The 1954 French flap:

Saucers, cigars, etc.

Finally a "Martian"
(in full jacket)
who speaks French

A 13-year-old boy, the little Gilbert Le Lay, claims to have seen, Tuesday evening, a mysterious craft in a meadow, some 600 meters from his parents' home, in the village of Sainte-Marie en Erbray, near Châteaubriand.

The child wreportedly stayed for ten minutes to observe this craft which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, but this time dressed in a suit and a gray hat, shod in boots, reportedly told him in French: "Look, but don't touch." This character put a hand on his shoulder, while, with the other, he held a ball throwing purple lights. On what could be the device's dashboard were several multicolored buttons.

Still according to the child, the craft slowly rose vertically, launching fires in all directions, made two turns in the air, and suddenly disappeared.

A motorist
reportedly saw "two Martians"
cross the road

A motorist from Briatexte (Tarn), Mr. Jean-Pierre Mitto, technical agent in a company currently exhibiting at the "Arts Ménagers" in Toulouse, declared to have met, at nightfall, on the national road nr 631, the passengers of a flying saucer.

"Returning from Toulouse with two parents, he said, I suddenly made out in the beam of my headlights, two small figures who crossed the road, just a few meters from my car. I stopped immediately and, to our great astonishment, we then saw a large red disc with a diameter of about six meters flying away from a neighboring meadow, rising vertically. The craft disappeared in the sky in a few seconds."

A giant rocket
in the sky of Toulouse!

Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, Mssrs. Pierre Vidal and his nephew, Angel Hurle, were able to see, Tuesday morning, at dawn, barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which, starting from a field, quickly disappeared into the sky by creating a clarity of rare intensity.

The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious craft. There, they found that the grass had been packed onto a circular surface 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered four footprints in the ground that appeared to have been left by the feet of a heavy apparatus.

The grass was covered with droplets from oily vapor condensation, which smelled like petroleum.

Police attended the scene.

A "bell"
on the Evreux-Louviers railway line

A craftsman and his apprentice claimed to have seen around 3 a.m., on the Evreux-Louviers railway line, while they were driving on a motorcycle, a 2.50 meters to 3 meters high bell-shaped, which was one meter above the ground. The lower part of the craft was shaped like a ring. The craft emitted sparks with greenish and reddish reflections. It first did a 10 to 12 meter jump, while an orange glow shot from its base.

A farm worker joined the two men to observe the phenomenon. All three state that the "bell" remained visible for nearly an hour. Then the orange glow became brighter, and the craft rose very quickly vertically, heading east.

Paris, Oct. 13 (AFP) -- Observations of flying saucers and cigars were again reported today from certain points of France and Europe. Inquiries into previous reports were also in progress.

Military authorities continue their investigation of the saucer which appeared in the beam of a searchlight installed at the Metz Fair-Exposition. The searchlight operators saw, at a distance estimated as 10 km, a luminous circle which remained immobile during several hours. However, the radar operators, who were alerted, were unable to detect anything. Military authorities are investigating the possibility that some peculiar meteorological phenomenon may have been responsible.

Near the locality of Chateaubriant, in the center of France, a thirteen-year-old boy claims to have seen a machine shaped like a phosphorescent cigar only a dozen meters away. A passenger, dressed in a suit and grey hat, and wearing boots, supposedly told him "Look, but don't touch." The man is said to have got back into the flying cigar, which took off vertically.

On the other hand, Anatolia [region of Turkey] had not previously had the privilege of seeing flying saucers above its territory. A report originating from Ankara [the capital] indicates that this gap is now filled. Several persons living in the Ulus quarter [suburb] of Ankara saw, about noon, an object which remained immobile above them a long time. Suddenly, it moved off at great speed, and disappeared.

FLYING SAUCER
in Tyrol

VIENNA, October 13. - Mr. Harald Kreutzberg, the Austrian "Serge Lifar", living in Seefeld, in Tyrol, observed, while he was in his garden, a flying saucer which flew over the small locality for a few seconds before heading towards the North and disappearing behind the mountains.

Some residents of Seefeld also observed the phenomenon and tried in vain to photograph the mysterious craft.

A "Martian" who speaks French

CHATEAUBRRIANT, October 13. -- A 13-year-old boy, little Gilbert Lelay, claims to have seen last night, around 10:30 p.m., a mysterious craft in a meadow, some 600 meters from his parents' home, in the village of Sainte-Marie-en-Erblay, near Châteaubriant.

The child declares that he stayed ten minutes to observe, about ten meters away, this machine which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, a man in a suit and a gray hat, wearing boots, reportedly told him in French: "Look, but don't touch." He put a hand on his shoulder while with the other, he held a ball launching purple fires. He got into the craft through a door which he slammed. On what could be a dashboard were several multicolored buttons.

Still according to the child, the craft rose slowly vertically, launching fires in all directions, made two turns in the air and suddenly disappeared.

The saucers chronicle

LOUVIERS. -- A craftsman and his apprentice claimed to have seen on the railway from Evreux to Louviers, as they drove a motorcycle, at about 3 a.m., a craft shaped like a bell, 2 m. 60 to 3 meters high, which was at one meter above the ground. The craft emitted sparks shimmering in greenish and reddish. First it rose a good 10 to 12 meters, while gushing from its base an orange glow.

The lower part of the apparatus had the shape of a ring.

A farm worker joined the two men to observe the phenomenon. All three state that the "bell" remained visible for about an hour. Then the orange glow became brighter, and the object rose very fast vertically, taking the direction of the east.

Lisieux. -- Mr. Bon, professor of mathematics at Lisieux, saw early in the afternoon in Saint-Germain-de-Livet, 2 or 300 meters from the road, over a wooden area, a silver disc with a diameter of 7 to 8 meters, which rose suddenly in the sky, without noise.

The disc was animated of a rapid movement of rotation. After diving to the ground from an altitude of about 800 meters it suddenly left horizontally at a tremendous speed.

LA ROCHE-SUR-YON. -- Mrs. Drouilard, residing in La Roche-sur-Yon, said she saw in the sky Monday night around 11:30 p.m., a luminous machine resembling a mushroom, moving silently and rapidly.

