The article below was published in the daily newspaper Nord Littoral, Calais, France, page 8, on October 5, 1954.
Saint-Brieuc. -- Several people claimed to have seen, at 300 or 400 meters from them, around 8:45 p.m., a "flying cigar", at an altitude of about 50 meters. The object, they said, could be 15 meters in length and intermittently lit with pink gleams; it moved silently.
Brest. -- Mrs. Henry, farmer at Buesnou (Finistère), said that she saw Thursday, then Friday, in the evening at the same hour, in the sky, a purple cylindrical craft which moved silently from west to east.
Lille. -- Mr. Anicet Corneille, agricultural worker, said he saw last night, at Comines, a craft in the shape of a cigar, 8 to 10 meters in length by 3 meters in width, which moved at about forty meters in height and gave off a purple glow. After flying over the city for a few seconds, the craft reportedly disappeared in the sky.
The statements made by Mr. Corneille were confirmed by a Tourcoing motorist passing through Comines.