The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Courrier de Saône-et-Loire, France, pages 1 and 8, on October 16, 1954.
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AVIGNON. -- Early in the afternoon, at 1:30 p.m., the population of Fontaines-de-Vaucluse was in a stir.
Indeed, a "white disc" was hovering slowly above the small town and could be clearly seen with good binoculars.
This white disc was topped with a spherical dome of the same color.
The lower circular rim intermittently emitted two powerful lights, changing from white to violet, passing through red.
The Caritat air base (Vaucluse), having been alerted, immediately dispatched two jet planes that soon appeared and, after circling twice over Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, gained altitude and dived toward the disc.
Continued on page 8.
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The radio installed on board the aircraft and communicating with the base reported that the craft was in sight, it was being chased but was escaping, as its speed exceeded theirs.
From Vaucluse, the disc could clearly be seen speeding away like an arrow, pursued by the two jet planes.
CHAMBERY. -- The Savoyards were long puzzled yesterday by a "flying saucer" resembling a large star, which was moving from the southwest toward the northwest.
This object was seen successively in the Briançon skies, the upper Tarentaise, the Albertville valley, and the Chambéry region. In reality, it was a weather balloon originating from Italy, specifically from the Milan region, and not, as many observers claimed, a strange remote-controlled craft. It was even scheduled for the balloon’s scientific instruments to be jettisoned automatically between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.
Indeed, at 4:55 p.m., workers at a construction site in the hamlet of Rozier, in the commune of Val-des-Prés, 15 km northeast of Briançon in the Guisane valley, saw the parachute containing the instruments, retrieved them, and handed them over to the Briançon gendarmerie, which had been alerted to carry out the necessary investigation. The instruments are in excellent condition.
At 7:00 p.m., the balloon continued its journey toward the south-southwest of Gap.
MARSEILLE. -- Two luminous craft flying at high altitude were seen in the skies over Le Rove early in the afternoon. Observers noted that these craft hovered momentarily before resuming their flight.
DRAGUIGNAN. -- Several residents of Draguignan observed near the end of the afternoon a luminous object streaking across the sky at meteor-like speed.
CASABLANCA. -- Workers at the military supply depot in Casablanca reported having seen yesterday afternoon, above the city, a sort of phosphorescent cigar which, after descending slowly like a falling leaf, resumed horizontal flight at breathtaking speed before disappearing.
ANGERS. -- A resident of the village of Méral (Mayenne) reported seeing a bright orange-colored ball in the sky that landed on the ground. The disc, flat and dome-shaped, five to six meters in diameter, emitted a blinding light, illuminating the surroundings for 200 meters.
The craft was transparent, and from the inside, a dark figure could be seen. The disc remained like this for about ten minutes, turned red, and rapidly vanished to the north. The observer then went to the spot where the object had landed. He claimed there was a kind of shiny cloud slowly settling to the ground. Upon arriving home, he noticed his clothes were covered with a white layer of somewhat sticky material, like paraffin [sic].
NIMES. -- Two people saw, last night, as they were returning home a few kilometers north of Nîmes, a greenish glow in a field. They approached and observed the presence of a craft exactly like a rugby ball, apparently resting on struts. The strange object suddenly lifted into the air with a faint noise, gradually taking on an orange hue.
GRAULHET. -- A leather dresser from Graulhet reported seeing late in the afternoon, at high altitude, a silver object heading northwest, which he initially mistook for a jet plane. But, seeing no condensation trail, he fetched a pair of binoculars and clearly saw a large flexible disc, undulating on itself while moving at great speed.
Then the craft seemed to explode mid-air. A silver ball, about one meter in diameter, separated from the mass and continued its path, soon disappearing from sight, while the rest of the object fell in several pieces resembling cloths of various sizes floating in the sky, some of which got caught on telegraph wires. About fifteen people witnessed this unusual event, and fragments of material were collected. They appeared as clumped silver filaments that disintegrated when touched.
MELUN. -- Near Montargis, on national highway number 7, a resident of the city reported seeing a bright yellow mass of rounded shape in the sky.