Nevers. -- Two residents of Clamecy (Nièvre), MM. Henry Gallois and Louis Vigneron, stallholders, stated to have seen in a meadow near Corbigny, a cylindrical craft.

They say that while they were about fifty meters from the object, they felt an electrical shock, while the engine of their truck stopped and the headlights went out. When the craft was gone the headlights came on again but they had to restart the engine.

LYON. -- Dr. Durand, general counsellor of the Township of Belleville-sur-Saône and Mr. Bourgeois, cafe owner in Saint-Georges de Reneins saw over the chapel of Brouilly, a flying saucer.

On the other hand, around 7:30 p.m. Monday night, MM. Dubois, rugby player and Coulon, swimming champion, saw, flying at low altitude, in the direction of Montgelas, a ball of fire that changed color several times.

TOULOUSE. -- Two residents in the Toulouse suburb, Mr. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle, saw yesterday morning at dawn, a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket, fly away from a field and disappearing into the sky while producing a clarity of rare intensity.

The two men then went to the place where they thought the starting point of the mysterious craft was located. There, they found that the grass had been trampled on a circular area with a diameter of 6 meters. In the center of the area they found in the ground, four prints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy machine.

The grass was covered with droplets of fat steam condensation and smelled of oil.

The police went to the scene.

CHATEAUBRIANT. -- A 13-year-old boy, young Gilbert Lelay, said he saw on Tuesday night around 10:30 p.m., a mysterious craft in a field some 600 meters from his parents' home in the village of Sainte-Marie en Erbray near Chateaubriant.

The child claims to have spent ten minutes looking at ten meters this craft that was shaped like a phosphorescent cigar.

A passenger, a man wearing a suit and a gray hat, wearing boots, reportedly told him in French, "Look but do not touch." He put the hand on his shoulder, while with the other he held a ball launching purple lights. He climbed into the craft through a door that slammed. On what could have been a dashboard, there were several colored buttons.

Still according to the child, the machine rose slowly vertically, throwing light in all directions, flew two rounds in the air and suddenly disappeared.

Abroad

VIENNA. -- Harald Kreutzberg, the Austrian Serge Lifar, living in Seefeld in Tirol, observed while he was in his garden, a flying saucer that flew over the small town for a few seconds before heading north and disappearing behind mountains.

Several residents of Seefeld also observed the phenomenon and tried unsuccessfully to photograph the mysterious craft.

More and more amazing!

In the Lower Loire, a young boy meets a French-speaking Martian

The military authority opens an investigation into the presence of a mysterious craft above Metz

Chateaubriant, October 13. -- A 13-year-old young boy, little Gilbert Lelay, claims to have seen, yesterday evening towards 10 p.m., a mysterious craft in a meadow, at some 600 m of his parents' home, at the village of Ste Marie-en-Erblay, close to Chateaubriant.

The child states to have stayed ten minutes watching, at ten meters, this craft which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, a man dressed of a suit and a gray hat, fitted with boots, reportedly told him in French: "look at it, but do not touch!". He put his hand on the child's shoulder, while the other hand held a ball launching purple fires. He went up in the apparatus by a door which he shut noisily. On what could be a dashboard were several multicolored buttons.

Still according to the child, the craft rose slowly vertically, throwing fires of all the directions, made two turns in the airs and disappeared suddenly.

A mysterious craft above Metz

Throughout the Metz fair, a military projector is installed at the Army's exhibit, sweeping each evening the sky of Metz with its beam of light. Sunday evening, the users of the device saw, at a height estimated at more than 10 000 m, a luminous circle which remained motionless above their heads during several hours. The radar service, also set up at the army's exhibit, vainly tried to catch the strange circle in its device.

A local journalist having reported the facts, the General governor, in command of the 6th military area, ordered an investigation, which, until now, did not succeed. General Navereva awaits the report by commander Cottel, person in charge of the army exhibit.

According to the first information collected as of yesterday, it seems impossible that the projector set up at the Metz fair of Metz could catch an unspecified object placed so high. Indeed, this headlight hardly has a range of 5000 meters, distances which in very clear weather would perhaps make it possible to distinguish something. The luminous circle caught in the projector beam could be explained by the presence, at a great height, of an illuminated cumulus lit by the moon, full at that time, and hidden behind a curtain of clouds. One remains skeptical meanwhile, waiting on the presence of a round object which would have had, one estimated, fifty meters diameter and which would be remained perfectly motionless during several hours.

However, the military services continue their investigations and will draw the conclusions of this case as soon as they will be in possession of the report by commander Cottel.

CIGAR OR FLYING SAUCER?

a ball of fire rested on a meadow

"LOOK BUT DO NOT TOUCH!"
said the pilot to the young Gilbert LELAY, of Herbray

ERBRAY (from our special envoy: P. DOUCET).

Without pretending to play smart, we were skeptical. Extremely skeptical.

Lastly, in its turn, Châteaubriant had, or held, "its" flying saucer!...

The hero of the affair, the "seer" was a teenager, he was still at this age when innocence is the most splendid aureole of which the most beautiful legend shine, he was a child from on our own premises, a pupil of the primary school, a modest and estimated circle. Then, addition of interest, our small visionary doubled as a pleasant and deferent listener. Not only he "had seen" the mysterious craft, not only he had contemplated it all at ease, but also, the strange pilot had spoken to him, and in French and using the plural person, as appropriate between educated people.

The good joke! That thing is pretty obvious!...

Either the child was victim of his imagination and a mirage, or he wanted to impress his young comrades, or even he dealt with a smiling hoaxer.

The picture would also not lack of a certain romantic touch: this ball of fire in a green meadow, under the moonlight.

A LITTLE PRANKSTER?

That sums up rather well the flood of thoughts which occupied us during this short trip which led us to the public school of Erbray, where we were ensured to meet the young pupil of the course of the Certificate of Studies: Lelay Gilbert, 13 years old.

We were well decided to put a term at this nonsense, to confuse the young joker or at least to make him hear that he had been the victim of a very well organized prank.

This means that we felt well armored, that with us at least, no tall tale would be believed!

