The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 9-10-oct-54-Bompas.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
The Press, for example the regional newspaper Le Havre for October 13, 1954, reported that in the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Eastern Pyrenees), Mr. Sebelli had seen, posed in a street of this village, a cigar-shaped object about two meters long, surrounded by iridescent lights.
Still according to the press, Mr. Sebelli had awakened neighbors "who witnessed the rapid departure of the machine."
In L'Est Républicain for October 13, 1954, too, it was reported that a cigar had spread disturbance in the village, because it had landed in the middle of the street, in Bompas, at midnight, and that this was what the baker of the country, Mr. Sebelli, claimed. Le Quotidien de la Haute-Loire gave the same story the next day.
In his 1956 book on flying saucers, Science Fiction writer Jimmy Guieu places the case on "October 10, 1954, in the night," the craft is "rocket-shaped", posed in a street of the village, and the neighbors called by the witness had gone to their windows and had been able to see "the miniature spacecraft take off and leave quickly, surrounded by iridescent glow."
Guieu felt it was a reconnaissance craft "most certainly" remote-controlled from a mothership moving in the upper atmosphere and endowed with "no less certainty, of a television system", and he said that logically more and more saucers should land in the cities in the coming times.
In 1958, Aimé Michel proposed his theory of "orthoteny": not being able to verify each case, he was however quite amazed that the observations of one day, like those of October 7, 1954, would be, according to him, aligned on straight lines that intersect to form a star-shaped network. Without giving any details on this affair, he put it thus on one of these lines of October 7th, 1954.
Jacques Vallée would then give a short summary of the case, which he dated October 7, 1954, at midnight, and having as source Paris-Presse, and Le Figaro, for October 13, 1954.
The case continued to appear like this til the era of the Web with the date of October 7, 1954.
In 1979, the two ufologists Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker, who became "skeptics", claiming to have investigated the famous wave of 1954 in France, criticized the "alignments" of October 7, 1978. About this case of Bompas, they did not provide a trivial explanation, but cast doubts on the date, since whereas Jacques Vallée gave October 7, the "Figaro" for October 13 gave October 9, and Guy Quincy gave the night of October 7 to 8.
The correct date for me is obviously probably the one indicated in full writing in the Press of the time, indicating that it was around midnight "in the night from Saturday to Sunday" so in the night of October 9, 1954 to October 10, 1954, without any way to decide between the 9th and the 10th since it was at midnight.
[Ref. lcx1:] NEWSPAPER "LA CROIX":
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Mr. Hoge, cinema operator, saw on Saturday evening, near Munster, four men coming out of a flying saucer.
These men, 1.20 meters, had a strongly developed torso and a large head. In contrast, their lower limbs were short and lean.
Mr. Hoge was on his way home when he saw a bluish light in a field, sixty meters from the road. At first he thought it was a crashed plane. Then he noticed that the light was coming from an object in the shape of a cigar. Four men, in rubber suits, were working under the craft. None of them said a word.
Hoge watched them work for ten minutes, not approaching, because he was afraid. Finally, the four men entered the cigar which, a few meters after taking off, took the shape of a saucer projecting a dazzling light.
A colonial teacher, currently on leave in the island of Oléron, claims to have met two pretty "Martian girls" measuring about 1.70 meters., in boots, gloves and helmets of leather. The two "Martians" grabbed Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook. Mr. Martin keeps this manuscript in a safe place.
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales) Mr. Sebelli, saw, posed in a street of this village, a cigar-shaped object about two meters in length, surrounded by iridescent lights. Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the craft.
On the other hand, three young hunters saw Monday above Gaillac (Aveyron), moving at a high altitude, a cigar-shaped object which flew in a series of big "s" in the sky.
Each maneuver was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared heading North.
Having seen a light in a pasture, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, aged 22 and 18, approached, thinking it was a fire started by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a craft of a height of about 2 meters. As they approached, the barrel-shaped craft turned incandescent red, rose into the air and disappeared over the horizon. The same phenomenon was observed by two other people.
[Ref. lhe1:] NEWSPAPER "LE HAVRE":
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(4) Continued from the first page
above Machault a circular craft emitting a fairly bright light, of orange color. The disc, which was about the diameter of a full moon, was moving at relatively slow pace, crossing the sky horizontally.
