The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this site is here.
Reference number for this case: 23-aug-54-Vernon. Thank you for including this reference number in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
[Ref. 1372:] "MAROC-PRESSE" NEWSPAPER:
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FLYING SAUCERS
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[Ref. 6:] "LIBERATION" NEWSPAPER:
According to Aimé Michel, it is only on August 25 that the case was known to the press, and that the newspaper Libération of August 25, 1954 mentions it. A reader of my site later found it and kindly transcribed it:
The article underneath has been published in the national daily newspaper Libération, France, on wednesday, August 25, 1954, in the 6th and last page as a small insert at the bottom of the page.
A flying saucer gets off a cigar in the sky of VernonEvreux, August 24 - Mysterious machines have reportedly been seen by several people in the sky of Vernon during the night of Sunday to Monday. The son of a tradesman of the city says he has distinctly seen, at about one o'clock in the morning, above the river Seine, an elongated object, of red color, resembling a cigar. According to his statements, this object hovered motionless at a rather low altitude. The silence was complete. From this curious machine, a flying saucer went off, which the witness describes with precision: "It had the shape of an oval disc, of dark color, topped by a red dome with a very brilliant crown surrounded by flames." The saucer detached itself from the cigar, fell vertically, then appeared to have decided for a leveled flight above the bridge. It veered, went up and disappeared abruptly. It was replaced at once by another. This curious carrousel is said to have lasted three quarter of hour. These observations were confirmed by several people, and in particular by a chemical engineer of the ballistic and atomic research laboratory for the army, which was driving on national road 182 at the same time. |
[Ref. 12:] JOURNAL "LE QUOTIDIEN DE LA HAUTE LOIRE:"
The following article appeared in the daily newspaper "Le Quotidien de la Haute Loire" on August 26, 1954.
Saucer in the sky of VernonMysterious crafts have allegedly been seen by several people in the sky of Vernon (Eure) during the night of Sunday to Monday. The son of a tradesman of the city says that he has distinctly seen, at about 01:00 hour of the morning, above the Seine, an elongated object of red color, resembling a large cigar. According to his statements, this object hovered at a rather low altitude. A flying saucer detached from this curious craft. These observations were confirmed by several people and particularly by a chemical engineer of the ballistic research laboratory of the army, which was driving on national road 182 [181?] at the same hour. |
[Ref. 1371] "CENTRE-ECLAIR" NEWSPAPER:
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STILL FLYING SAUCERS...A journalist of "Le Figaro", Mr. André Larcher, went to interview a resident of Vernon (the Eure) whom thus reports how he saw flying saucers being detached from a "brilliant cigar". Last Monday, he specified, I had just garaged my car in the garage (which is near the quay of the Seine) when, raising the head, I was dazzled by a kind of large cigar shining and motionless... At the end of a few seconds, a saucer was detached from the cigar, being placed in a vertical position, sank in my direction. It was surrounded of an incandescent halation. After having immobilized itself while taking an horizontal position, it suddenly moved away at an extraordinary speed, to get lost in the night. Hardly had it disappeared, that another came under the same conditions, as well as a third, a fourth and a fifth. It is this one which caused me the strongest impression. It descended definitely lower than the preceding ones and had stopped one moment above the new bridge as if it sought a target. At the time when it was at its lower altitude, I clearly distinguished that it was red in the center and black on the edges, which sliced with the very burning halation. No noise at all was heard. In its turn, it disappeared at a fantastic pace towards the north from where it came. As for the cigar, it had disappeared long ago. I do not have any idea of the dimensions which these objects nor of the altitude where they had evolved. All had lasted approximately three quarters of an hour. |
[Ref. 1373] "LE BAUGEOIS" NEWSPAPER:
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THE FLYING SAUCERSIt has been a long time since we last heard of flying saucers. In the night from Sunday to Monday, people are said to have seen mysterious machines. Among the observers, where a chemical engineer from the atomic and ballistic research who declares that they could only be flying saucers. |
[Ref. 1370] "LE DEMOCRATE VERNONNAIS" NEWSPAPER:
