The Valensole Encounter
At dawn in a lavender field in Provence, a farmer said he came upon a small craft and two child-sized figures.
What was reported
Early on the morning of 1 July 1965, Maurice Masse, a lavender farmer, heard a whistling sound in his field near Valensole. He said he found an egg-shaped object, about the size of a car, standing on thin legs, and two small figures near it, looking at his lavender plants.
Masse said one of the figures pointed something at him and he found he couldn't move. The figures went back inside, and the object flew off. The local gendarmerie investigated, and marks were found in the soil where the lavender later grew poorly.
Explanations offered
No explanation has been confirmed. Sceptics have suggested a helicopter or an experimental aircraft, or that Masse misremembered an ordinary event. Investigators who met him found him sincere, and he rarely spoke about it afterwards.
- When
- 1 July 1965
- Where
- Valensole, Provence, France
- Witnesses
- Lavender farmer Maurice Masse
- Status
- Unexplained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.