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The 1954 French flap:

The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.

September 27, 1954, Figeac, Lot:

Reference for this case: 27-sep-54-Figeac.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.

Summary:

Here is a so-called "encounter of the third kind" which is worth its weight in gold by its contradictions and its suspicious treatment by ufologists of both "sides".

As for the press at the time, there was reportedly an article on this affair in the local weekly newspaper La Vie Quercynoise, of Cahors, on page 1 for October 2, 1954.

But I found that as early as September 30, 1954, the matter was mentioned - with little seriousness - in the national newspaper Paris-Presse.

This newspaper said that schoolchildren in the Lot claimed to have seen a Martian in a red jumpsuit "yesterday", near Figeac, while they were going to school.

The children would have reported: "- He spoke to us, but we did not understand what he was saying..." The Martian reportedly descended towards a meadow below the road from Figeac to Cahors, and the children reportedly saw him climb into a small craft which rose vertically, which they described: "It was a craft that resembled a box."

Ufologically, the case begins with Jacques Vallée, cataloging the "UFO landings", whom as often gives the source as "Personal"; which should not be understood as a personal knowledge of the case but that the case comes from some newsclipping he read. In another edition he clarified, a little, the source as "La Vie Quercyssoise".

He summarizes by saying that on September 27, 1954, at 8:40 a.m. in Figeac in the Lot in France, children saw "a box" and "an unknown" who stood next to it. The object took off.

Garreau and Lavier, also cataloging the "UFO landings" in France, will give the same version of the most succinct. And countless ufologists did the same and still do.

In 1979, the time of the "new ufology" in France when many "believers" took a "skeptical" position, two of them, Gérard Barthel and Jacques Brucker, published their book "La Grande Peur Martienne" claiming that all ufological events in France in 1954, if not all in the world, are only mistakes, stupidities, and hoaxes.

They deal with this case, recalled on the basis of Jacques Vallée, ironizing that "nothing is spared to ufologists amateurs of 'Martian' anatomy."

They complained about the poverty of the information and ensured that it was difficult for them to find the witnesses, but by questioning all the people responsible of the schools of the city - the city of Figeac, therefore - they found the lady teacher of the time who told them how the children had made a hoax; and that the story had been told in "La Vie Quercyssoise".

Author Jean Sider published a book in 1997 which was supposed to "rehabilitate" the 1954 wave by demonstrating that the "counter-investigations" of Barthel and Brucker were just a dishonest joke.

He marks a first point noting that the press source is not "La Vie Quercyssoise", but "La Vie Quercynoise". He marks a second point, more importantly, when he notes that as the encounter took place in Ceint-d'Eau, 5 kilometers from Figeac, one wonders what "teacher lady" Barthel and Brucker had found in Figeac. It was in Ceint-d'Eau, where there is only one school, and finding the witnesses there takes a few minutes because everyone knows each other in this tiny village.

He refers to another counter-investigation by ufologists of the "Lumières Dans La Nuit" group, including one "R. Chéreau". They, he said, had found the "true" lady teacher. She had been "skeptical", saying that the children had made a prank; but the LDLN investigators would have found the two girls, now adults and mothers, who would have confirmed their story entirely.

Jean Sider gives no source or date for this counter-investigation; it was undoubtedly never published and he must have heard from it by his colleague R. Chéreau; he nevertheless gives what would be the account published in La Vie Quercynoise, of Cahors, for October 2, 1954, page 1:

On September 27, at 8:40 a.m. in Ceint-d'Eau, commune of Figeac, the Lot, two girls were going to school when suddenly they saw in a meadow along the road a little man dressed of red and speaking in an unknown language. Frightened, they fled. Arlette R..., looking back, then saw a curious "box" fly into the sky. The gendarmes reportedly opened an investigation.

According to the LDLN investigation, it was learned moreover that Arlette V... specified that she had approached to within three meters the small character and then ran away frightened. She had seen the "box" fly away vertically.

Jean Sider, after explaining that Barthel and Brucker had not found the "true" teacher, does not hide that this "real" teacher, Madeleine T., who would have been found by the LDLN group, would have expressed "skepticism" about the story. He explains this skepticism, without laughing: she was "probably the victim of a conceptual block".

So far, the case seemed quite wobbly, with more controversies impossible to decide than details about the craft and its occupant...