A DISCONCERTING STORY

How is it done, then? How is it done that we are left completely dumbfounded here, vis-à-vis this little boy who tells us what he saw and... heard, vis-à-vis this shy child, almost apprehensive, who continuously lowers the head, who is known for his very average intelligence, for his rather restricted imagination, and who does not read the newspapers or barely, and never went to the movies?

The fact is, you see, under it most simplistic aspect a priori, this "story " that the child tells us has more than one disconcerting side, by its qualities, the general behavior of the storyteller, and by some of his declarations.

"A "MAN" PUT HIS HAND ON MY SHOULDER"

He speaks the language of his age and his condition:

- It was Saturday evening, he said. It was 10:30 p.m.. There was moonlight. I was on bicycle. I was returning from an uncle's, in Rousselière. My parents were in front in the 4CV [car]. I arrived close to the village of Garrelières, when in a meadow, on my left, I saw an odd object.

- Describe that object for us?

- It was as a ball of fire posed on the grass. When I stopped and when I saw it upfront, it was all in length; then, from the side I saw it as very round. I crossed the fence of the meadow and I was within ten meters of the "ball" when a "man" came to me, put his hand on my shoulder and tells me: "Look at it but do not touch!"

- and this "man", how was he?

- Tall, gray jacket and trousers, hat gray also but darker. He held in a hand a ball, large like a large apple, launching purple reflections. He had boots.

IN FRENCH WITH THE ACCENT OF... BRITANY

- So, he talked to you in French?

- Yes, very fast and with a strong accent!

- What kind of accent?

- That of the Britons who comes on our premises to sell horses!

- He didn't say anything else?

- No! Except at the time to leave but I did not understand...

- And how did he leave?

- He opened a kind of door which he then closed again with noise.

- Did you see the interior of the craft?

- Yes, there were two seats of red color and opposite them many buttons of all colors.

- Then the craft flew away?

- Sheaves of fire started from all the directions, at the top, at the bottom, on the sides. "It" rose up very gently in complete silence and vertically. Arrived at about fifty meters, it turned twice in circles then it disappeared like a "shooting star."

- And you not noticed no other particularities?

- I did, while it rose, a circle turned at full speed in its lower part!

- Then you returned home?

- Yes, but I had difficulty to pedal and I could not speak any more. I was like paralyzed by the fear.

- You told your parents what you had just seen?

- They called me ... crazy!

TO EACH HIS OWN CONCLUSION

What more is there to say? What comments?

During this entire interview, we warned the child against any attempt at trickery on his part, preventing him about the range, the seriousness of his testimony.

P. DOUCET

In the flying saucers file

A MACHINE SEEN IN THE SKY OF METZ HOLDS THE ATTENTION OF THE MILITARY AUTORITIES

Metz, October 13. -- Throughout the fair of Metz, a military projector, installed at the army exhibit, swept, each evening, the sky of Metz with its beam of light. Sunday evening, the servants of the device saw, at a height estimated at more than 10.000 meters, a luminous circle which remained motionless above their head during several hours. The radar service, also set up at the army exhibit, vainly tried to catch the strange circle in their device.

A local newspaper having reported the facts, the General governor commanding the 6th military area ordered an investigation which, until now, did not conclude. General Navereau awaits the report by Major Cottel, person in charge of the Army exhibit.

According to the first information collected as of yesterday, it seems impossible that the projector set up at the fair of Metz could catch any object put so high. Indeed, this projector hardly has a 5.000 meters range, a distances at which, in very clear weather, it could perhaps make it possible to distinguish something.

The luminous circle caught in the projector's beam could be explained by the presence, at a great altitude, of a whirling cumulus lit by the moon, full, and hidden at this time behind a curtain of clouds. One remains skeptical, in expectation, on the presence of a round object, which would have had, one estimated, fifty meters in diameter, and which would have remained perfectly motionless during several hours.

However the military services continue their investigations and will draw the conclusions from this case as soon as they are in possession of the report by Major Cottel.

A little boy meets a French-speaking "Martian"...

Chateaubriant, Oct. 13. -- A 13 year old little boy, young Gilbert Lelay, claims to have seen yesterday evening, at about 10:30 p.m., a mysterious machine in a meadow, at a few 600 meters of the residence of his parents, at the village of Sainte-Marie-en-Erbray, close to Chateaubriant.

The child states he stayed ten minutes to observe, within ten meters, this machine which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, a man dressed of a suit and a gray hat, fitted with boots, reportedly told him in French: "Look, but do not touch." He put a hand on the boy's shoulder while, with the other hand, he held a ball throwing purple fires. He climbed in the apparatus through a door which he slammed. On what could be a dashboard, were several multicolored buttons.

Still according to the child, the machine rose slowly vertically, throwing fires in all the directions, made two turns in the airs and disappeared suddenly.

In Tyrol

Vienna, Oct. 13. -- Mr. Harald Kreutzberg, the Austrian Serge Lifar, Seefeld resident, in the Tyrol, observed as he was in his garden, a flying saucer who flew over the small city during a few seconds before moving towards the north and disappear behind the mountains.

Some residents of Seefeld also observed the phenomenon and vainly tried to photograph the mysterious craft.

SAUCERS (CONTINUED)

Military services are investigating

... and a Martian
talked to a kid

The testimonies on the "saucers" accumulate. The details often agree on the appearance and disappearance of the "luminous craft". So, is it not astonishing to see the military services worrying... and children claiming to have spoken to a "Martian!"

Yesterday, we reported the astonishing appearance of a disc of fifty meters in diameter above the fair of Metz.

Indeed, this projector has only a range of 5,000 meters, a distance at which, in very clear weather, it could perhaps distinguish something. The luminous circle could then be explained by the presence of a whirling cumulus, lit by the moon, full at this time, and hidden behind a curtain of clouds. We remain skeptical about the presence of a round object which would have been fifty meters in diameter, and which would have remained perfectly still for several hours.

However, the military services are continuing their investigations, and will draw conclusions from this case as soon as they are in possession of the report by Commandant Cottel.

Imagination at work

Gilbert Lelay, aged 13, claims to have seen a mysterious object in a meadow, some 600 meters from his parents' home, near Châteaubriant. The boy declares to have remained ten minutes to observe, at ten meters this object, which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A man, dressed in a suit and a gray hat, wearing boots, reportedly said to him in French: "Look, but don't touch". He put a hand on his shoulder, while with the other he held a ball launching purple fires. He climbed into the craft through a door, which he slammed, and the craft slowly rose vertically, launching fires in all directions, made two turns in the air and suddenly disappeared.