MELUN. -- Mr. Demarchy, butcher in Seine-Port, and one of his friends, who were traveling by car in Nandy, reported seeing a luminous disc flying at an altitude of about 800 meters. The two butchers left their car and followed the evolution of the craft for about a minute.
QUIMPER. -- Mr. Correntin Couarch, 58-year-old, resident of the village of Elliant (the Finistère), farm worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters above sea level, a luminous craft which he cannot specify the shape and size. He said that, frightened, he had turned off the lantern of his bicycle to avoid attracting attention and walked away quickly. At one kilometer, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
TOULOUSE. -- In the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli saw, landed in a street of this village a cigar-shaped object about two feet long, surrounded by iridescent glow.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the fast departure of the craft.
Elsewhere, three young hunters yesterday saw the moves above Gaillac (Aveyron), at high altitude, of a cigar-shaped object in the sky which followed a series of large "S". Each course was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft disappeared suddenly towards the North.
Lastly, in Pont-de-Salars (Aveyron), a person saw in the sky, toward the Couhant, a disc surrounded by a wide luminous circle of an unsustainable shine. Slowly descended toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
RIOM. -- During the last night, the police officers Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, of the Riom urban squad, who were on patrol saw in the sky a cigar-shaped craft that was heading from South to North. Three balls of red fire detached and illuminated for a few moments a part of the sky. The cigar was of a metallic appearance, similar to duralumin.
NANCY. -- During the night from Sunday to Monday, the residents of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village of Moncourt (the Meurthe-et-Moselle), have been excited by an abnormal whistling sound outside. Through the shutters, they distinguished a blinding light that seemed set on a hillside and disappeared soon after by rising vertically. This afternoon, the research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses discovered on a dirt road, traces of intense burn. Samples of rock and dirt were taken to be submitted to experts.
LA ROCHELLE. -- A colonial teacher currently on vacation in the Oléron Island, Mr. Martin, claims to have met two lovely Martian, measuring about 1 m. 70, booted, gloved and helmeted of leather. Both Martians seized Mr. Martin's pend and traced incomprehensible signs in his notebook while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin reportedly carefully kept this manuscript.
[Ref. ler1:] NEWSPAPER "L'EST REPUBLICAIN":
Paris. -- The saucers are inhabited: dozens of French people say so, and the descriptions roughly match: small hairy men, not mean, but using an incomprehensible language and gifted with an uncommon talent for escaping.
Here is now the visit that everybody hoped for: that of the Martian girls. Mr. Martin had the pleasure to be the first to welcome them.
Mr. Martin is currently on vacation on the Oléron island. He is resting, contemplating the waves and the pine trees forest, from the heavy climate of Africa under which he teaches the little black kids to read and write. Hiking is his favorite pastime. The walk he made on Monday will surely stay in his memory. At the turn of the path that smelled a good autumn air, he saw two pretty girls he identified as Martian. They were about 1m70, were wearing boots, glove and had leather helmets. Mr. Martin, barely recovering from his surprize, wanted to start a conservation, but failed to be understood.
Then the two Martians grabbed his pen and his notebook to trace signs that were incomprehensible all the same.
The interview was over.
Mr. Martin reportedly faithfully kept this manuscript. Probably to show it to his young pupils...
Apart from that, the descriptions of the last twenty-four hours are really lacking originality. Let's note all the same the testimony of Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent. "Coming back from Toulouse with two relatives, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights two small beings who crossed the road only a few meters above my car, I immediately stopped and, to our great amazement, we saw a big red disc take off from a nearby meadow, of a six meters diameter approximately, rising vertically. The craft disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
The cigar of Bompas (Pyrénées Orientales) spread a commotion in the village, because it landed in the middle of the street, at midnight, however. It is the country's baker, Me. Sebelli, who saws this. In the Aveyron, three hunters followed, above Gaillac, the moves of a two meters long cigar; which followed in the sky a series of big "S". Each move was made with a noise comparable to a stream of vapor under pressure.
Three balls of fire and a red cigar disturbed the night patrol of two police officers of Riom, Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, and a luminous disc moving at 800 meters of altitude approximately interrupted the travel of two butchers of Melun, who came out of the car to better see the phenomenon.