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Still flying saucers in VernonIn our issue for September 4, 1953, alone of all the Press, "Le Démocrate" announced the appearance of flying saucers in the sky of our town. Mr. Buch, policeman, his family, neighbors, and passer-by's in Saint-Marcel, were witnesses of the facts. One year, almost day for day, another of our fellow-citizens, Mr. J. M..., son of a tradesman of our city (he asked to keep anonymity to him), was the witness of similar facts in the night from Sunday to Monday. But let us hear his say: "Returning rather late from a travel, I had just parked my car close to the Bridge. It was approximately 1 hour of the morning. When closing again the door of the garage, I looked by chance in the direction of the Seine. The night was rather dark. I then saw very distinctly above the bridge a lengthened object of red color, resembling a large cigar, which hovered motionless at a rather low height and in uttermost total silence. Immediately, I saw a flying saucer to detach; which I can describe with precision. It had the shape of an oval disc, of dark color, surmounted by a red dome with a very shiny aureole, surrounded by flames. A flying saucer was detached from the cigar, fell to the vertical, then appeared to want to observe a level flight above the bridge; it veered, went up, and disappeared suddenly. It was replaced at once by another. The last one particularly impressed me, because I had the impression that it was going to land on the bridge, so much it lost altitude. But it set out again suddenly like the preceding ones at a terrifying speed, in the direction of the North." M. M..., qui avait déjà observé une soucoupe volante, mais en plein jour, il y a deux ans dans la région d'Evreux, a été le seul témoin (contrairement à ce qui a été dit), de cette incursion extraordinaire sur notre ville. Mr. M..., whom had already observed a flying saucer, but in broad daylight, two years ago in the area of Evreux, was the only witness (contrary to what was told), of this extraordinary incursion on our city. Beginnings of a terrifying science or not, will we have the key of the mystery some day? |
[Ref. 1370] JOURNAL "LE PROVENCAL":
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SOMETHING VERY NEWFive saucers come out of a flying cigarIN THE SKY OF VERNONVernon (A.C.P.). A young engineer from Vernon saw five flying saucers. But these saucers - and this is the original side of the case - came out of a large luminous machine which had the shape of a cigar. The five saucers evolved during a few moments in the sky of Vernon. One of them approached the ground sufficiently close so that the engineer could distinguish the details of the machine. It was red in the center and black on the edges. Then cigars and saucers disappeared at a vertiginous speed in the direction of the North. The chronicle of the flying saucers gets richer of a new type: the relay-cigar. |
[Ref. 1374] "L'ECHO DE L'OUEST" NEWSPAPER:
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[Ref. 1369] "FRANCE DIMANCHE" NEWSPAPER:
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Here is what Mr. Miserey saw in the sky of VernonThe strange cigar shone in the night above the hills. When Bernard Miserey saw it at approximately one o'clock in the morning, a few days ago, in Vernon, he remained amazed about it. He had just put his car at the garage and had thrown a random glance towards the Seine which ran very close, at the end of the street. That's when he saw the thing. At the end of a moment, a vertical disc was detached from the from of the apparatus, which Bernard Miserey classified in the category of the flying saucers, and which seemed to comprise a dark red core, bordered of black and surrounded of a luminous halation. The saucer descended towards the Seine, always at the vertical, then it took the position of the North where it disappears in a snap. The cigar was still there. A little later, a second saucer was detached, then three others, which disappeared under the same conditions. Suddenly, Bernard Miserey became frightened. This is because a third saucer had been detached; which appeared to him to go down towards the bridge as for attacking it [it or him]. And then, it too, slipped by towards the north and disappeared. The cigar, meanwhile, had disappeared. All the scene had lasted approximately three quarters of an hour. Our photograph represents Mr. Bernard Miserey showing, at the edge of the Seine, in Vernon, the direction taken by the saucers. Our draughtsman reproduced on the photograph, according to the indications of the witness, the cigar above the hills and the path followed by two of the five observed saucers. |
[Ref. 1016] CIA:
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SIGHTINGS OF UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS
[... (Reports from other countries and France) ...] REPORT "FLYING CIGAR" AND "SAUCERS" IN NORTHERN FRANCE -- Paris, Le Figaro, 27 aug 54 A 25-year-old man of Vernon, Eure Department, reported that during the night of August 22 1954, he had seen, motionless in the sky, a large, luminous, cigar-shaped object, from which a flying saucer detached itself, assumed a vertical position, descended a short distance, leveled off, and silently disappeared at great speed. He stated that this silent appearance and flight was repeated in turn by four other saucers. The fifth saucer descended farther than the others and was clearly red in the center and black along the edge. (by the time the last flight was completed), the cigar had long since "volatilized" (sic). The entire phenomenon lasted about 45 minutes. Two constables also reported having seen an elongated, luminous flying object during that night. [... (Next reports)] |
[Ref. 1703:] HAROLD T. WILKINS:
The author indicates that on August 25, 1954, three people said they saw over the river Seine, near Evreux in the northwest of Paris, a flying saucer which, as a satellite, was linked to a huge cigar-shaped object. The author indicates "Daily Mail" as source.
