The 1954 French flap:

After the cigars and the saucers...

The flying soup tureen makes its appearance

Limoges, October 7. -- A farmer of Chalaix (the Dordogne), Mr. Gareau, claimed on his honor, to have seen a "flying soup tureen" come to land on his property. Mr. Gareau stated that two perfectly normal men covered of khaki suits came out of it, shook hands with him and spoke a language unknown to him. Mr. Gareau, amazed, did not answer. The two men caressed his dog and went up in their apparatus which flew away without noise at a vertiginous pace. At the place indicated by Mr. Gareau, it was noted that the grass had been pressed.

A red sphere

A mason, residing on the Island of Ré, Mr. Simonetti, stated to have seen a luminous sphere of approximately 12 meters in diameter, which scintillated at about fifty meters from the ground.

The sphere, he said, became red, turned blue and rose vertically very quickly.

Two inhabitants of the Island of Ré stated to have been pilot of the same phenomenon. Two Parisians on holiday in the community of Mouchamp, Mr. and Mrs. Laroche, claimed to have seen, at the fall of night, an incandescent sphere.

Blinded by a beam of light

Mrs. Thérèse Fourneret, 23 years old, living in Poncey-sur-Lignon (Côte d'Or) saw Monday evening, a machine come to land in the meadow not far from her residence. She stated that, frightened, she had taken refuge at neighbors'. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground at the indicated place. Turfs had been torn off and projected in a radius of 4 meters.

Mr. Landrin, employee with the Waters in Duclair (the Seine Inférieure) who was wandering in company of his wife, was blinded by a beam of light. When he reopened the eyes, he said, he saw a ball which disappeared a few minutes later.

Finally, saucers, flying cigars, crowns and all other objects were seen in St Etienne, in several villages of the Eure et Loir, in Heyrieux (the Isère), Dieulanvallon (the Côtes du Nord), Ajot (the Calvados) and in Biarritz.

RAIN OF FLYING SAUCERS IN FRANCE

Testimonys on the flying saucers seem to become increasingly precise. Various people in the same area announce the same phenomenon and one can say that one has assisted for a few days to a true rain of flying saucers, cigars or discs on the entire France. A farmer of Chaleix (Dordogne) Mr. Garreau affirmed on his honor to have seen a flying soup tureen land in his property. Mr. Garreau declared that two perfectly normal men covered of kaki suit descended, shook hands with him and spoke a language unknown to him. Amazed, Mr. Garreau did not answer, the two men caressed his dog and went up in their apparatus which flew away without noise at a vertiginous pace. A luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter was seen in the Island of Ré by a mason, Mr. Simonetin. The sphere, he said, became red after having hovered within 50 meters of the ground, it changed to blue and rose very quickly vertically. The craft was also observed by two Parisian on holiday. Mrs. Thérèse Fourmeret, 23 years, inhabitant of Poncey-sur-l'Ignon (Côte d'Or) saw Monday evening a craft land in a meadow not far from her residence. She declared that frightened, she had taken great care not to observe this phenomenon longer and had taken refuge at neighbors'. The gendarmerie noted very clear traces on the ground at the indicated place. Turfs had been torn off and projected in a radius of four meters.

In Duclair (Seine-Inférieure) Mr. Laudrin, employee of the water supplies who was walking with his wife, was dazzled by a ray of light, when he reopened the eyes, he saw a ball that disappeared a few minutes later.

A roadmender of Mertrud (Haute-Marne), Mr. André Narcy, claims to have approached within less than one hundred meters a flying saucer posed in a field close to Voillecomte. He saw near the machine a small being, high of approximately 1,20 meters who was dressed of a kind of cape covered with hairs. Mr. Narcy challenged the strange character who did not answer him and threw himself in his machine which flew away vertically. According to Mr. Narcy, the machine was of spherical shape, of a diameter of ten meters approximately. Under the sphere was a kind of spindle and the port-hole by which the being returned in the machine was just between the spindle and the body of the apparatus. At the start of the latter, a kind of flame came out of the spindle while a large vaporous movement occurred under the machine. On the spot he noted that the dew did not exist any more on some surface. The grass had a slightly milky color and was crushed on a square of approximately three meters side. Moreover, twelve parallel traces resembling prints of round feet were distributed at a certain distance, letting think that the apparatus had landed with a succession of small sudden starts...

168

Sep. 30, 1954, 10:00 P.M., Isle of Re (France).

As he was returning home near La Flotte-en-Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 m in diameter hovering at 1 m altitude, turning red, blue, and taking off. Two other witnesses.

(28) (Sud-Ouest, about October 2, 1954) (exact date unknown)

Isle of Re (France).

9/30/1954 22:00

As he was returning home near La Flotteen Re, Celeste Simonutti saw a bright light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 m in diameter hovering at 1 m altitude, turning red, blue, and taking off. Two other witnesses.

On this Day

September 30

[...]

1954 - Mr. Celeste Simonutti was returning home at 10:00 p.m. near La Flotte-en-Re, on the Ile de Re, France when he saw a brilliant light and, fearing a fire, rushed to the scene. There he observed a luminous sphere 12 meters in diameter, hovering one meter above the ground. The object changed colors from red to blue, and took off. Two other witnesses also saw it leave. (Source: Sud-Ouest, October 2, 1954; Jacques Vallee, Passport to Magonia, p. 214; Michel Figuet and Jean-Louis Ruchon, OVNI: Le premier dossier complet des rencontres rapprochees en France, pp. 98).