In 2004, an astronomy magazine, Ciel et Espace, mentioned a plan to shut down the "SEPRA"; which was at the time the modest service of the French National Center for Space Studies supposed to explain the phenomena of "atmospheric re-entries". I published a small alert; which met some success, inviting the said SEPRA not to put its archive in the fire as it had been done in another country, but to anonymize their documents and make them available to interested researchers.

As of 2005, the SEPRA became GEIPAN and started to do just this, and around 2014 the first documents for the year 1954 appeared, including those about this case, basically the report of the gendarmes. This was a much more complete report than that of Jacques Vallée, and quite different from that of Jean Sider and that of Barthel and Brucker:

On September 27, 1954, at approximately 7 p.m., Mr. [X], schoolteacher in Ceint-d'Eau, near Figeac, telephoned the Commandant of the Figeac gendarmerie brigade that three children from his school had seen on their to the school this very day, around nine o'clock in the morning, on the edge of the departmental road 13 at 1 kilometer east of Ceint-d'Eau, a strange individual who would then have flown away in a mysterious craft.

The brigade of Figeac had immediately arrived at the place, but "could not obtain any desirable precisions."

The next morning the Captain commanding the section went to the school of Ceint-d'Eau, where, in the presence of the teacher, he heard the three children separately.

They all said they had traveled together on September 27, 1954, both in the morning to go to the School, and at noon to return home, and then they gave their stories:

The first child, a 10-year-old girl, said that at that date, at approximately 8:40 a.m., on her way to the school of Ceint-d'Eau by the Departmental Road 13, a few hundred meters from her home 1 km east of Ceint-d'Eau, she encountered a man of a size of 1m20 to 1m30, bare-headed, wearing a red suit, holding a rifle, who skirted the ditch and fired a gunshot. The girl said she noticed a kind of crate, a cube about 1 meter of side, without more precision, in the middle of a meadow bordering the road. Then, frightened by the shot, she ran away with her comrades.

Towards noon on returning from school and passing at the same place, she saw the same individual joining his crate and "fly away" at great speed. She was unable to give a description of the take-off.

The second child, an eight-and-a-half-year-old girl, said that about 8:40 on the same day, going to school, she noticed at the place designated by the first child an individual about 0.5 meters tall who carried by hand a small box of 30 to 40 cm of side. This man fired a gunshot, the girl assuring that she "saw the lead behind"... Then the man "left in his box by flying fast."

At noon, when the other girl assured that she saw the same individual join his "box" in the meadow and "fly away" at a high speed, the second girl saw nothing.

The Captain pointed out that when he asked her if she was sure that the individual was wearing a red suit, she said "Yes" because the other girl "told me."

The third child, brother of one of the girls, said simply that he had not seen anything at all.

The Captain had gone to the spot where the individual and his "box" had been seen, but his scrutiny did not reveal any clue or traces of any kind.

The Captain pointed out that the facts told by the children were not noticed by anyone in the vicinity. The deputy prefect of Figeac himself had passed unexpectedly at the scene around 8:30 a.m. and had noticed nothing abnormal.

He adds that the facts were recounted by the regional press, but in a version not at all corresponding to those he collected from the children. He concludes that their statements "make it possible to judge the credit that must be given to them."

As we see, it is a rather different story: the missing details are due to the fact that the girls cannot tell anything more precise; a third child, present, never mentioned before, had seen nothing; the girls contradict each other about the moment of the departure of the "box", towards 8:40 a.m. for the one and at noon returning from the school for the other; the box is posed in a meadow for the one and carried to the hand by the man for the other; the box is 1 meter wide for one and 30 to 40 centimeters wide for the other; the red color of the "man's" outfit is certain for one girl "because" the other told her so; the man, bareheaded, is certainly a man rather than an extraterrestrial but he is more than one meter tall for one girl and 50 centimeters tall for the other.

As for the famous "lady teacher" Barthel and Brucker claimed to have found, while the LDLN investigators find "another", the "true" lady teacher, she must have changed sex... Or alternatively: these two "counter-investigations" were both imaginary.

Reports:

[Ref. ppe1:] NEWSPAPER "PARIS-PRESSE":

Scan.

NEAR FIGEAC

Children encounter a "Martian" in a red jumpsuit

THE Martians follow each other and are not alike. In Corrèze, they are small and helmeted. In Portugal, they are gigantic and clad in aluminum.

Schoolchildren in the Lot in turn assure that they saw one yesterday, near Figeac.

The children were on their way to school when it appeared to them.

- He spoke to us, they said, but we didn't understand what he was saying...

