The 1954 French flap:

Every day its own crazy story...

Are the Martians cousins of Bao Dai?

Two loose pages from a brochure of the Prince of the Loch, discarded by Vietnamese campers, were mistaken for interstellar messages

CONTRARY to what some colleagues print, the file on "flying saucers" is not open in France because, for the moment, it would contain nothing but hot air. What is wide open, however, is the malfunctioning tap of those same colleagues and of the press agency that continues to feed us the most fanciful reports, mixed with clarifications and denials, indiscriminately, in bulk, as if they were road accidents and "incidents."

Among this uncontrolled flood, from which we have now decided to spare you, let us nevertheless gather, for the edification of our readers, these little pearls of imagination from some of our contemporaries.

On a vacant lot in Toulouse, three witnesses - including a teenager - saw, on October 13 at 7:33 p.m., a small diver-like figure, with a head large in proportion to its body, descend from a spherical craft and

Jacques DEROGY.

Continued on page 5, col. 3

FLYING SAUCERS

Continued from p.1, col.7

reddish. The diver-like figure shone like glass and rolled two enormous eyes. This is a classic portrait from so-called science fiction literature. But this time the green ray was missing.

Better still, in Montluçon, an SNCF employee, while crossing the tracks near the Gers bridge, encountered a 4-meter-long torpedo resting near a diesel fuel tank intended for railcars. Nearby stood a terribly hairy being.

"What are you doing there?" the railway worker reportedly asked, intrigued.

- "Diesel," replied the unknown, who was no doubt refueling his craft, since a few minutes later the vision vanished vertically without leaving any trace.

But as for traces, there are always "witnesses" ready to provide them. Witnesses such as the hunters of Saint-Ambroix (Gard), who, having seen seven tiny beings rush into a phosphorescent craft, discovered at the spot seeds of a strange appearance which no seed merchant in the region - emphasizes the report - was able to classify within any known species.

"Martians write in Quoc Ngu"

The best story of the day is nevertheless this one from Haute-Garonne, where a mechanic from Léguevin, Jean Marty, 42, claimed yesterday morning to have seen, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, a luminous disc 7 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters high land in the middle of a field.

When the "witness" tried to approach, the disc rose into the air, silently, vertically, and at a dizzying speed. On the grass, at the spot from which the craft had taken off, Mr. Marty picked up two glossy sheets of paper, covered with printed characters, neither soiled, nor crumpled, nor damp, as if they had just been placed there. A former Indochina serviceman living in the region was able to decipher the text written in "quốc-ngữ," the Romanized script of the Vietnamese language, dealing with matters concerning Vietnam and the Viet Minh! From there to confusing the flying saucer file with that of "leaks" was only a step, one which a quick investigation prevented certain overactive imaginations from taking. Investigations immediately undertaken by air safety authorities revealed that they were in fact two pages torn from a brochure published by the services of Prince Buu Loc (representative of Bao Dai in France and cousin of the "emperor") and left at Léguevin by Vietnamese who had come to picnic... They dealt with ship arrivals in Indochinese ports and fish deliveries...

Saucers and balloons

Thus do the finest bubbles burst. It is enough to investigate. In the same way, the military authorities of Metz, who had opened an inquiry into the "mysterious" luminous circle caught Sunday evening in a searchlight beam, concluded that there was no need to take the published reports on the matter into consideration.

But military authorities should not be the only ones authorized to investigate the observations reported here and there. If we truly want to address the problem of the phenomena observed in our skies these days, we must put an end to this avalanche of hoaxes, rumors, and more or less fanciful tales, either by questioning the alleged witnesses, or, when their good faith is not in doubt, by investigating and informing the public about events that are often at the origin of serious observations.

Thus, a clarification was made yesterday by a resident of Croth-Sorel, Mrs. Omonts, regarding the "saucer" reported Saturday around 6:30 p.m. over the Saint-André region.

- The object was nothing more than an ordinary balloon, bearing a design painted in red at its top, and a gondola held by ropes.

We would no doubt also have been informed of a strange phenomenon in the Savoy sky, observed this morning in Modane, in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, in Aiguebelle where buses and cars stopped, in Chambéry and in Grenoble, where it was simultaneously attributed the shape of a flying serum bottle, if a radio amateur from Besançon, Mr. Brunet, had not at 1:30 p.m. picked up the following message:

University of Padua, in Milan (Italy), has launched balloon for nuclear research. Due to radar failure [!], craft has crossed the border heading toward Grenoble or probably at 5 p.m. GMT. Warn population as balloon may be dangerous [!] upon landing or afterward."

