The Men in Black
In 1953, an American UFO researcher shut down his club, saying three men in black suits had visited and warned him to stop.
What was reported
In 1953, Albert K. Bender, who ran a flying saucer research group from his home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, suddenly closed it down. He said three men dressed in black suits had visited him and warned him not to publish what he had learned about flying saucers.
His friend Gray Barker wrote about it in a 1956 book, and the 'men in black' became a lasting part of UFO folklore: mysterious, oddly behaving visitors who appear after a sighting to silence witnesses.
Explanations offered
Bender later wrote a book saying the men were beings from another world, which many readers found hard to believe. Sceptics see the men in black as a story that grew in the retelling, possibly with real government interest in UFO reports at its root. The idea inspired the 'Men in Black' films.
- When
- From 1953
- Where
- Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA
- Witnesses
- A UFO researcher, as told by a friend's book
- Status
- Folklore
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.