The 1954 French flap:

A "CIGAR" IN THE SKY OF COGNAC?

In the evening of Sunday, around 9 p.m., Mrs. Bellanger, resident of Cognac, avenue of Javrezac, was in her garden, when she saw at an altitude of 200 meters approximately a machine in the shape of a cigar of orange color, slowly moving above Cognac.

She called her husband and her two daughters who were also witness of this phenomenon. The machine remained approximately three minutes above the city, then disappeared while accelerating.

THE MYSTERIOUS CRAFT
are multiplying in the sky

LYON. -- Several people stated to have seen in the area of Epinac-les-Mines (the Saone-and-Loire), a kind of large luminous ball evolving slowly in an odd way in the sky. Puzzled motorists stopped on the road and could observe this ball during several minutes before seeing it disappearing suddenly for Le Creusot.

A similar phenomenon was observed in Ain and the north of the department of the Rhone, towards the collar of Echarmeaux, as well as in the Isère, close to Morestel.

Near Le Havre

LE HAVRE. -- Mr. André Lefebvre, taxi driver, who stationed around 8 p.m., on the harbour, saw an incandescent disc which, at the West of Deauville, went up in the sky, leaving behind itself a phosphorescent trail and a light smoke. This phenomenon, which was visible during ten minutes, had also as witnesses several sailors regaining their boat.

In the Haute-Loire

LE PUY. -- Mr. and Mrs. Teyssier, of St-Etienne, who camped in Aurec-sur-Loire (the Haute-Loire) saw in the sky a luminous object giving the impression of a large headlight which moved at a fast pace at approximately 2.000 meters of altitude. The machine emitted a ray of light of orange red color, and followed a North-South trajectory. When it had disappeared, a second machine similar to the first and appearing to follow it appeared, followed the same direction and disappeared too.

Approximately at the same moment several people saw, above the bell-tower of Aurec, similar craft, which after having become motionless one moment crossed the sky at a fast pace in direction of the South-west.

A crescent splits in two

LENS. -- Sunday evening, around 09:30 p.m., in Ablain-St-Nazaire, a craft which had the shape of a pot and which rotated was seen in the sky by two people. It released a reddish gleam and quickly moved.

At the same hour, a craft which, this time, had the shape of a crescent was seen in the sky in Liévain. After having hovered during a few minutes, the crescent split in two. The higher part then remained motionless, while the other landed in a field, between two haystacks, from where it flew away little afterwards to go to reattach to the part that had remained in the air.

In the Charente

ANGOULEME. -- Sunday evening, at approximately 11:15 p.m. on the Montecreau-Ville-Bois-Lavalette road (Charente), Mr. Jean Allary, aged 22, saw very clearly, in the gleam of the headlight of his motorcycle, a kind of barrel high of approximately 1 m. 80, spread of gilded nails, which was oscillating on the edge of the road. When Mr. Allary had passed the mysterious machine, he turned back at a distance of approximately ten meters, but he did not see anything anymore.

Witnesses saw, at the very spot indicated by Mr. Allary, traces of approximately seven meters length in the grass which borders the road.

In addition, the same night, Mrs. Bellanger, resident of Cognac, saw at an altitude of approximately 300 meters, a machine in the shape of cigar, of orange color, moving slowly above the city.

On Clermont-Ferrand

CLERMONT-FERRAND. -- Residents of Clermont saw, around 7 p.m., in the sky, a luminous point of the dimension of a large star, which frequently changed color, passing from the white to the green while tainting itself of orange. The luminous point appeared animated of a rotary movement. While disappearing it left behind itself an orange plume.

AFTER THE SAUCERS AND CIGARS

Here come the barrels, discs, pots, crescents, and other flying objects!

Le Havre, October 5. -- Mr. André Lefebvre, a taxi driver, who was parked last night around 8:00 PM at the port, saw a glowing disc that, west of Deauville, rose into the sky, leaving behind a phosphorescent trail and a light smoke. This phenomenon, which was visible for ten minutes, was also witnessed by several sailors returning to their boat.

A "big headlight" in the Haute-Loire

LE PUY. -- Mr. and Mrs. Teyssier, from Saint-Etienne, who were camping in Aurec-sur-Loire (Haute-Loire), saw in the sky a luminous object giving the impression of a large headlight moving at high speed, at about 2,000 meters altitude. The craft emitted a red-orange light beam and followed a north-south trajectory. When it disappeared, a second craft similar to the first and appearing to follow it appeared, followed the same direction, and also disappeared.

Around the same time, several people saw, above the Aurec church tower, similar crafts that, after remaining stationary for a moment, sped across the sky toward the southwest.

"Detachable crescent" in Liévin

LENS. -- On Sunday evening, around 9:30 PM, in Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, a craft in the shape of a pot, spinning on itself, was seen in the sky by two people. It emitted a reddish glow and moved quickly.

At the same time, a craft that, this time, had the shape of a crescent, was seen in the sky in Liévin. After hovering for a few minutes, the crescent split in two. The upper part remained stationary, while the other landed in a field, between two haystacks, from where it took off shortly after to reattach to the part that remained in the air.

Barrel in the Charente

ANGOULEME. -- On Sunday evening, around 11:15 PM, on the road from Montmoreau-Cognac-Bois-Lavalette (Charente), Mr. Jean Allary, 22 years old, clearly saw, in the light of his moped's headlight, a sort of barrel about 1.80 meters high, studded with golden nails, swaying on the roadside. When Mr. Allary passed the mysterious craft, he turned around about 10 meters away but saw nothing.

Witnesses saw, this afternoon, at the location indicated by Mr. Allary, traces about 7 meters long in the grass by the roadside.

Furthermore, on the same night, Miss Bellanger, residing in Cognac, saw, at an altitude of about 300 meters, a cigar-shaped, orange-colored craft moving slowly over the city.

Luminous sphere in the Saône-et-Loire

LYON. -- Several people reported seeing in the Epinac-les-Mines region (Saône-et-Loire), a kind of large luminous sphere moving slowly and strangely through the sky.

Intrigued motorists stopped on the road and were able to observe this sphere for several minutes before seeing it suddenly disappear toward Le Creusot.

A similar phenomenon was observed in Ain and in the northern Rhône department, near the Col des Écharmeaux, as well as in Isère, near Morestel.

CLERMONT-FERRAND. -- Clermont-Ferrand residents saw last night, around 7:00 PM, a luminous point in the sky the size of a large star, which frequently changed color, shifting from white to green with shades of orange. The luminous point appeared to be rotating. Upon disappearing, it left behind an orange plume.

Flying saucer in the Gard

NIMES. -- A flying saucer was seen on Sunday around 8:00 PM, in the sky over Anduze, by Mr. Edmond Nicetta and several members of his family. The craft emitted alternating blue and red lights. It remained almost stationary above Pointe Saint-Félix, though appearing to rotate on itself. It soon began to descend like a falling leaf before disappearing.

Flying saucers in the Paris sky

PARIS, October 5. -- Several Parisians reported seeing flying saucers this afternoon moving through the sky over the capital. Passersby claimed to have seen one around 4:30 PM, near Porte-Dorée.

Mr. Pierre Allouis was going about his business in a taxi when the vehicle stopped at a red light. Hearing, he said, a high-pitched whistle, he looked out the car door and saw a flying craft fleeing upwards, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

Mr. Allouis described the saucer as a disc larger than a normal plane and silver in color.

The same testimony is provided by Mr. Gilbert Bacon and Mr. Paul Julien. The latter, however, believes that it was not a saucer but a flying wing shaped like a triangle with rounded edges.