The 1954 French flap:

THE 'FLYING SAUCERS'
CHANGE TO BALLS...

Cherbourg, 9. -- Thursday evening, around 9 p.m., a resident of Octeville (Manche), Mr. Maurice Crestey, designer at the Arsenal, and several of his neighbors saw, in the sky, at a fairly high altitude, a luminous sphere which, after having stopped above the city, disappeared towards the South.

Quimper, 9. -- Mr. François Cariou, itinerant fish merchants [sic] in Plozevet (Finistère), his wife and two daughters saw a bright glow in the sky which seemed to be surrounded by dense smoke. This glow, initially motionless, directed towards them, at an altitude of about ten meters it had the appearance of an orange sphere.

Frightened, the Cariou family returned to the house.

Several fishermen who were about to set sail at the same time confirmed these statements.

... to half ball...

Mulhouse, 9. -- Mr. René Ott, 35, from Jettingen, an SNCF employee, said he saw in a field on his way to work, an aluminum-colored semi-spherical dome, lit from the inside, which was about three meters from the road and one meter from the ground.

Frightened, Mr. Ott fled. He had, however, he said, time to notice that a door opened in the craft. The latter moved above him on a distance of 800 meters before disappearing the gendarmes did not detect any trace.

... and stop the cars

Le Mans, 9. - Mr. Alexandre Tremblaix, milk collector, said that the truck he was driving had suddenly stopped, for an unknown reason yesterday morning, on a small departmental road near Saint-Jean d'Asse and that its headlights had gone out. He got out of his cabin and saw a luminous red and blue flying cigar pass over him, about a meter long.

The machine disappeared on the horizon a few minutes later, the truck's engine started to function again and the headlights came on. Isn't that somewhat... chilling? [untranslatable joke about the witness name]

STILL STRANGE
APPEARANCES IN
THE SKY OF FRANCE

Mulhouse. -- Mr. René Ott, 35, from Jettingen, employed at the S.N.C.F., said that he had seen in a field an aluminum-colored hemispherical saucer, lit inside, which was about three meters from the road and one meter from the ground.

Frightened, Mr. Ott fled. He had, he said, time to notice that a door opened in the craft. It moved above him over a distance of 800 meters before disappearing.

Le Mans. -- Mr. Alexandre Tremblaix, milk collector, said that the truck he was driving had suddenly stopped, for an unknown reason, on a small provincial road near St. Jean d'Asse and that his headlights went off. He got out of his cabin, and saw passing over him a flying red and blue cigar, about one meter long. The craft disappeared on the horizon a few minutes later, the engine of the truck started to run again and the headlights turned on again.

Cherbourg. -- Around 9 p.m., a resident of Octeville (Manche), Mr. Maurice Grestey, designer at the Arsenal, and several of his neighbors saw in the sky, at a high altitude asset, a luminous sphere which, after having stopped above the city, disappeared towards the South.

Quimper. -- Mr. François Cariou, itinerant fish merchant in Plozevet (Finistère), his wife and two daughters saw, in the sky, a bright gleam which seemed surrounded by dense smoke, this glow, at first motionless, came towards them at an altitude of about ten meters, it looked like an orange sphere.

Frightened, the Cariou family returned to the house.

Several fishermen who were about to set sail at the same time confirmed these statements.

The chronicle
of the sky

Mulhouse, October 9. -- Mr. René Ott, 35, of Jettingen, an S.N.C.F. employee, said he saw in a field, on his way to work, an aluminum-colored semi-spherical dome, lit inside; which was about three meters from the road and one meter from the ground.

Frightened, Mr. Ott fled. He had time, however, he said, to notice that a door opened in the craft. The latter moved above him on a distance of 800 meters before disappearing, the gendarmes did not detect any trace.

***

Le Mans, October 9. -- Mr. Alexandre Trembaix, milk collector, said that the truck he was driving had suddenly stopped, for an unknown reason yesterday morning on a small departmental road near Saint-Jean d'Asse and that his headlights went off. He got out of his cabin and saw passing over him a flying red and blue cigar, about a meter long. The craft disappeared on the horizon a few minutes later, the engine of the truck started to run again and the headlights went on again.

***

Cherbourg, October 9. -- Thursday evening, around 9 p.m., a resident of Octeville (Manche), Mr. Maurice Grestey, designer at the Arsenal, and several of his neighbors saw in the sky at a fairly high altitude a luminous sphere which, after having stopped above the city, disappeared towards the South.

