The 1954 French flap:

On Wednesday evening, the mayor of Saint-Dizier and two railway workers saw a luminous cigar cross the sky of our region and disappear at the zenith

Is there nowadays any subject that stimulates the imagination more than saucers, cigars, and other celestial apparitions which, every day, in all countries, pose a gigantic question mark? The entire press is filled with troubling reports, often accompanied by hypotheses of varying credibility.

Yet, logically, the subject of "flying saucers" demands conciseness and rigorous honesty in observations. It is through the precision and absolute authenticity of the accounts of those who have had the privilege of seeing the unknown objects that one may hope to one day learn what they really are.

Here we present, refraining from the slightest comment, three interviews, including that of the mayor of Saint-Dizier.

Indeed, on Wednesday evening, September 29, something passed through the sky of our region and, to our knowledge, three people saw this thing. Let us specify that Messrs. Laurent, Leclerc and Daunay did not consult one another and that they recorded their observations at the same time, dozens of kilometers apart. If we only learned of their accounts two days after the phenomenon, it is because these three people did not think it necessary to report their vision. One easily understands their fear of being accused of imagination or autosuggestion.

Only the comparison of the testimonies could firmly establish the fact. In this regard, in the interest of providing ample information on the subject of flying objects, we invite the public to communicate to us any observations they may have made, which can always be of great importance, sometimes even without the observers realizing it.

The "shooting star" was climbing into the celestial vault

Mr. Laurent, mayor of Saint-Dizier, had left City Hall on Wednesday at about 8 p.m., give or take a few minutes. He carried two files under his arm and, alone, he walked along Rue de la Victoire toward Rue des Alliés and Rue Gambetta to return home. Let us let him speak:

- The sky was starry. I was walking down the middle of the street, whistling. Suddenly, my whistle literally stopped. On the portion of sky visible between the buildings of the street (itself oriented southwest-northwest), I suddenly saw a bright light moving at great speed.

I clearly distinguished an elongated shape that I can compare to the cigar everyone talks about. This shape was yellow-green in color and was followed by a luminous trail longer than itself. At first, I thought it was the appearance of a large shooting star. But a meteor always describes a descending curve, whereas this cigar was climbing toward the top of the celestial vault, where it disappeared while diminishing as if it were going out.

The luminous object was moving at very high speed, at an altitude that I estimate at several thousand meters at the start, in an approximate southeast-northwest direction. Given the ascending movement and the distance, I cannot affirm the exact accuracy of this direction. The appearance lasted barely a few seconds, but it was very clear and I have no doubt about its unusual character.

As big as the moon

Mr. Gilbert Daunay, aged 31, an employee of the S.N.C.F. in Saint-Dizier, lives in Ancerville (6 km east of Saint-Dizier), where he was on Wednesday evening. He was standing with his father-in-law, Mr. Deschamps, on the threshold of his home, which is located along National Road No. 4, on the right-hand side in the direction Saint-Dizier-Nancy. Let us allow him to describe what he saw.

- It was about 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday evening. Suddenly, a glow appeared in the sky to the east. Something whose shape I cannot specify, about the size of the moon, violet in color and followed by a red trail, was moving much faster than an airplane in the direction Chamouilley-Bettancourt (southeast-northwest). The weather was clear. I could clearly see the red lamp lit at the top of the derrick of the Z of La Houpette. I saw the thing almost directly above that red lamp at the altitude where airplanes normally fly. But I cannot say whether the thing flew over the derrick or passed much farther away.

My father-in-law, who is 58 years old, saw nothing because, in my surprise, I called him just as the thing was disappearing. It lasted only a few seconds. The apparition was then hidden from me by the houses facing mine.

A rainbow-colored trail

Mr. Pierre Leclerc, 41 years old, is also an employee of the S.N.C.F. in Saint-Dizier. He lives in Voillecomte (7 km west of Wassy). He was walking alone through the center of this village when, also on Wednesday around 8 p.m., he saw something in the sky.

- I saw a kind of craft pass by, something like a big cigar, which was speeding along at tremendous velocity, much higher than the altitude of airplanes. The cigar was white, very luminous. It was followed by a trail three times as long as itself, with changing colors like a rainbow. It moved horizontally, very far away, in the direction Wassy-Frampas (southeast-northwest). I followed it with my eyes for about 5 seconds, which was enough time for it to travel from one end of the horizon to the other. Trees then caused me to lose sight of it.