Toward the end of the evening, the prefecture of Isère received elsewhere two telegrams from Milan and Paris requesting "assistance for recovery of balloon carrying scientific equipment for the study of cosmic rays"... The parachute had been recovered in Briançon at 5:30 p.m., and the balloon envelope around 10 p.m. at the outskirts of Grenoble.

Cabaret owner - physicist

These examples show the possibilities of honest reporting. It does not consist of opening a "file" full of press clippings, excerpts from science fiction, and unchecked dispatches from agencies or correspondents. Still, such an "archive file" would have to be complete. It is rather amusing to read in the "file" opened four days ago by "France-Soir" that "the physicist George Adamski, who takes it for granted that the passengers of the saucers come from another planet, Mars or Venus, adds the decisive detail that the "Navy" is preparing brigades of specialists whose mission will be to welcome visitors from another world." Our colleague "Paris-Presse" had, in fact, ten days earlier, let the cat out of the bag - and others before him: "Finally, a certain George Adamski, a cabaret owner in California, made a fortune by describing the splendid blond youths from Venus who came in lampshade-shaped saucers and with whom he had the advantage of conversing at length."

Information has a positive role to play by submitting to specialists the plausible, precise, complete, and consistent accounts of good-faith witnesses, such as the observations reported yesterday by five residents of Toulon and by inhabitants of Le Luc, Cavalaire, and Saint-Jean-du-Var, who saw between 6:10 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. a fireball coming rapidly from the sea and disappearing behind the Cannet des Maures, leaving phosphorescent traces around it.

Flying saucers

(CONTINUED FROM OUR FIRST PAGE)

A mysterious
individual
comes out of a torpedo

Montluçon, 14. -- The saucer file has been further increased by several testimonies, the most important of which seems to be that of an employee of the railway station of Montluçon, Mr. Langère, who made contact on Sunday evening with a mysterious individual who had emerged from a torpedo-shaped craft.

Mr. Laugère was leaving his job and was crossing the tracks near the S.N.C.F. bridge, when he saw a metallic apparatus posed a short distance from a diesel tank intended to supply railcars. Beside the apparatus, which had the shape of a torpedo and might have been four meters, stood a man covered with hair, unless he was dressed in a rather long-haired coat. Mr. Laugère, surprised, asked him what he was doing. The stranger answered him in unintelligible words, but the railwayman seemed to distinguish the words "diesel."

Mr. Laugere asked him no more and went off to alert his comrades. No sooner had he gone a hundred meters than he saw the craft rise vertically without any noise. It soon disappeared from his eyes. Only the fear of the irony of his comrades had prevented him until yesterday, Wednesday, from telling his adventure.

***

Melun, 14. -- A second testimony was collected from a young 17-year-old man, Marc Germain, living in Pontault, who declared to the police station of this locality that had seen, this night, during approximately half an hour, a craft which was a flying saucer in his opinion. This craft was in the sky at an altitude of 200 or 300 meters and had the shape of a very bright disc. It remained motionless for 3 minutes then set off at breakneck speed, leaving behind a trail of fire. The young man declared to himself that he had not rather alerted the police station, because he had insisted on staying there in case the saucer would land.

***

Limoges, 14. -- In Saint-Marc de Lombaud (Creuse), residents of Vallières saw in the night from Monday to Tuesday, a white ball which was moving in the sky. The ball changed color, disappeared and reappeared before finally disappearing.

***

Evreux, 14. -- Also, an update has just been made today by a person about the "saucer" which was seen above the region of Saint-André, at the border of the departments of Eure and Eure-et-Loir, Saturday around 6:30 p.m.

Mrs. Omonis, from Groth-Soret said the object was just a balloon. "A design," she said, "appeared to be painted in red color on the top of the balloon and ropes held the basket."

The flying saucers
drivers interested
in Vietnamese questions

Toulouse, 14 -- Mr. Jean Marty, 42, mechanic, living in Leguevin (Haute-Garonne), stated that he had seen in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday land in the middle of a field a luminous disc measuring from 6 to 7 meters in diameter and 2.50 meters in height. The disc was of orange color.

Mr. Marty was working around 10:30 p.m. in his workshop located on the road to Toulouse, in front of a field, 1 kilometer 500 meters from Leguevin. Looking up, he saw the luminous object. Intrigued, he got out, crossed the road and walked towards the disc which then rose into the air, silently, vertically, and disappeared at a prodigious speed. Mr. Marty went to the middle of the field to examine the place where the craft had landed. He found no trace but found laying on the grass, two sheets of glossy white paper covered with block letters.