[Ref. nnm1:] NEWSPAPER "LE NOUVEAU NORD MARITIME":
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Riom, 12. -- During the night from Sunday to Monday, the peacekeepers Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, of Riom's urban corps, who were doing a round, saw in the sky a cigar-shaped craft which went from South to North. Three balls of red light detached from it and illuminated for a few moments part of the sky. The cigar was metallic in appearance, similar to duralumin.
Melun, 12. -- Mr. Jules Lefranc, a bank employee living in Paris, saw in the sky, near the François de Tessart stadium in Meaux, for about three minutes, an object brightly lit from the inside which, he stated, had the shape of a small soccer ball. The object disappeared, leaving behind, said the witness, a luminous trail the size of a stove pipe.
Residents of Trilport reportedly saw an identical stationary apparatus.
Limoges, 12. -- In Saillat-sur-Vienne, Sunday evening at dusk, Mr. Roger Gayout, transporter at Limoges, his wife and relatives saw in the sky a very brilliant mysterious machine which, after having moved for a few minutes, seemed to land a few kilometers further.
Nancy, 12. -- In the night from Sunday to Monday, inhabitants of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village de Moncours (Meurthe-et-Moselle), were stirred by an abnormal whistling sound, through the shutters they distinguished a blinding glow which seemed fixed on the side of a hill and which disappeared shortly after while rising vertically. In the afternoon, research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses revealed traces of intense calcination on a dirt road. Stone and earth samples were taken to be submitted to experts.
Melun, 12. -- Mr. Demarcy, a butcher at Seine-Port, and one of his friends, who were traveling by car in Nandy, said they saw a luminous disc moving at an altitude of around 800 meters. The two butchers got out of their car and followed the move of the craft for about a minute.
Mulhouse, 12. -- Having seen a light in a pasture on Sunday evening, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, 22 and 18 years old, approached thinking it was a fire lit by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a machine about 2 meters high. At their approach, the barrel-shaped object, turned to glowing red, rose in the air and disappeared on the horizon. The same phenomenon was seen by two other people.
Quimper, 12. -- Mr. Corentin Couarch, 38 years old, living in the village of Elliant (Finistère), agricultural worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters above sea level, a luminous craft whose shape and size he could not specify. He said that in fright he had turned off the lantern of his bicycle so as not to attract attention and moved away quickly. At 1 km, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
Toulouse, 12. -- In the night from Saturday to Sunday, a baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli, saw, posed in a street in this village, a cigar-shaped object about two meters in length, surrounded by iridescent lights.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the apparatus.
Also, three young hunters saw moving yesterday above Gaillac (Aveyron), at a high altitude, an object in the shape of a cigar which described in the sky a series of large "S". Each maneuver was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared towards the North.
Finally, in Pont de Salars (Aveyron), a person saw last night u the sky, towards the sunset location, a disc surrunded of a large luminous circle with an unbearable brightness. Descended slowly toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
Melun, 12. -- A resident of Fontainebleau said he saw above Machault, a circular craft emitting a fairly bright glow, orange in color. The disc, which was about the diameter of a full moon, was moving at a fairly slow pace, crossing the sky horizontally.
La Rochelle, 12. -- A colonial teacher, currently on leave on the island of Oléron, Mr. Martin, claims to have met on the island of Oléron two pretty Martian women measuring approximately 1 m. 70, in boots, gloves and leather helmets. The two Martians took hold of Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin is said to have taken great care of this manuscript.
The "Martians" (broad shouldered) repair on the spot and take back the air
Munster, 12. -- Mr. Hoge, a film operator, was near Münster (Westphalia) when he saw in a field four "men" in rubber suits who were busy under an object in the shape of cigar. Mr. Hoge watched them work for ten minutes, without approaching, and, finally, the four men entered by a sort of ladder into the cigar which, after taking off, took the form of a saucer projecting a dazzling light.
The four "men" whose height was about 1.20 m. had, according to Mr. Hoge, a rather large torso, a head proportionally too large for their body and slender legs.
