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The article below was published in the daily newspaper Var - Matin - République, France, le 16 février 1980.
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On February 4, all-out observations at La Seyne of unidentified flying objects. Patrice Seray, vice-president of "Frontières de la science" wishes to provide some details about these observations. This association, it should be noted, has a permanent office at 63, rue Victor-Hugo.
"I would like to clarify a few points on the affair of the objects seen on February 4 in the Seynois sky.
I was able to interview the two main witnesses to this sighting. That day there really was something above La Seyne.
"Neither the classic meteorite nor the no less classic confusions with stars or planes and helicopters can explain the case which required a letter from the I.M.S.A in "Var-Matin République" of February 12.
"The I.M.S.A. (World Institute of Advanced Sciences) then put forward the idea of weather balloons. Certainly, the explanation can very well account for many aspects of what the witnesses described to me. However there is an hour difference between the first and the second observation. And the places are no longer the same but quite opposite.
"For the phenomenon seen around 9:10 p.m., the explanation may possibly hold. Indeed, we know that a balloon has a plastic envelope. They can be around 20 to 40 meters in diameter. The sun, according to its position in relation to the balloon, reflects on it and gives it the impression of having a lit part and a dark part. At its base can appear like sparks which are due to the quivering of the envelope by the wind.
"The object described by our witnesses seems to fit somewhat with this description of a vision from a weather balloon. One of the witnesses having told us that the objects seemed like "glass" on the top, and faintly illuminated.
"However, we are awaiting confirmation from the Paris Observatory and from G.E.P.A.N. to whom we have written in order to clarify this matter. At the stage of our investigation, we will retain the balloon-sounding hypothesis (the trajectories and the movements not fitting) as an assumption and nothing more.
"On the other hand, we can already affirm that the objects seen on February 15, 1978, of which we have carried out a counter-investigation in recent days, as well as the object seen from the Cité du Floréal on December 5 last, turn out to be only the re-entry of meteors into our airspace."
