This article was published in the regional daily newspaper Le Quotidien de la Haute-Loire, France, on Saturday, September 25, 1954.
The mysterious craft, commonly called flying cigar, announced in Puy de D me and in the sky of Rome, was seen on Saturday September 18, at 07:00 P.M. very precisely, by three worthy of faith inhabitants of Lodève, in the north of the department of H rault, whereas it evolved at 1500 meters altitude approximately. The object moved towards the south. The witnesses could observe it during nearly five minutes a tapered fuselage, towing a shiny lightened fire red sphere and moving without noise, roughly at the speed of an ordinary plane.
Two gendarmes saw it... And submitted a report with their chief.
On returning pf a patrol during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, two gendarmes of Chateauroux, Mr. Coutaud and Mr. Peninon, stated to their chief that they have seen, between 09:15 P.M. and 09:45 P.M. (21/09/1954), above Fleuranderie, village of Montierchaume (Indre), a luminous machine hovering still in the sky, at a height of approximately 1500 meters of altitude, then two others of greenish color at a greater altitude. The three mysterious objects, after having turned at a 90 degrees angle, are said to have taken the noth/west to south/east direction.
The forest service officer was there...
Mr. Louis Moll, rural officer in Oberdorf (the Moselle) stated that he saw, on Sunday (19/0/1954) around 09:15 P.M., an intense gleam coming from space and touching the ground in the east of Tromborn. This gleam was similar to that of a neon tube, he added, and coming from an object of quite vast proportions, and changed color. It became reddish and Mr. Moll claims to have seen black points evolving silently. The object, motionless during nearly 40 seconds, went into a rotation and carried out an almost vertical rise, taking the aspect of an orange ball and flattened before disappearing at a vertiginous speed in the south/east direction. The total duration of the phenomenon was one minute approximately.
What does Secretary of State for the Air think about it?
These evolutions of mysterious machine of which an increasing number people are or believe being the witnesses however start to intrigue the opinion. Therefore Mr. de L onard, deputy for the Seine, has just asked the Secretary of State to the Air, in a written letter: 1) If orders were given so that these phenomena are systematically and scientifically studied; 2) If these saucers or cigars could not be chased so that they are better observed, so that the public knows exactly if it is a matter of collective autosuggestion to dissipate, or if it is necessary to take account of these phenomena with the point of view of safety and National Defense.