[Ref. 5:] AIME MICHEL:
French ufologist Aimé Michel provides the following indications about this case:
The events took place in the small town of Vernon, in the department of Eure, at 65 kilometers in the West-North-West of Paris. The small city is near a military ballistics and aerodynamics research center.
The night between August 22 and 23 had a clear and limpid weather over the Paris area, with a clear sky and an excellent visibility. The Moon was at six days of its conjunction and diffused only a weak luminosity at the end of the night.
Around one hour in the morning, Mr. Bernard Miserey, a tradesman of Vernon, returns at his home and puts his car in the garage of his residence, on the Southern bank of the Seine river. While coming out of the garage, he is stunned by the a pale light that bathes the city which was still in the darkness before he entered the garage. When looking up towards the sky, he discovers an immense motionless and quiet luminous mass resembling a gigantic vertical cigar apparently stationary in the sky above the Northern bank of the Seine, at a distance which he estimated as approximately 300 meters.
During the following day, Bernard Miserey went to the police and reports about the events (statement reproduced further in this file). At the police station, he learns that two policemen on patrol in the same night around one hour in the morning also observed the phenomenon, as well as an engineer from the army laboratories did, who saw the phenomenon while driving his car at the same time on national road RN 181 in the South-west of Vernon. According to Michel, the four statements of the four witnesses were recorded by the police bureau, the only being informed of the case until August 25, and they closed the investigation because of the absence of possible explanation. Michel notes that only Mr. Miserey made himself known, and that the engineer, when located by journalists, politely showed them to the door.
[Ref. 5:] STATEMENT BY WITNESS BERNARD MISEREY:
Bernard Miserey made the following statement at the police bureau:
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"I have been contemplated this astonishing sight for a while, when suddenly, from the bottom of the cigar, a kind of object in the shape of an horizontal disc emerges, initially free-falling, then slows down, and suddenly rocked and sank horizontally through the river in my direction while becoming very luminous. During a very short time I could see this disc from the front. It was surrounded by a halation of a sharp luminosity." "A few minutes after it had disappeared behind me towards the south-west at an extraordinary speed, a second object similar to the first was detached in the same manner from the lower end of the cigar and operated in the same way. A third object followed, then a fourth. In an interval a little longer, finally, a fifth disc was detached from the still motionless cigar. That one was dropped much lower than the previous ones, to the short-nap cloth of the new bridge where it was motionless one moment while oscillating slightly. I could then see its circular shape and its red, more intense luminosity in the center very clearly, dimmed on the edges, and the burning halation which surrounded it. After having hovered a few seconds, it rocked like the first four objects and also started to dart like an arrow, but towards the North, where it lost itself in the distance while gaining height." "During this time, the luminosity of the cigar had disappeared, and the gigantic object, which was perhaps a hundred meters long, had melted itself in the darkness. The display had lasted three quarters of an hour approximately." |
[Ref. 261:] JACQUES VALLEE:
Jacques Vallée describes the case by reproducing the report by Aimé Michel.
