According to most accounts, MIB’s date from the 1950’s onwards. However, during my research for a book, which I co-wrote with Jon Downes, (The rising of the Moon…Domra Publications 1999) I came across a certain ,small news story, which ,ay just prove that this particular type of occurrence may have happened long before that!.
Part of my research was to scan microfilm records of my local paper, the Exmouth Journal. It was during these searches that I came across a story, tucked away on the side columns of the front page. I cannot say what it was that caught my eye about this article, but, the more I read it the more I could not believe my eyes!.
Although worded in the language of the times, it read to me as a very typical MIB report. The only thing that was totally wrong was the date of this particular newspaper…21st May 1909!!..I’ll now let you see the whole report, see what you make of it…
INVASION SCARES-QUEER STORIES FROM HUMBERSIDE
A strange story was told the Yorkshire Post, Grimsby correspondent by workmen from killingholm near Immingham new dock works on Tuesday night. They declared that they were seated at noon on the roadside at killingholm, when a large motor car drove up and two men alighted who walked to the bank on which the workmen were seated and asked if any airships had been recently seen near. The workmen replied: “No” whereupon the motorists asked the distance between killingholm and Spurn, and whether any mines were laid in the Humber between the two places. The workmen referred their interrogators to a coastguard, saying he would be able to answer them. “It does not matter,” replied the motorists, and, after enquiring the way to the nearest refreshment house, they jumped into their car and drove quickly away.
It must be remembered that this area was the scene of UFO reports at this time, so, what are we to make of this queer story? Well for my money, this reads as a MIB report. However, I suppose it is a matter of how you read it!
If this is indeed a MIB report from that time, then we in the UFO community must reconsider our view of the MIB problem. If they date from such an early time, then by having another look at early reports, perhaps we can find more of these mystery visitors in our past. What would this mean to our prescribed views on the whole UFO mystery? Who knows? Still, it is a very interesting idea, I am sure you would agree!
click on picture for larger size
Strange visitations – Tripp Pond, Androscoggin County, Maine, U.S.A.
On 27th October 1975, David Stephens (21) and his friend Paul (18) had a long encounter with a UFO which involved “missing time” and afterwards the realisation that they had “orange” eyes. The following morning Stephens was alone in the trailer which he shared with Paul when a stockily-built man wearing dark glasses, a crew cut and dark suit called by. This MIB asked about the UFO sighting and warned Stephens: “Better keep your mouth shut if you know what is good for you”. He then left in a hurry. Stephens approached Dr. Herbert Hopkins (Psychiatrist) and after discussing his UFO experiences underwent hypnotic regression which revealed a standard abduction scenario during the period of missing time. During the abduction Stephens underwent an examination which involved the use of a black box-like device. On 11th September 1976, Dr. Hopkins, whilst at home alone, received a telephone call from someone claiming to be a UFO investigator, asking if they could visit him. Dr. Hopkins agreed and was surprised to hear the caller knocking at the door within seconds of the end of the telephone call. The visitor, dressed almost entirely in black, hairless and wearing lipstick, invited Dr. Hopkins to watch whilst he made a coin vanished from the palm of his hand. Dr, Hopkins was then given a warning from his strange visitor: “Destroy all of your records on the abduction case”. After this they went on to discuss UFOs and after a while the MIB’s speech became slurred and began to slow down. He said: “My energy is running low, must go now”. The MIB then fumbled his way to the door. Dr. Hopkins did not quite realise just how bizarre his visitors’ behaviour was until he had left but was later very disturbed by the experience. On 24th September 1976, Dr. Hopkins’s son John and his daughter in law Maureen received a visit at their home by a man and a woman, both dressed in old-fashioned clothes and both seeming to have problems walking properly. These strange “MIB’s” proceeded to ask the young couple several banal personal questions such as: “What do you talk about?” During this the man kept “pawing” and fondling the woman in a uncomfortably intimate manner, asking John if he was doing it correctly. The strange man also asked Maureen if she knew how she was made and if she had any photographs of herself naked! After only a short visit the couple announced they had to leave, which they did without saying goodbye but not without making it perfectly obvious that they were capable of walking only in dead straight lines.
Throughout the 1970s there were frequent UFO sightings in the vicinity of Charleston. Some of the witnesses complained of being visited and threatened by what they supposed to be “government agents” but the truth of their origins was never determined. One case involved a successful television journalist who witnessed and successfully photographed several UFOS. However, due to threats from unknown quarters, this person flatly refused to disclose his identity.
One of several photos taken by a television journalist who felt too threatened to reveal his identity.
