Alexandria, 11. -- Several hundred residents of Alexandria reported the presence in the sky of a luminous object which seemed to move from red to orange, then to green and blue gray. Officials from the meteorological service at the Alexandria airfield alerted the Helouan observatory, near Cairo, by telephone, asking that the phenomenon be photographed. However, it disappeared before the special telescope of the observatory could be readied.

The deputy director of the observatory, Mr. Azouz Ismaïl, told the press that it could be an aurora borealis. A magnetic storm had been observed for 48 hours; which would make the explanation likely.

IN GERMANY

Bonn, 11. -- A "flying saucer" was observed for about two minutes by 13 members of a gliding school above the airfield of Ockstadt, near Frankfurt.

The thirteen pilots and student pilots were watching the evolution of an instructor when they saw appearing above the glider in flight, at about 3.000 meters of atlitude, a "slightly swollen silver disc" which was moving without the slightest noise. The witnesses, including several former Luftwaffe aviators, are formal to declare that they cannot have been the victim of an optical illusion.

Mysterious craft increase activity

A flying mushroom above the Yaoundé hospital (Cameroun)

Paris. -- Clear recrudescence of activity of the flying saucers during the last weekend and not only in the sky of France. Mysterious craft, indeed, were seen in Cameroun, Namur, in Lebanon, in Egypt and Germany.

The appearance in Cameroun deserves a particular attention. In Yauondé [the capital], a certain number of people were together at the head doctor of the hospital, Dr. Menu, and were on the point of going to the movies when they were puzzled by the attitude of the dog who suddenly started to grunt and whose hairs stood up.

An enormous and illuminated mushroom

Thinking that strangers were on the prowl near his residence, Dr. Menu went outside and saw, in the sky, a brilliant object. He immediately called his guests who all then stated to have seen, almost at the vertical of the plate where the hospital is located, an enormous violently illuminated disc, motionless at an altitude of approximately 600 meters.

This "appearance" lasted fifteen seconds. The machine had very exactly the shape of a mushroom, i.e. a very illuminated disc, whose people present could not evaluate the diameter exactly, under which a cylinder of a length equal to the diameter of the hat swung very gently, also very illuminated.

Suddenly, the craft took the direction of the East and its volume seemed to decrease at eyesight. Then it was immobilized during a few seconds before taking altitude quickly and disappearing.

The witnesses of this phenomenon are worthy of faith, since, in addition to Dr. Menu, they were colonel Cauvin, head of the services of hygiene and the disease prevention of Cameroun; Misters Dumont, director of the Services of Safety of Cameroun; Poilleux, adviser of the territorial Assembly of Cameroun; Moreau, administrator, assistant mayor of Yaoundé and their wives.

Two silhouettes in a cigar

Close to Namur, the rural mailman made its usual round, when he saw a flying cigar which rose towards the sky at his approach at a vertiginous pace. However, he had the time to clearly distinguish on board two "roughly human" silhouettes.

In Lebanon, it is a German firm's representative in Beirut, Mr. Max Favell, who stated to the newspaper "L'Orient" to have seen Saturday evening, at the seaside, a motionless machine in the sky which emitted a whitish light. The machine landed a few moments, then rose suddenly vertically without leaving traces.

Several hundreds of Alexandria residents followed the maneuvers of a luminous object which changed from the red to the orange and the green to the blue gray. The observatory of Helouan, close to Cairo, was alerted, but before the special telescope could be set up to photograph it, the craft had disappeared.

The sub-manager of the observatory, Mr. Azouz Ismail, stated that it was undoubtedly an aurora borealis, for a magnetic storm was observed since forty-eight hours. An extremely probable scientific explanation.

"Four men in rubber outfits"

A movie projectionist of Munster, Mr. Willi Hoge, declared that, going back home in the suburbs of Munster, Saturday after midday, he saw in a field at about fifty meters of the road, a rather sharp blue gleam. Believing initially that it was a broken plane, he approached a few meters and then saw a machine having the shape of a cigar and immobilized in the air at approximately 1 m 50 from the ground.