***

Châteauroux, October 9. -- Mr. Alfred Ramany, 62, resident of Chasseneuil, who had stopped at the side of the road, heard a whistling sound; looking up, he saw a gray machine immobilized about 100 meters above the ground. The craft left at a very fast pace, leaving a sort of fog behind it.

Also, Mr. Lucien Soulas, 25, of the same commune, declared that on returning from the village of Ligeaud, he had seen a luminous craft of pale orange-red color moving in a north-south direction.

***

Quimper, October 9. -- Mr. François Cariou, itinerant fish merchant in Plozevet (Finistère), his wife and two daughters saw, in the sky, a bright gleam which seemed surrounded by dense smoke, this glow, at first motionless, moved towards them at an altitude of about ten meters, it looked like an orange sphere.

Frightened, the Carion family returned to the house.

Several fishermen who were about to set sail at the same time confirmed these statements.

THE "SAUCERS"
continue their sarabande in the sky of France

No "Martian" put his nose in the window of his craft yesterday to greet passersby. But other witnesses add to the long list of those who have had the chance to see with their eyes "luminous" and mysterious "objects" in our sky.

Mr. Alfred Rabany, a resident of Chasseneuil, in the Indre, while he was on the road, heard a whistling sound. He looked up and saw a gray object immobilized about 100 meters above the ground. The craft left at high speed, leaving a sort of fog behind it.

Also, Mr. Julien Soulas, 25, from the same town, saw an orange-colored luminous object moving in a north-south direction.

- Mr. François Cariou, itinerant fish merchant in Plozévet (Finistère), his wife and two daughters saw a bright glow in the sky which seemed to be surrounded by dense smoke. This glow, at first motionless, came towards them, at an altitude of about ten meters; it looked like an orange sphere. Frightened, the Cariou family returned to the house.

Several fishermen who were preparing to go to sea at the same time confirmed these statements.

- René Ott, 35, from Jettingen (Haut-Rhin), employee of the S.N.C.F., said he had seen in a field a aluminum-colored semi-spherical dome, lit inside, which was about three meters from the road and one meter from the ground. Frightened, Mr. Ott fled. However, he said he had time to notice that a door opened in the craft.

- Mr. Alexandre Tremblaix, milk collector, said that the truck he was driving had suddenly stopped, for an unknown reason, on a small departmental road near Saint-Jean-d'Asse, near Le Mans and that his headlights had gone out. He got out of his cabin and saw a glowing red and blue flying cigar pass over him, about a meter long; which disappeared on the horizon a few minutes later. The truck's engine started to function again and the headlights came back on.

- M. Maurice Crestey, of Octeville (Manche), and several of his neighbors saw in the sky, at a fairly high altitude, a luminous sphere which, after having stopped above Cherbourg, disappeared towards the south.

The Martians have not been idle
during the weekend

Many saucers and cigars have still been seen in various regions

From all the regions of France still arrived, during the weekend, a lot of information signaling the "passage" of saucers, domes, spheres, cigars or other flying machines.

We learn from Mulhouse that Mr. René Ott, 35, from Jettingen, an S.N.C.F. employee, claimed to have seen, in a field, on his way to work, a semi-spherical, aluminum-colored dome illuminated from the inside, which was about three meters from the road and one meter from the ground.

Frightened, Mr. Ott fled. He had, however, he said, time to notice that a door opened in the craft. It moved above him for a distance of 800 meters, before disappearing.

Continued on 2^nd page, under the title

THE SAUCERS

THE SAUCERS

(Continuation of the 1^st page)

Near Le Mans, a bizarre phenomenon has been observed. Mr. Alexandre Tremblaix, milk collector, said that the truck he was driving had suddenly stopped, for an unknown reason, on a small departmental road near Saint-Jean-d'Asse and that his headlights had gone out. He got out of his cabin, and saw passing over him, a luminous flying cigar, red and blue, about a meter long. The machine disappeared on the horizon for a few minutes, the headlights turned on again and the engine could be started again.

Also, a resident of Octeville (Manche), Mr. Maurice Crestey, draftsman at the arsenal, and several of his neighbors, saw in the sky, at a fairly high altitude, a luminous sphere which, after having stopped above the city, disappeared towards the south.

