Brazil: An Unprecedented Case from 1953

 

Brazil: An Unprecedented Case from 1953 

By Antonio Ribera 

The case I am about to recount took place near Santana dos Montes (Conselheiro Lafayette, State of Minas Gerais) on January 12, 1953, at 1:00 PM. It was reported by the witness, Mauricio Ramos Bessa, to Mr. Eber Silvestre—the brother of a member of the SBEDV named Elder Silvestre. In 1953, Mauricio was 39 years old; he had been working at one of the major hospitals in the State of Guanabara for two years and was a native of Rio. Santana dos Montes is located a three-hour drive from Conselheiro Lafayette. After his wedding, Mauricio had settled in the home of a farmer—a relative by marriage—at the Guarara rural estate, which lies an hour and a half away from Santana. On that aforementioned January 12th, he went into town to do some shopping. On his return trip, halfway along the route, he left the main road to pass through the estate's gate and take a shortcut that significantly reduced the travel distance—for crossing this property from one end to the other on foot would otherwise take two days. 

He was passing near a cow shed and a small grove of eucalyptus and bamboo trees, traversing a stretch of flat terrain planted with hay, when he was startled to see a luminous object in the distance, directly ahead of him. Due to the local topography, he briefly lost sight of the object. Half an hour later, he spotted it a second time, now just six meters away. It was a craft smaller than a Volkswagen sedan—shiny and metallic in color—hovering 1.30 meters above the ground; it was flattened on the underside and oval-shaped on top. The witness stopped to observe it. The object was then located two meters from the vehicle when, suddenly—after two minutes had passed—an opening appeared, and, with a tilting motion, a hatch lifted upward. Two individuals jumped down to the ground, which in that particular spot was not covered in hay. 

The two occupants of the strange craft wore suits of a leaden hue—dull yet gleaming—and each sported a small sphere that glowed atop the toe of their footwear (which appeared to have a rather quadrangular shape). Mauricio Ramos, who was standing two meters away from them, began to experience a steadily intensifying headache. One of the figures was clutching a cylinder—measuring 12 to 14 centimeters in length and 3 to 4 centimeters in diameter—which he thrust into the soil, only to withdraw it immediately thereafter. The instrument underwent a transformation in appearance, shortening and becoming more rounded within its user's hand. The two figures slowly retreated toward the disc, their faces remaining turned toward Mauricio. The craft executed a downward tilting motion, and—although the hatch did not actually touch the ground—they entered the vessel without having to jump upward. The witness surmised that they "must have known exactly what they were doing." 

He did not witness the hatch closing or the craft ascending, as he was suffering from such an intense headache that he could no longer see anything at all. When the pressure he felt in his head suddenly ceased, no trace of the craft remained. He returned home as usual, experiencing no further physical sensations—neither that day nor the next. While recounting the details of his sighting, Mauricio stated that, through the craft's open hatch, he had glimpsed a third occupant—one who remained completely motionless and appeared to be gazing outward. This individual's suit seemed to be a single, seamless garment, devoid of any zippers, pockets, or seams. His hands and fingers were likewise encased in this same material, as were his neck and face; the peculiar suit featured an aperture at the top to allow the wearer to see out. However, the witness did not catch a glimpse of the individual's eyes. 

Those men stood between 1.30 and 1.40 meters tall and wore a shiny rectangular object—approximately 3 by 5 cm—on their chests. Their heads appeared flatter than ours. Their movements were also faster, particularly those of the man who collected soil samples. The witness later went to inspect the hole made in the ground, which was 5 cm deep and 3 cm in diameter. He observed no footprints in the dry, clay-rich soil. He heard no conversation between the beings, though one of them signaled to another—perhaps three times—using head movements. Mauricio asked them no questions, as he felt they were superior to him; however, he believes they invited him to enter their craft, but he was too terrified and did not know how to respond. The sky that day was overcast. 

In 1954, he recounted this strange incident to Homen Rodrigues, a reporter for the newspaper *O Globo*.