Whereupon he went down to a meadow, below the road from Figeac to Cahors. The children saw him climb into a small craft which rose vertically.

- It was a machine that looked like a box, they said.

After the saucers, cigars and flying discs, here is the flying box!

Another is reported in the Vienne

In Vienne, a resident of Montgadé, Mr. Yves David, also encountered, he says, a Martian. It happened on Friday September 17, around 10:30 p.m., on the road from Vouneuil to Cenon when he saw in front of him, placed on the path a bizarre craft about 3 meters wide. A small being descended from it, approached Mr. David and tapped him on the shoulder. After that, he returned to his machine which rose and disappeared, leaving behind a green light.

Saucers are reported everywhere. In Saint-Bazeille (Lot-et-Garonne), two people saw a phosphorescent disc, of bluish tint, crossing the sky. Another, orange in color, was seen in Lanta, near Villefranche-de-Lauraguais. A third, "of an indefinite color", flew over the Perpignan region; seven workers saw it; according to one he went away towards the sea; others say it crossed the Pyrenees.

In the Dauphiné it's a real carousel. Near Feyzin (Isère), it is an object in the shape of a dome; in the Drôme, near Chabeuil, it is a whistling disc. Same thing in Savoy, not far from Bourget Lake, where one of the witnesses, a doctor from Chambéry, former artillery observer, noted his observations and draw a sketch.

In Saint-Nicolas-de-Redon, finally, a mechanic and a driver who drove a locomotive, MM. Gérard and Paroux, see a mysterious object rising from the neighboring marshes. Mr. Paroux fell ill and had to undergo a medical examination.

[Ref. aup1:] NEWSPAPER "L'AUVERGNAT DE PARIS":

Scan.

CEINT-D'EAU. --

-- On the Figeac-Cahors road, after La Vignerie, schoolchildren reportedly saw a small man, dressed in a red jumpsuit, coming from a meadow located below the road, a small man, wearing a red jumpsuit. He reportedly followed, uttering incomprehensible words, the children who are said to have taken fright and fled. The man would reportedly have returned to the meadow, approached a box-shaped craft, reportedly climbed into this apparatus which would have risen in the air and disappeared in the direction of Feycelles.

[Ref. gen1:] GENDARMERIE NATIONALE:

Scan.

MG/ML ..... /6

Nr 10605 - S.A. TOULOUSE
D.P. 1725
TOULOUSE, on OCT 12, 1954

NOTE

REFERENCE. -- Note Nr 10/137/S.A. Toulouse for October 4, 1954.

Attached is a copy of a report sent by the gendarmerie concerning the overflight of FIGEAC by a mysterious craft.

ATTACHMENT. -- 1 Report

RECIPIENTS

SGDN.FA / S.A. Copies 1.2
S.A 3rde R.A. [Air Safety 3rd Air Region] Copies 3
Archives Copies 4.5.6

THE CAPTAIN
CHIEF OF THE SA STATION OF TOULOUSE
[Signature]

S.C.S.A
ARRIVAL
DATE: OCT 14, 1954
CLT: 280719

Scan.

GENDARMERIE NATIONALE
[Brigade etc.]

Nr 208 / 4

FIGEAC, on October 6, 1954

REPORT

by Captain [Name], Commander of the Gendarmerie section of FIGEAC

on the mysterious craft that allegedly appeared to children on July 27, 1954 at CEINT D'EAU near FIGEAC.

REFERENCE. - Letter nr 9999 of 10/1/54 of the Captain Chief of the Security Post of the National Defense and the Armed Forces - Air Section - Post of TOULOUSE.

On September 27, 1954, at about 7 p.m., Mr. [Name], a teacher at CEINT D'EAU, near FIGEAC, informed the Brigade Commander of this residence that three children from his school would have seen, as they were going to school, the same day, towards 9 a.m., on the edge of the departmental road Nr 13 at 1 Kilometer in the East of Ceint d'Eau, a strange individual who would then have flown away in a mysterious machine.

The FIGEAC brigade immediately went to the scene and was unable to obtain any desirable details.

The next morning the Captain Commanding the Section moved to the CEINT DEAU Municipal School where, in the presence of Mr. [Name], he heard the three children separately.

They said all three had made their way together on September 27, 1954, both in the morning, to go to the School, and at noon to return home, and then made the following narrative:

First child; [Name], 10-year-old.