Under the craft, surrounded by a bluish gleam, the movie projectionist distinguished four "men" whose size was approximately 1 m. 20. These beings had, according to him, a rather broad chest, a head proportionally too large for their bodies and thin legs. Mr. Hoge specified that they wore a kind of combination whose fabric resembled rubber.

Not daring to approach more, the witness restricted himself to observe the whereabouts of the occupants of the craft. After ten minutes, the crew went up on board using a kind of ladder, and the craft rose quickly almost vertically, taking, after a few seconds of rise, the shape of a brilliant disc.

Mr. Willi Hoge finally claimed to have tried that very evening to cause an investigation, but he added that no police officer had agreed to go to the site to check his statements!

Lastly, close to Frankfurt, thirteen pilot pupils of a sailplane school followed the maneuvers of their teacher when they had their attention drawn by an "extremely reinflated silver disc" which moved without the least noise.

Short meeting with a "diver" man with a moustache

In France, in the long list of the celestial appearances, it is necessary to note in particular the unexpected meeting which Mr Roger Barrault, workman in Lavoux (Vienna) made. Mr. Barrault drove a bicycle, Saturday evening, around 7 p.m., when he was stopped short on the road by a double beam of light emanating from a kind of "diver" hardly 1 m. 50 tall, with boots without heels, very brilliant eyes and a big moustache!

He must however have been a good man, for he walked one minute on the road without making the least evil to the awestruck Mr. Barrault who saw him disappearing in the nearby forest, walking.

New fact also in Mâcon where circulating on the bridge of Saint-Laurent-les-Mâcon who spans the rivers Saône, several people saw a disc, which for once was not brilliant, but dark.

In Tourriers, close to Angouleme, and in la Ferté-Macé (the Orne) it was two cigars who held the attention of the Sunday strollers, while a convex ball of fire shaved the summit of the trees in Beauvain, in the Orne too, under the amazed eyes of Mr. Christian Couette.

"SAUCERS"... EVERYWHERE!

PARIS. -- Several people have seen, on the bridge of Saint-Laurent-les-Mâcon, above the Saone, a disc which disappeared after a short moment. New fact: this disc was not shining but dark.

A workman, Mr. Magnier, and truck-drivers, saw a luminous ball which crossed the sky at high speed in Montluçon.

In Tourriers, at 17 km of Angouleme, about thirty people saw in the night of the 8th to the 9th a "kind of cigar" which remained motionless at forty meters above national road N 10 during about twenty minutes. The machine which was equipped with two winglets then decided to leave at a speed of approximately 250 to 300 km-H.

Mrs. Lebert, guardian of the castle of Pont-Chapelle, in La Ferté-Mace (the Orne), observed in the afternoon a mysterious machine in the sky. This machine which resembled a rocket, rose silently vertically leaving a light white trail behind. It could be observed during several seconds then disappeared quickly. A woman and children remaining in the suburbs of the locality were also witnesses of the phenomenon.

Mr. Christian Couette, son of a plumber of Tesse-la-Madeleine, rode a bicycle in direction of Ranes, when, close to the pond to Landes-Forêt, on the commune of Beauvain, was exceeded by a strange luminous machine which, at a high speed, shaved the top of the trees. The machine approximately 4 meters in diameter had the shape of a ball of fire convex on the top. It was to be observed during ten seconds.

"MUSHROOM" IN THE SKY OF CAMEROUN

YAOUNDE. -- Several people worthy of faith state they witnessed one of these phenomena which one calls "flying saucer".

They are colonel Cauvin, director of the service of Hygiene and Disease Prevention of Cameroun, Doctor Menu, head doctor of the Yaoundé hospital, Misters Dumont, director of the services of safety of Cameroun, Poilleux, adviser of the territorial assembly of Cameroun, Moreau, administrator, assistant mayor of Yaoundé and their wives.

All these people, gathered at the head doctor of the hospital, prepared to go to the movies, when they were intrigued by the attitude of the dog of the house who, suddenly started to grunt and roughcasting its hair. Thinking that foreigners prowled near his residence, Dr. Menu went outside and saw in the sky, a brilliant object. He immediately called his guests who all, then, stated to have seen, almost at the vertical of the plate where the hospital is located, an enormous violently illuminated disc, motionless at an altitude of approximately 600 meters.

