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Who are the Real Men in Black?

Garry Crystal
Garry Crystal

The recent Hollywood blockbuster film Men in Black was an entertaining piece of science fiction. The film’s plot involved special agents investigating extra-terrestrials and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). However, the roots of the film lie in strange encounters with real men in black.

Real men in black encounters have been reported for over 50 years. As with UFO theories, no one knows whether these people are fact or fiction. In 1956, American author Gray Barker published a book on the subject called They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers. With this book, Barker revealed their existence to the world.

The men in black interrogate people who have seen UFOs, and then threaten them not to reveal anything they have seen.
The men in black interrogate people who have seen UFOs, and then threaten them not to reveal anything they have seen.

The real men in black are claimed to appear after a UFO sighting. They are strange looking men wearing black suits and hats, and are said to be either very short or very tall and to wear wigs and make-up. They are also said to arrive in either very new or new-looking, old style Cadillacs. They claim to be either from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or some other secret agency.

Individuals who have spotted an unidentified flying object may be visited by the men in black.
Individuals who have spotted an unidentified flying object may be visited by the men in black.

The men in black question or interrogate the UFO spotters and threaten them not to reveal anything they have seen. The men then disappear as quickly and mysteriously as they had appeared. Most of the theories regarding these men tend to lean towards alien beings. This theory cannot be proved, and there have only been 40 documented accounts of encounters.

Another theory regarding the real men in black was put forward after anonymous articles were sent to websites and newspapers. The articles report that there is a very real agency called the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research (OSIR). The OSIR are concerned with all things scientific, including the paranormal, supernatural and metaphysical.

The OSIR is said to have a special Phenomenology division that deals specifically with extraterrestrial life. They also deal with unexplainable incidents such as crop circles, ancient mysteries and distortions of space. The OSIR is said to be staffed by the world’s scientific experts. It also has links to numerous intelligence agencies and government offices around the world.

In 1990, the OSIR was said to have surfaced and opened a Public Relations division to interact with the public. Ten years later, this division was closed down and nothing has been heard from them since. The OSIR is thought to have powers that supersede all government officials and agencies. Are the investigators from the OSIR the real men in black?

The truth may never be known. It is common knowledge that secret government agencies such as OSIR exist, but why would they appear for 10 years only to disappear? Speculation exists that information was being fed to the public during this time through the media from the OSIR. Whether these encounters are true or just more speculation to feed the public’s paranoia remains to be seen.

Discussion Comments

anon275346

There have been way more than 40 documented cases. Try thousands.

blast

It also makes me wonder what kind of information might be available that we just don’t know about. When I watch the show it always seems like the Ancient Alien scholars don’t have any concrete evidence, but now I’m wondering if organizations like the OSIR might have more legitimate evidence about these topics.

Does anyone know if the OSIR is made up of some Ancient Alien theorists or is it strictly scientists? The show always made it seem like the theorists are a more extreme type of group, but I wonder if they are more legitimate than that?

TheTiger

@anon52353 - I don't know if you've ever seen it, but there’s a series called Ancient Aliens that talks about these kinds of theories. I watched an episode about the Easter Island statues, and many of the Ancient Alien researchers believe that the statues had to have been placed by alien visitors.

I never thought about the statues looking like the men in black pictures, but looking at them now they do bear a weird resemblance. I guess the only problem is that we can never really know if there are real men in black photos to back it up. I would say it’s probably a coincidence, but I guess you can never be too sure!

anon52353

the statues on easter inland "look like" the men in black pictures. that's how they moved the stones. "do you think?"

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    • The men in black interrogate people who have seen UFOs, and then threaten them not to reveal anything they have seen.
      By: Felix Mizioznikov
      The men in black interrogate people who have seen UFOs, and then threaten them not to reveal anything they have seen.
    • Individuals who have spotted an unidentified flying object may be visited by the men in black.
      By: Silvano Rebai
      Individuals who have spotted an unidentified flying object may be visited by the men in black.