Lavoux entity encounter — 1954

Roger Barrault's Lavoux encounter was widely retold as a meeting with a diving-suited figure on a country road in October 1954. The usual date is October 9, although published hours vary. The early story describes a short figure, unusual boots and bright lights, followed by its disappearance into nearby woods. Later compilations added or emphasized paralysis, a hairy chest, speech and other exotic details. An important counter-investigation gives a different account. Jean-Claude Baillon's report of a July 1969 interview says Barrault recognized the figure as a local youth wearing a paratrooper-style outfit, a modified military helmet and a shiny box. Barrault said he pursued him toward the woods, which conflicts with the catalogue version of total immobility. According to that interview, a café conversation reached a journalist, whose account distorted the episode; Barrault said his attempted protest did not produce the correction he wanted. Later summaries differ about the youth's exact age and costume, so those details remain attributed. The recovered explanation materially changes the case from an unexplained alien encounter to a reported human prank and press distortion. No spacecraft was reported in either version. The reconstruction accordingly shows the cyclist and costumed youth and explicitly labels the later explanation.