In 1952, Albert Bender, a former Air Force pilot and paranormal enthusiast, founded and became president of the International Flying Saucer Bureau, the first civilian organization devoted to sharing the experiences of people around the world. The IFSB grew quickly, gaining members across the globe and even setting up World Contact Day, in which IFSB members would put together their best telepathic efforts to contact extraterrestrial beings.

In early 1953, Bender abruptly announced that he was shutting down the organization for good, unaccompanied by any explanation.

He later announced that, in response to his activities in the paranormal community, he was approached and consistently harassed by the men in black. He claimed that he first felt telepathic messages from an unknown source, then received a metal disk that seemed to transport him into an otherworldly state of mind.

Later that week, three tall men in black suits showed up at his home. They shared some insight into the nature of UFO before warning Bender, in no uncertain terms, to share nothing of his experiences.

After the visit, Bender grew gravely ill, not eating for three days and being plagued by splitting headaches. From then on, he refused to speak of his encounters for nine years, until eventually writing a book detailing his numerous supernatural encounters.

Though far from the first UFOlogist to be harassed by the men in black, Bender’s experiences remain some of the strangest and most detailed accounts of the phenomena. 

In the years since Bender’s experiences brought the men in black to the mainstream world, many theories have circulated about their origin, though very little is known for sure. All we know for sure is that they appear after UFO sightings to threaten those involved and, if necessary, silence witnesses.

The men in black are also known to telepathically and physically harass paranormal investigators, and are almost invariably described as tall men in sets of threes in black suits, speaking in low voices and having abilities far beyond those of normal humans, such as the manipulation of time and teleportation. 

In many cases, the encounter begins with a series of anonymous phone calls telling the listener to stop their investigation and sharing about what they’ve seen or read related to UFOs. 

Then, the victim will usually hear telepathic messages of a similar nature.

Finally, the men in black will reveal themselves, first, simply as observes, bringing with them a distinct feeling of unease, as if you are being watched. They will later approach the victim and attempt to threaten them into silence.

Though these encounters are frightening enough, the most disturbing part of the men in black phenomenon is the frequency and consistency with which it occurs; thousands of people have reported experiences of nearly identical nature. Despite what skeptics will say, the widespreadness of these occurrences strongly indicate some concrete truth to this supernatural phenomena.

We may never know the nature and origin of the men in black, but what we do know can tell us two things: they are here to stay, and they are not our friends.