***

CHATEAUROUX, October 10. -- Mr. Alfred Rabany, 62, resident of Chasseneuil, who had stopped at the side of the road, heard a whistling sound: looking up, he saw a gray machine immobilized about 100 meters above of the ground. The craft left at a very fast pace, leaving a sort of fog behind it.

Also, Mr. Julien Soulas, 25, from the same commune, said that on returning from the village of Ligeaud, he had seen a luminous pale orange-red machine moving in a north-south direction.

[...]

As of 2 October, the number of daily observations is increasing dramatically. On October 3, there are hundreds, and probably thousands of "witnesses". And the places of observation continue to line up, forming very characteristic networks whose layout evokes a spider's web, with a sort of star-shaped center from which most of the straight lines radiate. A large proportion of cases are also located on several different alignments (at their intersection).

An example of this complex and rigorous provision is offered by the observations of October 7 (see map).

That day, on the territory of France, hundreds of "testimonies" make it possible to plot 23 observation places, of which only one is erratic, in the area of ??Toulouse. The other 22 are organized in 17 alignments:

- One seven spots line: Cherbourg; La Ferte-Macé; Saint-Jean-d'Assé; National 23, east of Le Mans; Lavenay; Montlevic; and finally Cassis.

- Three lines of four spots:

a) Marcillac; Puymoyen; Montlevic; Corbigny.

b) Isles-sur-Suippe; Montlevic; Bournel; Montpezat.

c) Saint-Savinien; Saint-Plantaire; Montlevic; Jettingen.

Finally, thirteen alignments of three spots. One can, at first glance, wonder whether three-spot alignments require an explanation other than chance. But on reflection, chance turns out to be insufficient. Indeed:

1. On the map to the millionth used for this study, the accuracy of the alignments is of the order of a millimeter, equivalent to one kilometer, for distances sometimes exceeding 1000 kilometers;
2. But above all, it must be emphasized that most of the spots are at the same time on several alignments (At their intersections): when one plots two spots on a surface, one gets a straight line; if four points are plotted, one gets six lines (the sides of a quadrilateral and its diagonals), determining, in addition to the four primitive spots, three spots of intersection at most; therefore, if one plots three new spots at random, what is the chance for these spots to intersect? Virtually none. The realization by chance of such a provision is therefore highly improbable. If coincidence happens regularly every day for weeks, the chance explanation becomes almost impossible.
3. Finally (and this is perhaps the most troubling part of the case), how can it be explained by chance that this provision lasts only 24 hours?

In-depth analysis of all these alignments is beyond the scope of an article. A glance at the corresponding map is more eloquent than a long speech. We discover this feature, which I have tentatively called "orthoteny" (2), until further studies allow, if necessary, to relate it to some phenomenon already known and provided with a name existing in the dictionary.

Provisionally, therefore, the "orthoteny" is the rectilinear disposition, generating networks, of the vast majority of flying saucer observations of the Fall of 1954. This arrangement is so surprising that one must, a priori to adopt a systematic distrust about it. Before recognizing it for a real event, one must consider every possible means to reject it.

On October 7, 1954, France is furrowed with observations in a straight line

1. CHERBOURG ...One saw luminous globes! (Paris-Presse - 10-10-1954)

2. DUCLAIR ...Mr. X, blinded y a luminous beam, reopened the eyes, saw a ball that disappeared in a few minutes. (Parisien Libéré - 9-10-54)

3. ISLES-SUR-SUIPPES ...on the edge of the road, an object of more than 3 m in length like a big shell pierced with portholes... (Paris-Presse - 10-10-54)

4. PLOZEVET ...sharp gleam, dense smoke... (France-Soir - 10-10-54)

5. SAINT-BIHY ...luminous globes... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

6. LA FERTÉ-MACÉ ...a mysterious craft, which was rising vertically, leaving behind itself a white trail... (Black out sur les soucoupes volantes, Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir publishers)

7. HENNEZIES ...A "spaceship" and its occupants seen by two children... Egg-shaped object, red, the top pointed at the yky... (Black out sur les soucoupes volantes, Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir publishers)

8. SAINT-ÉTIENNE ...three craft produced a violent white light; - one of the craft was round like a saucer, the two other elongated like cigars. (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