"Officials" saw a saucer
in an army projector...

... but, as usual
we won't know anything for a long time

General Navereau, commander of the 6th Region and Military Governor of Metz yesterday morning received the report from Commander Cottel, specialist in antiaircraft land forces, concerning the mysterious craft which, for three hours, last Sunday, remained in the beam of a powerful army searchlight in the Metz sky.

No information was communicated on the contents of this report, but one imagines with what prudent sagacity the commander Cottel had to analyze a "phenomenon" which had several dozen witnesses.

The Army had, in fact, set up a stand at the Exhibit-Fair in Metz. It was there that, at nightfall, a powerful searchlight kept running, sweeping the city sky.

Sunday therefore, around 8:10 p.m., the projector "ctahces" in its beam a strange motionless globe.

"It looked like a Christmas tree ball," said Commander Cottel afterwards.

First, one believed in the presence of a weather balloon. Soon, a dozen military experts surrounded the commander. They all agreed:

"It cannot be a weather balloon: its diameter is at least fifty meters."

The "thing" was still there

All kinds of hypotheses were then put forward, the specialists not daring to advance too much that of a flying saucer. It was decided to clean the windows and even change the coals of the projector. But when it was turned on again, the "thing" was still there. It stayed there until 11 p.m., when one resigned to turning off the projector. Meanwhile, the radar set which had constantly swept the sky had failed to detect the mysterious craft:

"The "thing", commented a technician, "is probably not metallic and that is why the radar could not detect it."

As usual, we won't know anything for a long time.

Many curious people who had gathered around the searchlight were also able to observe the "Christmas tree ball". Some residents of the Faubourg de Sablon were to say the next day that they too had noticed the phenomenon.

In the Loire-Inférieure
a boy meets
a French-speaking "Martian"

A 13-year-old boy, the little Gilbert Lelay, claims to have seen Tuesday evening, around 10:30 p.m., a mysterious craft in a meadow, some 500 meters from his parents' home, in the village of Ste-Marie-en-Erbray, near Châteaubriand.

The child declares that he stayed for ten minutes to observe, about ten meters away, this craft which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, a man dressed in a suit, a gray hat, wearing boots, reportedly said to him in French: "Look, but don't touch." He put his hand on the boy's shoulder while, in the other hand, he was holding a ball launching purple flashes. He got into the craft through a door which he slammed. On what could be a dashboard were several multicolored buttons.

Still according to the child, the object rose slowly vertically, throwing fires in all directions, made two turns in the air and suddenly disappeared.

Giant rocket in the sky
of Toulouse

Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, MM. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Ancel Hurle, were able to see, yesterday morning, at dawn, barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which, departing from a field, quickly disappeared in the sky generating a clarity of rare intensity.

The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious object. There they found that the grass had been packed on a circular surface 5 meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered in the ground, four prints appearing to have been left by the feet of a heavy craft.

The grass was covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor and which smelled of petroleum.

An electric saucer

Two residents of Clamecy (Nièvre), MM. Henri Gallois and Louis Vigneron, fairground merchants, said they had seen a cylindrical craft in a meadow near Corbigny.

They state that while they were about 50 meters from the craft, they felt an electric shock while the engine of their truck stopped and the headlights went out. When the craft was gone, the headlights turned back on, but they had to restart the engine.

The luminous circle seen
in Metz in the beam
of a military projector would be
a natural phenomenon

Metz, 13. -- During the duration of the Metz fair-exhibition, a military lighthouse, installed at the Army stand, swept the Metz sky every evening with its beam of light.

On Sunday evening, the operators of the device saw, at an estimated height of over 10,000 meters, a luminous circle which remained motionless above their heads for several hours. The radar service, also mounted at the army stand, tried in vain to seize the unusual circle in their device.

A local newspaper having reported the facts, the governor general, commander of the military region, ordered an investigation which has so far been unsuccessful. General Navereau awaits the report of Commander Cottel, who is in charge of the army stand.

According to the first information collected as soon as yesterday, it seems impossible that the projector installed at the fair in Metz could have caight any object located so high. In fact, this projector has only a range of 3,000 meters, a distance at which, on very clear days, it could perhaps distinguish something.

The luminous circle seized in the beam of the projector could be explained by the presence at a great height, of a whirling cumulus lit by the moon, full at this moment, and hidden behind a curtain of clouds.

One remains skeptical, meanwhile, about the presence of a round craft which would have had, it is estimated, 50 meters in diameter and which would have remained perfectly still for several hours.

However, the military services are continuing their investigations and will draw conclusions from this case as soon as they are in possession of Commander Cottel's report.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

The saucers

(Continued from the first page)

A young boy meets a "Martian" speaking... French!

Chateaubriand, 13. -- A 13-year-old boy, young Gilbert Lelay, claims to have seen around 10:30 p.m. last night, a mysterious craft in a meadow, some 600 meters from his parents' home, in the village of Sainte-Marie-en-Erbray, near Chateaubriand.

The child states that he stayed 10 minutes to observe, about ten meters away, this craft which had the shape of a phosphorescent cigar. A passenger, a man, dressed in a suit and a gray hat, wearing boots, would have told him in French: "Look - put a hand on the shoulder, whn-, [sic, mixture of lines] but don't touch." He told that, on the other, he was holding a ball launching purple fires. He got into the craft through a door which he slammed. On what could be a dashboard were several multicolored buttons.

Still according to the child, the object rose slowly vertically, launching fires in all directions, made two turns in the air and suddenly disappeared.

Toulouse. -- Two residents of the Toulouse suburbs, Mssrs. Pierre Vidal and his nephew Angel Hurle, were able to see, at daybreak, barely a hundred meters from their house, a giant rocket which, from a field, quickly disappeared in the sky causing a clarity of rare intensity.

The two men then went to the place where they located the starting point of the mysterious object. There they found that the grass had been packed on a circular surface three meters in diameter. In the center of this area, they discovered four footprints in the ground that appeared to have been made by the feet of a heavy craft.

