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00:00:01,418 --> 00:00:04,338
NARRATOR:
Wherever there are
strange encounters...
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00:00:04,338 --> 00:00:06,131
they appear.
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00:00:06,131 --> 00:00:08,175
NICK POPE:
These people see a UFO,
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00:00:08,175 --> 00:00:12,137
and suddenly these sinister
counterintelligence officers
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00:00:12,137 --> 00:00:14,181
turn up.
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00:00:14,181 --> 00:00:18,143
NARRATOR:
They question witnesses
and demand silence.
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00:00:18,143 --> 00:00:20,812
STEVE EDMISTON:
A man shows up dressed
in a black suit
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00:00:20,812 --> 00:00:22,356
and white shirt.
Gives a warning:
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00:00:22,356 --> 00:00:25,692
If you tell anybody about
whatever it is that you saw,
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00:00:25,692 --> 00:00:28,695
bad things could happen
to you or to your family.
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00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:31,240
NARRATOR:
Who are the men in black?
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00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:34,034
NICK REDFERN:
Men in black are without doubt
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00:00:34,034 --> 00:00:36,912
the most feared beings
in ufology.
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NARRATOR:
Who do they work for?
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KNUTE BERGER:
Some people believe
the men in black
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00:00:41,250 --> 00:00:42,709
weren't guys
from the government.
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00:00:42,709 --> 00:00:45,379
NARRATOR:
And what do they want?
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00:00:45,379 --> 00:00:49,174
POPE:
Perhaps the men in black
are the gatekeepers...
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00:00:49,174 --> 00:00:50,842
of the UFO secret.
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NARRATOR:
There is a doorway
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in the universe.
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Beyond it is
the promise of truth.
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It demands
we question everything
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00:01:05,065 --> 00:01:07,234
we have ever been taught.
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The evidence is all around us.
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The future is
right before our eyes.
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We are not alone.
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We have never been alone.
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NARRATOR:
Blackhawk helicopters
descend upon
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a government facility
secluded on a mountaintop:
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the U.S. National
Solar Observatory.
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Men dressed in black swarm in,
seize material,
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00:01:51,403 --> 00:01:55,365
evacuate employees,
and shut the site down.
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The National Solar Observatory
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00:01:58,994 --> 00:02:02,456
is a U.S. government
science project.
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It has some sensors.
They're pointed up in space;
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it's looking at the sun,
at other phenomenon, heavens.
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RICHARD DOLAN:
This is one of the most powerful
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00:02:11,590 --> 00:02:14,801
and, uh, professional solar
observatories on the planet.
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And it was shut off for the day.
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There wasn't really
a good explanation ever given
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as to why this happened.
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Did we discover a signal
from outer space?
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Did we see a spacecraft?
Were we contacted?
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DAVID CHILDRESS:
Government investigators
questioned all the witnesses,
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gathered evidence,
and they told people strongly
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not to speak about this event.
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00:02:40,118 --> 00:02:43,497
So it would seem that
these government investigators
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00:02:43,497 --> 00:02:45,666
were in fact the men in black.
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00:02:45,666 --> 00:02:48,835
But who are they,
who do they work for?
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NARRATOR:
The men in black?
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00:02:51,797 --> 00:02:54,466
Government agents
assigned to monitor
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00:02:54,466 --> 00:02:56,468
extraterrestrial activity?
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00:02:56,468 --> 00:02:59,429
Is it possible that
this top secret police force
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actually exists?
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There's been a lot
of speculation
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00:03:03,684 --> 00:03:06,353
as to who the men in black are.
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It's altogether likely
that they're part of
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00:03:09,189 --> 00:03:10,857
some shadowy government agency
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who doesn't want reports
out there.
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The government was involved
in a lot of efforts
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00:03:16,697 --> 00:03:19,157
to discredit
and debunk the phenomena,
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00:03:19,157 --> 00:03:24,621
and to suppress the reporting
of UFO incidents.
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00:03:24,621 --> 00:03:26,706
The men in black
are without doubt
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00:03:26,706 --> 00:03:32,045
the most feared
and sinister beings in ufology.
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00:03:32,045 --> 00:03:35,298
GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: The men in
black have always been described
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00:03:35,298 --> 00:03:38,343
by eyewitnesses wearing
these black suits
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00:03:38,343 --> 00:03:43,557
with the black, dark shades
and black hats.
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00:03:43,557 --> 00:03:47,519
POPE:
They call on the house
of the witness;
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they introduce themselves,
usually as a G‐man.
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The whole experience ends
with the men in black saying,
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00:03:54,192 --> 00:03:58,572
"It is in your best interests
to stay silent."
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NARRATOR:
While the idea of
a real ET police force
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00:04:02,576 --> 00:04:05,912
may seem far‐fetched, encounters
with the men in black
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00:04:05,912 --> 00:04:08,915
have been reported
for more than seven decades.
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00:04:08,915 --> 00:04:12,085
And recently, new evidence
has come to light
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that may prove
the agency's existence.
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Author and ufologist Mike Bara
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00:04:27,309 --> 00:04:30,270
arrives at the island
to investigate a UFO encounter
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00:04:30,270 --> 00:04:33,023
that occurred in 1947.
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Known as
the Maury Island incident,
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00:04:35,942 --> 00:04:39,404
it is the first case on record
involving the men in black.
