Today in UFO History - The Réunion Island ‘Michelin Man’ Encounter

July 31, 1968 — Réunion Island, Indian Ocean

9:00 a.m. Farmer Luce Fontaine is collecting grass for his rabbits at La Plaine des Cafres on the island of Réunion (in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar), when he sees an oval-shaped object about 75 feet away. It is sitting about 15 feet from the ground on a flange of metal; a similar structure protrudes from its top.

The cylinder has two blue ends and a transparent center through which he can see two humanoids less than 3 feet tall in metallic helmets and dressed in puffy suits like the Michelin Man (the tire company mascot).

Seemingly sensing Fontaine looking at them, they turn their backs and the object disappears in a sudden flash of light and a burst of hot air. The incident is investigated by Capt. Maljean of the local Gendarmerie and Capt. Léopold Legros of the Civil Protection Service, who detect an abnormal amount of radioactivity at the site and on Fontaine’s clothing 10 days afterward, as well as six apparent landing marks in the ground. A country club called “La Soucoupe Volante” (Flying Saucer) is later built on the site. [Eberhart]

Sources:

“Contact Casualty on Réunion,” Flying Saucer Review 15, no. 1 (Jan./Feb. 1969): 8, 11;

Center for UFO Studies, HUMCAT Index 1968,Case #68-46, p. 69;

Jean-Claude Bourret, Le Nouveau Défi des O.V.N.I., France Empire, 1976;

Antonio Huneeus, “The ‘Michelin Man’ Encounters on Réunion Island,” Open Minds, July 30, 2010;

http://www.openminds.tv/michelin-men-073010/4561

Patrick Gross, “Plaine des Caffres, La Réunion, July 31, 1968”;

https://ufologie.patrickgross.org/htm/plainedescafres1968.htm

La Soucoupe Volante Country Club, Facebook page;

https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Soucoupe-Volante/195155220534987

Michael Swords, “The Michelin UFOnauts: Extraterrestrials or Tired Ghosts?”, The Big Study blog, May 28, 2010;

http://thebiggeststudy.blogspot.com/2010/05/michelin-ufonauts-extraterrestrials-or.html

Cryptid Wiki, “Michelin Men”;

Michelin Men

Michelin Men or Balloon Men are a type of possibly extraterrestrial cryptid that has been reported on a small number of occasions throughout the world. These entities were dubbed with these names due to their similarity in appearance to the popular Michelin Man mascot.[1] In May 1960 Don Miguel Timerman Ceballos, a local teacher was at a crossroads between Arcos de la Frontera and El Bosque (both towns being in the province of Cadiz, Spain) returning from a motorcycle trip when he discerned…