The article below was published in the daily newspaper France Soir, Paris, France, page 7, on September 24, 1954.
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The dossier of flying saucers and cigar-shaped craft has grown considerably in recent days. After a mysterious object was seen in the skies over Rome-an incident that prompted an official investigation-credible witnesses have now reported similar events across various regions of France.
ORIGNY-EN-THIÉRACHE, September 23 ("France-Soir" dispatch). A new and intriguing testimony has been recorded concerning the existence of "flying saucers." It comes from an industrialist of Origny-en-Thiérache (Aisne), Mr. Robert Chovel, who shared the experience he had on September 13, around 12:30 a.m., along with his wife and brother-in-law as they were driving near the Hirson freight yard:
"We suddenly found ourselves," Mr. Chovel recounts, "in front of an enormous orange disc, which appeared to hover a few hundred meters above the trees. After remaining motionless for a few seconds, the disc suddenly shot across the sky at a dizzying speed and disappeared."
"Since that moment, I believe in flying saucers, as do my wife and brother-in-law, and I don't think the three of us are crazy. At first, we decided not to speak about it, but the fact that the 'saucer' was seen just hours later by numerous people in Amiens, Quarouble, and even in Origny itself made us change our minds."
METZ, September 23 ("France-Soir" dispatch). - The rural constable of Oberdorff (Moselle), Mr. Louis Moll, reported to the Bouzonville gendarmes that he saw a flying saucer land in the nearby village of Tromborn.
"It was Sunday evening. I looked at my watch: 9:15 p.m. My eyes were drawn to a strange, illuminated object coming from the east. First, there was a large glow descending rapidly. I judged that the craft landed near Tromborn. On the ground, its lights changed color, resembling neon tubes. The object looked like a small bus. During the 40 seconds it remained on the ground-which felt like a long time-I observed it closely and thought I saw dark shapes moving inside the illuminated craft. Finally, it took off vertically, its orange lights turning red as it disappeared. Then complete darkness. During the entire event, I didn't hear a sound."
CHATEAUROUX, September 23 (A.F.P.). - Returning from their patrol between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, two gendarmes from Châteauroux, Messrs. Courtaud and Peninon, reported seeing between 9:15 and 9:45 p.m., over La Fleuranderie in the commune of Montierchaume (Indre), one luminous object stationary at about 1,500 meters, and two others, greenish in color, at higher altitudes. The three mysterious objects reportedly made a sharp right-angle turn before heading from northwest to southeast.
LA ROCHELLE, September 23 ("France-Soir" dispatch). About thirty people in the Sigournais region claim to have seen a mysterious object in the sky for half an hour yesterday afternoon, believed to be a flying cigar. It was surrounded by bluish-violet vapors.
LODEVE, September 23 (A.F.P.). The mysterious flying cigar previously reported in the Puy-de-Dôme and in the skies over Rome was seen again on Saturday, September 18, at exactly 7:00 p.m., by three reputable residents of Lodève, in the northern part of the Hérault department, flying at about 1,500 meters altitude. The object was heading south.
The witnesses observed for nearly five minutes a streamlined front section towing a brightly lit, fiery red globe. The object moved silently at the approximate speed of a standard airplane.
After nightfall, around 8:00 p.m., Mr. Rabot, a butcher in Ponthierry, was driving on National Road No. 7 when he saw at a fairly high altitude a luminous red spherical object emitting similarly luminous smoke.
The object performed several maneuvers-stopping, moving forward, then reversing direction.
Mr. Rabot stopped at the home of Ponthierry's town crier, who was on his route, and alerted him. The crier and his wife came out to the road, and the trio again distinctly observed the mysterious object making back-and-forth movements before finally vanishing rapidly into the clouds. Both Mr. Rabot and the town crier are well-known in Ponthierry as very trustworthy individuals. They reported the incident to the town's mayor the next morning.
Mr. de Léotard, deputy of the Seine, in a written question to the Secretary of State for the Air Force, noted that recent accounts of "flying saucers" and "flying cigars" have intrigued, if not concerned, public opinion. He asks:
1° Whether orders have been issued to ensure these phenomena are systematically and scientifically observed;
2° Whether these "saucers" or "cigars" could be intercepted to allow closer observation-so the public may know whether it's a case of collective autosuggestion that should be dispelled, or if these phenomena merit consideration from the standpoint of national security and defense.