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00:04:41,782 --> 00:04:44,451
Mike is meeting near the site
of the incident
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00:04:44,451 --> 00:04:46,578
with investigative filmmakers
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00:04:46,578 --> 00:04:48,914
Scott Schaefer
and Steve EDMISTON,
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who have secured
recently declassified
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00:04:50,916 --> 00:04:53,668
government documents
about the event.
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The Maury Island incident
was first reported
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00:04:57,130 --> 00:04:59,758
by local Harold Dahl,
who worked as part
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00:04:59,758 --> 00:05:02,969
of an informal harbor patrol
retrieving logs
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00:05:02,969 --> 00:05:05,806
that had floated free
from nearby lumber mills.
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When you talk about
the Maury Island incident,
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what exactly happened?
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What did Harold Dahl exactly
claim to have seen that day?
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00:05:11,937 --> 00:05:17,150
So June 21, 1947, Dahl
was right off the island here
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00:05:17,150 --> 00:05:20,987
on a boat scavenging logs,
that's what he did.
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‐And around 2:00...
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00:05:22,989 --> 00:05:27,494
...six donut‐shaped discs
came down.
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If we go over here, we can
show you where it happened.
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BARA:
So this is where
this event actually took place
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right through here.
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SCHAEFER:
Yes, out on the water,
just up the shoreline here.
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All right, so Mike,
imagine you're out in your boat.
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You got a crew of two people
and your son and a dog.
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‐Right.
‐And all of a sudden,
you see six flying disks
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come over your boat.
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One of them appears to be
in trouble. It's wobbling.
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And all of a sudden,
some chaff falls out of it,
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and then seconds later,
hot molten slag.
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And it hits your boat,
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kills your dog,
injures your son.
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EDMISTON:
And they decide they've got
to get off the water,
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and there ain't no place to go
except this beach,
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where we're standing right now.
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Okay.
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NARRATOR:
Harold Dahl escaped
the rain of metal unharmed,
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but he claimed
that the most frightening aspect
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00:06:14,374 --> 00:06:16,877
of the incident occurred
the next day...
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00:06:16,877 --> 00:06:20,130
when he was paid
an unexpected visit
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by a strange man.
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A man shows up
at Harold Dahl's house
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and invites Harold Dahl
to go to a diner
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because he would like
to talk to Harold
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about what Harold saw
on the water.
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So he goes there, and basically
intimidates Dahl, right?
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He absolutely gives
what we now believe
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is that classic
Man in Black warning.
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‐BARA: Right.
‐If you tell anybody
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about whatever it is that,
you know,
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you saw on the water yesterday,
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bad things could happen
to your or to your family.
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We think it's the first
man in black associated with
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a UFO case...
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‐Wow.
‐...in modern history.
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NARRATOR:
While Harold Dahl
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00:07:00,253 --> 00:07:02,922
was frightened by the visit
from the man in black,
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00:07:02,922 --> 00:07:06,635
it didn't stop him
from recounting his UFO sighting
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00:07:06,635 --> 00:07:10,597
to Chicago‐based Fate magazine
publisher Ray Palmer,
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who in turn hired a pilot
named Kenneth Arnold
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to investigate.
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00:07:14,934 --> 00:07:20,607
Arnold had become famous for
his own reported UFO sighting,
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00:07:20,607 --> 00:07:22,609
when he claimed to have seen
nine strange objects
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00:07:22,609 --> 00:07:25,070
flying above Mt. Rainier.
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00:07:25,070 --> 00:07:29,741
He enlisted the help of
two U.S. Army Air Force officers
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to investigate Dahl's claims:
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00:07:31,451 --> 00:07:33,203
Captain Lee Davidson
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and First Lieutenant
Frank Brown.
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EDMISTON:
They had actually come out,
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00:07:38,458 --> 00:07:42,128
conducted interviews
at the Winthrop Hotel in Tacoma
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00:07:42,128 --> 00:07:43,963
of the witnesses,
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00:07:43,963 --> 00:07:48,301
and they were provided samples
of this slag‐like material.
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They left just after midnight
on August 1, 1947.
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They get on their B25 bomber,
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made it about 45 minutes
into the flight;
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when the plane spontaneously
caught fire, inexplicably.
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The two pilots,
the Army Intel officers,
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00:08:06,778 --> 00:08:08,947
Captain Davidson
and Lieutenant Brown,
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perished in the crash,
along with the slag materials.
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NARRATOR:
A spontaneous fire?
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00:08:17,706 --> 00:08:19,666
Is it possible
that the plane crash
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that killed both investigators
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and destroyed the evidence
they had obtained
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was not an accident?
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After this incident,
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Harold Dahl refused to talk
about his UFO encounter,
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and even went so far
as to insist it was a hoax.
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EDMISTON:
You go online, it's a hoax.
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00:08:37,976 --> 00:08:39,644
But as we started
to investigate,
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and we stuck exclusively
to actual government documents,
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they began to tell
a different story.
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A story, not of a hoax,
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but of a man
who faced so much danger,
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that he decided to invent
a fabrication,
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that he'd made it up.
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NARRATOR:
Under the Freedom
of Information Act,
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00:09:01,624 --> 00:09:05,920
Schaefer and EDMISTON obtained
formerly classified documents
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00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,256
that confirm
an FBI investigation
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00:09:08,256 --> 00:09:10,717
into the Maury Island incident
took place;
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one that reached all the way
to the top of the Bureau.
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So here we are
on August 14 of 1947,
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and this is a teletype
that was written by
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00:09:22,187 --> 00:09:23,897
‐J. Edgar Hoover himself.
