1952 04 12 Paris Match No 161

Magazine Overview

Title: PARIS MATCH
Issue: Nº 161
Date: April 12-19, 1952
Publisher: PARIS MATCH
Country: France
Language: French

This issue of Paris Match focuses intensely on the phenomenon of flying saucers, presenting it as an "extraordinary revelation" that they "may come from another world." The cover prominently features actress Rita Hayworth, with a secondary story about her return to America, but the main focus is the serious investigation into unidentified aerial objects.

The American Investigation into Flying Saucers

The article "La dernière enquête américaine sur les soucoupes volantes permet de poser sérieusement la question: Y A-T-IL DANS NOTRE CIEL DES VISITEURS D'UN AUTRE MONDE?" details a significant shift in the US Air Force's stance. After years of skepticism, the military has launched a serious investigation, acknowledging a "great mystery." The Air Force is now inviting all American citizens to report sightings of unknown aerial objects to the nearest air base, promising thorough investigations and assuring anonymity to protect witnesses from ridicule. These reports are to be sent to the Technical Intelligence Center at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.

The article reveals that military aircraft are on alert to intercept these objects, and radar and photography are being employed to gather evidence. The ultimate goal is to recover one of these unidentified objects if the opportunity arises. The US Air Force has exceptionally opened its most secret files to Life magazine, whose findings are described as potentially fantastic to the uninitiated, but which lead scientists to consider the "extraordinary explanation: 'We have visitors from another world.'"

The first sighting of a flying saucer was reported on June 24, 1947. After five years of skeptical investigation, the US Air Force is now conceding the existence of this mystery.

Key Incidents and Testimonies

The Kenneth Arnold Sighting (1947)

Kenneth Arnold, a pilot, reported seeing nine "saucer-like" objects flying in a peculiar "duck-like" formation near Mount Rainier, Washington, on a summer afternoon in 1947. He estimated their speed at around 1,800 km/h. His account, initially shared with a local newspaper, was widely published, popularizing the term "flying saucer."

The Captain Mantell Incident (1948)

Ten months after Arnold's sighting, a more dramatic event occurred. On a January morning in 1948, three pilots from Fort Knox flying F-51s in Kentucky encountered a strange, red, ice-cream cone-shaped object. Captain Thomas F. Mantell pursued the object as it ascended rapidly. His aircraft disappeared from view, and his body was later found amidst the wreckage of his plane, which had disintegrated, with debris scattered up to 800 meters away. This incident is presented as a tragic turning point in the flying saucer affair.

Presidential and Defense Department Interest

Following these events, the Minister of Defense and President Truman himself publicly stated that flying saucers were not secret American weapons. The aviation authorities subsequently declared the incident closed, classifying it as "science fiction."

Renewed Interest and Scientific Observations

Despite the official closure in December 1949, reports of flying saucers continued to flood in at a rate of one per day. This led the US Air Force to reopen the investigation. The magazine highlights new, less disputable observations, particularly those made by credible witnesses.

One notable sighting occurred on the evening of August 25th, involving three scientists in Lubbock, Texas: Dr. Robinson (geology professor), Dr. Oberg (chemistry professor), and Professor Ducker. They observed a formation of about twenty luminous points flying in a V-shape across the sky at incredible speed and without sound. Over the following months, Professor Ducker witnessed twelve similar flights. These events were filmed by an 18-year-old student, Carl Hart, using a 35mm camera, producing five images of eighteen to twenty luminous objects brighter than Venus. The US Air Force acknowledged the authenticity of these documents, stating that no trickery was possible.

Astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh, famous for discovering Pluto, also reported personal sightings of strange phenomena, lending further credibility to the reports.

Other Notable Sightings

The "Cigar-Shaped" Objects: The testimony of astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh from July 1948 describes a large, oval-shaped aerial vessel, twice the size of a B-29, emitting a blue-green luminescence with yellow-lit portholes. It was observed flying at low altitude. This description is compared to the account of Eastern Air Line pilots Clarence S. Chiles and John B. Whitted, who in July 1948, reported seeing a cigar-shaped "airship" twice the size of a B-29, illuminated by a violent blue glow and featuring rows of windows. It disappeared into the clouds at high speed.

Green Fireballs: During the winter of 1948, the sky over the American Southwest was haunted by enormous green fireballs moving at terrifying speeds and exploding silently. These were witnessed by high-ranking officers and atomic scientists but could not be photographed due to their velocity. Investigations at reported crash sites yielded nothing. The green color is noted as similar to burning copper, and abnormal amounts of copper particles were found in the Arizona air following these events, ruling out meteors.

B-29 Crew Testimony (1951): The crew of a B-29 bomber on a night mission over North Korea reported seeing an orange, brilliant object with small flames flying alongside their aircraft at an altitude of 6,500 meters. Hours later, another bomber crew reported a similar orange globe following their plane before making a sharp turn and disappearing.

French Testimony

An extraordinary testimony from a French doctor, M. Desmas, a surgeon-dentist from Casablanca, recounts an experience on August 9, 1950, while driving from Paris to Nantes. Around 2:15 AM, he saw an inexplicable light and then a luminous, incandescent ball that maneuvered, hovered, and then sped away. He described it as appearing like a ball or circle when overhead and later like a disk or lens as it moved away. He noted the absence of engine noise, but couldn't be sure if the object itself was silent.

Analysis and Conclusions

Two Key Facts Established

1. Flying saucers exist.
2. They are not of terrestrial origin.

The article dismisses easy explanations, such as mass hallucination, and highlights the credibility of witnesses and the consistency of their reports. It also rules out secret American weapons due to the long-held secrecy and the advanced performance of the objects. The possibility of them being Russian secret weapons is also deemed unlikely due to the risk of using such precious technology over foreign territory.

The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis

The most plausible explanation, despite its fantastic nature, is that these "unknown celestial objects" originate from "another world." A significant number of American scientists, including Dr. Walther Riedel (formerly of the German rocket center at Peenemünde and now working on secret projects for the US aviation), support this view. Dr. Riedel suggests that no human could survive the extreme pressures and heat generated by the objects' flight, implying the pilots must be very small beings, perhaps insect-sized.

Astronomer Kuiper of Chicago suggested in 1950 that only insects might survive on Mars, and no known life forms seem possible on other planets.

Historical Sightings

The article notes that these phenomena have been continuously reported since the 18th century, with a particular increase in the late 19th century. Examples include a "round body" over the Riviera in 1870, an "elliptical object" seen against the moon in 1870, a "disk" over Andrinople (Turkey) in 1885, and similar reports from New Zealand (1888), England (1894), and the United States (1897, 1907, 1910).

A Shift in Focus

It is suggested that these "fantastic visitors" initially focused their attention on Europe, the center of industrialization in the last century, before shifting to the United States, which became the hub of industrial progress. This "surveillance" is speculated to be a response to humanity's technological advancements, particularly the development of atomic energy and rockets, which could pose a long-term threat to these extraterrestrial beings.

The article concludes by noting the US Air Force's cautious official statement: "There is no reason at present to believe that any of the aerial phenomena commonly described as 'flying saucers' are caused by a foreign power or constitute an immediate danger to the United States and its inhabitants."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of Paris Match adopts a serious and investigative tone regarding flying saucers. It moves beyond sensationalism to present a case for the extraterrestrial origin of these phenomena, supported by official investigations, scientific testimonies, and historical accounts. The editorial stance clearly leans towards accepting the "visitors from another world" hypothesis as the most logical explanation for the observed events, while acknowledging the profound implications and the lack of definitive proof. The magazine positions itself as a purveyor of significant, albeit potentially unsettling, global news.