Ufological sources indicates that the investigators Anne-Marie Maissa, Philippe Maissa, Thierry Leplat and Eric Zurcher, of the ufology group CRUN, documented in 1977 the testimony of a lady concerning a very high-strangeness sighting which has occurred 26 years before, in the summer of 1951 to Beausoleil, the Alpes-Maritimes, France.
The woman, whose investigators preserve the identity, was then 40 years old and was without professional occupation. With her, were two other witnesses, a man or her husband, an electrician aged 49, and a 50 year-old policeman friend. These two men were deceased when these investigators gathered the testimony of the lady.
The latter reported that it was 9 p.m., that the weather was nice and clear, and that the night had not fallen yet, when these three friends walked towards a small public square at number 21 in the street of the Martyrs, hoping to get seats to attend an open air performance of the romantic Victor Hugo drama "Lucrèce Borgia" by a traveling theater company.
They were then confronted to a frightening sight: 60 meters of them, a small and entirely transparent ovoid object hovered on the level of the square at 7 or 8 meters above ground-level, behind the theatre, where the play had started and where the audience who had their backs toward the object, absorbed in the play, did not seem to have noticed it. The object was completely motionless and slightly tilted in the direction of the witnesses.
The three puzzled witnesses initially wondered if somebody organized some particular show there, and they walked normally towards the apparatus, in which they distinguish the profile of a pilot of a seat, of normal size in the front of the machine.
This "pilot" was in a light-colored one-piece suit, he appeared meager and old, of normal skin color, and had a long and probably white beard, wearing nothing on his head, having an overall normal appearance to the lady, who remembers only that he had no other striking characteristics apart of that beard.
The character seemed absorbed by the play, and leaned slightly ahead as for better seeing, which made it possible to Mrs. X to distinguish a second figure in the apparatus, that the two other witnesses did not manage to distinguish. Mrs. X does not remember to have seen mechanisms in the machine, whose characteristic other than its ovoid shape and its transparency are inexistent, expected that Mr. X is said to have mentioned that the inside was of lighter hue than its outside. Mrs. X also remembers that Mr. X had heard voices "like Russian", but as for herself, she does not remember this.
As they were walking, the three witnesses arrived at 7 or 8 meters of the apparatus. They quickly exchanged their impressions, and started to call the audience of the play so that they also look at the object.
But the object then immediately left, with a gentle whistling sound, going out of sight in one second behind the roofs of a building towards the North-North-East.
The public was angry at the disturbance and is said to have protested at the three disturbers, insulting them and calling them "madmen." The witnesses were not believed by the audience and Mrs. X would not speak about the experience anymore outside the family circle in the 26 following years.
The whole sighting had lasted between 20-25 or 30 seconds, and one ufological source mentions that an official investigation was carried out, but without specifying when or by whom.
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[Ref. fr1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The authors indicate that in the summer of 1951, in France, in Beausoleil, at 9 p.m., the weather was nice and hot and clear, the night had not fallen yet. Mrs. X, her husband and a police officer friend go to the small square which is street of the Martyrs to attend a theater play Lucrèce Borgia by a traveling company.
By "turning into [or from] the aforementioned street", they see 60 meters away, an entirely transparent small ovoid object, of 4 to 5 meters length by 2 meters in height, which is 8 meters above the ground, at the level of the square and behind the theatre scene, where the play had started and where nobody notices it, everyone turning their backs at the craft.
The three witnesses are puzzled and walk normally towards the apparatus, they distinguish a pilot in it, of normal size, sitting on a seat at the front of the machine.
He wears a light-colored one piece combination and appears meager and old, the witnesses being amazed to see that he had a long white beard. The color of his skin is normal, he wears nothing on the head. Mrs. X does not remember any more details such as about the nose, mouth, eyes, the hair, but remembers that only the beard was surprising.
This being seems absorbed by the play, and when he leaned slightly ahead as for better seeing, Mrs. X notices a second figure in the machine, that the two other witnesses did not notice. Mrs. X does not remember to have seen mechanisms in the apparatus, which can be due to a defect of memory.
The three witnesses arrived at 7 or 8 meters of the apparatus and begin to call people so that they witness this incredible vision, but the object leaves immediately with a gentle whistling sound and disappears in one second behind the roofs of a house towards the North-North-East.
The witnesses were unsuccessful in convincing anyone of their sighting and would be considered as "crazy", Mrs. X would not speak about it any more outside of her family during the 26 next years.
The authors note that the true name of Mrs. X is known to the C.R.U.N. investigators, that her age is 40, her husband, 49, is deceased, he was an electrician, and the police officer friend, aged 50, is deceased.
They specify that when the witnesses advanced toward the object, Mr. X had heard voices "like Russian", that Mrs. X does not remember any more. Mr. X also noted that the machine appeared to him of "lighter color inside."
The authors indicate that this was published in the bulletin of the A.D.E.P.S - C.R.U.N #19, pp 15-19, as an investigation report by Anne-Marie and Phillippe Maissa, Thierry Leplat and Eric Zurcher.
[Ref. fj1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND HENRI JULIEN:
The authors indicates that one day of the summer 1951, at 9 p.m., on a public square of Beausoleil in the Alpes-Maritimes, a traveling company gives a stage performance of the romantic drama "Lucrèce Borgia" by Victor Hugo.
Mrs. X, aged 40, without professional occupation, Mr. Y, aged 49, electrician, and Mr. Z, aged 50, police officer, are moving towards the trestles of the open air stage, expecting to get seats, and they are then in front of number 21 of the street of the Martyrs, the square where the play is set, and where they are confronted to a frightening display.
