The article below was published in the daily newspaper Le Bien Public, Dijon, France, page 10, on October 5, 1954.
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Abidjan, October 4. -- Flying saucers have been sighted in the Ivory Coast. The news became known through an official report sent to the governor of the Ivory Coast by Mr. Vernhet, chief administrator of the Danané subdivision, a town located 500 kilometers northwest of Abidjan.
The events date back to September 19, but were only made official today, following requests for precise information and an investigation.
In addition to the local population, the gendarmerie post commander, the chief doctor of the medical center, Reverend Father Vyard of the Lyon Missions, Mr. Vernhet, head of the subdivision, and his wife—all gathered in the courtyard of the residence—saw, on September 19 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:05 p.m., a craft exactly matching those observed in France, though it did not land.
It appeared as a luminous dot, surrounded by a halo that quickly grew in size, moving closer to or farther from the horizon. The witnesses saw the craft emit a powerful beam of light, sometimes directed upward, sometimes downward. The object, ovoid in shape, was topped with a dome, and similar phenomena detached from either side.
When it disappeared after half an hour of maneuvering, the witnesses clearly saw two oval-shaped halos form at the presumed location of the object. The craft moved without making any noise.
Administrator Vernhet included in his report a detailed sketch of the different observed phases as well as the shape of the craft.
That same day, in Soubre, 250 kilometers northwest of Abidjan and in the same direction, similar phenomena were observed.
The head of the Soubre subdivision confirmed the existence of the phenomenon, which he personally witnessed.
Chamonix, October 4. -- A large number of people, including officers from the high mountain military school, gendarmes from Chamonix, and pilot Guiron—a specialist in high-altitude flying who was flying over the region at the time—reported seeing, for over an hour, a bright object maneuvering between Mont Lachat and Mont Blanc.
Pilot Guiron stated that, while flying at about 2,000 meters above Faverges, he saw a craft which, he said, bore no resemblance to a normal airplane. Moreover, the speed and direction of the object ruled out the possibility of it being a weather balloon.