On September 27, 1954, about 8:40 a.m. going to the Ecole Communale of CEINT-D'EAU by the CD 13 and while she was a few hundred meters of her house (1 Km to the East of CEINT-D'EAU) she came upon a man of a size from 1m20 to 1m30, bare-headed, wearing a red suit, carrying a rifle, which skirted the ditch and fired a gunshot. In the middle of a meadow bordering the road, the girl said to have noticed a kind of box (cube 1 m

.../...

Scan.

/....

- 2 -

of side approximately, without more precision); then frightened by the gunshot, she fled with her comrades.

Towards noon on returning from the School and coming at the same place, she saw the same individual joining his box and "fly away" at great speed. She could not give a description of the take-off.

Second child - [Name] 8 1/2 years old.

On September 27, 1954, at about 8 o'clock in the morning, on her way to the school, she noticed at the place nominated by her comrade [Name] an individual of about 0m50 (!), carrying a small box of 30 to 40 cm (!) of side length, he fired a gunshot (the girl added: "I saw the lead behind ...") and then left in a crate while flying fast. ....

Did not see anything at noon.

Note that she responded as follows to the Captain, Commanding the Section asking if she was sure that the individual was wearing a red suit. "Yes, he was, [Name] told me so."

Third child - [Name], 5-year-old, brother of [Name]

Did not see anything at all.

The Captain Commanding the FIGEAC Gendarmerie Section visited the places where the individual and his "box" had been seen and, after careful examination, found no signs or traces of any kind.

Note that the facts told by the children above (presence of the individual, shot, crate, flight ...) were noticed by nobody in the vicinity. The UNDER-PREFECT of FIGEAC himself, passing unexpectedly on the scene towards 8:30 a.m. did not find anything abnormal.

These facts were reported in the regional press, but in a version that did not correspond at all to those recorded by the Captain, commanding the Section from the children in question. In any case, the above declarations by [Name] and [Name] make it possible to judge the credit to be given to them.

Signed: Illegible

RECIPIENT

Captain Chief of Post
of the SSFA Air Section in
TOULOUSE

[Ref. jve8:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Scan.

27 Sep., 1954 Figeac France children "an unknown" 1

[Ref. jve5:] JACQUES VALLEE:

148 -002.02851 4460860 27 09 1954 08 40 1 FIGEAC -LOT F 011 A

[Ref. jve2:] JACQUES VALLEE:

The author indicates that on September 27, 1954, in Figeac, children saw "a box" with "an unknown man" standing close to it. The object flew away.

[Ref. jve1:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Scan.

158) September 27, 1954 08:40 Figeac (France):

Children saw "a box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby. The object took off. (Personal).

[Ref. jve3:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Scan.

158) September 27, 1954 08:40 Figeac (France):

Children saw "a box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby. The object took off. (Personal).

[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":

In a list of cases that the magazine called for investigation or re-investigation, there was:

"158 27-9-54 Figeac"

[Ref. jve4:] JACQUES VALLEE:

Scan.

September 27, 1954 08:40 Figeac (France):

Children saw "a box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby. The object took off (Personal).

[Ref. prn1:] PETER ROGERSON:

Scan.

332 Z7 September 1954 0840 FIGEAC (FRANCE)

Children saw a "box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby. The object took off.

(M158)

[Ref. gal1:] CHARLES GARREAU AND RAYMOND LAVIER:

The two ufologists and authors indicate by citing Jacques Vallée and noting that the report is sparse in information that on September 27, 1954 at 08:40, in Figeac in the Lot, children stated to have seen a "box" and a "unknown" occupant which at its side, and that little after the object took off.

[Ref. agd1:] ALAIN GAMARD:

Scan.

Case # Date Time Locality Department Witness(es) name
023 27/09/1954 08.40 Figeac 46 (several)

[Ref. tbw1:] TED BLOECHER AND DAVID WEBB:

Scan.

54-29 Sept. 27. 1954 0840 Figeac, France Type C

In Figeac, children saw a "box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby.

The object took off.

Investigator:

Source: Vallee, Magonia, p. 212.

[Ref. bbr1:] JACQUES BARTHEL AND GERARD BRUCKER:

The authors indicate that case 158 of the Jacques Vallée's catalogue says:

"On September 27 towards 8:40, children of Figeac (the Lot) saw a 'box' and an 'unknown' standing at its side. The object took off."

They comment on that "nothing is spared to the ufologists amateurs of 'Martian' anatomy".

