Visitations From the Men in Black: Who Are These Men?

The mysterious Men in Black tend to offer little explanation for their appearance, leaving a trail of doubt and confusion in their path, and people who have encountered them often report having felt intimidated and harassed.

The term Men in Black (MIBs) refers to individuals that often show up to question UFO witnesses and witnesses of other strange phenomenon. Usually in groups of three, they are dressed almost entirely in black, often wearing sunglasses. They are usually male, but in some cases have had an equal number of female counterparts. Sometimes they claim to be working within a certain agency of the federal government such as the CIA. 

These mysterious figures have gained renown in American pop culture and folklore, and a popular trilogy of feature films, Men in Black, staring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, was conceived in 1997. Additionally, Men in Black were often featured in the 1990’s Fox show The X-Files. One comedic episode, “Jose Chung’s from Outer Space” (’95–‘96), guest-starred former wrestler Jesse Ventura and Jeopary’s Alex Trebek as MIBs. 

The term “Men in Black,” is believed to have been coined by author and investigator John Keel, who is probably best known for his investigative work in UFOs and paranormal activity, and for his book, The Mothman Prophesies (1975). In 1967, Keel wrote an article for Saga magazine titled “UFO Agents of Terror,” in which he describes his investigation into these figures that would hence come to be known as “Men in Black,” according to The Telegraph.

Documented Visitations

One of the first documented MIB cases involved publisher of the flying saucer publication Space Review Albert K. Bender, who in October 1953, abruptly ended his magazine publication. In 1963, he spoke in his autobiography about how he was intimidated into halting all publications by visitors wearing all black, according to an account on ufoevidence.org, a site dedicated to the scientific study of the extraterrestrial. 

A more modern potential MIB sighting involves actor and UFO and paranormal researcher Dan Aykroyd, who recounted his MIB story in the documentary Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs: While he was in New York City preparing a show for the SciFi Channel on UFOs and the paranormal, titled Out There, he was having a cellphone conversation with Brittany Spears and saw a black sedan with potential MIBs inside. One MIB stood outside the car staring at Aykroyd, and another gave Aykroyd an unpleasant glance from the back seat. Aykroyd looked away for a brief moment, and when he looked back, the sedan had disappeared. 

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