Who was Maurice Masse?

Maurice Masse was a 51-year-old farmer, owner of a lavender field in Valensole. Respected in his community, he enjoyed a reputation for honesty that strengthened the credibility of his testimony with investigators.

What exact time did the incident occur?

The incident took place on July 1st, 1965 around 5:45 a.m., when Masse was heading to his field to irrigate his lavender.

How did Masse describe the creatures?

The two beings measured approximately 1.20 meters, wore fitted suits, had large fixed eyes and smooth grayish skin. Their appearance was humanoid but clearly alien.

The Valensole Landing: The French Case of 1965

Photo: Antony BEC on Unsplash

On July 1st, 1965, Maurice Masse, a farmer in Valensole in Haute-Provence, reported observing a spacecraft that had landed in his lavender field with two small beings on board. This incident, which became one of the most famous cases of the French UFO phenomenon, remains controversial despite several investigations.

The Valensole landing represents one of the most documented and enigmatic UFO incidents in the history of French ufology. Occurring in the middle of a Provençal summer, this case combines typical elements of close encounters of the third kind: an isolated witness, a detailed description of a craft and humanoid creatures, and persistent physiological effects.

Context

In 1965, France experienced a significant wave of UFO sightings. Maurice Masse, 51 years old, was a respected and hardworking farmer in the Valensole region, a small municipality in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. The area, with its vast lavender fields, offered a rural environment conducive to discreet observations. Masse enjoyed a reputation for honesty in his village, which would confer a certain credibility to his testimony with investigators.

The Facts

On the morning of July 1st, 1965, around 5:45 a.m., Maurice Masse went to his field to irrigate his lavender. Approximately 300 meters from the village, he spotted an oval object resting on the ground, metallic gray in color, estimated to be 7-8 meters in length. Near the craft were two small beings,

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Maurice Masse?: Maurice Masse was a 51-year-old farmer, owner of a lavender field in Valensole. Respected in his community, he enjoyed a reputation for honesty that strengthened the credibility of his testimony with investigators.
What exact time did the incident occur?: The incident took place on July 1st, 1965 around 5:45 a.m., when Masse was heading to his field to irrigate his lavender.
How did Masse describe the creatures?: The two beings measured approximately 1.20 meters, wore fitted suits, had large fixed eyes and smooth grayish skin. Their appearance was humanoid but clearly alien.

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