THOSE MYSTERIOUS MIBS

The evolution of the comprehension of the UFO phenomenon and related subjects has, by April, 1993, accepted to some degree such extraordinary happenings as abductions, cattle mutilations and even so-called Bigfoot sightings. I guess it is time for me to acquiesce and consider the really far-out subject of the infamous Men In Black. I don’t like to think about them for I have always thought the subject not a little silly.

Since 1977, the year of my great enlightenment, Men In Black have been mentioned to me by a few citizens. In fact, around 1979, at an Ohio UFO Investigators public presentation in Cincinnati, Ohio, my friends and I may have encountered two of the "creatures."

During the registration for the conference two men entered the lobby. They were dressed in very neat dark suits, sported very GI haircuts and what looked like Air Force regulation dress shoes. The twosome would not speak to anyone.

Neither would they register, although they paid the admission fee. Actually I have always thought that they were Air Force Intelligence agents who forgot to change their shoes.

But then, at the end of the program we were walking down a long corridor leading to our vehicles. The two mystery men were walking ahead of us. We were laughing and talking rather loudly. Both men turned and looked at us. At that point the corridor made a right angle turn. They rounded the corner. Although we were probably no more than forty or fifty feet behind them by the time we turned the corner the two men had disappeared.

We were all astonished. We looked for a door that they could have ducked into and at the same time were wondering why they would do that. Three of us ran to the outside door and looked around the parking lot. They were gone. Unless they did duck into one of the unmarked doors what they did was inhuman.

Some years later a married couple moved into an apartment complex just two blocks from my residence. The lady, a nurse, had had some very unusual experiences. Somehow she had found out that I was a MUFON investigator and came down to the house to discuss her situation. I can’t remember what she told me.

But, I do remember what her husband said. They had moved from Akron, Ohio. While there the husband became the leader of a rather healthy UFO group of citizens. He would rent part of the enormous hangar of the Goodyear Blimp and conduct meetings in it. Since it was so long ago I can’t recall how the warnings began but eventually the Men In Black became involved in an attempt to scare him off. He didn’t scare. That is, he didn’t become frightened until his little giris told him that two men, in dark suits and hats, driving a large black automobile, were following them to and from school.

The implication was clear. Either he stop his UFO activities or something would happen to the children. That is when the family moved to Dayton. The gentleman would have nothing to do with any UFO organisation.

There was no reason for me to doubt the authenticity of the story.

Somewhere around the end of the 1970’s the Men In Black were made known to me again. That time, I felt, the story was filled with humour.

I taught a senior high school class in Anthropology. There were two sisters, who were my students. Their heritage was part Native American. In fact, their mother was a Native American from South America.

Mrs. X was a citizen of Chile. During the terrible days of the Chilean revolution and the following years of dictatorship she became involved in supporting Allende, the legitimate Communist presidente of that suffering nation. Then, the Communists were thrown out of office, with what seems to be considerable support from the United States intelligence community, Mrs. X, realising that the Communist leader was far better for her country than the military dictator, became quite vocal. Prudence dictated that they flee while they were still alive. They went to Brazil.

The father and the daughters, my students, were American citizens and I think the wife also was a U.S. citizen. Peculiar things happened and they were unable to leave Brazil for the United States. A long time passed and finally they made good their exit from Brazil before the authorities could catch on to their plan for legally leaving Brazil. Both parents were professors at one of the Ohio state universities. Both came in and lectured to my students about the primitive natives of South America and other peoples of the world.

One day the gentleman told me about their experience with Men In Black. At that time the family lived in a community east of Dayton. By the time I had met them, the mother and both daughters, because of their heritage, had been accepted into the local, urban, Shawnee Tribal Council.

What happened to them next is what we wish would never happen in America. Someone was watching them. They discussed the problem and decided that either a foreign or United States intelligence organisation was watching them and at the same time intimidating them by being obvious. They didn’t consider the situation dangerous.

One evening two members of the Shawnee Indian Nation visited the family’s home. The men in that council are large, for the most part; very impressive physical specimens; proud descendants of the famous Tecumseh.

Somewhere in the course of the conversation the one Native American said, "There are two guys sitting out there in the alley watching your house. What’s going on?"

The response was, "Oh, those two sit out there about every night. Don’t worry about them. But they do make us nervous."

The Shawnee replied, "Don’t worry about them. We’ll take care of it."

The next night the black vehicle was once again parked in the alley, both men, clad in dark clothing, were watching the house. Suddenly the two Shawnee appeared, one on each side of the car.

"Hey, man! What are you doing out here in the dark?"

The car windows were rolled down and the occupants had no recourse but to respond. "Nothing. Just sitting here. We aren’t doing anything."

"Yes you are," said the deep voice of one of the Indians. You are bothering our friends inside the house."

"No. We’re just sitting here."

"Look, man, we say you are. Do you know what’s behind your car, at the end of this little alley? Well, I’ll tell you. There is a swamp. The swamp is deep and boggy. In fact, my buddy and I could roll this car backwards into the swamp and it would sink and no one would ever find it. Get it?

Don’t ever show up here again or bother our friends again or you will disappear forever."

My story teller, a college professor, mind you, laughed. "They took baseball bats and smashed out all of the lights and windows on the car. That’s the last we ever saw of the Men In Black."

Because of that story I never took The Men In Black very seriously. I was prone to think they were costumed agents of a paranoid government agency running amok!