Cette page en français
The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference number for this case: Oct-54-Pouzergues. Thank you for including this reference number in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
In his ufology book of 1963, French writer Louis Couturier, aka "Michel Carrouges", described the mystifications of two journalists of the Samedi-Soir weekly, gone by car from Paris, going to the South equipped with accessories such as diving suits, fireworks and various pyrotechnics accessories, to play "Martians".
Among the places where they had operated, there would have been Pouzergues, in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, where they would have staged a landing of Martians, between October 5 and 9, 1954, according to their route.
This seems to have had no success since I found no trace of any matching testimony.
[Ref. mc1:] MICHEL CARROUGES:
Michel Carrouges tells of the mystifications of two journalists of the Samedi-Soir weekly newspaper, according to their articles in this newspaper from October 21 to 27, 1954: these journalists left Paris by car, and went in the South, the areas of Cahors, Montauban and Toulouse, equipped with accessories such as diving suits, fireworks and various products of pyrotechnics, to play Martians.
The journalists concluded that all testimonies of flying saucers are stupidities and especially the testimonies of October 13, 1954, one by "Mr. Ott in Toulouse", another by Mr. Carcenac in Graulhet, in the Tarn and also that of Mr. Mitto on October 9 in the Tarn, but without naming him.
Carrouges considers it regrettable that what could have been an interesting experiment on the psychology of perception turned into a joke, and that the roads that they followed was given only very partially, the journalists not having specified any date. He also specifies that they actually did not give any proof of their effective passage in the localities they claim to have been in and, ultimately, it is not so outrageous to even wonder whether their reports were not completely made up.
He notes all the same that there are some photographs of witnesses whose good faith was fooled by the journalists in the articles and that it seems difficult that they were invented; that it can thus be admitted these journalists actually operated a round of hoaxes, but that its importance, the precise places and the exact hours are so lacunar that nothing certain can be concluded form the whole.
Michel Carrouges reconstitutes that they have apparently followed the road of Brive, Cahors, Montauban, Toulouse, stopping their car and putting on their disguise and shooting earthly fireworks from time to time at the following places: Pouzergues (in the south of Cahors), Varreye (on the road of Montpezat de Quercy), Montalzet (on main road 20), Saint-Gomhiez (between Fronton and Bouloc, on secondary road 4), from there, or from near there, they made a turn towards Graulhet, then returned at the entry of Toulouse, near the Blagnac airfield, and that thus any testimony on this route, and at this time, is suspect to be illusory.
Among the cases ascribable to these journalists-pranksters, Carrouges notes that of Mr. Carcenac, close to Graulhet, in the Tarn, of October 13, at approximately 04:30, whereas these journalists circulated in these places according to their statements, and there would have launched some rockets.
It was obviously noticed at which point the details indicated by the witness made think of fireworks, with this "flexible and soft disc" which undulated and dispersed "strings" in all directions; which fell on the ground, while a small brilliant "disc" continued to appear to continue its trajectory. In addition, Mr. Carcenac was far away, since he looked at it through binoculars.
[Ref. ca1:] FRANCOIS CARADEC ET NOEL ARNAUD:
The authors cite Graulhet as one of the places where journalists of "Samedi Soir" had mystified people by staging a fake flying saucer and a fake Martian. They say that this was indicated by Michel Carrouges.
[Ref. fr1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
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NOTE. At that time, two journalists from "Samedi-Soir", departed from Paris, went to the region of Cahors, Montauban and Toulouse. They were equipped with accessories such as diving suits, fireworks and various fireworks products to play the "extraterrestrials". But it does not appear that the "Samedi-Soir" journalists pushed their hike on the N631. On the other hand, their route, quoted in the book of Michel Carrouges: Les Apparitions de Martiens p. 164, pass in Briatexte. Indeed, it seems that after having followed the road of Brive, Cahors, Montauban, Toulouse, they played the landing at the following places: Pouzergues (in the south of Cahors), Varreye (on the Montpezat du Quercy road), Montalzet (on the N20), Saint-Gombiez (between Fronton and Bouloc, on the D4), from there, or in the neighborhood, they made a loop by Graulhet, then back to Toulouse by taking the N631 and passing by Briatexte. But the observation of Briatexte is for sure on October 9 (Dauphiné Libéré October 12, 1954). The journalists, MM. Michel Agnellet and Pierre Laforet, after having launched some rockets in the region of Graulhet on the 13th, at 4.30 p.m., headed for Toulouse. At the edge of the city, and near the airfield Blagnac, on a sports field, they began their ride: flares, torchlight walk, etc. The victims of this hoax were MM. Olivier and Pérano of Toulouse Bourrasole, it was 7:35 p.m. (Vallée, case nr 249.) Towards Graulhet at 16:30, Mr. Carcenac, a tanner in this city, saw one of the rockets launched by the journalists of "Samedi-Soir", many witnesses were able to recover silver-colored filaments that sublimated on contact with the heat. These fragments of matter were analyzed by a chemist from Graulhet. They will be compared to the "threads of the Virgin" so often seen or recovered at UFO sighting locations. See the observation of Gaillac on October 27, 1952 and Oloron on October 17 of the same year, Saint-Père-de-Retz September 20, 1954, Méral on October 14 and Vienne on the 18th. "The Threads of the Virgin" LDLN No. 99 additional pages. So in the case of Graulhet, it was just rocket waste. |
Samedi-Soir journalists hoax.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Pouzergues, Tarn-et-Garonne, Samedi-Soir, Agnellet, Laforet
[---] indicates sources which I have not yet checked.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
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| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | July 26, 2019 | First published. |
