The article below was published in the daily newspaper L'Ardennais, France, page 1 and 6, on September 30, 1954.
LYON - In the Rhône. Isère, Drôme and Savoy departments, many people claim to have seen, these last days, with more or less sharpness, craft having either the shape of cigars or that of disks.
In the region of the Arbresle, one of these witnesses, director of a Paris music hall, even filmed one of these mysterious craft that was evolving at a height estimated by him at about 700 meters, so we will know, after development of the film, whether or not it is an optical illusion.
Near Fezin (Isère) a young man reportedly saw a dome-shaped craft in the countryside, not far from the ground from where a very bright light sprang up. The witness compared it to that caused by the burning of magnesium. The craft suddenly climbed vertically leaving behind a shower of sparks and disappeared.
In the Drôme, a resident of Valence, Mrs. L ... who was walking near Chabeuil, said to have met in the path she followed a being of small size who was dressed so oddly that she thought at first that it was a cellophane scarecrow. The dog that accompanied the walker barked furiously, in terror. As for Mrs. L..., also terrified, she hid behind a hedge.
It was then that she saw a disk rising from the cornfield along the road, whistling. Shortly thereafter, the witness and some peasants went to the field where, according to them, there was clearly a circular trace of about 3 meters in diameter with corn stalks laid down and broken branches on the edge.
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Other residents of Chabeuil also said they saw a flying saucer flying over the countryside that day.
Finally, in Savoy, near the Lake of the Bourget, above Mount Revard, several motorists, in total about fifteen people, saw simultaneously a craft having the shape of a disc, moving for about four minutes, then disappearing suddenly.
One of the witnesses, a doctor from Chambéry, is a former artillery observer. He carefully noted the observations and drew a diagram reproducing the path of the mysterious apparatus.
Mr. Yves David, 28, farmer at the Brouloux, municipality of Vouneuil-sur-Vienne (Vienne) said he saw advance at him on the road from Cenon to Vouneuil on September 19 at 10 p.m. a kind of "scuba diver".
The latter, he said, came to caress his arm, uttered unintelligible sounds and withdrew to a craft (which Mr. David cannot describe). A green light beam was projected in his direction, nailing him on the spot, then the craft disappeared vertically in the sky without any noise.
Mr. David declares that he did not want to say anything about this strange encounter, lest anyone scoff at him. He told a friend, however, asking if other people had seen the "scuba diver". This is how the whole country learned about it...
PERPIGNAN - A baker from Cannet-Plage, Mr. Err, said that when he returned from a delivery tour with his pickup truck, he saw above this locality a brilliant disc which, after having flown in large circles, moved towards the sea. Also, seven workers of a factory of the suburb of Perpignan claim to have also seen an object of an indefinite color, moving at high speed, and which would have crossed the Pyrenees towards Spain.
Three inhabitants of Lanta, near Villefranche-de-Lauragais (Haute-Garonne), Mr. and Mrs. Brunet and Mr. Gadra, teacher of the locality, claim to have seen last night, above the village, a luminous disc of orange color. The object was moving at a great height and was moving north south.
After being visible for 30 to 40 seconds, the luminous disc disappeared on the horizon.
