The 1954 French flap:

THE FLYING SAUCERS

Paris, 19. -- The only new accounts of the overflight of France by mysterious craft come from the west.

In the Côtes du Nord, in Uzel, Mr. and Mrs. Perrichon said they saw an orange-colored flying saucer on Sunday evening. The same fact was observed in several neighboring municipalities.

In the Vendée in Pont l'Abbé d'Arnoult, a mysterious craft which rose vertically behind a hedge, has been seen by Mr. Meunier, site manager in a masonry company.

Finally, in Luçon, Mr. Boulineau observed a large luminous ball of which a crescent-shaped part was red in color. The ball was moving quickly rotating on itself and disappeared in seconds.

"Martians" love literature

A "SAUCER" ARRIVES ON THE TERRACE OF THE VILLA OF AN ITALIAN WRITER

Rome, 19. -- While flying saucers disdain England, they continue their dance in the Italian skies. In Capri, one of these mysterious craft landed on the terrace of the villa of the writer Curzio Malaparte.

It was a painter, Mr. Castello, who, during a night walk, carried out at Cape Massulo, saw a huge disc about five meters in diameter, which was moving at a hundred meters of altitude. The craft descended slowly and landed on the terrace of the writer's villa. Mr. Castello who at first thought it was a helicopter approached the summer residence of Curzio Malaparte and was very surprised to see four "men" of small stature descending from the disc. The passengers of the craft, who were wearing an outfit, remained around the disc for about half an hour.

"I had the impression, said the witness of this landing, that they did not speak, or they did so in a low voice, because from where I was, I could not hear no sound. What is certain is that bluish gleams kept coming out of the disc, like pins and lightning fast, going in all directions."

"After a while, about half an hour, the four "men" entered the disc which, with a slight purring sound, rose slowly, perpendicularly, and then quickly gained altitude".

The painter only has to paint on the canvas the fantastic scene he witnessed. The painting will sell for a good price. Its author will become famous as a "science fiction" specialist.

(This genre already has its writers and filmmakers. Why wouldn't it have its painters?).

And Mr. Castello will be happy and he will be making a lot of money. All this for having seen a saucer...

FLY SAUCER!...

A farmer who ran his eyes to the sky falls into a pond

Lisieux, 19. -- Several people were running across fields in Moyeux, in the direction of a flying saucer, surrounded by white and black smoke, which had been reported to them by a child.

One of these people, a farmer, Mr. Filate, did not take his eyes off the sky: he fell into a deep pond where he almost drowned. His companions managed to save him.

A PARLIAMENTARY ASKS A WRITTEN QUESTION

Foix, 19. -- Following numerous appearances of flying machines of unknown type, currently reported in all regions of France, Mr. René Dejean, deputy of Ariège (socialist), addressed to Mr. the President of the Council a written question asking him in particular:

"Whether or not a service has been set up to collect the documentation existing to date and to study the nature and origin of the said machines; if the information currently obtained so far absolutely excludes the hypothesis of craft piloted or built by living beings of unknown species and origin; if the Government has, on the contrary, sufficient information to attribute the production of these craft to the industry of a foreign state; if in this last case the international agreements signed by France have already allowed consultations relating to the use of such craft in a possible conflict."

In Capri, a flying saucer lands on Curzio Malaparte's villa

Rome, Oct. 19. -- The flying discs continue their saraband in the sky of the peninsula and in Capri, one of these mysterious machines landed on the terrace of writer Curzio Malaparte's villa.

It is a painter, Mr. Raffaele Castello, who, during a night walk carried out at cape Massulo, saw an enormous disc approximately five meters in diameter, which moved at a hundred meters of altitude. The apparatus went down slowly and landed on the terrace of the villa of the writer.

Mr. Castello who initially thought it was a helicopter approached the summer residence of Curzio Malaparte and was very suprized to see four men of small size going down from the disc. The passengers of the machine, who were clad in an outfit, remained around the disc approximately half an hour.

"I had the impression, the witness of this landing said, that they did not speak, or then they spoke with low voices, as from place where I was, I was unable to hear any sound. What is certain, is that bluish gleams escaped without stop from the disc, similar to pins and fast like lightinings, leaving in all the directions. "After some time, half an hour approximately, the four men returned into the disc which, with a gentle humming, rose gently, perpendicularly, and took altitude quickly".

A victim of the obsession

Livourne, Oct. 19. -- Bruno Senesi, 34 years old, who entered yesterday evening at the hospital of Livourne, ducked under a bed while shouting for help.

He states that Martians had just gone down from a saucer and were chasing him.

Appearances in the West

Paris, October 19. -- Several testimonys on the overflight of France by mysterious machines come from the West.