They add that with so little information it was difficult to them to find the witnesses but by questioning all the persons in charge of the schools of the city they found that the female teacher of the time told them how the children had performed a hoax; and that the history however had been told in the "Vie Quercyssoise".

[Ref. fru1:] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:

The two ufologists and authors indicate that on September 27, 1954, at 08:40 a.m.in Figeac, kids have seen an object in the shape of a box and an undescribed being near it. They indicate that their sources are case 158 in Jacques Vallée's catalogue and the book by Garreau and Lavier.

The sources are noted "Vallée catalogue, #158" and "Face aux Extraterrestres" by Garreau and Lavier.

[Ref. gep1:] UFOLOGY GROUP "GEPO":

09/27/54 (09) Figeac (Lot) F i 300X

[Ref. mft3:] MICHEL FIGUET:

Nr of the J. C. Fumoux list Nr of Francat list Localization Date Class Credibility Sources Number of W
003 80 Figeac 27/09 CE3 E [=Explained] 4-p. 183 T

[Ref. mft1:] MICHEL FIGUET:

CAS Nr CLASSIFICATION DATE HOUR PLACE ZIP CODE CREDIBILITY SOURCE
80 CE3 09 27 1954 08.40 Figeac 46100 D5 E, hoax B-B p. 186

[Ref. cnu1:] "CIRCULAIRE CNEGU":

In a list titled "the solved cases if Francat, the bulletin noted "09/27/54 Prémanon".

[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:

Jean Sider indicates that the counter-investigation by Barthel and Brucker on the case in Figeac, the Lot, actually Ceint-d'Eau, is "imaginary."

Jean Sider states further on that in the case of Figeac in the Lot, on page 83, Barthel and Brucker said: "On 27 September around 08:40 a.m., children in Figeac (Lot) saw a" box" and a "unknown" who stood at its side. The object took off".

They referred to Jacques Vallée while quoting La Vie Quercyssoise as the contemporary source; which they likely did not read because the real name of this weekly was "La Vie Quercynoise!"

In its October 2 issue, page 1, the following article appeared:

"On the morning of September 27, children who went to the school of Ceint-d'Eau, a commune of Figeac, saw, they say, a mysterious little man dressed in red, who spoke incomprehensibly. They were frightened and fled, and soon they saw a box-like machine rise in the sky. The Gendarmerie reportedly opened an investigation."

Jean Sider then evokes "the alleged counter-investigation of our duet", Barthel and Brucker:

"It is evident that with so little detail, in a town that is not minuscule, the witnesses of this strange event are hard to find. The only way left to us was to systematically interview those in charge of the schools of the city, to awaken a possible memory... It was done... The teacher of the time told us how the children had set up a hoax..."

Jean Sider notes that B and B may have relied entirely on Jacques Vallée, who pointed to Figeac as the city where the affair occurred, but it was 5km from this town in the village of Ceint-d'Eau. So he wonders how they could have found the teacher. He notes that they do not even give her name; that there is only one school in Ceint-d'Eau, not several.

He adds that researchers, including R. Chéreau, had found the teacher (the real one), Madeleine T., and the two young girls who had grown up, who confirmed the incident, Ms. Arlette R ..., wife V ..., and Nicole L ..., wife L ..., who all requested anonymity.

Mrs. Arlette V ... pointed out that she had approached three meters from the little character, that she had fled in fear, and that looking back to see if she was pursued she saw the "box" fly away vertically. Jean Sider notes that ten minutes were enough for his colleagues to locate the witnesses, since Ceint-d'Eau is tiny and everyone knows everyone.

He concludes that it is still a pseudo-counter-investigation by B and B that is now denounced.

Further on, he catalogues the case: "September 27, 08:40, Ceint-d'Eau, Figeac, Lot."

He says that two girls were going to school when suddenly they saw in a roadside meadow a little man dressed in red speaking in an unfamiliar language. Frightened, they fled. Arlette R ..., looking back, then saw a curious "box" fly into the sky.

He indicates that the sources are La Vie Quercynoise, of Cahors, for October 2, 1954, page 1; and the LDLN counter-investigation.

He notes that during this LDLN counter-investigation, the teacher of the time had expressed skepticism about the incident, "probably victim of a conceptual block", and that, on the other hand, the two witnesses who became adults and mothers of family maintained the version of the story in its entirety.

[Ref. mcn1:] MARK CASHMAN:

Figeac (France).

9/27/1954 8:40

Children saw "a box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby. The object took off.