‐BARA: Wow.
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00:09:23,897 --> 00:09:27,317
And he is confirming what
he has been told by his deputy.
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What he's been told
is that it's a hoax,
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because that theory had been
injected into the media;
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and three hours later,
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00:09:36,117 --> 00:09:40,371
there is another teletype from
the field agent, Jack Wilcox.
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He writes this teletype
directly to Hoover.
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00:09:44,542 --> 00:09:46,377
Your conclusions are wrong.
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Dahl was only going to say
his story was a hoax,
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00:09:49,756 --> 00:09:52,092
only if questioned by
authorities would he say that.
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He did not want
any further trouble.
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00:09:54,886 --> 00:09:57,430
So isn't that
almost confirmation
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00:09:57,430 --> 00:09:59,390
that he's been
receiving pressure
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from these men in black?
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00:10:01,392 --> 00:10:06,397
NARRATOR:
Despite the efforts
of FBI Field Agent Jack Wilcox,
197
00:10:06,397 --> 00:10:08,900
shortly after the exchange
of these teletypes,
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00:10:08,900 --> 00:10:13,029
the FBI closed
the Maury Island case.
199
00:10:13,029 --> 00:10:16,783
But while producing their movie,
Schaefer and EDMISTON
200
00:10:16,783 --> 00:10:19,285
were approached by a man
who claimed he could prove
201
00:10:19,285 --> 00:10:21,454
Dahl's sighting was not a hoax.
202
00:10:21,454 --> 00:10:25,083
Elmer Frombach Jr.,
who grew up on Maury Island,
203
00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:26,960
had come down to these beaches,
204
00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,295
was aware of the story
in the mid‐1960s
205
00:10:29,295 --> 00:10:34,050
and actually found a sample
of the slag... in the trees.
206
00:10:34,050 --> 00:10:36,594
Wow. You're kidding me.
207
00:10:36,594 --> 00:10:39,472
No. So we were so excited
when he came to us,
208
00:10:39,472 --> 00:10:41,808
'cause we'd never met him,
and we weren't soliciting that.
209
00:10:41,808 --> 00:10:43,184
We can take you to the tree.
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00:10:43,184 --> 00:10:44,811
We can talk about it
right there.
211
00:10:44,811 --> 00:10:46,312
Okay. All right, great.
Let's do that.
212
00:10:46,312 --> 00:10:48,314
‐Let's go.
‐Do it.
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00:10:48,314 --> 00:10:50,817
SCHAEFER:
Elmer told us that
he found the piece of slag
214
00:10:50,817 --> 00:10:54,779
embedded right in this nook
right here.
215
00:10:54,779 --> 00:10:56,906
In 1966, he was up here
looking for firewood,
216
00:10:56,906 --> 00:10:59,492
and he took out his Boy Scout
knife and pried it right out.
217
00:10:59,492 --> 00:11:01,995
Where is this piece
of slag right now?
218
00:11:01,995 --> 00:11:04,539
‐Where is it?
‐I just happen to have it
in my pocket.
219
00:11:04,539 --> 00:11:06,457
‐Right here.
220
00:11:06,457 --> 00:11:08,293
So let's see if it fits.
221
00:11:08,293 --> 00:11:11,129
‐It kind of does.
‐Oh, my.
222
00:11:11,129 --> 00:11:13,673
Yeah, that's just wedged
right in there.
223
00:11:13,673 --> 00:11:16,509
It fits perfectly.
So this is it?
224
00:11:16,509 --> 00:11:18,970
‐SCHAEFER: That's it.
‐Wow.
225
00:11:18,970 --> 00:11:21,181
So you're telling me
I could be holding
226
00:11:21,181 --> 00:11:24,851
‐a piece of metal from a UFO?
‐It's possible.
227
00:11:24,851 --> 00:11:28,146
Okay, has this thing
ever been tested by anybody?
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00:11:28,146 --> 00:11:30,982
EDMISTON:
Elmer Fromback.
He actually put it on loan
229
00:11:30,982 --> 00:11:32,650
to this northwest
Museum of the Mysteries,
230
00:11:32,650 --> 00:11:34,819
and they're the custodians.
231
00:11:34,819 --> 00:11:36,529
They have loaned it to us,
232
00:11:36,529 --> 00:11:39,032
and we're actually working
with the folks to see if we can
233
00:11:39,032 --> 00:11:40,825
get permission to do that.
Which would obviously
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00:11:40,825 --> 00:11:42,368
‐be very exciting.
‐Yeah.
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00:11:42,368 --> 00:11:44,704
BARA:
I learned a lot from Steve
and Scott today.
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00:11:44,704 --> 00:11:46,372
The fact that there's
so much documentation
237
00:11:46,372 --> 00:11:48,041
about the FBI interest
in the case
238
00:11:48,041 --> 00:11:50,335
I think is really over the top.
239
00:11:50,335 --> 00:11:53,880
And the whole "men in black"
phenomenon actually started here
240
00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:59,052
with this case, and that makes
it of historic importance.
241
00:11:59,052 --> 00:12:03,723
NARRATOR:
Curiously, the man in black that
allegedly visited Harold Dahl
242
00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:07,227
is not mentioned in any
of the FBI documentation
243
00:12:07,227 --> 00:12:10,230
that Schaefer and EDMISTON
were able to obtain.
