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 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.
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.