The 1954 French flap:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Continued on 6^th page, under the title:

THE "SAUCERS"

THE SAUCERS

(Continued from the first page)

In Egypt

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

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

In Lebanon

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

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

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

In Germany

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

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

In Cameroon

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

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

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

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

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

Mysterious craft increase activity

A flying mushroom above the Yaoundé hospital (Cameroun)

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

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

An enormous and illuminated mushroom

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

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

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

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

Two silhouettes in a cigar

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

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

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

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

"Four men in rubber outfits"

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

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

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

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

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

Short meeting with a "diver" man with a moustache

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

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

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

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

"SAUCERS"... EVERYWHERE!

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

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

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

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

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

"MUSHROOM" IN THE SKY OF CAMEROUN

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

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

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

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

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

IN LEBANON

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

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

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

"DISC" ABOVE MARSEILLES?

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

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

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

SAUCERS and Co

Vanguard of the armada that haunts our skies, the first unidentified craft appeared on June 24, 1947, over Washington.

Six months later, the captain pilot Thomas Mantell, chasing a "circular object", fell struck down.

Today, the epidemic of flying saucers rages on all France, extends beyond borders and reaches even the Middle East, Africa, and... New Zealand.

These days above the Saône, a dark disc made a short appearance in Saint-Laurent-les-Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) where several people crossed the bridge... and it disappeared.

- Two "Martians" cross a national road in the Tarn before flying away in their saucer!

ECHOES

- The Martians are getting bolder. So far they were content to stroke the girls' chins and friendly pat the men they met.

Now they are taking the cows off the pastures!... This is the latest saucer story, the most beautiful to date. It happened in the Saône-et-Loire, from where a subscriber of L'Abeille writes to us: A few weeks ago, the residents of Mâcon saw a saucer following the course of the Saône river, apparently to count its bridges. As a result of some fever which made it admit as probable, a few days later, the story of another saucer which would have landed in the early morning, in the communal swamp of Saint-Laurent-les-Macon and stole two cows there... The gendarmerie investigation was formal. The two cows were in the meadow before the installation of the saucer, and they were undoubtedly not there after.

What the gendarmes reflected on. "A cow and two more would be very cumbersome for a journey of 79 million kilometers (distance from Earth to Mars) In addition, two cows are quite heavy ...

With such an overload, the saucer would have risked being unable to return, its fuel exhausted too soon.

The Martians therefore had to try to sell their loot before leaving."

The gendarmes therefore advised the farmers victims of theft, accordingly, the next fairs to see if they would recognize their cows on the market. And they themselves questionned the local butchers.

"Didn't Martians come to offer you two Charollais cows?"

A testimony that in the Beaujolais region, the gendarmes have as much humor as the cattle thieves.

October 9 [, 1954]

[... other cases...]

? [=unknown hour]: Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire)

[... other cases...]