Three children from Pournoy-la-Chétive, near Verny (Moselle) claim that they saw a saucer and its passenger. They told their story to their parents, repeated it to the teacher, and confirmed it to the Mayor. All three were roller-skating on Friday afternoon near the cemetery. There was Gilbert Calba, 12 years old; Daniel Hirsch, 9, and his brother Jean-Pierre, 5.
"At around [?]:30, said Gilbert, we saw a luminous and round machine landing, about 2.30 meters in diameter. The craft landed very close to us. It had yellow and white stripes and landed on three feet.
"Soon a man came out, holding an electric lamp in his hand.
"He was very small (about 1.20 m), had large eyes, a hairy face and wore a sort of black cassock like the priest. The man came to speak to us in incomprehensible language and we fled, frightened.
"We looked back a little further. The very bright object rose very high and very quickly in the sky."
This story is partially confirmed by another resident of Pournoy-la-Chétive, Robert Maguin, 16, who said he also saw around the same time a mysterious machine, but he was not close enough to distinguish the details.
Albi, 12. -- A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Household Arts" of Toulouse, claims to have met, at nightfall, on the National Road Nr 631, the passengers of a flying saucer.
"Coming back from Toulouse, in the company of two relatives, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights two little characters who crossed the road, barely a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw flying away from a neighboring meadow a large red disc with a diameter of six meters. Climbing vertically, the craft disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
[Ref. ner1:] NEWSPAPER "NORD-ECLAIR":
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During the Metz fair-exhibition, the army stand installed a radar device and a powerful projector for visitors; which works non-stop after dark. Sunday, around 8:10 p.m., the projector spotted, in its beam, the presence of a motionless globe in the sky: "It looked like a Christmas tree ball," said the head of the radar station, Commander Cotel, who was soon surrounded by fifteen military specialists.
It was first believed that it was a sounding balloon, then all kinds of assumptions were made. The servants of the projector, at first incredulous, cleaned the windows then even changed the coals of the device. But immediately when turned on again, the projector found the luminous globe whose altitude was evaluated at more than 10,000 meters. This globe had a diameter of 50 meters and remained visible for three hours. It was impossible, on radar, to detect the mysterious craft, since it was not sensitive to metallic waves. Finally, at 11:00 p.m., the strange globe moved east and disappeared. The General Governor of Metz asked Commander Cottel for a full report.
Near Albi, a technical agent from a company exhibiting in the Household Arts of Toulouse, Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, returned to his home at the end of the working day. Suddenly, he saw in the beam of his headlights, and the two parents who accompanied him also affirm it, little figures crossing the road. He stopped immediately and saw a large red disc with a diameter of about six meters rising vertically from a neighboring meadow.
A colonial teacher on leave on the island of Oléron does not hesitate to associate his name with an incredible adventure. Mr. Martin was walking on the island when he encountered pretty "Martian" girls, measuring about 1.70 m., booted, gloved and with leather helmets. The two "Martians" grabbed Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, trying to make themselves understood.
The teacher keeps the manuscript preciously.
At Riom, peacekeepers who were doing a round saw in the sky a cigar going up to the north. Three fireballs detached themselves and lit up part of the sky for a few moments. Similar phenomena were seen in Bompas, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in Quimper (Finistère), in Limoges, in Fontainebleau, in Melun and Mulhouse while in Moncourt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) the inhabitants of a farm were dazzled by a blinding light passing through their shutters. The light disappeared vertically.
[Ref. jpc1:] NEWSPAPER "LE JOURNAL DU PAS-DE-CALAIS ET DE LA SOMME":
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La Rochelle, 12. -- A colonial teacher, currently on leave on the island of Oléron, Mr. Martin, claims to have encountered on the island two pretty Martian women measuring approximately 1.70 m., booted, gloved and with leather helmets.
The two Martians grabbed Mr. Martin's pen and traced incomprehensible signs on his notebook, while trying to make themselves understood. Mr. Martin is said to have treasured this manuscript.
Albi. -- A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Household Arts" in Toulouse, stated having met the passengers of a flying saucer at nightfall on national road 631.
