FRENCH GOVERNMENT UFO STUDY

This document provides an overview of the French governmental UFO study group, GEPAN (Group d'Etudes Des Phenomenes Aerospatiaux Non-Identifiees), established in 1977 under the direction of Dr. Claude Poher. The text summarizes a five-volume report from June 1978, which detailed studies conducted during the first semester of 1978. GEPAN utilized specialized teams for rapid intervention, physical traces, and radar alerts, though these were used sparingly in 1978. Instead, the group focused on 11 cases of high credibility and high strangeness. Of these 11 cases, only one was determined to have a conventional explanation. In the remaining 10 cases, the investigation concluded that witnesses had observed a material phenomenon that could not be attributed to natural causes or human technology. The report notes that in these 10 cases, the distance between witnesses and the objects was less than 250 meters. The methodology employed by GEPAN involved a four-person team for each case, including a psychologist to evaluate witness testimony, a process the document favorably compares to the American Condon Report. The report also mentions that GEPAN receives alerts regarding actual cases via teletype from the Gendarmerie. Although Dr. Poher resigned, the organization continued its work. The original report was classified as secret and limited to 120 or 140 copies. It is noted that the report includes coverage of the Teheran case, though it was not among the 11 cases studied, all of which occurred in France.