This "appearance" lasted fifteen seconds. The machine had very exactly the shape of a mushroom i.e. a very illuminated disc, whose people present could not evaluate the diameter exactly under which a cylinder a length equal to the diameter of the hat and also very illuminated swung very slightly.

Suddenly, the "saucer" took the direction of the east and its volume seemed to decrease at eye sight. Then it was immobilized during a few seconds before taking altitude quickly and disappearing.

IN LEBANON

BEIRUT. -- The newspaper "L'Orient" reports a statement by Mr. Max Favell, representative of a German firm in Beirut, who claims to have seen Saturday around 10:15 p.m. (loc.) at the seaside, a motionless machine in the sky which emitted a whitish light.

Mr. Favell specified that the machine which was within a few meters of the ground landed for a few seconds then took off vertically while rotating to soon disappear in the sky. The witness did not notice any trace on the ground at the place of the landing of the machine.

Following the publication of this declaration, a journalist, Mr. Abdelkarim revealed that he had also seen the same day, but towards 7 p.m., a kind of ball of red color moving in the sky and coming from the north. Mr. Abdelkarim fearing that little credit would be granted to his "vision" had not revealed it to anyone.

"DISC" ABOVE MARSEILLES?

One of our readers residing in Saint-Anthony reports he saw, Sunday evening, a brilliant object in the shape of a disc above the sea, between 11 p.m. and midnight.

Suddenly, "the machine" started at very high speed in direction of the South-west.

...a new testimony to be poured into the "unidentified machines" file.

Discs, balls, cigars, rocket

A MARTIAN WITH A MUSTACHE SPENT HIS WEEKEND IN THE VIENNE

Only THREE Martians showed up over the weekend. Very reserved Martians. They abstained from the affectionate demonstrations to which they usually indulge in: caresses or hugs. No doubt they reserve these expressions of sympathy for rural populations: only country people have benefited from it so far.

A manual worker of Lavoux (Vienne), Mr. Roger Barrault, said that riding a bicycle at around 9 a.m. on Saturday, he was suddenly stopped there by a double beam of light directed by him by a "scuba diver" barely 1 m 50 tall with boots without heels very bright eyes and a strong mustache.

- The diver strolled for about a minute on the road, says Barrault, then suddenly disappeared into the nearby forest.

A mechanic from Carcassonne, Mr. Bertrand, saw, also on Saturday evening, on the road, while driving, a spherical craft of shiny metal whose upper part seemed to be made of plastic. He was able, he says, to easily distinguish two human forms in this craft; which disappeared at high speed in the east direction.

Mr. Bertrand could not specify if the two occupants of the craft were mustached like the Martian of the Vienne.

A Lyon resident, Mr. Morguin, claims that he has photographed a saucer over the Rhône.

- It was, he said, a red disc surrounded by white lights.

Several people saw a disc in Mâcon, above the Saône, not brilliant, this time, but dark.

From Montluçon to the Landes marshes...

A worker, Mr. Magnier, and truckers saw a luminous ball at Montluçon crossing the sky at high speed.

In Tourriers, 17 kilometers from Angoulême, around thirty people saw in the night from the 8th to the 9th a "kind of cigar" who remained motionless about forty meters above national road number 10 for about twenty minutes. The craft, which had two fins, then left at a speed of around 250 to 300 km per h.

Mrs. Lebert, guardian of the Pont-Chapelle castle in La Ferté-Macé (Orne), observed a craft in the middle of the afternoon mysterious that looked like a rocket and rose vertically silently, leaving behind a slight white trail.

Also, Mr. Christian Couette, son of a plumber from Tesse-la-Madeleine, was riding a bicycle towards Ranes when, near the Etang de Lande-Forêt, in the commune of Beauvain, he was overtaken by a strange luminous craft which, at high speed, grazed the top of the trees. The object, about 4 m in diameter, had the shape of a domed fireball.

[...]

As of 2 October, the number of daily observations is increasing dramatically. On October 3, there are hundreds, and probably thousands of "witnesses". And the places of observation continue to line up, forming very characteristic networks whose layout evokes a spider's web, with a sort of star-shaped center from which most of the straight lines radiate. A large proportion of cases are also located on several different alignments (at their intersection).

