Lesparre-Medoc, FR being encounter — October 16, 1954

An anonymous letter signed H. G. claimed an encounter near Lesparre-Médoc during the night of October 16–17, 1954. Its author described himself as a history and geography teacher. Sud-Ouest published the letter on October 20 with a caution about the missing identity and address, rather than presenting a verified investigation. The writer said that he had been driving slowly toward Lesparre when he noticed orange light in roadside bushes. On stopping and approaching, he reportedly saw a round object approximately five metres across and a figure about one metre tall resembling a diver. The figure approached and repeatedly uttered a string of syllables, transcribed differently in later versions. It then moved away, entered through a porthole-like opening and the object rose rapidly and vertically. Later catalogues repeated the story, sometimes changing the object’s diameter from five to fifty metres. Figuet and Ruchon noted the lack of a serious investigation; other authors treated it as a probable joke or untraceable-witness account. Those reservations should remain visible without inventing a documented confession. The syllables have no established translation. The plate illustrates the claim neutrally, labels its anonymous-letter origin and avoids assigning an unsupported face to the diver-like figure.