The article below was published in the daily newspaper Combat, Paris, France, page 10, on October 5, 1954.
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ABIDJAN, October 4. -- Flying saucers have been seen in the Ivory Coast. The news became known through an official report sent to the Governor of the Ivory Coast by Mr. Vernhet, Chief Administrator of the Danané subdivision, a town located 500 kilometers northwest of Abidjan.
The events, which date back to September 19, were only made official today following an investigation.
In addition to the local population, the gendarmerie post chief, the chief medical officer of the medical center, Reverend Father Vyard from the Lyon missions, Mr. Vernhet, head of the subdivision, and his wife — all gathered in the courtyard of the residence — saw on September 19, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:05 p.m., a craft exactly matching those observed in France, although it did not land.
It appeared as a luminous point surrounded by a halo that quickly grew in size, moving closer to or farther from the horizon. The witnesses saw the craft turn on a powerful spotlight, sometimes aimed upward, sometimes downward. The object, ovoid in shape, was topped with a dome, and beams of light seemed to emanate from either side.
When it disappeared after moving about for half an hour, the witnesses clearly saw two luminous halos, oval in shape, form at the presumed location of the object. It moved without making any sound.
Administrator Vernhet included in his report a detailed sketch of the different phases observed as well as the shape of the craft.
On the same day, a few hundred kilometers northwest of Abidjan and in the same direction, similar phenomena were observed.
CHAMONIX, October 4. -- A great number of people, including officers from the high mountain school, gendarmes from Chamonix, and pilot Guiron, a specialist in high-altitude flying who was flying over the area at the time, reported seeing for over an hour a shiny object maneuvering between Mont Lachat and Mont Blanc.
Pilot Guiron stated that while flying at about 2,000 meters above Faverges, he saw a craft which, he said, bore no resemblance to a normal airplane. Moreover, the high-speed direction taken by the object ruled out the possibility of a weather balloon.