"Coming back from Toulouse, in the company of two parents, he said, I suddenly distinguished in the beam of my headlights two little characters who crossed the road, barely a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw flying away from a neighboring meadow a large red disc with a diame-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
[Photo caption:] This photographer, installed on the roof of a Parisian building, armed with a telephoto lens, a pair of spotting scopes and a lot of patience, does he hope to photograph a flying saucer, a "cigar" or simply... the moon? Obviously the last objective is the easiest, but is it not currently the most ambitious dream of all image hunters. An authentic photo of the famous "saucer" or of a Martian, well, this is glory and fortune. (Keystone)
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ter of about 4 meters, rising vertically. The object disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."
Nancy. -- The inhabitants of a farm located a few hundred meters from the village of Moncourt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) were disturbed by an abnormal whistling sound. Through the shutters, they saw a blinding glow which seemed to be fixed on the hillside and which disappeared soon after, rising vertically.
This afternoon, research undertaken towards the place indicated by the witnesses, revealed, on a dirt road, traces of intense calcination. Stone and earth samples were taken to be submitted to experts.
Quimper. -- Mr. Corentin Couarch, 58, domiciled in the village of Elliant (Finistère), agricultural worker, saw in the sky, at 200 meters of height, a luminous craft whose shape and size he could not specify. Frightened, he put out his bicycle's light so as not to attract attention and moved away quickly. 1 kilometer away, he said, he looked back and saw the light stopped at ground level.
Toulouse. -- A baker from Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales), Mr. Sebelli, saw an object in the shape of a cigar about two meters in length, surrounded by an iridescent glow.
Mr. Sebelli woke up neighbors who witnessed the rapid departure of the craft.
Also, three young hunters saw moving above Gaillac (Aveyron), at a high altitude an object shaped like a cigar which flew in the sky in a series of big "S".
Each evolution was accompanied by a noise comparable to a jet of pressurized steam. The craft suddenly disappeared towards the north.
Finally, in Pont de Salars (Aveyron), a person saw in the sky, towards sunset, a disc surrounded by a large luminous circle with unbearable shine. Descended slowly toward the horizon, the disc disappeared at breakneck speed.
Mulhouse. -- Having seen a light in a pasture, two young girls from Heimersdorf, Anny and Roselyne Pracht, aged 22 and 18, approach thinking it was a fire lit by a shepherd. They then saw, they claim, a craft about 2 meters high. As they approached, the barrel-shaped object turned glowing red, rose in the air and disappeared on the horizon. The same phenomenon was observed by two other people.
[Ref. lqh1:] NEWSPAPER "LE QUOTIDIEN DE LA HAUTE-LOIRE":
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In the night of Saturday to Sunday, a baker of Bompas, Eastern Pyrénées. Mr. Sebelli [or Sibelli] saw, posed in a street of this village an object in the shape of a cigar of approximately two meters length, surrounded by curly gleams. Mr. Sibelli [or Sebelli] awoke neighbors who attended the fast departure of the machine.
[...]
[Ref. fso1:] NEWSPAPER "FRANCE SOIR":
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A GIANT ROCKET, taking off from a field, was seen by M. Pierre Vidal, cook, residing at Croix Daurade, near Toulouse, and his nephew, Ange Hurle. It disappeared in a bright orange and pale green wake. At the presumed location of the rocket, the grass was covered with a fatty vapor with an oil smell.
A professor of mathematics from Lisieux, Mr. Bon, saw in Saint-Germain-de-Livet, above a wood, a silvery disk seven or eight meters; which rose silently in the sky, rotating on itself. After diving to the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters, it left again at the horizontal at a dizzying pace.
A GENERAL COUNCILMAN, a coffee-maker, a rugby player and a swimming champion, saw above the chapel of Romilly in the direction of Montgelas (Rhone) a flying saucer looking like a ball of fire.
A three meters high bell, moving with twelve meters jumps in an orange glow and emitting greenish sparks, was seen for an hour on the Evreux Louviers railway by an artisan, his apprentice and a farm worker.
A LUMINOUS MUSHROOM, which moved quickly and silently, was seen Monday evening around 9:30 p.m., by Mrs. Drouillard, at La Roche-sur-Yon.
A FLYING CIGAR, of metallic appearance, from which three red balls detached, was seen by Messrs. Roger Thévenin and Albert Daury, guardians of the peace of the urban body of Riom (Puy-de-Dôme).
ANOTHER CIGAR, surrounded by iridescent lights was observed in Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales) by the baker M. Sebelli.