[Ref. jgs1:] JEAN-FRANCOIS GILLES:

French ufologist Jean-François Gilles had established a computerized catalogue of landings on the French territory between September 26 and October 18, 1954 in order to study if their geographical distribution were the fact of the chance or not.

UFO LANDINGS ON THE CONTINENTAL TERRITORY OF FRANCE
FROM SEPTEMBER 26, 1954 TO OCTOBER 18, 1954
ICOD Désignation (57) Date jve4 jve1 COMMENTS
003 0510 FIGEAC RF46 540927 158 148 CE

ICOD is an internal code of this listing. (57) refers to column 57 of the Condon group's computerized UFOCAT, where RF is France and the number is the department. jve4 and jve1 are case numbers in Jacque Vallée's Magonia listing and "Passport to Magonia" book. CE2, CE3 refers to the Hynek classification.

V F G
ICOD Longitude Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude Latitude
0510 -2.029 44.609 -2.025 44.609 -2.032 44.613

V, F, G are codes for people who determined the coordinates: V = Jacques Vallée, ufologist, F = Jean Charles Fumoux, officer of the French Air Force, G = Jean François Gille, ufologist.

[Ref. lhh1:] LARRY HATCH - "*U* COMPUTER DATABASE":

3845: 1954/09/27 08:40 1 2:00:00 E 44:35:00 N 3333 WEU FRN LOT 8:5

SW/FIGEAC,FR:KIDS:ODD MAN RUNS to BOX:^+>>S:/r8#158+LDLN#102+/r217p37+/r67p32

Ref#197 WEINSTEIN, D: French Newsclips 1954 Page No. 32 : FARMLANDS

[Ref. goe1:] GODELIEVE VAN OVERMEIRE:

The Belgian ufologist indicates that in 1954, on September 27, in France, in Figeac, "At 08:40, children saw a box and an unknown which stood at its side."

The sources are noted "Jimmy GUIEU: 'Black-out sur les S.V.' - Fleuve Noir 1956 - p. 148 to 149" and "Jacques Vallée: 'Chronique des apparitions ET' - DENOEL 1972 - J'AI LU COLL. - p. 260, 261.

[Ref. djn1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

On this Day

September 27

[...]

1954 - Children in Figeac, France saw "a box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby it at 8:40 a.m. The object took off. (Sources: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 212; Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, p. 90).

[Ref. ars1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

92.

Location. Figeac France

Date: September 27 1954

Time: 0840A

In Figeac, several children saw a "metallic box" on the ground, and "an unknown man" standing nearby. The object took off. No other information.

Humcat 1954-56

Source: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia

Type: C

[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:

September 1954

[...]

Mon 27

08:40 In Figeac (France), children see a box with an unknown man upright close to it. The object flies away.

[...]

The source is noted "Vallée, J., case #21, 'Rapport sur l'analyse de 200 observations documentées faites en 1954'."

[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:

Luc Chastan indicates in his database that in the Lot (46) in Figeac on September 27, 1954 at 09:00 hours, "Three children saw at the place known as 'Ceint d'eau' a cubic object whose size is estimated as 1 meter by 1 meter. The object was on the ground in fields. Near the object a character was seen. He measured approximately 1m20 and wore an outfit. He seemed aggressive and seemed to try to attack the children with a weapon. He then reinstated the object which took off quickly. An investigation by the gendarmerie took place."

The sources are indicated as: "Les Universons by Poher Claude ** http://www.premiumwanadoo.com/universons/" and "Ovni, Premier dossier complet... by Figuet M./ Ruchon J.L. ** éd. Alain Lefeuvre 1979" and "Liste des cas Magonia by Jacques Vallée".

[Ref. uda1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website indicates that on 27 September 1954 at 08:40 in Figeac, France, "Children saw 'a box' and 'an unknown man' standing nearby. They saw the box-shaped object take off."

And: "Children in Figeac, France, saw "a box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby it at 8:40 a.m. The object took off."

And: "An object was observed. Occupants of the craft were seen. One rectangular object was observed by several children on a farm. One humanoid was seen."

And: "In Figeac, several children saw a "metallic box" on the ground, and "an unknown man" standing nearby. The object took off. No other information."