The pages, commercial size type, were not soiled, neither damp, nor wrinkled, but absolutely crisp as if they had just been torn from a new brochure. Mr. Marti handed them over to the gendarmerie. They were examined today by a former multilingual soldier who spent many years in Indochina and who lives in retirement in Leguevin, Mr. Maggy. He declared that it was a text in Kuoc-Nu, an Annamese dialect, and that this text was about issues of interest to the Vietminh and Vietnam.

The text would be recent but could only be imperfectly translated. It was specified that it was the pages numbered 9-10 and 59-60 of a brochure reproducing in offset a typewritten document. The sheets were entrusted to the military authority. One was previously able to take pictures that would be entrusted this morning to a translator.

A "mysterious
craft"
intrigues the military

Metz, 14. -- During the Metz fair-exhibition, a military projector, installed at the army stand, swept, every evening, the Metz sky with its light beam. Sunday evening, the servants of the apparatus saw, at an estimated height of more than 10,000 meters, a luminous circle which remained motionless above their heads for several hours. The radar set, also mounted at the army stand, tried in vain to capture the unusual circle in its device.

A local newspaper having reported the facts, the governor general commanding the 6th military region, ordered an investigation which, so far, has not been successful. General Navereau awaits the report of Commander Cottel, responsible for the army stand.

According to the first information gathered yesterday, it seems impossible that the projector installed at the Metz fair could have caught any object so high up. Indeed, this projector only has a range of 6,000 meters, a distance at which, on a very clear day, it would perhaps make it possible to distinguish something. The circle of light captured in the projector beam could be explained by the presence, at a great height, of a swirling cumulus cloud illuminated by the moon, full at this time, and hidden behind a curtain of clouds. One remains skeptical, in the meantime, about the presence of a round object which would have been, it was estimated, 50 meters in diameter, and which would have remained perfectly still for several hours.

However, the military services are continuing their investigations and will draw the conclusions of this case as soon as they are in possession of Commander Cottel's report.

Coming down from a mysterious machine, a diver of small size, but with enormous eyes, appears to three Toulouse residents

The pilots of the saucers are plants gifted of reason" the V2 manufacturer says.

Toulouse, October 14. -- A diver of small size with a large head compared to the body, two enormous eyes, such is the description that was just made this evening, by a resident of Toulouse, Mr. Olivier, of a mysterious figure, who came down of a spherical craft which had just landed on a vacant site.

Mr. Olivier, owner of the Jaret Netis establishments, rue des Fontaines in Toulouse, was accompanied by an employee, Mr. Perano and a young boy about fifteen years old.

All three saw the mysterious craft of spherical form and reddish color land. Then they saw come towards them, the figure, whose diving-suit, according to the statements of the witnesses, shone like glass. Thereafter, Mr. Olivier, former aviation pilot, drew with a chalk, in a dramatic manner, on a door, the diver. "I did not believe in it, says Mr. Perano, but I saw it as I see you, it was quite a shock".

After a rather short time, one minute, the diver reinstated the luminous sphere, which went away vertically in the sky, without noise, at an extraordinary speed while launching a wake of fire.

Traces

Oily traces were noticed this morning in several places of the ground, according to the witnesses statements, the machine would have landed the day before on this place at 07:35 p.m..

The police force of the Air questioned these three people who confirmed their statements. While specifying that the mysterious individual measuring approximately 1,20 m, exceeded the craft by the head, consequently bending to enter in it.

One of the witnesses ensured that the saucer was surrounded by iridescent reflection and emitted around a slight fog around it.

He added that having wanted to approach, he had been stopped at about twenty meters by a paralyzing force. When the craft rose in the sky, he was violently thrown at the ground.

Strange contact near the Montluçon station

The flying saucers file increased of several testimonys of which the most important seems to be that of an employee of the station of Montlucon, Mr. Laugère, who made contact Sunday evening, with an individual who came out of an apparatus in the shape of a torpedo.

Mr. Laugère left his work and crossed the ways near the bridge of the SNCF [national railway co], when he saw a metallic machine posed at little distance from the fuel oil tank intended for the rail-car supply. At side of the apparatus which had the shape of a torpedo and could have been four meters in diameter, was a man, all covered of hair, unless he was dressed of a coat with quite long hair.

Mr. Laugère, surprised, asked him what he was doing. The unknown answered him in unintelligibles terms, but the railwayman however seemed to distinguish the words "Fuel oil".

Mr. Laugère did not ask him for more and went away to alert his comrades. He had hardly gone a hundred meters, when he saw the apparatus rising vertically without any noise. It soon disappeared from his view. Only the fear of the irony of his comrades had prevented him, until today, from telling his adventure.