AN OBLONG-SHAPED ENGINE, moving in the sky as in a big "S" and making a sound of steam under pressure was seen by three young hunters above Gaillac (Aveyron). The same machine was reportedly observed in Pont-de-Salars.
[Ref. jgu1:] JIMMY GUIEU:
Jimmy Guieu indicates that on October 10, 1954, in the night, a baker of Bompas in the Pyrénées Orientales saw a spindle-shaped machine posed in a street of the village.
The amazed witness had called neighbors who went at their windows and managed to see the miniature spacecraft taking off and leaving quickly, surrounded by iridescent gleams.
Guieu comments that it was "very certainly" a reconnaissance device "radio-controlled from a mother-spacecraft moving in the upper atmosphere" and equipped "without doubt, of a televisionnor system", and said that logically more and more saucers should land in the towns in the future.
[Ref. aml1:] AIME MICHEL:
Michel mentions the case as one of several aligned observations on this date but does not give additional information.
[Ref. aml3:] AIME MICHEL:
[...]
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:
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 orthoteny 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:
[Ref. aml2:] AIME MICHEL:
Aimé Michel explained that since December 1957, he was convinced that the "alignments" of cases on straight lines, such as those of October 7, 1954, are inexplicable, or more exactly, that they can only be explained "by the reality of the flying saucers", and that his opinion "is also that of a large number of scientists, among whom several are world-renowned."
He published a map of these alignments for this date, indicating that all the observations of October 7, 1954, are reported there:
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For the case of this file, he noted:
28. CASSIS: ..the object, which seemed made of aluminum, was very shiny. (Provençal).
[Ref. gqy1:] GUY QUINCY:
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October 7 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
Night Id?: Bompas (5 km NE of Perpignan--Pyr.Orientales): formation of M.C.O. [=Mysterious Celestial Objects]
[... other cases...]
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October 7 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
24:00?: Bompas(Pyrénées-Orientales): elongated craft posed in streetvilla [sic]
[... other cases...]
[Ref. gqy2:] GUY QUINCY:
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[... other cases...]
October 10, 1954: Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales) (5 km ISL NE Perpignan) baker (enlogated craft diameter 2 m posed in a street at night) (difficult dating: case of 10/7/1954? or 2nd observation, alter and distinct?
[... other cases...]
[Ref. gqy3:] GUY QUINCY:
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Night of October 10 to 11 [, 1954]
[... other cases...]
? [=unknown hour]: Bompas (Pyrénées-Orientales):lenticular craft/ground/street of the village, diameter 2 m (uncertain date:10/7/54?)
[... other cases...]
[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:
| 269 | -002.93301 | 42.73110 | 07 | 10 | 1954 | 24 | 00 | 1 | BOMPAS PY.ORIENT. | F | 0011 | 1C | 250 |
[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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October 7, 1954, midnight, Bompas (France):
Mr. Sebelli saw an object land in the village. He called his neighbors, and they observed the departure of the craft. (Paris-Presse, le Figaro, 13 Oct. 1954.)
[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:
The author indicates that on October 7, 1954, in Bompas, Mr. Sebelli saw an object landing in the village around midnight. He called his neighbors and they observed the departure of the aircraft.
[Ref. pis1:] "PHENOMENES INCONNUS" UFOLOGY BULLETIN:
This ufology bulletin published a map supposed to show alignements of cases of October 7, 1954, and it included a cas in Bompas:
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[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":
This magazine published in list of cases that needed an investigation or new investigation by their investigators, including:
"210 7-10-54 Bompas"
[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:
The two authors indicate that in Bompas in the Pyrénées-Orientales, on October 7, 1954, according to a dispatch by the A.F.P. and their personal files, a baker of the country, Mr. Sebelli, saw an object in the shape of a cigar, of approximately 2 meters length posed in a street of the village. The craft was surrounded by iridescent gleams. Mr. Sebelli awoke his neighbors and all witnessed the departure of the craft, which flew off almost immediately.
[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:
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October 7, 1954, 24:00. Bompas (Ariège).
Mr. Sébelli saw an object land in the village. He called his neighbors. Together they observed the departure of the craft.
