The 1954 French flap:

After the saucers and the cigars

A "FLYING MELON" IN THE SKY OF ALSACE

STRASBOURG. -- After the cigars, the brushes, the barrels, it is now the "melons" that make their appearance in the sky of Alsace. Indeed, several people, among them pilots of the flying-club of Strasbourg, claim to have seen Saturday evening a shining machine, having the shape of a melon, and leaving a trace of two meters of white-orange colour, that flew above the area of the Bas-Rhin.

This machine is said to have been seen almost at the same hour in Strasbourg, Haguenau and Wissembourg.

The "melon" evolved at a high altitude and moved according to some in a south-eastern direction, according to the others in an East-West direction.

A similar phenomenon was observed in Niederhalslach (valley of the Bruche).

An unknown apparatus flies over a soccer game

CHAUMONT. -- During more than one hour, Sunday afternoon, the 400 witnesses of the soccer game in Langres could follow the evolutions of an unknown apparatus which was at very high altitude.

Some believed that it was a weather-balloon, which, say the others, appears not very probable, for before disappearing, the machine moved in opposite direction of the wind.

In addition, in Chaumont, a mechanic, Mr. Auguste Poulot and his three children noticed at the beginning of the night the passage of a flying cigar.

The "saucer" seen by the roadmender was only an alibi as he was late for work

DIJON. -- Ten days ago, Mr. André Narcy, aged 47, roadmender, arrived at his work very breathless: "I saw a flying saucer", he claimed.

And he gave much details: a machine of orange color stopped in a field, a small being dressed of a hairy cape, a beautiful vertical take-off of the mysterious apparatus. Moreover Mr. Narcy could show the place. With two of his comrades, Misters Riel and Henry, he went back there. All three stated that indeed the dew had dried on a great surface, that the grass had taken "a milky colour", that one saw traces of "round feet", etc...

In short, questioned again by the gendarmerie, Mr. Narcy comes to acknowledge that he made up this story entirely to excuse his late arrival at work.

A written question to the government

FOIX. -- Following the many appearance of flying machines of unknown type currently reported in all the areas of France, Mr. Rene Dejean, deputy of Ariège (socialist) addressed to the president of the Council a written question asking him among other questions:

- "Whether were created or not a service missioned to gather the existing documentation on this matter and to study the nature and the origin of the said machines.

- "Whether the information currently collected and gathered makes it possible to absolutely exclude the assumption of machines piloted or controlled by living beings of unknown species and origin.

- "Whether the government has, on the contrary, sufficient information to allot the production of these machines to the industry of a foreign Country.

- "Whether in this last case the international agreements signed by France already allowed consultations relating to the use of such machines in a possible conflict.