244
00:12:10,230 --> 00:12:13,066
Could it be that
the man in black,
245
00:12:13,066 --> 00:12:15,109
like the others
in his organization,
246
00:12:15,109 --> 00:12:19,280
answers to another,
even more secretive authority?
247
00:12:26,037 --> 00:12:28,206
NARRATOR:
In 2017,
248
00:12:28,206 --> 00:12:30,959
the Washington State Senate
passed a resolution
249
00:12:30,959 --> 00:12:33,086
acknowledging
the 70th anniversary
250
00:12:33,086 --> 00:12:35,255
of the Maury Island incident.
251
00:12:35,255 --> 00:12:37,131
We take a moment to recognize
the impact
252
00:12:37,131 --> 00:12:40,885
of the UFO phenomenon
that swept our country
253
00:12:40,885 --> 00:12:42,845
in the summer of 1947,
254
00:12:42,845 --> 00:12:45,765
from Maury Island
to Roswell, New Mexico.
255
00:12:45,765 --> 00:12:49,018
I urge adoption
of this resolution.
256
00:12:49,018 --> 00:12:51,020
I also rise in support
of this resolution.
257
00:12:51,020 --> 00:12:55,275
In 1947, there were six
UFOs sighted. Six.
258
00:12:55,275 --> 00:12:59,195
It is not that it ended
in 1947, Mr. President.
259
00:12:59,195 --> 00:13:02,490
The incidents continue.
260
00:13:02,490 --> 00:13:04,492
They continue.
261
00:13:04,492 --> 00:13:06,119
The question before the senate
is adoption of this resolution.
262
00:13:06,119 --> 00:13:08,705
‐As many is in favor,
please say aye.
‐MAJORITY: Aye.
263
00:13:08,705 --> 00:13:10,290
‐As many is opposed,
please say no.
‐MINORITY: No.
264
00:13:10,290 --> 00:13:12,417
Resolution is adopted.
265
00:13:12,417 --> 00:13:16,462
NARRATOR:
While the Maury Island incident
involved the first reference
266
00:13:16,462 --> 00:13:19,757
to a figure resembling
the notorious men in black,
267
00:13:19,757 --> 00:13:22,844
some researchers believe
they became an official
268
00:13:22,844 --> 00:13:25,972
government organization
five years later.
269
00:13:25,972 --> 00:13:31,936
In 1952, The U.S. Air Force
organized a highly specialized
270
00:13:31,936 --> 00:13:35,898
and highly confidential unit
called the 4602nd
271
00:13:35,898 --> 00:13:39,569
Air Intelligence Service
Squadron, or AISS.
272
00:13:39,569 --> 00:13:42,905
An internal Air Force
intelligence letter,
273
00:13:42,905 --> 00:13:46,117
dated November 13, 1961...
274
00:13:46,117 --> 00:13:48,036
the so‐called "Betz Memo"...
275
00:13:48,036 --> 00:13:52,165
outlined the 4602nd's
responsibilities to locate,
276
00:13:52,165 --> 00:13:57,045
recover and deliver descended
foreign space vehicles.
277
00:13:57,045 --> 00:13:58,463
NYE:
So these were top secret units
278
00:13:58,463 --> 00:14:00,131
that all had
a top secret mission.
279
00:14:00,131 --> 00:14:01,924
And for a short period
during the Cold War,
280
00:14:01,924 --> 00:14:04,844
something existed called an Air
Intelligence Service Squadron.
281
00:14:04,844 --> 00:14:07,472
And these were units
custom‐built
282
00:14:07,472 --> 00:14:11,476
to go and recover
Soviet technology.
283
00:14:11,476 --> 00:14:13,853
Yes, they may well have
got their hands on
284
00:14:13,853 --> 00:14:16,189
the odd Soviet satellite
and missile,
285
00:14:16,189 --> 00:14:21,235
but the real mission was UFOs.
286
00:14:21,235 --> 00:14:24,655
Their job was to go
collect intelligence
287
00:14:24,655 --> 00:14:29,202
from crashed plane
or saucer sightings.
288
00:14:29,202 --> 00:14:33,539
So they had a rapid response
unit, and they were all tasked
289
00:14:33,539 --> 00:14:36,000
with being able to get to a site
290
00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,212
within a maximum of six hours
that was in their territory.
291
00:14:39,212 --> 00:14:43,716
DOLAN: The 4602nd were very,
very capable men.
292
00:14:43,716 --> 00:14:45,551
and over time, it is true,
293
00:14:45,551 --> 00:14:47,929
they connected up with
Project Blue Book,
294
00:14:47,929 --> 00:14:51,933
and were involved in writing
some UFO reports as well.
295
00:14:54,227 --> 00:14:58,439
The 4602nd may literally be
the real life men in black.
296
00:14:58,439 --> 00:15:03,402
NARRATOR:
In the exact same month
that the 4602nd was formed,
297
00:15:03,402 --> 00:15:06,989
the U.S. Air Force launched
a new program to investigate
298
00:15:06,989 --> 00:15:11,327
UFO reports:
"Project Blue Book."
299
00:15:11,327 --> 00:15:14,747
And it was the 4602nd that was
assigned to conduct
300
00:15:14,747 --> 00:15:17,166
Project Blue Book's
investigations.
301
00:15:17,166 --> 00:15:21,337
Astronomer J. Allen Hynek
was the scientific advisor
302
00:15:21,337 --> 00:15:24,423
and driving force behind
Project Blue Book.