[Ref. 1487:] OTTO BINDER:
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August 23, 1954, Vernon, France. Bernard Miserey, a businessman, was surprised to see a huge, silent, luminous mass in the night sky that looked like a gigantic cigar standing on end ... "I had been watching this amazing spectacle for a couple of minutes when suddenly, from the bottom of the 'cigar' came an object like a horizontal disc. ... It was surrounded by a halo of brilliant light. A few minutes (later) a similar object came from the 'cigar' and went through the same maneuvers. A third object came, then a fourth ... and finally a fifth disc detached itself from the cigar. ... It wobbled like the first four and took off like a flash toward the north, where it was lost in the distance. ... During this time the luminosity of the 'cigar' had faded, and the gigantic object, which may have been three hundred feet long, had sunk into darkness. ... The spectacle had lasted about three quarters of an hour." (From "The Reference.") |
[Ref. 1679] JACQUES VALLEE:
Jacques Vallée indicates that there was an observation on August 23, 1954, in the little town of Vernon, 40 miles northwest of Paris, that has been recognized as the first landmark of importance in the wave.
Vallée indicates that the witness is a Vernon businessman, Bernard Miserey, who had just put his car away when, coming out of the garage, he saw a pale light illuminating the town, which had been in complete darkness a little while before, with a completely clear night and the moon at its last quarter and rising about that time.
Vallée indicates that Mr. Miserey looked at the sky and saw a huge, silent, motionless, luminous mass, apparently suspended above the bank of the river some 300 meters away, that Mr Miserey compared to a gigantic cigar standing on end.
Vallée provide an account by Mr. Miserey:
"I had been watching this amazing spectacle for a couple of minutes, when suddenly from the bottom of the cigar came an object like a horizontal disk, which dropped at first in free fall, then slowed, and suddenly swayed and dived horizontally across the river toward me, becoming very luminous. For a very short time I could see the disk full-face; it was surrounded by a halo of brilliant light."
"A few minutes after it had disappeared behind me, going southwest at a prodigious speed, a similar object came from the cigar and went through the same maneuvers. A third object came, then a fourth. There was then a long interval, and finally a fifth disk detached itself from the cigar, which was still motionless. This last disk dropped much lower than the earlier ones, to the level of the new bridge, where it remained still for an instant, swaying slightly. At that time I could see very clearly its circular form and its red luminosity - more intense at the center, fading out at the edges - and the glowing halo surrounding it. After a few seconds pause, it wobbled like the first four, and took off like a flash toward the north, where it was lost in the distance as it gained altitude. During this time the luminosity of the cigar had faded, and the gigantic object, which may have been three hundred feet long, had sunk into darkness. The spectacle had lasted about three-quarters of an hour."
Jacques Vallée adds that Mr. Miserey was not aware that there were corroborating witnesses, two policemen making their rounds at 01:00 a.m. who had also observed the phenomenon, as well as an army engineer southwest of the town.
Vallée indicates that the case was described briefly by a Paris newspaper and that with the exception of an investigation conducted by Aimé Michel, no further study was made of the case.
[Ref. 612:] CHARLES GARREAU:
In his book, ufologist and journalist Charles Garreau gives essentially the same account than the one by Aimé Michel:
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"I then realized that a pale gleam lit the city, which was very dark a few moments earlier. Looking up, I discovered a kind of gigantic vertical, motionless and quiet cigar, apparently stationed above the northern bank of the river, at an altitude of approximately 300 m." "I contemplated this astonishing spectacle since one moment when suddenly, from the bottom of the cigar, a sort of object in the shape of an horizontal disc emerges, which initially fell in free fall, then slows down, and suddenly rocked and sank horizontally through the river in my direction while becoming very luminous. During a very short time I was able to see this disc from its face. It was surrounded by a halation of a sharp luminosity." "A few minutes after it had disappeared behind me towards the south-west at an extraordinary speed, a second object similar to the first was detached like it from the lower end of the cigar and operated in the same way. A third object succeeded it, then a fourth. There was then a little longer interval, and finally a fifth disc was detached from the still motionless cigar. This one was dropped much lower than the previous ones, to the short-nap cloth of the new bridge where it was still one moment while slightly oscillating. I could then see very clearly its circular shape and its red, more intense luminosity in the center, attenuated on the edges, and the burning halation which surrounded it. After a few seconds of immobility, it rocked like the four first did and also darted off fast as an arrow, but towards the north, where it was lost in the distance by taking altitude. During this time, the luminosity of the cigar had disappeared, and the gigantic object, which was perhaps 100 meters long, had faded in the darkness. The sighting had lasted three quarters of hour approximately." |
[Ref. 233] MICHEL FIGUET AND JEAN-LOUIS RUCHON:
The two ufologists and authors indicate that on August 23, 1954 at one o'clock in Vernon, Bernard Miserey and several other people among them a chemical engineer of the ballistic and atomic research laboratory of the army observed "a lengthened object of red color, motionless, at low height, from where a dark colored disc surmounted of a dome was detached."
