Presentation of the facts.
On February 15, 1975 at 10 o'clock, at the office of our brigade, came Mrs. Marie S[-], without profession, resident of Petite-Ile in La Réunion. This person brings to our attention that on February 14, 1975, at approximately 1 o'clock p.m., her older son Antoine, aged twenty one, was strongly commotional due to a luminous ray coming from a brilliant ball seen on piton Calvaire in Petite-Ile. The latter went back to his home by foot, taking the way of the crater which passes close to the cemetery. Our informer specifies that her son stated to her to have seen three small beings coming out of the odd apparatus which did not touch the ground, to have observed them then to have been thrown at the ground by a powerful flash started from the higher part of the saucer which then rose while whistling very loud. Mrs. S[-] adds that after he had given the account of which he was the witness to her, her boy, very upset and shocked, lost the usage of speaking and that because of this, medical doctor T[-] of Petite-Ile was called at the bedside of the patient around 7 p.m..
On our request, Mrs. S[-] stated that her son Antoine, perfectly, was never treated for mental illness. She does not believe in a hallucination. We then contact Doctor T[-]. This expert declares verbally to us that Antoine S[-], victim of an important emotional shock, is under the effect of a pithiatic crisis. That he has all his mental capabilities, that he is no wounded and does not carry any burns. The witness is placed under medical control and a rest of forty eight hours is imposed to him. Under the direction of sergeant P[-], chief of station, all the personnel of the brigade takes part in the administrative investigation.
Action taken
At the reception of this information, at 10:15 on February 15, 1975, we report the facts to the commander of the company of gendarmerie of Saint-Pierre. According to the instructions of this officer, we proceed to the collection of further information allowing to make the case and to locate, if possible, the place of the appearance of the unidentified flying object. A message written at 14 o'clock on February 15, 1975, is sent to our company commander and this message reports on our preliminary investigations and observations.
Notes on the location and observations
According to statements by Mrs. Marie S[-], the place where the object was observed is located on the piton Calvaire, territory of the commune of Petite-Ile in La Réunion, 300 meters in the west of the city. This piton, which slopes are covered with a wood of filaos trees, comprises a cultivated plate, crossed North-South by the way of the crater which serves some huts dissimulated in the greenery. Taking into account the inaccuracy of the place and because of the quite rocky and brushy relief on the ground, the exploration of the piton proves to be difficult. We do not discover any trace or clue possibly left by the passage of an unidentified flying object.
Investigation
On February 15, 1975 at 10:30, gendarmes C[-] and C[-] go to the residence of Mr. Maximin S[-] where his son Antoine is. They discuss a few minutes with the observer, th latter is confined to bed. They note that the latter is in an undeniable state of prostration, his large white open stare in the unknown. His mother is there, she announces the visit of the investigators to him, he shivers. At the questions which are asked to him, S[-] cannot answer by voice. With much eagerness by gestures, he describes with his hands a round and elongated shape which shines. To explain this fact, he brings his hands to his eyes several times. He then shows four fingers of his hand thus indicating that there had been four passengers dressed of white and indicates for that the cloth of its bed. He held his hand at approximately a meter of the floor indicating the size of the beings. From his mute explanations, it appears that three beings equipped with antennas on the ground were grouped close to a ladder with three steps, the fourth was in the sphere or cupola. From his reclining position, Antoine S[-] makes a drawing of the machine which he saw. He finishes his demonstration by putting his hands at the ears initially, then at his forehead and then at the eyes. His face is grinning, he can then emit an acute whistle, first very low to high all while making the index of his right hand point towards the ceiling, thus explaining how the machine rose and disappeared. As a preliminary, while describing the three beings, Antoine S[-] rose his two fingers 20 centimeters above his head to explain that they were equipped with short antennas and that those of the third being moved. At the end of the interview, Antoine S[-], very agitated, forgets the presence of two military personal in the room.
On February 16, 1975, at 9 o'clock, the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Gendarmes squad of La Réunion, informed the day before by our commander of company, orders that we carry on an investigation, to write a UFO questionnaire and to perform various checks, in particular at the services of the air trafic control tower of the airport of Gillot Saint-Denis, in order to know if planes or helicopters were in flight on February 14, 1975, between 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock.
The instructions emanating from this high authority are carried out in the current of the morning of February 16, 1975. No aircraft flew over the department of La Réunion at the dates and hours indicated. It should be noted that on February 14, 1975, at 13 o'clock, the hour of the appearance of the UFO, the weather was clear, a clear sky, the clear sun was practically at the zenith, there was no wind, no rain fall took place, since February 10, 1975. On February 16, 1975, at 30:00 p.m., Antoine S[-] is still under a state of shock, he did not recover speech and moreover his sight weakened considerably. He can walk a little bit and, still by gestures, tries some explanations about the UFO. We understand that this craft did not touch the ground at the time of the observation and hovered at approximately 1,50 meters from the surface.