In the Côtes-du-Nord, in Uzel, Mr. and Mrs. Perrichon stated to have seen, yesterday evening, a flying saucer of orange color. The same fact was observed in several nearby cities.

In the Vendée, in Pont l'Abbé d'Arnoult, a mysterious machine which rose vertically behind a hedge, was seen by Mr. Meunier, site foreman in a building firm.

Lastly, in Luçon, Mr. Boulineau observed a large luminous ball of which a part in form of crescent was of red color. The ball moved quickly, while rotating and disappeared in a few seconds.

Looking up...
a farmer falls into a pond

Lisieux, October 19. -- Several people ran through fields in Moyeux, in direction of a flying saucer, surrounded of white smoke, which had been reported to them by a child.

One of them, a farmer, Mr. Filate, did not leave the sky from his eyes; He fell into a deep pond

(Continued on page 3)

The Martians
paid a visit
to Curzio Malaparte...

...who was not there

CURZIO MALAPARTE missed the book of his life.

A flying saucer stuffed with "Martians" like a subway train at six in the evening landed on the terrace of his summer villa in Capri. And Malaparte was not there! Disappointed, the Martians who probably wanted to have "The Skin" signed off, left.

It was a painter, Raffaele Castello, who saw them. He was walking at night at Cape Maroulo when he saw a huge disc five meters in diameter delicately landing on the Malapartean villa. Four of the Martians - they were short, dressed in overalls and speaking in low voices - entered the writer's house. Half an hour later, they left without having even taken a book. They climbed back into the craft which, casting classic bluish gleams, rose as perpendicular as it was silent and disappeared towards Sicily. Farewell Martians!

Various saucers and cigars have flown all over Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Spain (these are the first, the Franco regime seemed to intimidate the Martians so far) and naturally in France. Our happy compatriots who were favored with their vision are Pierre Pouquet in Saint-Germain-les-Belles (Haute-Vienne), Perrichou and Mrs., in Uzel (Côtes-du-Nord), Meunier in Pont-l'Abbé-d'Arnoult (Vendée) [Charente-Maritime], Boulineau in Luçon, Jean Aufard in Sisternes-la-Forêt (Pas-de-Calais), Perrault and Villerot in Brain, near Decize, Decréquy, marshall of the gendarmerie in Pommier (Pas-de-Calais), Filatte, farmer in Noyeux (Eure).

This Mr. Filatte, running across the fields to observe the saucer, fell into a pond and almost drowned.

The "saucers"
drove their first
victim of asylum

LIVORNO. October 19. (AFP.) - "They are persecuting me... They are coming to get me... I saw them land in a field... Saucers, large and small... Lights and smoke... The Martians... The Martians...", it is by shouting these pieces of sentences expressing his deep agitation that Mr. Bruno Senesi, 34, came to the hospital in Livorno, asking to be helped. But when the nurse returned with the doctor on duty, Senesi was gone. He was found hidden under a bed, shaken by violent shivers.

At the asylum, his condition causes concern.

FLYING SAUCER...
A FARMER WHO
WAS RUNNING, EYES
TO THE SKY, FALLS
IN A POND

Lisieux, 19. -- Several people were running through the fields in Moyeux, in the direction of a flying saucer, surrounded by smoke and black white, which had been reported to them by a child.

One of them, a farmer, Mr. Filate, did not take his eyes off the sky: he fell into a deep pond where he almost drowned. His companions managed to save him.

NEW IN THE WEST

Paris. -- The only new testimonies on the overflight of France by mysterious craft come from the West.

In the Côtes-du-Nord, at Uzel, Mr. and Mrs. Perrichon stated having seen an orange flying saucer. The same fact was observed in several neighboring municipalities.

In the Vendée, in Pont-l'Abbé-d'Arnoult, a mysterious craft which rose vertically behind a hedge, was seen by Mr. Meunier, site manager in a masonry company.

Finally, in Luçon, Mr. Boulineau observed a large luminous ball of which a crescent-shaped part was red in color. The ball moved rapidly spinning on itself and disappeared in a few seconds.

October 18, [1954]

? [= unknown hour]: Luçon (Vendée):lumin.obj.

Luçon
October 18, 1954

Another of these observation which is likely well to remain in the cellars of amnesia occurred in Luçon on October 18, 1954. Aimé Michel quotes this case in Mystérieux Objets Célestes, specifying that the source of information, the newspaper Paris-Presse for October 20, 1954, does not give any detail. Unable yet to consult this journalistic source I can only report on the existence of this observation, expecting to discover the exact content of it someday.

Monday, October 18, 1954

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In Luçon (the Vendée), ufo sighting.

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