303
00:15:24,423 --> 00:15:26,759
But according to his son,
Paul Hynek,
304
00:15:26,759 --> 00:15:30,054
it quickly became clear to his
father that what the Air Force
305
00:15:30,054 --> 00:15:33,057
really expected of him was
less investigating
306
00:15:33,057 --> 00:15:35,935
and more debunking.
307
00:15:35,935 --> 00:15:40,481
The Air Force, their job was
to find answers, not the truth.
308
00:15:40,481 --> 00:15:44,527
So he was always at odds
with his Air Force partners.
309
00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:48,948
But over time he realized
there was a phenomena here
310
00:15:48,948 --> 00:15:51,701
that merited serious
scientific study.
311
00:15:51,701 --> 00:15:56,122
Project Blue Book was the third
of the Air Force's projects,
312
00:15:56,122 --> 00:15:59,417
after Project Sign and
Project Grudge.
313
00:15:59,417 --> 00:16:01,669
And Project Blue Book,
especially after 1953
314
00:16:01,669 --> 00:16:04,797
and the formation
of the 4602nd Air Squadron,
315
00:16:04,797 --> 00:16:07,425
was really more of
a PR exercise
316
00:16:07,425 --> 00:16:10,136
to tamp down public hysteria.
317
00:16:10,136 --> 00:16:15,683
NYE:
Project Blue Book studied over
12,000 reported UFO sightings,
318
00:16:15,683 --> 00:16:18,352
and they were able to identify
the aircraft
319
00:16:18,352 --> 00:16:20,813
in all but 700
of these incidents.
320
00:16:20,813 --> 00:16:23,566
NARRATOR:
The CIA formed
a scientific committee
321
00:16:23,566 --> 00:16:24,942
called the Robertson Panel
322
00:16:24,942 --> 00:16:28,321
to review
the unsolved UFO cases.
323
00:16:28,321 --> 00:16:31,365
The panel then issued
a top secret recommendation
324
00:16:31,365 --> 00:16:33,784
suggesting that the government
systematically debunk
325
00:16:33,784 --> 00:16:37,663
UFO sightings, claiming that
reporting on UFOs
326
00:16:37,663 --> 00:16:40,208
might cause
"hysterical mass behavior."
327
00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:43,794
Many researchers believe
that the debunking campaign
328
00:16:43,794 --> 00:16:46,505
was led by the same outfit
that was heading up
329
00:16:46,505 --> 00:16:51,802
Project Blue Book's
investigations: the 4602nd.
330
00:16:51,802 --> 00:16:55,473
The 4602nd had around 20
detachments throughout the U.S.
331
00:16:55,473 --> 00:17:00,686
And their job was to go
and collect intelligence
332
00:17:00,686 --> 00:17:05,483
from crashed plane
or saucer sightings.
333
00:17:05,483 --> 00:17:08,402
A lot of people think
that the men in black
334
00:17:08,402 --> 00:17:11,614
come from the 4602nd Air
Intelligence Service Squadron.
335
00:17:11,614 --> 00:17:13,699
And I think that's
entirely likely, because
336
00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:16,035
if you have this
rapid deployment
337
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:18,871
of intelligence‐educated
338
00:17:18,871 --> 00:17:22,166
paratrooping Air Force guys
coming to get
339
00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:24,210
as much information
from a crash,
340
00:17:24,210 --> 00:17:26,879
seems like part of
their job duty would also be
341
00:17:26,879 --> 00:17:29,757
to clamp down on
the dissemination of that
342
00:17:29,757 --> 00:17:32,843
potentially highly classified
and valuable information.
343
00:17:32,843 --> 00:17:36,389
SCHAEFER:
Their job was to spread
disinformation.
344
00:17:36,389 --> 00:17:40,685
To seed amongst the public
that if you saw a UFO,
345
00:17:40,685 --> 00:17:42,311
you might be crazy.
346
00:17:42,311 --> 00:17:45,439
Don't admit you saw
something strange in the sky,
347
00:17:45,439 --> 00:17:48,568
because your life will change
from that moment on.
348
00:17:48,568 --> 00:17:53,906
REDFERN:
You can easily understand
how people became terrified
349
00:17:53,906 --> 00:17:55,449
by the men in black.
350
00:17:56,742 --> 00:18:00,371
You see something crash
to the ground,
351
00:18:00,371 --> 00:18:02,915
you phone your local
Air Force base.
352
00:18:02,915 --> 00:18:06,794
You get a knock on the door,
and there are these strange guys
353
00:18:06,794 --> 00:18:10,923
who threaten you not to talk
about these events again.
354
00:18:12,425 --> 00:18:14,260
HYNEK:
My father heard about
men in black
355
00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:17,763
from actual UFO witnesses
who reported that after
356
00:18:17,763 --> 00:18:21,100
they had made their,
uh, experiences known,
357
00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:24,395
they were then visited by
what we call "men in black."
358
00:18:24,395 --> 00:18:29,233
I'm not aware of my father
having actual interactions
359
00:18:29,233 --> 00:18:32,320
with the men in black,
but he did feel their presence,
360
00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:33,904
and he did speak about them.
361
00:18:33,904 --> 00:18:36,365
NARRATOR:
Project Blue Book
362
00:18:36,365 --> 00:18:39,285
was officially terminated
in 1969.
363
00:18:39,285 --> 00:18:43,789
But many suspect the 4602nd
continued to operate
364
00:18:43,789 --> 00:18:46,125
in the shadows for years.