The indicate as source the newspaper "Le Courrier de l'Ouest" for August 25, 1954.
[Ref. 898:] GILBERT CORNU AND HENRI CHALOUPEK:
The authors indicate that in the night from the 22 to 23 of August 1954 in Vernon in the Eure, in France, at about 01:00 a.m., Mr. Miserey was returning home by car and initially saw in the sky a lengthened object, vertical and strongly luminous.
A small disc was detached and fell in free fall while the lengthened object was inclined and became horizontal.
Then a second, then a third, a fourth and finally a fifth disc were detached, the last one going down lower than the others and becoming motionless while oscillating.
Then the lengthened object seemed to be diluted in the night and disappeared.
"The observation which was also seen by policemen" lasted approximately 45 minutes, and the authors comment on that the scene inevitably evokes the idea of a mothership sending observation satellites for more precise missions. They wonder, "but up to what point does it correspond to reality? It is impossible to tell."
The authors indicates that the sources are in particular "Les Phénomènes Insolites de l'Espace" by Jacques Vallée, page 224, and "Alerte dans le Ciel" by Charles Garreau, page 186.
[Ref. 328:] ROBERT CREPIN, DELEGUE LDLN:
Ufologist Robert Crépin wrote this summary in 1986:
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Date: August 23, 1954 Brief story: While returning at his home, the witness observed a gigantic vertical cigar. At the bottom of the cigar five discs of red luminosity surrounded by a luminous halation came out. The discs left towards the North at an extraordinary speed. |
[Ref. 1406:] FRANCIS GATTI:
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WITNESS N°58 Observation in Vernon (the Eure) in the night from the 22 to 23 of August 1954 by Mr Miserey around one hour of the morning a gigantic cigar of at least 100 meters length stations in vertical position at 300 meters of altitude. Very luminous discs of reddish color leave one after the others the bottom of the cigar and evolve very close of the witness at the height of the bridge. the observation lasted three quarters of an hour. |
[Ref. 1609:] HERBERT S. TAYLOR:
CLOUD CIGARS IN THE 1954 FRENCH WAVE[...] The first known cloud-cigar report of the wave occurred in the early morning hours of August 23 at the town of Vernon (Eure Department), 40 miles west-northwest of Paris. Just before 1:00 a.m., businessman Bernard Miserey arrived home and put his car away. As he came out of the garage on the south bank of the Seine, he was surprised to see a pale light illuminating the town, which had previously been in complete darkness. Looking at the sky, he saw a huge, silent, motionless, luminous mass, apparently suspended above the north bank of the river some 300 yards away. It was shaped like a large cigar standing on end. Stated Miserey, "I had been watching this amazing spectacle for a couple of minutes, when suddenly from the bottom of the cigar came an object like a horizontal disk, which dropped at first in free fall, then slowed, and suddenly swayed and dived horizontally across the river toward me, becoming very luminous. For a very short time I could see the disk full-face; it was surrounded by a halo of brilliant light. A few minutes after it had disappeared behind me, going southwest at prodigious speed, a similar object came from the cigar and went through the same maneuvers. A third object came and then a fourth. There was then a longer interval and finally a fifth disk detached itself from the cigar, which was still motionless. This disk dropped much lower than the earlier ones, to the level of the new bridge, where it remained still for an instant, swaying slightly. At that time I could see very clearly its circular form and its red luminosity, more intense at the center, fading out at the edges—and the glowing halo surrounding it. After a few seconds pause, it wobbled like the first four, and took off like a flash toward the north where it was lost in the distance as it gained altitude. During this time the luminosity of the cigar had faded, and the gigantic object, which may have been 300 feet long, had sunk into darkness. The spectacle had lasted about three-fourths of an hour. When Miserey described his observation the next day, the police informed him that two policemen on duty at about 1:00 a.m. had also observed the phenomenon, as had an army chemical engineer driving along Route N-181 southwest of Vernon. The case is also briefly described in the Paris newspaper Libération of August 25. [...] |
