Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency report, No. OO-W-30339, was distributed on 26 May 1954. It compiles unevaluated foreign newspaper items published between 10 December 1953 and 2 March 1954 about unidentified flying objects seen outside the Soviet orbit. It covers a fireball seen by a Sabena pilot near Brussels, sightings at Arras and Gemeaux in France, and French astronomers' view that the Dieppe explosion was a large meteorite. It also covers luminous disks and a cigar-shaped object over Algeria and a metallic disk over Montevideo beaches.
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
DIEPPE "FLYING SAUCER" CALLED METEORITE -- The Hague, Nieuwe Haagsche Courant, 9 Jan 54 French (Paris) astronomers are convinced that the object which exploded over Dieppe recently was an exceptionally large meteorite. CELESTIAL PHENOMENON AT GEMEAUX -- Basel, National-Zeitung, 11 Jan 54 (AFP) -- For a few seconds, inhabitants of Gemeaux, Cote d'Or Department, recently [date and time not given] observed in the sky a red ball surmounted by a triangle. The phenomenon moved on without leaving a trail. The same observation was reported by several witnesses from Nouvelles-les-Champlitte and Langras. ## NEAR EAST/AFRICA ## Algeria CIGAR-SHAPED OBJECT SEEN -- Douala, L'Eveil du Cameroun, 10 Dec 53 A cigar-shaped object flying toward the northeast at a high altitude and leaving a trail of smoke behind it was recently observed by thousands of people in several parts of Algeria. LUMITOUS DISK SIGHTED OVER CONSTANTINE AREA -- Tunis, La Presse de Tunisie, 16 Jan 54 At 1030 hours on 12 January 1954, a "flying saucer" crossed the sky over Saint Arnaud, in the Constantine area. The phenomenon was witnessed by many persons, including Cunat [fnu], Director of the Ecole Clemenceau (Clemenceau School); and his staff and students. The weather was very good, and the visibility was excellent. The witnesses described the object as a luminous disk moving from west to east, leaving long trails similar to ribbons. Its speed did not appear to be great, but it was impossible to determine its altitude. It disappeared quickly over the horizon. UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT OVER ALGIERS -- Algiers, Le Journal d'Alger, 28 Jan 54 According to statements by several persons, a round, luminous, yelloworange object appeared in the sky over Algiers at 1525 hours on 27 January 1954; it was moving in the direction of Cap Matifou. The object grew larger, until it was two or three times the size of the sun; then it diminished in size and disappeared on the horizon, sinking, seemingly, into the sea.
Not linked to a story yet.
FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 3 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.