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The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this site is here.
Reference number for this case: 7-Oct-54-Mendionde. Thank you for including this reference number in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
[Ref. so1:] "SUD-OUEST" NEWSPAPER:
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Mr Itehova made us aware of the mishap of Mr Manès Gusurtia, resident at the Harrohandia house, in Mendionde. So Mr. Gusurtia went to his work, the morning before yesterday morning, when he saw at the bottom of a meadow a strange object, having as seen by far away the shape of a mushroom. Having gotten closer, he notice on the grass not just one, but two objects, of red color, of about two meters in diameter, near which stood two small men of 0,80 meters approximately; the latter beckoned to him to come close, and uttered some incomprehensible sentences, then, showing him a machine they beckoned to him to go up inside, they penetrated in the other object and flew away vertically without making noise. Mr Gusurtia approached the other object, saw a third small man inside; the entry door closed suddenly in front of him and the machine flew away in the same way that the first, causing a light wind. They stopped one moment above Ursuya, then disappeared in the East. Having informed his neighbors, those stated not to have seen anything, but noted that the grass of the meadow appeared to be flattened and yellowed. Mr Gusurtia is still very moved by what he saw. |
[Ref. dv1:] "EL DIARIO VASCO" NEWSPAPER:
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Esta vez ha sido un casero vasco, el señor Manes Guesurtia de la casa Harrohandia, quien ha estado a punto de descifrar el enigma de las extrañas aeronaves. Su sorprendente relato es, sin quitar punto ni coma, el siguiente: Anteayer jueves, cuando se dirigía a su trabajo, vio en medio de un prado, un extraño objeto que de lejos tenía forma de una seta. Al acercarse pudo comprobar que no era uno sino dos los aparatos de color rojo y de unos dos metros de diámetro y junto a ellos había dos hombrecillos no mayores de ochenta centímetros. Al ser descubierto por éstos le hicieron señas para que se acercara, balbuciendo algunos sonidos ininteligibles. Luego le mostraron uno de los aparatos gesticulando como si le invitaran a entrar en él. Los pequeños tripulantes se metieron en el otro que, sin hacer ruido, despegó del suelo de forma vertical. El señor Guesurtia se dirigió al aparato pudiendo ver dentro de él a un tercer hombrecito pero la puerta de entrada se cerró bruscamente y el aparato se lanzó al espacio en la misma forma que el anterior. Los dos objetos se detuvieron un instante encima de Ursuya, desapareciendo luego con dirección Este. Guesurtia puso el hecho en conocimiento de sus vecinos los que, examinando el lugar donde habían estado posadas las misteriosas máquinas, comprobaron que la hierba del prado aparecía machacada y amarillenta. El señor Guesurtia, dice la información que acabamos de traducir, no ha salido aun de su asombro. |
I.e.:
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This time it is a Basque guard, Mr Manes Guesurtia of the Harrohandia house, who was on the point to decipher the enigma of the strange flying machines. His amazing story is, without removing neither a point nor a comma from it, as follows: the day before yesterday, Thursday, when he was going to his work, he saw in the middle of a meadow an unknown object; which in the distance, had the shape of a mushroom. While approaching, he managed to realize that it was not one, but two apparatuses of red color and some two meters in diameter and with them, there were two small men not taller than eighty centimeters. Being discovered by the latter, they stammered some inintelligibles sounds and made gestures so that he approaches. They then showed him one of the apparatuses while moving the arms as if they invited him to get inside. The small crew members entered the other apparatus; which rose from the ground vertically, without making noise. Mr Guesurtia looked towards the other apparatus and could see a third small man, but the entry door was closed quickly and the apparatus sprang towards space in the same manner as the first one. The two objects stopped one moment above Ursuya, and then disappeared in the direction of the east. Guesurtia reported the fact to his neighbors, whom, checking the place where the mysterious machines had been posed, noted that the grass of the meadow appeared crushed and yellowish. Mr Guesurtia, says the information that we have just translated, did not yet recover from his amazement. |
[Ref. bb1:] GERARD BARTHEL AND JACQUES BRUCKER:
The two authors indicate that the following account was published in the newspaper "Sud-Ouest" fro October 9, 1954:
"Mr Itehova made us aware of the mishap of Mr Manès Gusurtia, resident at the Harrohandia house, in Mendionde."
"So Mr. Gusurtia went to his work, the morning before yesterday morning, when he saw at the bottom of a meadow a strange object, having as seen by far away the shape of a mushroom."
"Having gotten closer, he notice on the grass not just one, but two objects, of red color, of about two meters in diameter, near which stood two small men of 0,80 meters approximately; the latter beckoned to him to come close, and uttered some incomprehensible sentences, then, showing him a machine they beckoned to him to go up inside, they penetrated in the other object and flew away vertically without making noise."
"Mr Gusurtia approached the other object, saw a third small man inside; the entry door closed suddenly in front of him and the machine flew away in the same way that the first, causing a light wind."