The disc did not land...

A second testimony was collected: that of a 17-year-old young man, Marc German, resident of Pontault, who declared at the police station of this locality, that he had seen in the night, during approximately half an hour, a machine which was in his opinion, a flying saucer. This machine was in the sky within 200 or 300 meters of altitude and had the shape of a very shining disc. Ir remained thirty minutes motionless then left at a vertiginous speed, leaving a trail of fire behind. The young man stated that he had not alerted the police station earlier for he had made a point of remaining on the spot in case the saucer would have landed.

A ball in the sky of the Creuse

In St Marc-de-Lombaud (the Creuse), residents of Vallières saw, in the night from Monday to Tuesday, a white ball which moved in the sky. The ball changed color, disappeared and reappeared before disappearing definitively.

A simple balloon

On the other hand, a development was just made today by a person, about the "saucer" which was seen above the area of St Andre, at the limit of the department of the Eure and the Eure-et-Loir, Saturday towards 06:30 p.m.

Mrs. Amonts from Groth-Soret affirmed that the object was only a simple balloon. "A sketch, she said, appeared painted in red color on the top of the balloon and the ropes maintaining the nacelle".

Seven tiny beings seen in the Gard...

Several hunters of the commune of St Ambroise (the Gard) allegedly saw recently seven tiny beings whose shape vaguely resembled that of a human body. When they tried to approach, the beings rushed towards a phosphorescent apparatus which flew away at once.

On the site where the pilots of the flying saucer had been, the hunters discovered on the ground a certain number of seeds of odd appearance; which they had examined by seed resellers. The latter were unable to classify them into a known species.

The "pilots" are plants:

Hamburg. -- "The pilots of the "flying saucers" are plants gifted of reason". Such is the theory that Professor Hermann Oberth, inventor and manufacturer of the famous "V.2" rocket, exposed to a correspondent of Agence France Presse.

According to the German scientist, the "Uranids" (this is the name he baptizes these plants with) are thousands years more advanced than Earth as well with regard to their spiritual evolution and their technique. The fatherland of origin of Uranids would be a planet where there is not oxygen in a gas state, which prohibits the development of a animal life. The plants on the other hand, draw the necessary oxygen from oxides contained in the soil.

That planet would be outside the solar system, but the mysterious machines in which the intelligent plants move could travel a speed close to that of the light (300 000 km/s). Those of these machines seen above the earth would be in charge of watching progress of earth's humanity in the atomic sciences because this progress "is a danger to the entire cosmos".

"Flying saucers" in the sky of the Department

In our last issue, we reported several testimonies about what are now commonly called "flying saucers," striking accounts considering the limited area in which these curious phenomena have been observed.

Whereas until now the observation of these craft had been isolated events in both time and space, for the past few weeks it seems that every village has been overflown by one or more cigars or saucers, and only the least questionable observations reported can find their way into the major press.

Without going so far as to follow the fertile imaginations that have concluded - despite admitting the language to be "unintelligible" - that the occupants (?) of these craft come straight from the planet Mars, we report here the latest statements that are of particular interest to our region. The closest incident took place in Acquigny, where a craftsman, his apprentice, and a farm worker saw a luminous craft that remained on the ground for a long time.

Another led to an investigation conducted by the international "Ouranos" Commission after the observation in the Vernon region of six phenomena in eight days. Among the observers, Mr. Buch, a member of the commission, saw the same craft on successive nights at the same time. Another person observed six or seven craft at the same time. Other testimonies have more fanciful aspects, such as that of two children from Hennezis who saw two entirely black men, and that of a resident of Merville-Moutiers-Brûlé, near Dreux, who was struck motionless near a luminous sphere.

Finally, to reassure those troubled by these strange occurrences, let us note that a lady from Croth-Soret stated - on her own responsibility - following similar observations in the Saint-André area, that it was "nothing more nor less than a simple balloon."

THE "FLYING SAUCER" OF ACQUIGNY

After having spotted, on two occasions, a ball of fire moving very rapidly across the sky, a young craftsman from Louviers, accompanied by his apprentice, saw - on a particularly dark night at the beginning of October, around 2 a.m. - a luminous craft in the plain area located south of Acquigny, between National Road No. 154 and the railway lines connecting this locality to Évreux on one side and to Pacy-sur-Eure on the other.

They provided interested parties with a detailed description of the craft. According to them, it was a kind of luminous dome, 7 to 8 meters high, resting on a wider base. The whole seemed at times to sway, then rise vertically before descending again a few meters away in the same manner. Colored lights spread around the craft, one of which returned at high speed toward it and disappeared into a shadowy area at its base.