The sources are indicated as Webb, David, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports; Bowen, Charles, The Humanoids: FSR Special Edition No. 1, FSR, London, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Computerized Catalog (N = 3073); Vallee, Jacques, Challenge to Science: The UFO Enigma, Henry Regnery, Chicago, 1966; Vallee, Jacques, Preliminary Catalog (N = 500), (in JVallee01); Vallee, Jacques, A Century of Landings (N = 923), (in JVallee04), Chicago, 1969; Schoenherr, Luis, Computerized Catalog (N = 3173); Rogerson, Peter, World-Wide Catalog of Type 1 Reports; Delaire, J. Bernard, UFO Register Volume 7 (1976), Data Research, Oxford, 1976; Hatch, Larry, *U* computer database, Author, Redwood City, 2002; Rosales, Albert, Humanoid Sighting Reports Database.

[Ref. prn2:] PETER ROGERSON:

September 27 1954. 0840hrs.

FIGEAC (LOT : FRANCE)

Children saw something like a box with an unknown man standing by it.

Vallee Case 158.

[Ref. nip1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

*Sep. 27, 1954 - Children in Figeac, France saw "a box" and "an unknown man" standing nearby it at 8:40 a.m. The object took off. (Sources: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 212; Michel Figuet & Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, p. 90).

[Ref. tai1:] "THINK ABOUT IT" WEBSITE:

Date: September 27 1954

Location: Figeac France

Time: 0840A

Summary: In Figeac, several children saw a “metallic box” on the ground, and “an unknown man” standing nearby. The object took off. No other information.

Source: Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia 158

[Ref. jgz1:] JULIEN GONZALEZ:

The author indicates that there was a close encounter of the third kind at Figeac, Ceint-d'Eau, in the Lot, on September 27, 1954, at 8:40 a.m.:

Two schoolgirls, Arlette R. and Nicole L. went to the school of Ceint-d'Eau when they suddenly saw in a meadow by the roadside a mysterious little man dressed in red who spoke in an incomprehensible manner.

They were frightened and fled. Shortly afterwards, they reportedly saw a box-like machine rise in the sky.

Julien Gonzalez added that the Gendarmerie reportedly opened an investigation into this observation.

He indicates that in 1979, Barthel and Brucker stated in La Grande Peur Martienne that they had met "the teacher of the time" who told them how the children had made a hoax; but in 1997, in Le dossier 1954 et l'imposture rationaliste, Jean Sider indicates that a counter-investigation was carried out by researchers including R. Chéreau, who found the "true" teacher, Madeleine T., and the two daughters of the time, who became adults, confirmed the incident: Mrs. Arlette R., wife V., and Nicole L., wife L. They both requested anonymity.

Mrs. Arlette V. pointed out that she had approached within three meters of the little being, and that she had fled in fear, and that, looking back to see if she was being pursued, she saw the "box" fly away vertically.

The sources are indicated as La Vie Quercynoise (Cahors) for October 2, 1954; C. Garreau and R. Lavier, Face aux Extra-Terrestres, page 107; Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI, le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochées en France, page 90; Jean Sider, Le dossier 1954 et l'imposture rationaliste, pages 36-37 and 170-171.

[Ref. gei1:] "GROUPE D'ETUDES ET D'INFORMATIONS SUR LES PHENOMENES AEROSPATIAUX NON IDENTIFIES":

FIGEAC (46) 09/27/1954
Observed on: 09/27/1954
Region: Midi Pyrénées
Department: Lot
Class: C
Summary: Observations by children of a small figure and a "flying box": lack of information and corroboration.
Description:

On September 27, 1954, at 8:40 a.m., three children (10, 8.5 and 5) went to school on the RN 13 east of Ceint-D'eau (Figeac (26)) meet a small sized being that fires a shot that effaces the children. The two oldest children had previously noticed a kind of crate in the meadow bordering the road. The two children say that the crate flew quickly: the elder at noon, the younger at 8:40.

The gendarmerie is informed by the teacher. The children are heard by the gendarmes the next morning. No trace on the ground is detected by the gendarmerie. No further testimony was received.

GEIPAN classifies this case C for lack of information, contradictory information and lack of corroboration.

Report: None.