[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
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386 7 October 1954 2400 hrs
BOMPAS {FRANCE ) M. Sebelli saw an object land in the village. He called his neighbours and they observed the departure of the craft. (M210; Paris-Presse, Figaro, 13 Oct 1954; Michel II, 146)
[Ref. fru1] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The authors indicate that in Bompas on October 9, 1954, Mr. Sebelli found posed in a street of the village an object in the shape of a cigar, approximately two meters long, surrounded by curly gleams.
He woke up neighbors who attended the fast departure of the apparatus.
The authors indicate that the sources are case 21 of the Vallée catalogue, C. Garreau and R. Lavier in "Face aux E.T." page 172, and Le Figaro for October 13, 1954.
[Ref. bbr2:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
For the day of October 7, Aimé Michel noted among others, two alignments: Hennezis-Montlevicq-Bompas and Plozevet-Montlevicq-Beauvoir; which was conform to the theory of the star-shaped networks.
That is to say: in the center of the stars that appeared by the crossing of several orthotenic lines, always appeared a cigar or a sphere of clouds. It is so here, with the observation of Montlévicq, sometimes recorded at Saint Plantaire (Indre).
Let's go back to the first line: Hennezis, no credibility at all anymore; Bompas doubts on the date, Jacques Vallée gives October 7, the "Figaro" for October 13gives the 9th, Quincy says it is in the night from the 7th to the 8th. As of the second one: Plozevet recorded by Quincy at about 0 o'clock, investigation is impossible; Beauvoir, the weather balloon cannot be excluded. These two alignments intersect over the department of the Indre. So we find here the observation noticed by Aimé Michel. Only here, on the admission of a witness, the affair is a hoax. Aimé Michel was right, in the center of a network one always observes a cigar of clouds or a sphere... devoid of any interest.
[Ref. gep1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "GEPO":
| 10/7/54 | (midnight) | Bompas-Austria | 000X |
[Ref. mft3:] MICHEL FIGUET:
| Nr of the J. C. Fumoux list | Nr of Francat list | Localization | Date | Class | Credibility | Sources | Number of W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 058 | 161 | Bompas | 09/10 | CE1 | NI RS PCV | 2-p 140 | 1 T+ |
[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:
| CASE Nr | CLASSIFICATION | DATE | HOUR | PLACE | ZIP CODE | CREDIBILITY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | CEl | 10 09 1954 | 24.00 | Bompas | 66430 B6 | RS [=sparse information]-P OVNI : p. 140 [=[fru1]] |
[Ref. lgs1:] LOREN GROSS:
October 7th. Bompas, France. (12:00 p.m.)
A mysterious flying object was supposed to have made a brief landing in the village of Bompas, France, at midnight. A resident. M. Sebelli, saw the object touch down so he alerted his neighbors. A number of people gathered in time to see the object before it rose and made its departure. 78.
[Ref. mcn1:] MARK CASHMAN:
Bompas (France).
10/8/1954 0:00
Mr. Sebelli saw an object land in the village. He called his neighbors, and they observed the departure of the craft.
[Ref. ov611:] WEBSITE "OVNI 66":
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OVNI 66 - Pyrénées-Orientales > 2- Olde file > 10/09/1954 - Bompas: landing and departure of a cigar
January 01 1998
In Bompas, October 9, 1954 at midnight.
Mr. Sxxxxxx finds, posed in a village street, a cigar-shaped object about two meters in length, surrounded by curly lights.
He wakes up neighbors who witness the rapid departure of the craft.
Source: OVNI, le premier dossier des rencontres rapprochées en France. Michel Fuguet [sic] and J.L. Ruchon
Posted by blogovni66 at 01:00 - 2- Old files - Comments [0] - Permalink [#]
Tags : 1954, 66, Bompas, cigar, October, UFO, report
[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":
4040: 1954/10/09 23:50 3 2:56:00 E 42:44:00 N 3333 WEU FRN PYO 8:8
BOMPAS,FR:BAKER SEBELLI++:2M CGR/VILLAGE STREET:LITES/RIM:AWAY FAST:/r30p140
Ref#197 WEINSTEIN, D: French Newsclips 1954 Page No. 78 : FOREST
[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
On this Day
October 7
[...]
1954 - Mr. Sebelli saw an object land in the village of Bompas, France shortly before midnight. He called his neighbors, and they observed the departure of the craft. (Sources: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 146; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 220).