Antoine S[-] explains that while he was approaching the place of the appearance, he was attracted by "beep beep" sounds which he can pronounce a dozen time. He sought to know from where these noises came and thus discovered the saucer at the bottom of a field, at his right at a distance from 15 to 20 meters. S[-] jumps with joined feet to make clear to us the was the three little beings were moving on the ground. Those beings reached the footbridge which was retracted under the apparatus. He explains that he was thrown down by a luminous discharge at the time when the third being which faced him actuated its antennas, the two others being showing their profile. S[-] then fled by rolling up his trousers. The dialogue with the observer proves to be tiresome, in particular when we ask him to locate the place of the appearance. We notice that he opens his hands several times, but we cannot understand the significance of that. A member of his family then brings a French-English dictionary to us, on the virgin title page, S[-] traced with a pencil the object which he observed but also a sort of plan of the location, which is all too vague and proves to be unusable to us. The drawing outlined on the Larousse book, February 14, 1975, little after the observation, is similar to that carried out on February 16, 1975. The unidentified flying object has the shape of a hat, standard hairstyle of the Canadian RCMP police force. Two rectangular port-holes appear on the higher part; under the saucer, a tilted short ladder has three steps.
On February 17, 1975, at 8 o'clock, still very agitated, still deprived of speech and sight, Antoine S[-] would have liked to bring us on the location of the observation but only accompanied with armed men. He wants to prove his good faith, but this transport is differed because of the physical handicap of the witness. Above all, this young man's confidence must be restored. At the beginning, his story caused some scoffing in his village, then it was clear that the statements of Antoine S[-] ought to be taken seriously. The further information collected about him indicates that he is perfectly balanced. Several interrogated people seem to be convinced of the existence of the flying saucers, or do not categorically reject the possibility of such appearances. The same day at 9 o'clock, we contact the person in charge of the weather station of Gillot. It is brought to our attention that in the department of La Réunion, no weather balloons are launched. Moreover, the president of the flying-club of the South indicates to us that no plane took off of the track of Pierrefond Saint-Pierre on February 14, 1975 during the day.
At 11:45, we report on the progress of the investigation to our corps chief in Saint-Denis and let him know that Commandant L[-], director of the civil protection, is to come to Petite-Ile. The senior officer of the gendarmerie announces to us that he will come to Petite-Ile on February 18, 1975, at 09:30.
At 18 hours, on February 17, 1975, telephonically, Doctor H[-], deputy for his fellow-member T[-], tells us that he has examined Antoine S[-] during the day and that his diagnosis is not alarming. The patient is difficult to question and could remain in his current state of anxiety, due to a strong emotional shock, three days to three months. The general state is good, a good rest is advised on him, if not, he will have to be entrusted to a psychiatrist. The announced authorities arrive at Petite-Ile on February 18, 1975 at 09:30 and are led to Antoine S[-]. Confined to bed, the latter has the head hidden in cushions and hand towels. At the end of a few minutes and in spite of a precarious conditioning, Antoine S[-] is subjected without difficulty to the interrogation by the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Gendarmes squad. His gestures to describe the UFO and its crew are the same as those recorded in the previous days. Also, commander L[-], provided with a Geiger counter, carries out a detection of radioactivity on the body and the clothing of the observer. The result is negative. Antoine S[-], with good will, wants to lead the interested people on the plate of the Piton-Calvaire, but he must give it up because of his blindness. At this point in time he makes us understand that a neighbor, Mrs. Albert F[-], present at the time of the initial account, would be able to take us along in the corn field where he saw the UFO. This person joined us quickly and told us to have noticed three holes in the ground. She guides us at the indicated place, which is not far from her residence close to the crater way, that is to say in the perimeter included on the plan drawn by the witness a few hours after the sighting.
In the absence of the principal witness, we trust the statements of Mrs. F[-]. This person goes into a field of a surface of 13 ares approximately, property of Mrs. O[-]. The ground is naked, but some corn stocks remain. In the north-western angle, Mrs. F[-], accompanied by her two daughters, finally finds the site of the three holes which she says to have noticed at the beginning of the morning of February 15, 1975. They are spaced of one meter and are laid out in an isosceles triangle. They do not have a very precise shape because of the friability of the ground and they merge with other cavities having the same size similar to small deep bowls from 2 to 3 centimeters, very wide. These hollows distributed on a large ground surface seem to be caused by birds seeking food. The search for other clues proves all the more complicated since the ground was largely pressed by human steps, more particularly during the days of February the 15, and 16, 1975. The control of the radioactivity carried out at this place by the commander L[-] is negative.