Details of the testimony
Witness
Date of the observation 27-09-195409/27/1954
Document number
Age Child (under 12)
Profession Students
Sex Female
Reaction Active Curiosity;Fleeing, Protection
Credibility
Conditions
Environment Departmental ways;Roads
Weather conditions Not-specified
Hour of the observation Numbered: 8 - 10
Reference frame Landscape (trees, mountain, hill, sea,
Distance between phenomenon and witness Not-specified
Start of the observation Start of observation by witness
End of the observation End of observation by witness
Localization
Angle of site Other;Not-specified
Direction of observation Not-specified
Heading None
Trajectory Not-specified;Not-specified
Nature of the observation Other
Characteristic of the observation Unique
Global shape Othe shape (comparison)
Color Not-specified
Apparent size Numbered
Apparent speed
Noise Detonation
Effect on the environment Not-specified
Number: 1

Details of the testimony
Witness
Date of the observation 27-09-195409/27/1954
Document number
Age Child (under 12)
Profession Students
Sex Female
Reaction Active Curiosity
Credibility
Conditions
Environment Departmental ways;Roads
Weather conditions Not-specified
Hour of the observation Numbered: 8 Hours - 10 Hours
Reference frame Landscape (trees, mountain, hill, sea,
Distance between phenomenon and witness Not-specified
Start of the observation Start of observation by witness
End of the observation End of observation by witness
Localization
Angle of site Not-specified;Not-specified
Direction of observation Not-specified
Heading Not-specified
Trajectory Not-specified;Not-specified
Nature of the observation Other
Characteristic of the observation Unique
Global shape Other shape (comparison)
Color Not-specified
Apparent size Numbered
Apparent speed Not-specified
Noise Detonation
Effect on the environment Not-specified
Number 1

Details of the testimony
Witness
Date of the observation 27-09-195409/27/1954
Document number
Age Child (under 12)
Profession Students
Sex Male
Reaction Not Specified
Credibility
Conditions
Environment Not-specified
Weather conditions Not-specified
Hour of the observation Not-specified
Reference frame Not-specified
Distance between phenomenon and witness Not-specified
Start of the observation Not defined
End of the observation Non defined
Localization
Angle of site Not-specified;Not-specified
Direction of observation Not-specified
Heading Not-specified
Trajectory Not-specified;Not-specified
Nature of the observation Not-specified
Characteristic of the observation
Global shape Not-specified
Color Not-specified
Apparent size Not-specified
Apparent speed Not-specified
Noise Not-specified
Effect on the environment Not-specified
Number: 4

[Ref. ubk1:] "UFO-DATENBANK":

This database recorded this case 8 times:

Case Nr. New case Nr. Investigator Date of observation Zip Place of observation Country of observation Hour of observation Classification Comments Identification
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France CE III
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France CE III
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France CE III
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France CE III
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France CE III
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France CE III
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France CE III
19540927 27.09.1954 Figeac France
19540927 27.09.1954 Ceint Eau France 09.00 CE III

[Ref. prn3:] PETER ROGERSON - "INTCAT":

September 27 1954. 0840hrs.

FIGEAC (LOT : FRANCE)

Children saw something like a box with an unknown man standing by it.

Vallee Case 158

Evaluation - Hoax by children?

Explanations:

Map.

Hoax.

Ceint-d'Eau photo.

View of Ceint-d'Eau.

Ceint-d'Eau photo.

Figeac / Ceint-d'Eau. The yellow line represents 3.6 km.

Keywords:

(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)

Figeac, Lot, object, box, occupant, landing, children

Sources:

[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.

Document history:

Version: Created/Changed by: Date: Change Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross December 16, 2005 First published.
1.0 Patrick Gross January 29, 2010 Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Additions [goe1], [jbu1], [lcn1], [uda1].
1.1 Patrick Gross June 18, 2010 Addition [jve5].
1.2 Patrick Gross August 13, 2013 Addition [prn1].
1.3 Patrick Gross November 15, 2014 Addition [nip1].
1.4 Patrick Gross January 11, 2017 Additions [tai1], [ubk1].
1.5 Patrick Gross January 27, 2017 Additions [gen1], [gei1], [jgz1]. Addition of the Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet. Probable hoax."
1.6 Patrick Gross July 28, 2019 Additions [mft3], [mft1], [cnu1], [lhh1], [prn3], [agd1].
1.7 Patrick Gross September 27, 2019 Addition [prn1].
1.8 Patrick Gross January 10, 2020 Addition [ppe1]. In the Summary, addition from "As for the press at the time..." to "It was a craft that resembled a box."
1.9 Patrick Gross January 27, 2021 Addition [aup1].
2.0 Patrick Gross August 26, 2021 Addition [tbw1].
2.1 Patrick Gross March 26, 2022 Additions [ldl1], [gep1].
2.2 Patrick Gross June 26, 2022 Addition [jve8].

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