The grass was covered with droplets from the condensation of fatty vapor and smelled of petroleum.

"Look, but do not touch"!

The occupant of the "cigar" wore a hat and talked in French...

Paris. -- A "Martian" finally spoke in loud and intelligible voice! Gilbert Lelay, a 13-year-old kid, was the happy listener. Whatever one thinks of his story given to the gendarmes. "I live in Sainte-Marie-en-Erbray (Loire-Inférieure). Monday evening at about 10:30 p.p., I was out of my parents' home when, in a nearby meadow, I saw a phosphorescent craft that had the shape of a cigar. I observed it for ten minutes".

"All of a sudden, a man came down from it, he was wearing a suit and a grey hat and had boots on: he told me in French: "Look but do not touch". He put a hand on my shoulder while in the other hand, he was holding a ball. Then he climbed into the craft, there were several multicolored buttons like on the instrument panel of a plane.

Near Toulouse, in a meadow

A "Martian" deposits
two printed sheets
in Annamese dialect

THE German professor Oberth, rocket specialist, affirms that Martians or Uranids are "plants endowed with reason". It's possible. But if their appearances multiply, it is humans who will lose their heads.

Mr. Olivier, a former aviation pilot, attended, yesterday evening, he said, the landing of a saucer, in a vacant lot, near his home, rue des Sontaines, in Toulouse.

- It was a spherical, reddish colored object. It came out of it a sort of diver, small, with a very large head and huge eyes.

"I saw him like that," he added, drawing the mysterious visitor with chalk on his door. He was shining like glass...

"I did not believe in it, specifies Mr. Perano, who accompanied Mr. Olivier, but I saw it like I see you..."

After a minute, the diver returned to his saucer which took off vertically without noise and quickly disappeared.

It is a few kilometers from Toulouse, too, in Léguevin, that a mechanic, Mr. Jean Marcy, saw, in a meadow, a luminous disc, orange yellow in color, which took off on its approach.

At the place where it had landed, he discovered, on the grass... two sheets of glossy paper, which he gave to the gendarmerie. The two sheets are written in KuocNu, an Annamite dialect. We read the words of Vietminh, Vietnam, Prince Buu Loc. It also talks about an arrival in Marseille on January 12, 1954. The two sheets paginated 9-10 and 59-60 looked not to have stayed on the grass for long. A translator will examine them more closely.

"Look, but don't touch"

This is all very strange. Much stranger than the appearance, near Châteaubriant (Loire-Inferieure) of a Martian with a soft, full gray hat, descended from a phosphorescent cigar in front of little Gilbert Lelay (13 years old) to whom he reportedly told in French: "Look, but don't touch..." According to the child, he held in his hand "a ball which launched purple fires" and climbed back into his machine, slamming the door. In the past, those under the age of fifteen were content to see fairies or ghosts.

But in Montluçon, an employee of the station who is well over the age of belief in fairy tales, says that he saw a metallic object placed a short distance from a diesel tank intended for the supply of railcars. Next to the torpedo-shaped craft, which could be four meters long, was a man covered in hair. Unless he was wearing a rather long coat. Mr. Laugère, surprised, asked him what he was doing. The stranger replied in unintelligible terms, but the railwayman seemed to distinguish the words "diesel", however.

Mr. Laugère did not want to listen to more. While he was going to get his comrades, the craft took off and disappeared.

Ste-MARIE-D'ERBLAY

LELAY: "He told me "Look, but don't touch"

It looked like a cigar, and it shone like a glowworm shining in the grass at night, said little Gilbert Lelay, mimicking the length of the craft seen by him in a meadow. "I was ten meters from the thing and I did not dare to approach, but there was a man of average size next to it. He was dressed in gray. He had boots on the feet. He seemed sweet. he approached me. He took off his hat, he scratched my forehead, he put his hand on my shoulder and said very kindly, "Look but do not touch." In the other hand he had a ball which launched purple fires. Then he entered his craft, laughing, and it flew away.

France, Too, 'Invaded' By Martians

Paris (UP) -- A flying saucer epidemic has Frenchmen seeing men from Mars.

The other evening in the Lorraine village of Walscheid a terrified band of youngsters stampeded homeward to report that the men from Mars had landed in a villager's garden. Womenfolk dashed into the village church, hoping for Divine sanctuary.

The men grabbed scythes, clubs, and the few available guns and marched against the Martians. They marched to the garden. There stood the invaders, half human size, heads glowing motionless. Turned out they were big-blossomed chrysanthemums the resident had covered with brilliant cloth against the frost.

The Standard Model

When the big scale visitation from the outer reaches began, the flying saucer was the standard model. Since then luminous cigars, frying pans, discs, cantaloup and even bells have hurtled through the French skies in increasing numbers.

Within the week the villagers of Momy (Basses-Pyrenees) took to the fields with makeshift weapons to deal with a flying saucer freshly arrived. They found a hollow pumpkin with a candle burning inside.

Two nights earlier a farmer in the Bordeaux area stopped to repair his car on a lonely road, and narrowly missed death when a resident mistook him for a celestial invader and fired both barrels of his shotgun at him.

Ten days ago Gilbert Lelay told his parents at Chateaubriant that a little Martian stepped from a flying cigar and readily gave him permission to look at it, but warned him not to touch it.

Near Toulouse, a mechanic, Jean Marty, 43, informed police he saw an orange saucer land near his home. It soon zoomed away into the night, but Marty found two sheets of paper on the ground, covered with cryptic markings which none could deny might be Martian literature.

The weekly magazine Express offered a reward of 10,000,000 Francs ($28.570) to the first person bringing a real live Martian to its office.

The more scholarly newspaper Le Monde, lamenting on the rash of flying saucers, mourned in print for "the days of our well beloved sea serpent."

Awestruck!

There is something to be left speechless: meet a Martian! To believe that they gave themselves the same goal, our (planetary)neighbors: visit to the earth, but where? On the small bit of France.

Think about it! The Martian of the Montluçon railway employee was covered in hair... only one word pronounced: gas oil.

At l'Ambroix (Gard), they were seven. Presumably it was a delegation going to the Ministry of Labor for better wages.