365
00:18:48,294 --> 00:18:51,464
We're quite sure that
from the late 1950s onward,
366
00:18:51,464 --> 00:18:55,384
and through the 1980s
and probably beyond the '80s,
367
00:18:55,384 --> 00:18:58,346
although under a different name,
this program existed.
368
00:18:58,346 --> 00:19:01,807
CHILDRESS:
This was totally classified
for decades.
369
00:19:01,807 --> 00:19:05,811
Then, in the '80s,
people began getting documents.
370
00:19:05,811 --> 00:19:10,274
And some of them clearly state
that their mission
371
00:19:10,274 --> 00:19:13,319
is to go and find UFO debris,
372
00:19:13,319 --> 00:19:16,405
uh, evidence of crashed UFOs.
373
00:19:16,405 --> 00:19:21,827
And yet, the Air Force continued
to deny they investigate UFOs.
374
00:19:21,827 --> 00:19:25,956
NARRATOR:
Are the men in black
a secret government agency
375
00:19:25,956 --> 00:19:29,460
that is tasked with both
investigating the UFO phenomena
376
00:19:29,460 --> 00:19:32,171
and covering up that it is real?
377
00:19:32,171 --> 00:19:35,257
But if so, what is the purpose
of the coverup?
378
00:19:35,257 --> 00:19:38,344
According to many
who have encountered them,
379
00:19:38,344 --> 00:19:41,013
the men in black are not only
hiding the truth
380
00:19:41,013 --> 00:19:42,848
about alien visitation,
381
00:19:42,848 --> 00:19:46,268
but are protecting
an even bigger secret.
382
00:20:00,074 --> 00:20:03,953
World War II Air Force veteran
Albert Bender establishes
383
00:20:03,953 --> 00:20:06,956
one of America's first
UFO organizations:
384
00:20:06,956 --> 00:20:11,544
the International
Flying Saucer Bureau.
385
00:20:11,544 --> 00:20:16,382
The IFSB publishes a quarterly
journal, Space Review,
386
00:20:16,382 --> 00:20:18,759
to share stories
of UFO sightings
387
00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:21,762
with its 600 worldwide members.
388
00:20:21,762 --> 00:20:24,974
But just one year
after launching,
389
00:20:24,974 --> 00:20:29,061
Bender claims he was visited
by strange men in black suits
390
00:20:29,061 --> 00:20:31,480
who threatened both his
fledgling organization
391
00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,482
and his life.
392
00:20:33,482 --> 00:20:37,069
Albert Bender started
to have doubts about
393
00:20:37,069 --> 00:20:38,904
whether or not
he should continue
394
00:20:38,904 --> 00:20:42,408
doing his research,
putting out his journal.
395
00:20:42,408 --> 00:20:44,201
And there was a very good
reason for this.
396
00:20:44,201 --> 00:20:47,413
He'd actually been visited
and threatened
397
00:20:47,413 --> 00:20:50,166
by the men in black himself.
398
00:20:50,166 --> 00:20:52,960
BIRNES:
Albert K. Bender coined the term
399
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:56,714
"men in black" to describe
the people who cautioned him
400
00:20:56,714 --> 00:20:58,924
not to talk about UFOs,
401
00:20:58,924 --> 00:21:00,801
not to talk
about flying saucers,
402
00:21:00,801 --> 00:21:05,222
and, above all, not to talk
about extraterrestrials.
403
00:21:05,222 --> 00:21:07,016
CHILDRESS:
He became very frightened about
404
00:21:07,016 --> 00:21:09,393
this encounter
with these men in black
405
00:21:09,393 --> 00:21:11,729
and he stopped publishing
his newsletter.
406
00:21:11,729 --> 00:21:14,982
And for a decade,
it was a mystery
407
00:21:14,982 --> 00:21:18,903
among UFO investigators
what had happened to him.
408
00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:24,950
NARRATOR:
Although Bender would not speak
publicly about it for years,
409
00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:27,870
he would share some
of his frightening experiences
410
00:21:27,870 --> 00:21:29,914
with friend Gray Barker.
411
00:21:29,914 --> 00:21:32,958
DOLAN:
Gray Barker was a‐a researcher
in West Virginia
412
00:21:32,958 --> 00:21:34,502
who knew Albert Bender.
413
00:21:34,502 --> 00:21:36,962
In fact, he had subscribed
to Bender's journal
414
00:21:36,962 --> 00:21:38,631
back at the time.
415
00:21:38,631 --> 00:21:41,884
REDFERN:
When Bender started
to talk about
416
00:21:41,884 --> 00:21:45,221
these strange, mysterious
men in black,
417
00:21:45,221 --> 00:21:48,641
Barker realized,
"Wow, this is a really cool,
418
00:21:48,641 --> 00:21:51,477
intriguing, sinister story."
419
00:21:51,477 --> 00:21:56,357
Bender reluctantly gave
some of the data to Barker,
420
00:21:56,357 --> 00:22:00,945
and it was enough to allow
Barker to write his 1956 book,
421
00:22:00,945 --> 00:22:03,948
They Knew Too Much
About Flying Saucers.
422
00:22:06,700 --> 00:22:10,454
NARRATOR:
Gray Barker's They Knew
Too Much About Flying Saucers
423
00:22:10,454 --> 00:22:12,039
introduced the men in black
424
00:22:12,039 --> 00:22:15,501
to a wide audience
for the first time.
