The 1954 French flap:

FLYING SAUCERS

(Continued from page 1)

The radio installed on board the aircraft and communicating with the base reported that the craft was in sight, it was being chased but was escaping, as its speed exceeded theirs.

From Vaucluse, the disc could clearly be seen speeding away like an arrow, pursued by the two jet planes.

THE FLYING SAUCER WAS ONLY A WEATHER BALLOON

CHAMBERY. -- The Savoyards were long puzzled yesterday by a "flying saucer" resembling a large star, which was moving from the southwest toward the northwest.

This object was seen successively in the Briançon skies, the upper Tarentaise, the Albertville valley, and the Chambéry region. In reality, it was a weather balloon originating from Italy, specifically from the Milan region, and not, as many observers claimed, a strange remote-controlled craft. It was even scheduled for the balloon's scientific instruments to be jettisoned automatically between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.

Indeed, at 4:55 p.m., workers at a construction site in the hamlet of Rozier, in the commune of Val-des-Prés, 15 km northeast of Briançon in the Guisane valley, saw the parachute containing the instruments, retrieved them, and handed them over to the Briançon gendarmerie, which had been alerted to carry out the necessary investigation. The instruments are in excellent condition.

At 7:00 p.m., the balloon continued its journey toward the south-southwest of Gap.

MULTIPLE LUMINOUS OBJECTS

MARSEILLE. -- Two luminous craft flying at high altitude were seen in the skies over Le Rove early in the afternoon. Observers noted that these craft hovered momentarily before resuming their flight.

DRAGUIGNAN. -- Several residents of Draguignan observed near the end of the afternoon a luminous object streaking across the sky at meteor-like speed.

CASABLANCA. -- Workers at the military supply depot in Casablanca reported having seen yesterday afternoon, above the city, a sort of phosphorescent cigar which, after descending slowly like a falling leaf, resumed horizontal flight at breathtaking speed before disappearing.

ANGERS. -- A resident of the village of Méral (Mayenne) reported seeing a bright orange-colored ball in the sky that landed on the ground. The disc, flat and dome-shaped, five to six meters in diameter, emitted a blinding light, illuminating the surroundings for 200 meters.

The craft was transparent, and from the inside, a dark figure could be seen. The disc remained like this for about ten minutes, turned red, and rapidly vanished to the north. The observer then went to the spot where the object had landed. He claimed there was a kind of shiny cloud slowly settling to the ground. Upon arriving home, he noticed his clothes were covered with a white layer of somewhat sticky material, like paraffin [sic].

A KIND OF RUGBY BALL

NIMES. -- Two people saw, last night, as they were returning home a few kilometers north of Nîmes, a greenish glow in a field. They approached and observed the presence of a craft exactly like a rugby ball, apparently resting on struts. The strange object suddenly lifted into the air with a faint noise, gradually taking on an orange hue.

A CRAFT THAT SEEMS TO EXPLODE

GRAULHET. -- A leather dresser from Graulhet reported seeing late in the afternoon, at high altitude, a silver object heading northwest, which he initially mistook for a jet plane. But, seeing no condensation trail, he fetched a pair of binoculars and clearly saw a large flexible disc, undulating on itself while moving at great speed.

Then the craft seemed to explode mid-air. A silver ball, about one meter in diameter, separated from the mass and continued its path, soon disappearing from sight, while the rest of the object fell in several pieces resembling cloths of various sizes floating in the sky, some of which got caught on telegraph wires. About fifteen people witnessed this unusual event, and fragments of material were collected. They appeared as clumped silver filaments that disintegrated when touched.

A YELLOW MASS

MELUN. -- Near Montargis, on national highway number 7, a resident of the city reported seeing a bright yellow mass of rounded shape in the sky.

October 15 [, 1954]

[... other cases...]

daytime: Southern France:Briançon,Digne,Le Puy,Lyon,Murat,Saint Céré,Toulouse,Tulle,Ardèche,Aveyron,Basses-Alpes

[... other cases...]

IN THE AVEYRON AND THE VAUCLUSE

THE "SAUCERS" WERE IN REALITY SOUNDING BALLOONS OF THE ITALIAN METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES

Paris October 15 - The Saucer psychosis continues to develop, bringing more negative elements than positive details. And there is soon not a corner of France that cannot claim to have been flown over by some unknown machine, coming from who knows where.

Aveyron and Lozère have also known the "Saucers" since this morning.

In Rodez, it was at dawn that a mysterious craft which changed shapes and colors several times, could be spotted. It moved in this manner until the stroke of eleven o'clock, to disappear in the direction of the South.

IT WAS SEEN AT DECAZEVILLB AND AT MENDE

We learned in the evening that it was a sounding balloon from the Italian Meteorological Services, from the MILAN Institute. This balloon with a diameter of 28 meters, would be likely to reach an altitude of 50,000 meters. It would include, in its nacelle, devices intended for the study of cosmic rays.

ORANGE AVIATORS ALERTED...

Thursday afternoon, a craft resembling a large star was seen successively in the Briançonnais sky, the Hte-Tarentaise, the valley of Albertville and the region of Chambery.

It was actually a sounding balloon from the Milan region.

Around 5 p.m., workers working on a construction site, about fifteen kilometers from Briançon, recovered the scientific devices from this balloon and handed them over to the Gendarmerie. As for the craft, it continued its route in the direction of Gap, in the evening.

In Avignon, the alert must have been hotter. Around 11 a.m., the secretary of the town hall of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse telephoned the Orange air base to report, among other things, a "Saucer", at the vertical of his town hall. The details were such that the leader of one of the squadrons telephoned the mayor of Fontaine.

The latter, not only confirmed the indications of his secretary, but specified that the Saucer remained motionless 400 meters vertically from the locality.

2 pilots who were taking off for a training flight flew over Fontaine de Vaucluse a few moments later without spotting the slightest Saucer.

In the evening, the Secretary of State for Air indicated that the two airmen from the Orange base, "experienced officers", had not observed any unknown craft during their research and that their report was formal.

It was, again, a sounding balloon, used by the Meteorological Services.

MIDI LIBRE for Saturday OCTOBER 16, 1954 - #3412 -

[...]

The Midi Libre articles reproduced here were sent to us by our friend Daniel Vidal. They illustrate in a precise manner the enormous work of archive research carried out by Daniel. An example to follow that should be taken up systematically in each region.