We merely add that we questioned our interlocutors so as to obtain from them the complete truth. We have transcribed their answers in sequence, without including the questions, which are the same ones any of our readers might have asked them.

STILL THE FLYING SAUCERS

ST-DIZIER. -- Wednesday evening, the mayor of St-Dizier and two railway workers saw a luminous cigar-shaped object cross the sky and disappear at the zenith.

Mr. Raoul Laurent, mayor of St-Dizier, had left the town hall around 8 p.m. when he noticed the strange apparition.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gilbert Daunay, an employee of the S.N.C.F. in St-Dizier, living in Ancerville, was with his father-in-law Mr. Deschamps in front of his home when he saw a glow coming from the east, about the size of the moon, violet in color, followed by a red trail. It was moving much faster than a plane.

Finally, Mr. Pierre Leclerc, also an S.N.C.F. employee in St-Dizier, was walking alone in the center of Villecomte when he too witnessed the phenomenon.

"It will be said that I am a joker", told us George Guillemin, baker. "Wednesday evening September 29, whereas I was in Commercy to spend my Thursday of rest there, and that the crowd was going to another direction to see the Super Circus, I was with the Berthemy district at about 08:30 P.M. with my young daughter Jocelyne, aged 10. In the sky, we saw a luminous tube, about of the diameter of the Moon, during at least ten seconds, in the direction of Couzance-St-Dizier."

Since then we read in the newspapers that Mr. the Mayor of St-Dizier and a railwayman of Ancerville had also seen it at the same hour this same Wednesday. A person told us, as well as his wife, to have seen a luminous object like the Moon, but a little smaller, hovering in the direction of Bar-le-Duc.

The mayor saw a cigar...

Mr. RAOUL LAURENT (left) is the mayor of Saint-Dizier. Last Wednesday, September 29, about eight in the evening, when he had just left the City Hall, he saw in the starry night sky a bright light that was moving at a very high speed. He clearly distinguished an elongated shape similar to that of a cigar, leaving behind a trail of light (see the drawing above). The craft must have been at a probable altitude of several thousand meters.

September 29 [, 1954]

[... Other cases...]

?: Wassy/Saint-Dizier (Hte.Marne): lum.obj.

[... Other cases...]

[...]

We also enumerate the following observations which come to be placed faithfully on the orthotenic CORRIDOR:

St-Dié, Kembs, Basel and possibly Rome; we say "possibly" because the craft observed in the Italian capital on September 17, 1954 headed in the direction of France where it was reported in three cities which also constitute another orthotenic line... This line, coming from Rome cut "BAVIC" near the Vauriat which was the scene of a very strange affair, on August 29, 1962. In addition, "the Vauriat" is strictly located on "Bayonne-Vichy", a line we were talking about at the beginning of our analysis.

"BRUTUS", (permanent corridor?) completes its characteristics in a true geometric apotheosis...: BRUTUS IS RIGOROUSLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE EXTENSION OF BAVIC!... Immediately next to this orthotenic "crossroads", we notice a small detail on the work card; we read closer: RIXEIM [sic], sighting of a "flying cigar" on September 27, 1954!

End.

No. 4. Le maire a vu un cigare... [In French in this source.]

The mayor saw a cigar.

M. Raoul Laurent is the mayor of Saint-Dizier. Last Wednesday (Sept. 29), about 8:00p.m., when he had just left the city hall, he saw in the stormy [sic] sky a bright light moving at high speed. He could plainly distinguish an elongated, cigar-like shape. Leaving a luminous trail.

The craft must have been at an altitude of several km.

The French newspaper France Dimanche published brief accounts of various UFO sightings accompanied by drawings in its October 10, 1954 issue. These were included in the monograph UFOs. A History 1954 September, pages 31-33. Translations by "ADNf' of the French text exist in NICAP files and are provided here for the reader's perusal. (See below)

[... Other cases...]

No. 4. The mayor saw a cigar.

M Raoul Laurent is the mayor of Saint-Dizier. Last Wednesday (Sept. 29), about 8:00 p.m., when he had just left the city hall, he saw in the stormy sky a bright light moving at high speed. He could plainly distinguish an elongated, cigar-like shape. Leaving a luminous train. The craft must have been at an altitude of several km.

[... Other cases...]

These French cases can be found on page 75 of the monograph UFOs: A History 1954 September. Translations of the French text were also done by NICAP's "ADM." [Alexandre Mebane]