9. SAINT-JEAN-D'ASSÉ ...a gleam of an intense blue color.. (Aurore - 9-10-54)

10. BALLON ...stars as big as the Moon (sic!). (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

11. LAVENAY ...a flying egg... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

12. DORDIVES ...a weird object... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

13. CHALETTE ...an oval-shaped luminous craft. (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

14. LES AUBIERS ...a red disc... (France-Soir - 9-10-54)

15. CORBIGNY Craft of cylindrical shapes, emitting red-orange gleams when they were horizontal and of a dazzling white when they rose vertically. (Aurore -8-10-54)

16. BERUGES ...a lighted mushroom... (France-Soir - 10-10-54)

17. SAINT-SAVINIEN ...a luminous disc. (Sud-Ouest - 14-10-54)

18. SAINT-PLANTAIRE

19. MONTLEVIC ...saucers, cigars, luminous globes and flying discs... (Paris-Presse - 9-10-54)

20. JETTINGEN ...a half-spherical cupola. (France-Soir - 10-10-54)

21. PUYMOYEN ...A the place where a saucer had landed, twelve samll heaps of ash in the middle of a 1,50 m circle and, among the ashes, small sticks... (Paris-Presse - 9-10-54)

22. MARCILLAC ...shape of inverted funnel. (Combat - 12-10-54)

23. BOURNEL ...circular shape... (Combat - 12-10-54)

24. MONTPEZAT ...a luminous circle, orange-colored... (Combat - 12-10-54)

25. BEAUVOIR ...a mysterious craft flying at a rather slow pace. (Parisien Libéré - 9-10-54)

26. MONTEUX ...a phosphorescent craft and of 2,50 m height... (local Press - oct. 54)

27. BOMPAS ...a formation of saucers... (Black out sur les soucoupes volantes, Jimmy Guieu, Fleuve Noir publishers)

28. CASSIS ...the object, which seemed to be in aluminum, was very shiny. (Provençal)

Alignments exist. What do they mean? This is a mystery...

The case file is not faked

First question to ask: Is it true that the observation spots are aligned as this article claims?

To check this, just look for the spots in question on a chosen map in such a way that the lines of the map correspond as exactly as possible to the great terrestrial circles in the considered place. For France, it is the millionth map, Bonne projection, in the trade by Michelin (Michelin map nr 989). Ones locates the spots by looking for them in a dictionary of the communes, for example that of Berger-Levrault.

Second question: did the author invent all or part of these observations in order to find alignments? To enable researchers to answer this question, I have used in my research only observations that were already made public.

Third question: Did the author choose the observations that are aligned, creating a phenomenon that would not exist if other unreported observations restored the disorder of chance?

Of course, I cannot hope to know all the sightings because many of the witnesses did not say anything. But I used in my work all observations made public, as one can check by studying my book. To prepare the maps, I therefore only used published cases, and I used them all. There was no invention, no selection. Anyone can completely redo the work I did: one only needs to consult the collection of newspapers of the time, taking care though, however, of dates, not of the newspapers publication of course, but of the reported phenomena.

We come to the most delicate aspect of the problem posed by these strange alignments. What do they mean?

I have shown in detail the results of my research to several prominent scientists, including two Masters of Research at the C.N.R.S. It is very unfortunate that orthotenia is linked to the "saucer phenomenon", so discredited, because all these scientists, whom I cannot name, are now convinced that the alignments show a real and original phenomenon.

Real, that is, objectively taking place in space, not in the imagination of the witnesses.

Original, that is, not related to anything known so far. Neither airplanes, sounding balloons, sundogs, meteors, lightning bolts, nor hallucinations, lies, and facetious inventions are observed along lines forming networks. It is something else. What is it?

In my opinion, we are not close to knowing it. But perhaps the demonstration of the geometric superstructure revealed by the wave of 1954 will finally incite a greater number of scientists to worry about it. Allow me to express the wish here. Personally, the discredit that is attached to this research begins to put me down. It is overwhelming in the long run to have my curiosity viewed like a sin.

Aimé Michel

Note:

• (2) From a Greek word meaning "stretched in a straight line".

1. CHERBOURG: one saw luminous globes. (Paris Presse for 10-10-54)

3997: 1954/10/07 00:00 1 1:38:00 W 49:38:00 N 3331 WEU FRN MNC 6:5

CHERBOURG,FR:3 LUMn DISKS:+LUMN.SPHERE 8 OCT54/r138#9p21:HVRS then >>S

Ref# 49 MICHEL,Aime: FS & STRAIGHT LINE TH: Page No. 141 : TOWN &CITY