In another instance, a young motor mechanic called Bill Herrmann witnessed and photographed UFOs on several occasions. On March 17th, 1978, Bill Herrmann left his house at around 9-30p.m. in order to get a better view of a bright light which was hovering over electricity pylons near a local air force base. Bill was shocked to find himself in a field to the south of Charleston (approximately 15 miles from his home) some 3 hours later. Deputy Sheriff Pike Limehouse was called to the scene and found Herrmann in a very excited and distressed state; Herrmann suspected that he had been abducted. He certainly could not account for the “missing time” or explain his being 15 miles from home. [ left ] Bill Herrmann - his UFO experiences were of great interest to "MIBs".
On another occasion Herrmann was driving to church one Sunday morning when a UFO shot across the road and then continued to follow a peculiar “triangular” flight pattern. Herrmann had succeeded in obtaining a number of good quality photographs of the objects he had sighted and the following day at 3-30 p.m. he received a call from the local air force base asking him to let the information officer have the photos. Herrmann drove to the base at about 5-30 p.m. but was told that the information officer was not on duty. However after twenty minutes or so a Captain King arrived on the scene and demanded, via the guard, that he hand over the UFO photographs. Herrmann refused but did give then one photo and received a receipt. Herrmann did receive further “menacing” messages from the base telling him he had, in fact, photographed a “Phantom” aircraft. [ left ]One of many UFO photos taken by Bill Herrmann.
One of the photographs [ right ] taken by Bill Herrmann that was of such great interest to the strange visitors.
A short time later Herrmann received a telephone call from a certain “Tom Olsen” who claimed to be a UFO investigator from Maryland. He asked to meet Herrmann and when he arrived he produced identification from “The UFO Information Retrieval Centre”. Herrmann then went with “Olsen” to the locations where the UFO photos had been taken. At this stage Olsen asked Herrmann if he would agree to take a polygraph test. Herrmann did consent to the test but was surprised to find that it was to take place immediately – in a secluded room at a local luxury hotel (Room 520 at the Mills Hyatt House Hotel).
Tony Martin - a friend of Bill Herrmann's - he received several threatening telephone calls.
lkley Moor – Yorkshire, U.K.
At dawn on 30th November 1987, a former policeman was taking photographs on Ilkley Moor when he noticed a strange “entity with a green cast” some distance ahead. The next thing he remembers is finding himself in the nearby village of Menston in a confused and disoriented state. He immediately had his film developed and discovered that he had actually photographed the “entity”. Thee former policeman sought help from a UFO investigator who took his report very seriously and they decided to secretly investigate the photograph thoroughly. About six weeks later the former police officer received an unexpected visit from two men, who claimed to be R.A.F. Intelligence Officers. They flashed I.D. cards and gave their names as Jefferson and Davis. Their mission, they explained, was to recover the photograph he taken on Ilkley Moor. What mystified the very few people who were involved in the investigation was how these strangers knew about the photograph as they had not discussed or revealed details of it to anyone else. When asked, RAF Intelligence declared that they had no knowledge of the two men and they did not exist.
A strange humanoid [ above ] photographed by former police officer on Ilkley Moor.
More MIBs – Raeford, North Carolina, U.S.A.
On 27th June 1992 at about 12-30a.m., a noise like a passing freight train rattled the trailer where Mrs. Diane Messing lived with her daughter. Previously, the outside lights of their and the neighbour’s homes had suddenly failed and the Messings decided to go outside and investigate what was happening. When they stepped outside the Messings saw what appeared to be a bright fire burning in a wood which was located in a hayfield about 100 yards from their home. The “fire”, however, proved to be a spherical object about 5 yards across with orange windows; it was entirely silent. After approaching the object quite closely the women decided to call the sheriff’s office but when six deputies arrived the object had vanished. However, the outside lights were working again and the following morning an examination of the scene revealed an area of grass that had been flattened, swirled and discoloured. The incident attracted the attention of UFO investigators and amongst these the Messings were visited by a man who claimed to be a military officer. This man was described as being “creepy” and his questions proved to be distinctly odd and at times irrelevant. Despite attempts to do so his identity was never established .
The Incident at Varginha – Brazil, January 1996 This important incident is covered in detail on this site. However, it is worth noting that, some time after the events, four mysterious men appeared on the scene apparently trying to suppress witnesses: In April 1996, Luiza Silva, mother of the girls who first witnessed the second creature, was visited by four strangers - none of whom were Brazilian. The four men, dressed expensively, offered her a large sum of money to persuade her daughters to lie about their encounter. When Mrs. Silva refused, the men left in a blue 1994 Lincoln Continental car - they promised to return.