Above the square, the three friends see at approximately 60 meters a transparent ovoid object which is slightly tilted in their direction, motionless at 7 meters above ground-level. The audience of the play has their backs turned at the craft and nobody seems to have noticed it. The play is started and the actors grab the attention of the public by uttering their parts.
The puzzled witnesses think of some particular public display and advance quietly in the direction of the weird object, and they can observe, from his profile, a "pilot" dressed in a light-colored one-piece suit, who has a meager and old appearance and a probably white "beard", with nothing on the head, having an appearance which seems normal.
The character is leaning ahead, and you would have sworn that he was extremely interested by the play.
A second figure, definitely less visible, is at his side.
At this moment of the observation, Mrs. X was less than 15 meters of the object and estimated that it was between 4 and 5 meters long; no description of the interior of the apparatus could be provided by the three amazed witnesses.
The witnesses exchanged initials comments, then called to the audience to draw their attention to the incredible vision, and then, the object departed fast, emitting a gentle whistling sound, and disappeared behind a building in the direction North-North-East.
The public was in anger to be disturbed and was aggressive at the three disturbers, insulting them and treating them of "madmen."
The observation had lasted thirty seconds, and the witnesses claimed to the official investigators that what they had seen evoked no memory of reading, social context or technique of the topicality that would have come to their knowledge, such a vision was completely new to them.
The authors point out that the three witnesses were serious people and of mature age, not likely to indulge in such a hoax, that the case is of a very high strangeness level and naturally raises questions that remained without answer, this kind of occupants of UFOs having been seen on several occasions between 1950 and 1962 in other countries.
They conclude half-jokingly by mentioning that the bearded chap in the apparatus was perhaps Victor Hugo [1802-1885], the author of the play, who was known to have practised "with some success it seems", contact with "spirits."
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Beausoleil, Alpes Maritimes, France, on Summer 1951, at 21:00 p.m, it was still daylight, Mrs X, 40, her husband, 49, and a police officer friend, 50, were walking down the Rue Des Martyrs to a little square where a theatrical company was giving an outdoor play, when they noticed a transparent ovoid object 15 feet in length, which was hovering at an altitude of 25 ft over the square.
The audience at the play had their backs turned to it. The witnesses walked up to within 25 ft of the UFO.
They could see two figures seated in front of the egg, one hidden by the other. The one closer to them was lean and aged in appearance, with a long white beard; he wore a light colored suit with no headgear, and was leaning forward as if watching the play. The object was tilted toward the observers. When the witnesses called out to the audience to look at the object, it immediately took off, passing behind roofs in 1 second.
They had observed it for 20-25 seconds.
Albert Rosales indicates that the source is Humcat 1951-3, and Anne Marie and Phillippe Maissa, Thierry Leplat and Eric Zurcher.
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Left: Beausoleil, zip code 06240, is a community of the Alpes-Maritimes in the south-east of France right next the principality of Monaco, the geographical co-ordinates are 07° 25 ' 28 " in longitude and 43° 44 ' 33 " in latitude. In 1968, the population was 14.000. There is indeed a street "of the Martyrs of the Resistance" with a small square close to Nr. 21 where the open air theater play could have taken place. |
It is noted in the summaries that the assistance of the theater play did not notice anything, and this is explained by the fact that they had their backs turned at the object. However, the theatre company was then to face the object and did not see anything. The witness describes that the occupant of the object, leaning ahead, observed the play; in this case, and with the proximity of the apparatus, he would have being seen by the actors.
It is possible that the original investigation report contains information or opinion not reflected in the summaries, and it might be checked for a date of an open air play of "Lucrèce Borgia" in the municipal bulletins or archive.
Figuet and Julien explicitly mention an official investigation, without indicating the source of their information or when this investigation would have taken place. It is very unfortunate that in France, there is at the present time no public access to such investigations file, whereas it would be of the highest importance to get it, if it exists.
The witness, unique since the two other people are indicated to be deceased at the time of the investigation, was apparently 40 years old at the time of the alleged observation in 1951. Interviewed 26 years later apparently, that is to say in 1977, she was thus 66 years old at the time of the investigation, and the precision of her memories is an important point on which more information would have been useful.
No terrestrial aircraft neither French nor Russian nor from any country could explain such an observation; a helicopter would have necessarily made a considerable noise which would have been obviously perceived by the actors and the assistance, notwithstanding the danger of hovering at a height reported as 8 meters above the ground in the middle of a city. In the same way, the testimony reporting a distance of observation as close as 8 meters from this object could not have missed the noise and the turbulences of a rotor or any other terrestrial means of propulsion. It remains however possible, in the absence of evidence and corroboration, that Mrs X invented the story entirely. An opinion of the investigators on this matter is unfortunately missing, at least in the summaries.
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Figuet and Julien provide an illustration, with no source, of the the object and its occupants; which I represented in my drawing on the left. The drawing had a legend indicating a length of the object of about 4 or 5 meters. |
| Id: | Topic: | Severity: | Date noted: | Raised by: | Noted by: | Description: | Proposal: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data | Severe | August 13, 2007 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | CRUN investigation report not available. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 2 | Data | Severe | August 13, 2007 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | An official investigation is mentioned in one ufology source; it is not available. | Help needed. | Opened. |
| 3 | Ufology | Severe | August 13, 2007 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Only one witness, 2 others were deceased at the time of investigation. | - | - |
| 4 | Ufology | Severe | August 13, 2007 | Patrick Gross | Patrick Gross | Actors of theater play must have been facing the object but did not witness it. | - | - |
Entirely unexplained. Possible hoax.
* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.
| Main Author: | Patrick Gross |
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| Contributors: | None |
| Reviewers: | None |
| Editor: | Patrick Gross |
| Version: | Created/Changed By: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | August 13, 2007 | Creation, [fr1], [fj1], [ar1]. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | August 13, 2007 | First published. |