It is possible to get lost when traveling in saucers, cigars, barrels, discs, fireballs, mushrooms, circles, funnels and other contraptions.

Near Châteaubriand, he was dressed in a gray hat, shod in boots and reportedly said in French: "Look. But do not touch."

Gentlemen and ladies of Mars, do not be pretentious. If you have something to stun us, so do we:

Ah! Meet a Martian and stun him!

France Abuzz Over Saucers

Craze Matches Witch-Hunting

PARIS (Reuters) -- Frenchmen have taken to the flying saucer craze with all the enthusiasm that their medieval forebears devoted to witch-hunting.

Not a day passes without reports from all over France of "flying saucers," "flying cigars," "flying mushrooms," and "flying bells" piloted by 20th century sorcerers.

Villagers seize shot guns and pitchforks and sally forth valiantly to meet any saucer reported landing nearby. Police spend hours following up reports.

Flying saucer stories and speculation about their origin fill the national press. They have even driven sex from the front pages of some popular weekly newspapers. One has offered a reward of 1.000,000 francs (about $2800) to the reader who sends in the first authentic photograph of a flying saucer.

The Mayor of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a wine village of 1600 people has decreed that any flying saucer which lands in his village will be impounded.

Flying saucer stories come from all levels and ages of the population.

A select few claim that they have actually seen the creatures who pilot the saucers over France. They generally agree that the creatures, usually referred to as Martians, are shorter than human beings in size and appear to be very hairy. Most of these creatures, if they speak, utter unintelligible sounds, but some have made themselves understood in French and even Russian.

Thirteen year-old Gilbert Lafay [sic], of Chateaubriant, said that he saw in a field a flying saucer piloted by a man who spoke to him in French.

Baker's assistant Pierre Lucas of Loctudy claimed that he met a four-foot flying saucer pilot with a hairy oval face and eyes as big as crow's eggs.

A workman, Louis Ujvari, met a flying saucer pilot near Epinal who spoke Russian and asked how far it was from the German frontier.

---

Saucers with sirens

The saucers seem generally to be piloted by males. One exception was reported by a schoolmaster, Mr. Martin, who said he met two beautiful Martian girls on the island of Oloron [sic] off the French Atlantic Coast. They were about four feet, four inches, and wore leather helmets, gloves and boots.

The strange visitors from outer space are said to be equipped with "ray guns" which stop witnesses in their track with an electric shock effect and temporarily immobilize automobile engines, but no really unfriendly act by them has so far been reported.

Frenchmen are less well disposed towards their uninvited guests and some accidents have occurred in the hunt for Martians. At Sinceny, Jean Faisan fired two shots at his farmer neighbor, Maurice Ruan, who was repairing his car one night, narrowly missing his head but damaging the radiator.

Faisan explained that when he saw a figure illuminated by two lamps he thought he was in the presence of a "Martian repairing his flying saucer." He ran for his shotgun and fired.

In the village of Troussey, sugar beet gatherer Alexandre Ronneji, who had not had a haircut for several months, was manhandled by a crowd who mistook him for a hairy Martian.

At Tain-l'Hermitage, in central France, a vineyard worker decided that his neighbor, M. Neyret, looked "extraordinary" in the dusk and attacked him savagely, beating him so severely that one ear was torn off. Only then did he find that Neyret was not a Martian.

Press cartoonists and practical jokers are having a field day over the whole affair. Newspapers and popular weekly magazines fill their cartoon pages with saucer jokes.

---

Flying Saucer-ers

A worker at a Paris railway depot started his mates on a Martian hunt by capering about in a welder's helmet with a green light inside.

But the king of the saucer jesters was a retired miner of the village of Beuvry-Les-Bethunes, near Lille, who built some flying saucers in his backyard. He made his "saucers" out of gray paper on the fire-balloon principles and lit a paraffin-soaked rag at the base. The warm air lifted the "saucers", some of them over nine feet in diameter, and off they went with the wind showing orange and yellow lights from the flames.

Police found him out after one of his "saucers" had landed near a haystack and almost set it on fire.

Attempts to explain the saucer phenomena have varied from "mass hallucination" to a suggestion that they are new experimental aircraft built in cigar form which can take off vertically.

Another theory is that, under certain atmospheric conditions, exhaust fuel from jet aircraft solidifies and may form "saucer" shapes. It has been said to reach the ground in the form of a rubbery material which dissolved on being touched. Such a material has often be reported to have been found on saucer landing sites.

Thirteen-year-old Gilbert Lefay [sic] of Chateaubriant saw a saucerman with gray suit and hat, wearing boots and holding some sort of ball which gave out purple light. This saucerian, who had landed in a field, spoke perfect French to the boy. The boy was evidently curious about the thing in the spaceman's hand, for it was reported the saucerian said, "You can look at it, but do not touch!".

October 11 [1954]

10:30 p.m.: Erbray (6 km SSE.Châteaubriant--Loire-Atlantique): "cigar" on the ground + being

October 16 [1954]

afternoon: Sainte-Marie-d'Herblay (5 Km NNE.Maisons-Lafitte ?-- Seine-et-Oise): luminous cigar lands + grey pilot talks 12-year-old boy (suspicious testimony or misinterpretation with helicopter)

October 16 [, 1954]

afternoon: Sainte-Marie-d'Herlay(5 km NNE Maisons-Lafitte ?--Seine-et-Oise):luminous cigar lands + grey pilot talks 12-year-old boy (suspicious testimony or confusion with helicopter?)

[... other cases...]

By checking against original sources we have also found a mistake in the G. Quincy catalogue; the sighting at Ste Marie d'Herblay (October 16, 1954) should be disregarded, the child named Gilbert Lelay is the witness of October 12 case at Erbray, and the story is definitely another hoax.

In Herblay, there was only one witness, a twelve-year-old boy.