On February 19, 1975 at 10:45 p.m., at the office of our brigade, we are informed by Mr. Maximin S[-] that his son Antoine recovered the use of speech and the sight during the evening. The observer wishes that his statement gets quickly recorded because he fears he might to remain lucid a very a long time. To this end, the statement of the witness is collected at 11:50 p.m.. During nearly one hour, the investigating gendarme has to listen to the course of the events experienced by Antoine S[-] on February 14, 1975 around 1 p.m.. He does not remember to have remained six days in a state of coma and he painfully realizes this truth told to him by his relatives. During the account which perfectly matches the explanations provided by gestures, Antoine S[-] has interruptions, i.e. during a few seconds he gets into a state of shock. When he gets his mind together again, his body is shaking. He then says to have been in communication with the object, he wants to lead us on the location of the sighting. Because of the complete darkness and state of exhaustion of the witness, this trip is postponed to the beginning of the morning of February 20, 1975. We mention that at the beginning of our conversation, Antoine S[-] brings to our attention that two days before the sighting, he had already heard, in a dream, the "beep beep" sounds and that that his had puzzled and irritated him. This precursory element of the facts is probable because a resident of the community of Petite-Ile had noticed on the 12th of February 1975, at 1 p.m., the very uncommunicative attitude of the witness which worked in the store of his employer, Mr. Gabriel A[-]. The witness specifies that the scale with three steps in the shape of a door did not touch the ground completely, and that the first being, of the Michelin dwarf kind, carried a shining instrument, and the second a kind of pack or bag also shining. He did not see them acting as taking ground samples. H noticed that they moved more easily on the scale in contact with metal than on the ground where thir walk was awkward.
At 08:30, on February 20, 1975, S[-] Antoine, firmly decided to show us the place of the appearance of the UFO, he seats in the jeep of the brigade of Petite-Ile driven by the gendarme C[-]. Mr. S[-] Maximin is present, he accompanies his son on the dirt track leading to the path who leads to the dwellings of S[-] and taps on the shoulder of the driver, thus indicating to him the corn field already checked by the investigators on February 18, 1975. Antoine S[-] takes some steps in the field, its glance directed towards the bottom of the land piece close to the wood of filaos, he suddenly stops, puts his hands on his earsvery firmly, then he collapsed on the ground. His pulse is barely audible, his hands are cold, his eyes are counterirritated. He is immediately brought back to his home and partially recovers again only thirty minutes later. He then explains that a unexplainable force prevents him from advancing in direction of the precise location where he observed the unidentified flying object. On the decision by Doctor L[-], Antoine S[-] must be examined by a psychiatrist at the Saint-Paul hospital. The witness accepts this but wants to be accompanied by his mother. At 08:55, the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the squad of Gendarmes of La Réunion is informed of the events of the investigation and more particularly of the physiological behavior of the observer. The same day we learn that Antoine S[-], examined at the psychiatric hospital of Saint-Paul, regained his residence in the morning.
A second check for radioactivity is carried out on February 20, 1975 on the person of Antoine S[-], that is, six days after the supposed appearance of the unidentified craft. Commander L[-] did not detect any radioactivity.
During the investigation, several people were interviewed, in particular, the employer, the fiancee the companions of the observer as well as the mayor of the commune of Petite-Ile. Unanimously, they depict Antoine S[-] as a serious boy, honest, sober and enjoying general appreciation. The hearing of Mrs. S[-] Marie confirms her verbal statement of February 15, 1975 having motivated the opening of an investigation. The statement by Mrs. Marie F[-] reveals that she witnessed the second loss of consciousness of Antoine S[-] on February 22, 1975, whereas he approached the place where he had observed the flying saucer. A faintness similar to that of February 20, but of a two hours duration. In various testimonies, as well verbal than written, it is specified that Antoine S[-] is not a television fan (he does not have a TV set), nor of readings of scientific or humorous nature on the topics of flying saucers and other extraterrestrial phenomena.
Finally, on February 24, 1975, at 04:30 p.m., during an official interview granted to a journalist of Saint-Denis de la Réunion, Antoine S[-] agrees to go on the premises of Piton-Calvaire. No objection is formulated by the members of his family. Arrived at destination, i.e. in the field described above, the observer, as soon as he walks on the ground, is victim of an unexplainable syncope. As in the two previous occasions he is apparently possessed by the initial vision, which deeply shocked him. The observer agitates his hands above the ground, is eyes are counter-irritated, his pulse slows down and the ends of his members cool down. Brought back to his home, he recovers again thirty minutes later.
Heard again on February 25, 1975, Antoine S[-] cannot explain his losses of consciousness each time that he goes to the site. He still hears the "beep beep" sounds, which force him to cover his ears. He states that he has never heard discussions about a flying saucer seen in 1968 in the plain of Cafres (island of La Réunion) and states not to read or broswe any science fiction magazines.
From the investigation, it appears that Antoine S[-], of good control and morality, normally balanced, is not a simulator. The people who were interrogated do not believe in a hallucination of the observer and his statements are taken seriously. Moreover, two people worthy of faith were the witnesses of a sighting of an unidentified flying object the sky of La Réunion. They are Mr. Guy P[-], already interviewed, who saw a luminous object on February 10, 1975, around 10 p.m., moving at a sharp pace, and Mrs. Jocelyne V[-], aged sixteen, resident of Saint-Benoît (La Réunion) who saw, on February 16, 1975, at 08:00 p.m., a luminous ball advancing slowly.
To date, March 6, 1975, closing date of this official report, Antoine S[-] took recovered, apparently, all his physical and mental capacities. However, because of the three failures having affected the observer at the approach of the place of the observation of the unidentified flying object, we did not believe useful to try out a fourth attempt, which could still be harmful for the witness.
Written and closed in Petite-Ile, March 6, 1975.
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