The article below was published in the daily newspaper L'Aisne Nouvelle, France, page 1, on October 9, 1954.
See the le case file.
|
A retired miner from Beuvry-les-Béthune, Mr. Victor d'Oliveira, 60 years old, of Portuguese origin, had solved the mystery of the flying saucers:... He made them himself! And the craft he launched (secretly) into the sky of the Nord puzzled the residents of neighboring towns. They were sturdy paper hot air balloons, inside of which a burning tow heated the air, allowing them to rise. The craft would then ascend and drift with the wind, surrounded by yellowish and orange reflections that created a most mysterious effect. Alas! One of his saucers, upon landing, nearly set a haystack on fire. The gendarmes quickly discovered the real culprit, who was forced to stop his production.
Our photo: the "saucer" is being prepared as a family affair. Mr. d'Oliveira, crouching, lights the tow.