"They stopped one moment above Ursuya, then disappeared in the East."
"Having informed his neighbors, those stated not to have seen anything, but noted that the grass of the meadow appeared to be flattened and yellowed."
"Mr Gusurtia is still very moved by what he saw."
The two authors say that they found this story "plausible in the ufologic context", and "credibilized" by a trace, "moreover".
They say that they went to this area and that the inhabitants did not remember the story, but that all became clear at the Mendionde townhall, where an employee smiled by reading the account then burst into laughters because Mr Gusurtia "had never lived in the village" and "the Harrohandia house had never existed", since in the Basque patois "Gusurtia means lie and Harrohandia means big mouth."
The two authors add that although they came to the Basque Country for nothing, they were relieved of their disappointment by tasting the gastronomy of this country.
[Ref. fr1:] FRANCAT, MICHEL FIGUET:
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07.10.1954 Mendionde Hoax, the Press and B.B. p. 50 to 53. |
[Ref. js1:] JEAN SIDER:
French ufologist Jean Sider notes that skeptical ufologists Barthel and Brucker claimed to have solved the hoax of 1954 in Mendionde in the Basque country, whereas shortly after its publication, the hoax had already been denounced. Jean Sider expresses serious doubts on their assertion to have traveled to the site as in other cases, he demonstrated that they investigated by phone, not by going on the premises.
Jean Sider is ironical about the fact that Barthel and Brucker set up a whole production to make believe that they had to spend much time on the case. They are betrayed when they indicate to have investigated in the same manner than in the case of Ygrande, by letters and phone calls in the latter case, and not by a trip to the place.
Jean Sider indicates that if they had checked the Press of the time, they would have realized that the alleged on-site investigation was useless, since the newspaper Le Sud-Ouest for October 10, 1954, and other newspapers afterwards such as Le Républicain Lorrain for October 10, 1954 on page 3, had already explained that the case was only a hoax.
[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:
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131. Location. Near Mendionde Basses Pyrenees France Date: October 7 1954 Time: morning M Manes Cuesurtia, a Basque, going to work, discovered in a prairie two red mushroom shaped objects about 6 ft in diameter. Beside them were standing two little men only 2.5 ft tall, who made signs to the witness to approach. After uttering some incomprehensible sentences, the little men indicated by signs that M Cuesurtia should enter one of the vehicles. They entered the other one, and flew off vertically without sound. The witness approached the remaining UFO and saw inside it a third little man; the door was suddenly shut in his face, and the object flew of like the other one, displacing a slight current of air. Traces were found; the grass of the prairie was crushed down and yellowed. Humcat 1954-25 Source: M Itehova for Sud Quest Newspaper Type: A & B |
[Ref. dj1:] DONALD JOHNSON:
Donald Johnson indicates that on October 7, 1954, two red mushroom-shaped objects, 6 feet in diameter, landed in the morning in Mendionde, France. Two little men, 2.5 feet tall, stood beside it, speaking an unknown language and gesticulating to the witness to come closer. However, when he did they shut the door in his face, and the UFO took off straight up. The grass at the site was crushed and turned yellow.
Donald Johnson indicates that the source is: David F. Webb and Ted Bloecher, HUMCAT: Catalogue of Humanoid Reports, case A1689.
[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:
A case file on this website indicates that on October 7, 1954, in the morning, in Mendionde, France, two red mushroom shaped objects of 6 feet in diameter with two little men 2.5 feet tall standing besides uttering some incomprehensible sentences and gesticulating for the witness to come in were seen in a prairie. They entered the other disc.
The witness approached the remaining UFO and saw inside it a third little man; the door was suddenly shut in his face, and the object flew of like the other one, displacing a slight current of air. Traces were found; the grass of the prairie was crushed down and yellowed.
The two objects were red domed discs about 10 feet across.
The witness is "one experienced male witness" on the prairie, Manes Guesurtia who was going to work.
[Ref. ga1:] "GARA" NEWSPAPER:
The newspaper issues a summary on "The Guesurtia case", indicating that in October 1954, the newspapers "Sud-Ouest" and "El Diario Vasco" published a case in Mendionde, "Manes Guesurtia", who saw a saucer landing and various beings. In 1979, two investigators tried to confirm this but the witness never existed.
Hoax.
In the Basque-French dictionary "Vocabulaire de mots basques Bas-Navarrais", by Mr. Salaberry, 1856, the word gusurtia does not exist more than the word harrohandia. These words are also not in the database of the Banque de Terminologie Publique Basque Euskalterm, 2007. But I finally discovered the word gusurtia in the dictionary www.euskomedia.org/PDFAnlt/literatura/07133214.pdf where it indeed means "liar."
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Mendionde, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, hoax, occupants, landing, Manes Guesurtia, Gusrtia, Itehova, Harrohandia, langage, gestures, communication, take-off, landing, objects, fast, manoeuvers
[---] indicates sources which I have not yet checked.