245 October 12, 1954, 10:30 p.m., Sainte-Marie d'Herblay (France):

Gilbert Lelay, 13, saw a phosphorescent cigar in a pasture and a man near it, wearing a gray suit, boots, and a gray hat. He held a flashing sphere and told Gilbert in French not to touch it. He went back inside the craft, which flew in loops and vanished. (Carrouges 103; Magonia)

420 12 October 1954 2230hrs

ST MARIE D'HERBLAY (FRANCE) Gilbert Lelay (13) saw a phosphorescent cigar in a pasture, and a man near it wearing a grey suit. He held a flashing sphere, and told Gilbert, in French, not to touch it. He went inside the craft, which flew in loops and vanished. (M254; Carrouges, 103; Magonia, 147)

THE "MARTIAN" EQUIPMENT

We are going to devote ourselves here to a study of the different equipment with which the “Martians” are equipped. Although subtleties of classification are possible, we will consider two extreme cases.

10/12/1954 Sainte Marie d'Herblay (Seine et Oise)

That day, around 10:30 a.m., the witness, a 13-year-old boy, Gilbert Lelay, discovered a strange craft resembling a luminous cigar near his parents' home. Beside the craft stood a man of average height, dressed in a gray suit; wearing boots and wearing a gray hat. The witness approached (very close as the man gently put his hand on his shoulder saying, "Look, but don't touch..."). The man held in his left hand a ball emitting violet and purple rays, he returned to his craft, took off vertically, performed two "loopings" and disappeared. (J. Guieu; J. Giraud)

This sighting of a "Martian" of type A H [= of human appearance] is quite characteristic, it is "classic" and, moreover, it is excellent: proximity to the witness and good conditions of visibility. From all the observations made concerning the "Martians" of human appearance, it is possible to identify the following points: the human appearance is not limited to the morphology of the "Martian", it also extends to the costume. The behavior of the being is also human (words, explanations, handshakes, friendly gestures, caresses of dogs...). Any error of interpretation is impossible due to the very proximity of the witnesses who were faced with a "human" by appearances but who in fact was a "Martian" due to the very presence of the "Flying Saucer". Indeed, if the latter were not always there, such sightings could have been put down to confusion with airplane, helicopter, or airship pilots.

54-69 Oct. 12, 1954 2250 Sainte-Marie d'Herblay, France Type B

13-year-old Gilbert Lelay saw in a pasture a "phosphorescent cigar", and a man wearing gray clothing, boots, and hat, who put his hand on Gilbert's shoulder and said "Look, but don't touch." In his other hand he held a sphere emitting purple rays. Then he climbed aboard--G. could see a control console with colored lights--and the craft rose vertically.

Vallee wrote to FSR that this sighting "should be disregarded: the child Gilbert Lelay is the witness in the Oct 12 case at Erbray, and the story is definitely another hoax."

Investigator: Jacques Vallee

Sources: Vallee, Magonia, p. 147 FSR X-3, p. 22.

November 2, 1954

French Have Epidemic Of Disks

By Priscilla Buckley

PARIS, (UP). -- A flying saucer epidemic has Frenchmen seeing men from Mars.

The other evening in the Lorraine village of Walscheid a terrified band of youngsters stampeded homeward to report that the men from Mars had landed in a villager's garden. Womenfolk dashed into the church, hoping for divine sanctuary.

The men grabbed scythes, clubs, and the few available guns and marched against the garden. There stood the invaders, half human size, heads glowing motionless.

Turned out they were big chrysanthemums the resident had covered with brilliant cloth against the frost.

When the big scale visitation from the outer reaches began, the flying saucer was the model. Since then, luminous cigars, frying pans, disks, melons and even bells have hurtled through the French skies in increasing numbers.

Within the week the villagers of Momy (Basses-Pyrenees) took to the fled with makeshift weapons to deal with a flying saucer freshly arrived. They found a hollow pumpkin with a candle burning inside.

Two nights earlier a farmer in the Bordeaux area stopped to repair his car on a lonely road, and narrowly missed death when a resident mistook him for a celestial invader and fired both barrels of his shotgun at him.

Ten days ago Gilbert Lelay told his parents at Chateaubriant that a little Martian stepped from a flying cigar and readily gave him permission to look at it, but warned him not to touch it.

Near Toulouse, a mechanic, Jean Marty, 43, informed police he saw an orange saucer land near his home. It soon zoomed away into the night, but Marty found two sheets of paper on the ground, covered with cryptic markings which none could deny could be Martian literature.

The weekly magazine express [L'Express] offered a reward of 10 million francs ($28.570) to the first person bringing a real live Martian to its offices.

The more scholarly newspaper Le monde, lamenting the rash of flying saucers, mourned in print for "the days of our well beloved sea serpent."

October 12th. Sainte-Marie d'Herblay, France. (10:30 p.m.)

"Gilbert's hoax."

In the Atlantic seacoast town of Sainte-Marie d'Herblay there lived thirteen-year-old Gilbert Lelay, a lad with considerable imagination. On the 12th of October this youth told authorities he had come across an odd machine- resting in a pasture, a sort of "phosphorescent cigar," and next to it was a man who came up to Gilbert and said (in French it is assumed) it was permitted to observe but not to touch anything. The man did not stay long, but before he left in the machine, Gilbert noticed that in the man's hand was a glowing sphere that sent out shafts of purple light. As the door on the cigar-shaped machine opened and closed, Gilbert got a glimpse, he said, of a console covered with colored lights. When the odd craft vaulted into the sky, it performed two loops. 113.

After inquiries were made, Gilbert's claim was determined to be bogus, but that did not discourage the boy who was associated with another false report on the 16th at Erbray. 114.

• 113. Vallee, Jacques. Passport to Magonia. p.147.
• 114. Vallee, Jacques. "Letter to the editor." Flying Saucer Review. May-June 1964. Vol.10,No.3. p.22.

62 - October 12, 10:30 p.m., Erbray, Loire-Atlantique.

Mr. Gilbert Lelay, 13 at the time.

The witness returns home by bicycle. Near the Garrelières, he sees a strange object placed in a meadow. Seen from the side, it is all in length. Seen from the front, it is round. The witness crosses the fence and approaches about ten meters from the thing. Suddenly, a man appears in front of him, taps his shoulder and tells him in French with a Britton accent: "Look, but do not touch". He is tall, wears a gray jacket and pants, and a dark gray hat. He is wearing boots. In one of his hands he holds a ball that shoots purple gleams about the size of a large apple. Then, the man walks towards the object, opens a kind of door, and closes it on him with a noise. The witness could see two red seats in front of which there were many buttons of all colors. Then the craft takes off vertically, projecting sheaves of fire in all directions, but in the greatest silence. As it rises, a circle spins at top speed at its bottom. Arrived at about fifty meters high, the object turns twice in circles (sic) and disappears at very high speed.

