In American popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, Men in Black (MIB) are men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents who harass or threaten UFO witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. It is sometimes implied that they may be aliens themselves. The term is also frequently used to describe mysterious men working for unknown organizations, as well as various branches of government allegedly designed to protect secrets or perform other strange activities. The term is generic, used for any unusual, threatening or strangely behaved individual whose appearance on the scene can be linked in some fashion with a UFO sighting. Hoax? In his article, “Gray Barker: My Friend, the Myth-Maker” John C. Sherwood claims that at age 18, he cooperated when Gray Barker urged him in the late 1960s to develop a hoax – which Barker subsequently published – about “blackmen,” three mysterious UFO inhabitants who silenced Sherwood’s pseudonymous identity, “Dr. Richard H. Pratt.”
| Alias Men in Black, Silence Group |
| Real Names/Alt Names Unknown |
| Characteristics Paranormal Mysteries, Extra-terrestrial, Atomic Age |
| Creators/Key Contributors Unknown |
| First Appearance Historical organization |
| First Publisher ○ |
| Appearance List Articles and books: “They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers” in Saucerian Bulletin (1956) by Gray Barker — serialized reports leading up to his book; They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers (1956) by Gray Barker; “The Bender Mystery Confirmed” in Flying Saucers (March 1957) by Gray Barker; Flying Saucers and the Three Men (1962) by Albert K. Bender; “The UFO Silencers” in Saucer News (1963) by James Moseley — one of the earliest widely read articles to call these figures “men in black”; Invisible Residents (1970) by Ivan T. Sanderson; “UFO ‘Agents of Terror'” in Saga vol. 35, no. 1 (Oct. 1967) by John A. Keel [Scribd]; “Men in Black: The UFO Terrorists” in Saga Magazine (March 1970) by John A. Keel — mass-market feature that introduced the MIB to a general readership; UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse (Putnam, 1970) by John A. Keel; The Mothman Prophecies (1975) by John A. Keel. |
| Sample Read They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers (1956) [Internet Archive] |
| Description In American popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, Men in Black (MIB) are men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents who harass or threaten UFO witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. It is sometimes implied that they may be aliens themselves. The term is also frequently used to describe mysterious men working for unknown organizations, as well as various branches of government allegedly designed to protect secrets or perform other strange activities. The term is generic, used for any unusual, threatening or strangely behaved individual whose appearance on the scene can be linked in some fashion with a UFO sighting. Hoax? In his article, “Gray Barker: My Friend, the Myth-Maker” John C. Sherwood claims that at age 18, he cooperated when Gray Barker urged him in the late 1960s to develop a hoax – which Barker subsequently published – about “blackmen,” three mysterious UFO inhabitants who silenced Sherwood’s pseudonymous identity, “Dr. Richard H. Pratt.” |
| Source Men In Black – Public Domain Super Heroes Wiki |
 |
, 
, 