An example of this complex and rigorous provision is offered by the observations of October 7 (see map).

That day, on the territory of France, hundreds of "testimonies" make it possible to plot 23 observation places, of which only one is erratic, in the area of ??Toulouse. The other 22 are organized in 17 alignments:

- One seven spots line: Cherbourg; La Ferte-Macé; Saint-Jean-d'Assé; National 23, east of Le Mans; Lavenay; Montlevic; and finally Cassis.

- Three lines of four spots:

a) Marcillac; Puymoyen; Montlevic; Corbigny.

b) Isles-sur-Suippe; Montlevic; Bournel; Montpezat.

c) Saint-Savinien; Saint-Plantaire; Montlevic; Jettingen.

Finally, thirteen alignments of three spots. One can, at first glance, wonder whether three-spot alignments require an explanation other than chance. But on reflection, chance turns out to be insufficient. Indeed:

1. On the map to the millionth used for this study, the accuracy of the alignments is of the order of a millimeter, equivalent to one kilometer, for distances sometimes exceeding 1000 kilometers;
2. But above all, it must be emphasized that most of the spots are at the same time on several alignments (At their intersections): when one plots two spots on a surface, one gets a straight line; if four points are plotted, one gets six lines (the sides of a quadrilateral and its diagonals), determining, in addition to the four primitive spots, three spots of intersection at most; therefore, if one plots three new spots at random, what is the chance for these spots to intersect? Virtually none. The realization by chance of such a provision is therefore highly improbable. If coincidence happens regularly every day for weeks, the chance explanation becomes almost impossible.
3. Finally (and this is perhaps the most troubling part of the case), how can it be explained by chance that this provision lasts only 24 hours?

In-depth analysis of all these alignments is beyond the scope of an article. A glance at the corresponding map is more eloquent than a long speech. We discover this feature, which I have tentatively called "orthoteny" (2), until further studies allow, if necessary, to relate it to some phenomenon already known and provided with a name existing in the dictionary.

Provisionally, therefore, the "orthoteny" is the rectilinear disposition, generating networks, of the vast majority of flying saucer observations of the Fall of 1954. This arrangement is so surprising that one must, a priori to adopt a systematic distrust about it. Before recognizing it for a real event, one must consider every possible means to reject it.

On October 7, 1954, France is furrowed with observations in a straight line

1. CHERBOURG ...One saw luminous globes! (Paris-Presse - 10-10-1954)

2. DUCLAIR ...Mr. X, blinded by a luminous beam, reopened the eyes, saw a ball that disappeared in a few minutes. (Parisien Libéré - 9-10-54)

3. ISLES-SUR-SUIPPES ...on the edge of the road, an object of more than 3 m in length like a big shell pierced with portholes... (Paris-Presse - 10-10-54)

4. PLOZEVET ...sharp gleam, dense smoke... (France-Soir - 10-10-54)

5. SAINT-BIHY ...luminous globes... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

6. LA FERTÉ-MACÉ ...a mysterious craft, which was rising vertically, leaving behind itself a white trail... (Black out sur les soucoupes volantes, Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir publishers)

7. HENNEZIES ...A "spaceship" and its occupants seen by two children... Egg-shaped object, red, the top pointed at the yky... (Black out sur les soucoupes volantes, Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir publishers)

8. SAINT-ÉTIENNE ...three craft produced a violent white light; - one of the craft was round like a saucer, the two other elongated like cigars. (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

9. SAINT-JEAN-D'ASSÉ ...a gleam of an intense blue color.. (Aurore - 9-10-54)

10. BALLON ...stars as big as the Moon (sic!). (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

11. LAVENAY ...a flying egg... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

12. DORDIVES ...a weird object... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

13. CHALETTE ...an oval-shaped luminous craft. (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

14. LES AUBIERS ...a red disc... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

15. CORBIGNY Craft of cylindrical shapes, emitting red-orange gleams when they were horizontal and of a dazzling white when they rose vertically. (Aurore -8-10-54)