Local sources: Ouest-France, Rennes, October 14, 1954, p. 9, article by J. Doucet, special correspondent, who interviewed the child; Les Nouvelles de Bretagne et du Maine, Rennes, October 14, 1954, p. 1.

Note: Figuet, p. 156, tells of a man who took off his hat and scratched his forehead, then climbed back into his craft laughing. There is none of that in the two provincial versions to which I referred (D.O. 57).

Case #003: 12/10/1954, p. 156 (Erbray)

4084: 1954/10/12 22:30 2 1:19:00 W 47:39:00 N 3333 WEU FRN LRA 8:5

ERBRAY,FR:BOY:CGR/FLD:PSH says LOOK but DON'T TOUCH:DOOR OPENS:/r217p197+/r30

Ref#197 WEINSTEIN, D: French Newsclips 1954 Page No. 80 : ROAD+RAILS

155.

Location. Sainte-Marie d'Herblay France

Date: October 12 1954

Time: 2230

13-year old Gilbert Lelay was walking around outside, about half a mile away from his parent's home when he saw, in a pasture, a machine he described as a "phosphorescent cigar." Close to the object was a man wearing a gray suit, boots and a gray hat. In a familiar gesture, the man put his hand on Gilbert's shoulder and told him in French: "Look but don't touch." In his other hand, the man held a sphere from which purple rays were emitted. Shortly thereafter, he climbed aboard the craft and shut the door with a clapping sound. Gilbert had time to something like a control console with numerous colored lights on it. The craft arose vertically, made a couple of loops while throwing light in all directions, and vanished.

Humcat 1954-92

Source: Jacques Vallee

Type: B

October 12 1954. 2230hrs.

ERBRAY (LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE : FRANCE)

Gilbert Lelay (13) was out walking near the Ste Marie Farm, about 800m from his house when he encountered a phosphorescent cigar shaped object in a pasture. Standing close to this object was a man in a grey suit, boots and hat. The man put his hand on Gilbert’s shoulder and said “Look but don’t touch”. In his other hand the stranger held a sphere, which emitted purple rays. Shortly afterwards he climbed on board the object, shutting a door with a clapping sound, but not before Gilbert had time to see something like a control panel with numerous flashing lights. The object rose vertically, made a couple of loops, casting light in all directions then vanished.

Vallee 1969, p.147 and Case 254 citing Carrouges 1964 p 103.
Location corrected from Google.

Location: Sainte-Marie d’Herblay France

Date: October 12 1954

Time: 2230

13-year old Gilbert Lelay was walking around outside, about half a mile away from his parent’s home when he saw, in a pasture, a machine he described as a “phosphorescent cigar.” Close to the object was a man wearing a gray suit, boots and a gray hat. In a familiar gesture, the man put his hand on Gilbert’s shoulder and told him in French: “Look but don’t touch.” In his other hand, the man held a sphere from which purple rays were emitted. Shortly thereafter, he climbed aboard the craft and shut the door with a clapping sound. Gilbert had time to something like a control console with numerous colored lights on it. The craft arose vertically, made a couple of loops while throwing light in all directions, and vanished.

Source: Jacques Vallee 245

*Oct. 12, 1954 - Ste.-Marie d'Herblay, France. At 10:30 p.m. Gilbert Lelay, age 13, saw a phosphorescent cigar-shaped UFO in a pasture and a man standing near it, wearing a gray suit, boots, and a gray hat. He held a flashing sphere and told Gilbert in French not to touch it. He went back inside the craft, which flew in loops and then vanished. (Sources: Michel Carrouges, Les Apparitions de Martiens, p. 103; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia: A Century of Landings, p. 226, case # 245).

On October 16, 1954, around 16 pm, a 12-year-old boy surely had the most incredible experience of his young life; after seeing a UFO land not far from him, one of his visitors spoke to him...

The whole story took place in the town of Sainte-Marie d'Herblay, located in the department of Val d'Oise, near Paris. Gilbert Lelay, the only witness of this scene, sees just a few meters away a flying machine, which was unlike anything known, land. From this spaceship, a humanoid, resembling a priori the earthmen, came down. The young man, stunned, could not understand the reason for this intergalactic visit.

Testimony:

" It looked like a cigar, and it shone like a glowworm shines at night; I was then about ten meters from this thing but I did not dare go near. There was a man very close to it, of average size, dressed in gray. He had boots on the feet. He was gentle and approached me. He carried in one hand a ball which launched small purple lightning. He took off his hat and scratched his forehead, then he put his other hand on my shoulder and said gently, 'Look but do not touch.' Then while laughing, he got back into his craft and it flew away. "

Source

http://ufolibraryorbsresearchnetwork.blog4ever.com, March 16, 2014

October 9 1954. 2230hrs.

LES GARRELIERES near EBRAY [sic] (LOIRE ATLANTIQUE : FRANCE)

Gilbert Lelay (13) was cycling home behind his parents' car from a visit to his uncle's, when he saw a fiery object on the ground in a meadow by the road. From the front it appeared cigar shaped, from the side, round. Gilbert walked up to within 10m of the object, at which a tall individual wearing a grey suit with a dark grey hat, and boots emerged. The being came up to Gilbert, took off its hat and scratched its head, put its hand on Gilbert's shoulder then told him in a Breton accent, that he could look at the machine but not touch it. In his hand the stranger held a ball that gave off purple flashes. The being then opened a door in the craft, showing him two red seats, opposite which were multi-coloured buttons. The man then said something that Gilbert could not understand and slammed the door shut. Flames came out of the object in all directions and it took off vertically and silently, with a sort of rotating circle in its lower part. The object then looped round twice and shot off. Gilbert was so afraid he could barely peddle home or speak. When he told them what had happened, his parents laughed at him.

• Gross URECAT citing Ouest France 14 October 1954. p9 + Var Martin Republique + La Croix 14 October 1954. + Guieu 1956 b p222 + Carrouges 1963 p103 etc