425
00:22:15,501 --> 00:22:17,336
In the book,
426
00:22:17,336 --> 00:22:20,172
Barker described a visit
he himself received
427
00:22:20,172 --> 00:22:22,216
from an FBI agent
questioning him
428
00:22:22,216 --> 00:22:25,177
about the International
Flying Saucer Bureau
429
00:22:25,177 --> 00:22:27,930
and wondered if the agent
might also have been
430
00:22:27,930 --> 00:22:29,807
one of the men in black.
431
00:22:31,934 --> 00:22:35,896
REDFERN:
At that particular time, the FBI
were watching Gray Barker.
432
00:22:35,896 --> 00:22:39,108
J. Edgar Hoover actually ordered
433
00:22:39,108 --> 00:22:43,320
one of his personnel to go out
and purchase a copy
434
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,408
of Gray Barker's They Knew
Too Much About Flying Saucers.
435
00:22:47,408 --> 00:22:49,118
SCHAEFER:
Hoover was personally
interested.
436
00:22:49,118 --> 00:22:52,913
We have a binder
full of FBI memos,
437
00:22:52,913 --> 00:22:55,541
memos from Hoover
to his field agents
438
00:22:55,541 --> 00:22:58,043
discussing flying disc
investigations.
439
00:22:58,043 --> 00:22:59,962
And we think that
he was, you know,
440
00:22:59,962 --> 00:23:03,716
kind of obsessed
with the men in black.
441
00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:07,261
BARA: J. Edgar Hoover
wanted to actually know
442
00:23:07,261 --> 00:23:08,637
who these men in black were,
443
00:23:08,637 --> 00:23:11,473
which strongly indicates
they weren't FBI.
444
00:23:11,473 --> 00:23:13,225
They must've come from
445
00:23:13,225 --> 00:23:17,646
some other intelligence agency,
some other U.S. military agency,
446
00:23:17,646 --> 00:23:20,065
or they came from
somewhere else entirely.
447
00:23:21,609 --> 00:23:23,652
NARRATOR:
If J. Edgar Hoover
was trying to gather information
448
00:23:23,652 --> 00:23:25,279
on the men in black,
449
00:23:25,279 --> 00:23:28,282
could that indicate
that they are not affiliated
450
00:23:28,282 --> 00:23:29,909
with either the FBI
451
00:23:29,909 --> 00:23:33,871
or the 4602nd Air Intelligence
Service Squadron?
452
00:23:33,871 --> 00:23:36,582
In 1962,
453
00:23:36,582 --> 00:23:39,752
nine years after his first
terrifying encounter,
454
00:23:39,752 --> 00:23:42,296
Albert Bender came out of hiding
455
00:23:42,296 --> 00:23:45,841
to write his own book, Flying
Saucers and the Three Men,
456
00:23:45,841 --> 00:23:48,344
in which he made
a controversial revelation
457
00:23:48,344 --> 00:23:51,013
about the men in black's
true identities.
458
00:23:51,013 --> 00:23:55,184
REDFERN:
He said late one night, when
he was working in his office,
459
00:23:55,184 --> 00:23:59,480
Bender started to suddenly feel
ill and sick, he felt dizzy,
460
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,148
and he had to lay down,
461
00:24:01,148 --> 00:24:03,692
and as he did so,
he saw these three
462
00:24:03,692 --> 00:24:07,780
shadowy, fedora‐wearing figures
463
00:24:07,780 --> 00:24:11,951
literally materialize
through the walls.
464
00:24:11,951 --> 00:24:13,827
They were dressed
in black suits,
465
00:24:13,827 --> 00:24:17,122
and they had these shining eyes.
466
00:24:17,122 --> 00:24:19,208
BERGER:
Bender said that
the men in black
467
00:24:19,208 --> 00:24:22,503
had communicated
with him telepathically.
468
00:24:22,503 --> 00:24:25,381
He felt that they were aliens.
469
00:24:25,381 --> 00:24:27,800
And so it became
another mystery,
470
00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:29,593
a mystery within a mystery is,
471
00:24:29,593 --> 00:24:31,679
who are the men in black?
472
00:24:31,679 --> 00:24:33,055
What is the secret?
473
00:24:33,055 --> 00:24:35,808
What is the answer,
if there is a single answer?
474
00:24:35,808 --> 00:24:38,394
BARA:
After Bender's encounter,
people began to wonder
475
00:24:38,394 --> 00:24:41,397
if maybe the men in black
were actually extraterrestrials
476
00:24:41,397 --> 00:24:43,732
that were trying to suppress
the revelation
477
00:24:43,732 --> 00:24:45,943
of the alien presence
on the planet Earth.
478
00:24:48,237 --> 00:24:50,239
After 1962,
479
00:24:50,239 --> 00:24:52,866
Bender actually quit ufology.
480
00:24:52,866 --> 00:24:56,620
This was not some sort of
publicity stunt at all.
481
00:24:56,620 --> 00:24:59,999
He just walked away from
the subject, never came back.
482
00:24:59,999 --> 00:25:04,253
And a lot of people believe the
men in black visited him again
483
00:25:04,253 --> 00:25:06,255
and threatened him.
484
00:25:06,255 --> 00:25:08,382
NARRATOR:
Did Albert Bender's encounter
485
00:25:08,382 --> 00:25:10,801
reveal the truth
about the men in black,
486
00:25:10,801 --> 00:25:12,761
that they are, in fact,
487
00:25:12,761 --> 00:25:16,765
extraterrestrials
disguised as humans?