16. BERUGES ...a lighted mushroom... (France-Soir - 10-10-54)

17. SAINT-SAVINIEN ...a luminous disc. (Sud-Ouest - 14-10-54)

18. SAINT-PLANTAIRE

19. MONTLEVIC ...saucers, cigars, luminous globes and flying discs... (Paris-Presse - 9-10-54)

20. JETTINGEN ...a half-spherical cupola. (France-Soir - 10-10-54)

21. PUYMOYEN ...A the place where a saucer had landed, twelve samll heaps of ash in the middle of a 1,50 m circle and, among the ashes, small sticks... (Paris-Presse - 9-10-54)

22. MARCILLAC ...shape of inverted funnel. (Combat - 12-10-54)

23. BOURNEL ...circular shape... (Combat - 12-10-54)

24. MONTPEZAT ...a luminous circle, orange-colored... (Combat - 12-10-54)

25. BEAUVOIR ...a mysterious craft flying at a rather slow pace. (Parisien Libéré - 9-10-54)

26. MONTEUX ...a phosphorescent craft and of 2,50 m height... (local Press - oct. 54)

27. BOMPAS ...a formation of saucers... (Black out sur les soucoupes volantes, Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir publishers)

28. CASSIS ...the object, which seemed to be in aluminum, was very shiny. (Provençal)

Alignments exist. What do they mean? This is a mystery...

The case file is not faked

First question to ask: Is it true that the observation spots are aligned as this article claims?

To check this, just look for the spots in question on a chosen map in such a way that the lines of the map correspond as exactly as possible to the great terrestrial circles in the considered place. For France, it is the millionth map, Bonne projection, in the trade by Michelin (Michelin map nr 989). Ones locates the spots by looking for them in a dictionary of the communes, for example that of Berger-Levrault.

Second question: did the author invent all or part of these observations in order to find alignments? To enable researchers to answer this question, I have used in my research only observations that were already made public.

Third question: Did the author choose the observations that are aligned, creating a phenomenon that would not exist if other unreported observations restored the disorder of chance?

Of course, I cannot hope to know all the sightings because many of the witnesses did not say anything. But I used in my work all observations made public, as one can check by studying my book. To prepare the maps, I therefore only used published cases, and I used them all. There was no invention, no selection. Anyone can completely redo the work I did: one only needs to consult the collection of newspapers of the time, taking care though, however, of dates, not of the newspapers publication of course, but of the reported phenomena.

We come to the most delicate aspect of the problem posed by these strange alignments. What do they mean?

I have shown in detail the results of my research to several prominent scientists, including two Masters of Research at the C.N.R.S. It is very unfortunate that orthotenia is linked to the "saucer phenomenon", so discredited, because all these scientists, whom I cannot name, are now convinced that the alignments show a real and original phenomenon.

Real, that is, objectively taking place in space, not in the imagination of the witnesses.

Original, that is, not related to anything known so far. Neither airplanes, sounding balloons, sundogs, meteors, lightning bolts, nor hallucinations, lies, and facetious inventions are observed along lines forming networks. It is something else. What is it?

In my opinion, we are not close to knowing it. But perhaps the demonstration of the geometric superstructure revealed by the wave of 1954 will finally incite a greater number of scientists to worry about it. Allow me to express the wish here. Personally, the discredit that is attached to this research begins to put me down. It is overwhelming in the long run to have my curiosity viewed like a sin.

Aimé Michel

Note:

• (2) From a Greek word meaning "stretched in a straight line".

6. LA FERTE-MACE: ..a mysterious craft, which rose vertically, leaving behing it a white trail.. ("Black out sur les soucoupes volantes", Jimmy GUIEU, Editions du Fleuve Noir).

October 7 [, 1954]

[... other cases...]

Afternoon: La Ferté-Macé (Orne): lumin. obj.

[... other cases...]

[... other cases...]

October 7, [1954]: ufos are observed near Saint-Jean-d'Assé, on the nationale 138, at La Ferté-Macé, Ballon, Montlevicq, Cassis, Corbigny, Puymoyen, Marcillac; twenty eight localities in total [in reality at least 55] are hit by the phenomenon.

[... other cases...]