[Ref. 1744:] ERIC MAILLOT:
In December 2006, skeptic Eric Maillot, in a personal message to the author of this page, proposed to add what follows:
"In a discussion on a Internet forum in 2004 (see Aleph files), the zetetician skeptic Eric Maillot (CNEGU) indicates that the witness surely mistook the moon for an extraterrestrial machine. At his request, this hypothesis was checked in 2006 by Thierry Rocher (CNEGU) who went on site and noted, according to a photograph of the time, the azimuth of the UFO as being between 50 and 60°N. As Eric Maillot predicted it, the moon was thus located well where the witness saw his UFO (the moon was 60°N and 5° on the horizon). The moon that the witness did not see close the his UFO. One will retain from this case that the moon can give place to complex and apparently resistant ufologic mistakes, in particular with cases known as of "dropping of girl-saucers" coming from a "cigar mothership"."
He indicates that the Aleph archive prove that he formulated an hypothesis and mades a verifiable prediction of the case being the Moon mistaken for flying saucers, and did not just state it is so. He adds that this hypothesis is now verified as Thierry Rocher went to his request to Vernon where he noted the azimuth pointed by the witness on the Press photograph of the time:
"This azimuth is between 50 and 60° what matches perfectly with the position and the angular height of the moon at the date of observation. In short Aime Michel was wrong, and [X] also, like others."
"X" indicates another ufologist whose Eric Maillot says "did not do anything to check."
According to Aimé Michel in 1958, the only explanation which he ever heard suggested, is that the witnesses had seen the Moon, has wrongly thought it was cigar-shaped, and invented the remainder. He notes his opinion of this explanation, whose source he does not provide:
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"This notion has the indisputable merit to gather several miracles worthy to interest at the same time the astronomers (the Moon seen towards the North) and the psychiatrists (telepathic lie). Come on." |
In a discussion on an Internet forum in 2004, French skeptic Eric Maillot indicates that the witness must have mistaken the moon for an extraterrestrial spaceship.
In 2006, Eric Maillot reports to me that the ufologist Thierry Rocher of the CNEGU went on the spot at his request to note the azimuths and elevation of the craft (the big one?) and that the azimuth is between 50° and 60° which matches the position of the Moon at the time of the observation. [This paragraph added to the others on December 8, 2006]
In another Internet discussion forum, circa 2003-2004, French skeptic Dominique Caudron indicated that the witness Bernard Miserey already reported saucers earlier; this is confirmed by the article of "Le Démocrate Vernonnais."
While Aimé Michel and others considered that the sighting has multiple independent witnesses, including the chemical engineer and another person as mentioned in several newspaper articles of the time, I am not so convinced of that, since the location of these other witnesses is not specified (driving on national road 182) and the nature of the sighting not really specified. These other witnesses may have seen something unrelated to Mr. Miserey's sighting.
Coordinates for the City of Vernon, Eure, France are:
| Decimal: | Degrees Minutes Seconds: | |
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| Latitude: | 44.5000000 | 44° 30' 0.0000" |
| Longitude: | 4.2333298 | 4° 13' 59.9873" |
The altitude of the place at the level of the river Seine is 350 meters above sea level.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Vernon, eure, Bernard Miserey, military, army, nocturnal light, cigar, luminous, disk, multiple, stationnary, fast, manoeuvers, hovering split, moon
[-] indicates that I do not have a copy of the original yet.
