03.23.07
French Government Releases Its OVNI (UFO) Files to the Web
The official French governmental group in charge of investigating UFOs (or OVNI — Objet Volant Non Identifié — as they’re commonly known in France) has publicly released what it claims are all of its files to the Web, including graphics, audio, and video recordings. (But I guess that would not include the evidence that UFO researcher, computer scientist, and noted author Jacques Vallée witnessed being destroyed in 1961.)
The Web site — at http://www.cnes-geipan.fr/geipan/ — has been completely overwhelmed by visitors (terrestrial, albeit virtual), and at this writing is frequently not accessible at all due to the load.
The collection numbers some 100,000 documents, spanning more than 50 years and incorporating 1,650 cases and approximately 6,000 witness reports, plus police and expert reports, witness sketches, maps, photos and video and audio recordings. According to the group’s director, Jacques Patenet, 25-28 percent (depending on which news story you read) are classified as “Class D aerospace phenomena,” defined as “inexplicable despite precise testimonies and the (good) quality of material information gathered.” This is roughly equivalent to the percentage of unexplainable cases in the old Project Blue Book As reported by the Associated Press, “Only 9 percent of France’s strange phenomena have been fully explained, the agency said. Experts found likely reasons for another 33 percent, and 30 percent could not be identified for lack of information.”
The oldest report in the French archives reportedly dates to 1937, 17 years before the formal French investigations began.
Regrettably, the site’s basic navigation requires JavaScript and Ajax support in order to function, which means no outside search engine indexing (sorry Google) and, actually, that it’s probably in violation of the EU’s Web accessibility standards.
The French space agency CNES was first charged with investigating UFOs in 1954, but apparently it did not form a specific group for that purpose in 1977. It is currently known as GEIPAN (Groupe d’Etudes et d’Information des Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non identifiés, or the Group for Study and Information on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena), it has undergone several name changes over the years. At its formation in 1977, it was called GEPAN (Groupement d’Etude des Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés). In 1988 it was replaced by SEPRA (Service d’Expertise des Phénomènes de Rentrées Atmosphériques), privatized (I think) in 1999 and re-christened Service d’Expertise des Phénomènes Rares Aérospatiaux (allowing it to keep its old acronym). The current GEIPAN organization was created in 2005.
You can read some GEPAN/SEPRA/GEIPAN-related documents and news articles over at UFOevidence.org. There’s also a French-language page at the Les Découvertes Impossibles site (Google translate-o-tron link) that includes an organizational timeline and numerous papers and publications issued by GEPAN from 1979-1983, available in both HTML and PDF formats.
Bon appetit, mes étrangers. As an apéritif, here’s a Google auto-translated version of the CNES press release announcing the formation of GEIPAN in 2005:
PARIS, 28.9. 2005
CP 075 - 2005A STEERING COMMITTEE FOR THE FOLLOW-UP OF THE ACTIVITIES
DEPENDENT ON THE AEROSPACE PHENOMENA NOT IDENTIFYTo supervise and control the activity of follow-up of the Not identified Aerospace Phenomena (SIDE) and a policy of information in this field, it was decided to constitute a Steering committee of which the first meeting was held on September 22, 2005 with the CNES.
The activity of the CNES concerning the Not identified Aerospace Phenomena comprises three shutters:
- collection, seizure and the filing of the reports/ratios in order to maintain and to manage a data base (activity CNES),
- analysis of this information by calling upon correspondents in the fields and disciplines concerned,
- the communication with public interested, publication of periodic reports/ratios and the management of the access to the files.
The Steering committee, chaired by Mr. Yves Sillard, old Directing General of the CNES, former Delegate General for the Armament, is made up:
- representatives of the CNES: the Deputy manager of the Center of Toulouse, the Director of the External Communication, Education and the Public affairs, in charge one of mission for the ethical questions,
- representatives of the organizations with which the CNES collaborates in this field: National gendarmerie, National police force, Air Force, Civil Safety, Civil aviation, Weather-France,
- researchers invited by the President of the CNES in agreement with the President of the Steering committee.
At its first meeting, the Committee recommended the installation or the reactualization of draft-agreements between the CNES and the Organizations partners. It underlined the need for a policy transparent and recommended the creation of an Internet site with setting on line of information available, in the respect of the legislation in force.
The Steering committee will meet as a need and at least twice a year on convocation for its President. Person in charge CNES in load for the SIDE activity will submit an annual review article to the Steering committee as well as a progress report at semi-year. The CNES will address the annual review article to its supervisions accompanied by the presentations and recommendations by the steering committee.