[...]
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
Thursday, October 7, 1954
[...]
Midnight - In Bompas (France), Mr. Sébelli sees an object land in the village. He calls his neighbors. They observe the departure of the craft together.
[...]
Jérôme Beau indicates that his source is "Paris-Presse, Le Figaro, October 13, 1954".
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the Pyrenees Orientales in Bompas, on October 7, 1954, "a witness saw an object landing in the village. He called his neighbors. They observed the departure of the apparatus together."
Luc Chastan indicates that the source is my website at "http://ufologie.net".
[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
The website indicates that on 7 October 1954 at 24:00 in Bompas, France "Mr. Sebelli saw an object land in the village of Bompas, France shortly before midnight. He called his neighbors, and they observed the departure of the craft."
The website adds: "An object was sighted that had an appearance and performance beyond the capability of known earthly aircraft. One object was observed by several male witnesses in a city."
The sources are indicated as "Guieu, Jimmy, Flying Saucers Come from Another World, Citadel, New York, 1956; Michel, Aime, Flying Saucers and the Straight-Line Mystery, S. G. Phillips, New York, 1958; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Preliminary Catalog (N = 500), (in JVallee01); Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173)".
[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":
*Oct. 7, 1954 - Mr. Sebelli saw an object land in the village of Bompas, France shortly before midnight. He called his neighbors, and they observed the departure of the craft. (Sources: Aime Michel, Flying Saucers and the Straight Line Mystery, p. 146; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 220, case # 210).
[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":
This database recorded this case 11 times instead of one:
| Case Nr. | New case Nr. | Investigator | Date of observation | Zip | Place of observation | Country of observation | Hour of observation | Classification | Comments | Identification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bompas | France | |||||||
| 19541010 | 10.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541010 | 10.10.1954 | Bompas | France | 00.00 | CE I | |||||
| 19541010 | 10.10.1954 | Bompas | France | |||||||
| 19541007 | 07.10.1954 | Bombat | France |
[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":
October 7 1954. 2355hrs.
BOMPAS (PYRENEES ORIENTALES : FRANCE)
A baker, Mr Sebelli or Sibelli saw, in the street, a cigar shaped object 2m long, surrounded by small lights. He awoke his neighbours, who saw the thing take off.
"Gross 1954" is supposed to indicate my web page; no link was provided and my page was not just a quote from Le Quotidien de la Haute-Loire!
Either it was the visit of an extraterrestrial craft, or it was an invention by Mr. Sébelli.
The fact that a newspaper indicates that the neighbors who also witnessed it would also be witnesses only according to the words of Mr. Sébelli is not in favor of the case.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Bompas, Pyrenées Orientales, Sebelli, Sibelli, object, landing, multiple
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | April 5, 2003 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | May 1, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [fru1], [djn1], [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | March 13, 2010 | Addition [jgu1]. |
| 1.2 | Patrick Gross | June 28, 2010 | Addition [jve5]. |
| 1.3 | Patrick Gross | September 21, 2014 | Additions [lhe1], [nip1]. |
| 1.4 | Patrick Gross | November 20, 2016. | Additions [ler1], [ubk1]. |
| 1.5 | Patrick Gross | December 19, 2016. | Addition [lgs1]. |
| 1.6 | Patrick Gross | December 30, 2016 | Addition [fso1]. |
| 1.7 | Patrick Gross | May 2, 2019 | Additions [aml2], [prn1], [bbr2], [mft3], [lhh1], [prn2], Summary. Day changed from 7 to 9-10. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
| 1.8 | Patrick Gross | December 10, 2019 | Additions [pis1], [ldl1]. |
| 1.9 | Patrick Gross | February 22, 2020 | Addition [nnm1]. |
| 2.0 | Patrick Gross | June 16, 2020 | Addition [ner1]. |
| 2.1 | Patrick Gross | June 29, 2020 | Addition [jpc1]. |
| 2.2 | Patrick Gross | January 15, 2021 | Addition [lcx1]. |
| 2.3 | Patrick Gross | May 2, 2022 | Additions [aml3], [gqy1], [gqy2], [gqy3], [jve3], [mft1], [gep1], [ov61]. |