488
00:25:16,765 --> 00:25:19,935
Perhaps further clues
can be found by examining
489
00:25:19,935 --> 00:25:23,022
a curious connection
between the men in black
490
00:25:23,022 --> 00:25:27,026
and what some believe
is an otherworldly entity,
491
00:25:27,026 --> 00:25:31,947
the legendary monster
known as the Mothman.
492
00:25:35,826 --> 00:25:38,620
NARRATOR:
Throughout the 1950s and '60s,
493
00:25:38,620 --> 00:25:40,831
there were numerous reports
of encounters
494
00:25:40,831 --> 00:25:42,041
with the men in black.
495
00:25:42,041 --> 00:25:45,377
The most notorious
was connected,
496
00:25:45,377 --> 00:25:47,379
not to a sighting of a UFO,
497
00:25:47,379 --> 00:25:50,340
but a monster.
498
00:25:50,340 --> 00:25:54,094
On November 15, 1966,
499
00:25:54,094 --> 00:25:57,639
in Point Pleasant,
West Virginia,
500
00:25:57,639 --> 00:25:59,558
two young couples
were driving down
501
00:25:59,558 --> 00:26:01,727
a dark road outside of town.
502
00:26:01,727 --> 00:26:04,646
As they passed by an
old building, they were startled
503
00:26:04,646 --> 00:26:06,815
by a frightening sight.
504
00:26:08,817 --> 00:26:13,781
They claimed to have‐have seen
a large, uh, winged creature,
505
00:26:13,781 --> 00:26:16,909
six to seven foot tall,
506
00:26:16,909 --> 00:26:19,661
gray in color,
and two large red eyes.
507
00:26:21,371 --> 00:26:24,875
They said this creature
flew over their car
508
00:26:24,875 --> 00:26:26,919
and followed them
back into town.
509
00:26:26,919 --> 00:26:31,590
That was the beginning
of the Mothman sightings.
510
00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:34,009
NARRATOR:
The young couples'
harrowing account
511
00:26:34,009 --> 00:26:38,347
was picked up by the local press
and incited panic across town.
512
00:26:38,347 --> 00:26:42,267
The legend of the Mothman
was born,
513
00:26:42,267 --> 00:26:45,771
and dozens of encounters
with the winged monster
514
00:26:45,771 --> 00:26:48,982
would be reported
over the next year.
515
00:26:50,484 --> 00:26:52,986
There were over a hundred
reported sightings
516
00:26:52,986 --> 00:26:54,905
to the local authorities.
517
00:26:56,615 --> 00:26:59,118
You had some people who,
you know, claimed
518
00:26:59,118 --> 00:27:01,829
to have seen it while driving
in their car, you had, uh,
519
00:27:01,829 --> 00:27:04,039
other people seeing it
in their front yard.
520
00:27:05,499 --> 00:27:07,793
NARRATOR:
For the people
of Point Pleasant,
521
00:27:07,793 --> 00:27:11,797
the mystery of the Mothman
persists to this day.
522
00:27:11,797 --> 00:27:14,925
Where did this monster
some from?
523
00:27:14,925 --> 00:27:18,637
Why did it suddenly appear
in this small town?
524
00:27:18,637 --> 00:27:21,431
And perhaps most curious of all,
525
00:27:21,431 --> 00:27:23,600
why were the first
Mothman sightings
526
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:26,979
followed by a visit
from the men in black?
527
00:27:26,979 --> 00:27:30,315
BARA:
Some people think he was a being
from another world.
528
00:27:30,315 --> 00:27:32,317
The supporting evidence of that
is the fact that
529
00:27:32,317 --> 00:27:34,528
multiple witnesses
who saw the Mothman
530
00:27:34,528 --> 00:27:36,947
were actually intimidated
531
00:27:36,947 --> 00:27:40,033
by what can now be described
as men in black.
532
00:27:40,033 --> 00:27:43,996
Men in black, typically, are
only associated with UFO cases.
533
00:27:43,996 --> 00:27:47,207
People described them
as looking like cadavers.
534
00:27:47,207 --> 00:27:50,419
They looked like
pale‐faced zombies
535
00:27:50,419 --> 00:27:54,172
dressed in black suits
with black fedoras.
536
00:27:54,172 --> 00:27:56,174
DOLAN:
I interviewed Mothman witnesses
537
00:27:56,174 --> 00:27:58,635
who did have men in black
experiences.
538
00:27:58,635 --> 00:28:00,679
This was 40 years
after the fact at the time,
539
00:28:00,679 --> 00:28:02,139
and they were still
540
00:28:02,139 --> 00:28:04,725
clearly traumatized
by the event.
541
00:28:04,725 --> 00:28:07,561
I had no reason to disbelieve
these people, none whatsoever.
542
00:28:11,064 --> 00:28:14,067
NARRATOR:
One resident who claimed to have
been visited by the men in black
543
00:28:14,067 --> 00:28:17,362
was Mary Hyre,
a local journalist
544
00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:19,531
who reported on
the Mothman sightings
545
00:28:19,531 --> 00:28:23,076
for the Point Pleasant Register
and the Athens Messenger.
546
00:28:23,076 --> 00:28:24,536
REDFERN:
Mary Hyre was just
547
00:28:24,536 --> 00:28:27,706
a normal, legitimate journalist
548
00:28:27,706 --> 00:28:31,376
investigating your average
stories around town,
549
00:28:31,376 --> 00:28:33,378
and then she was
suddenly plunged
550
00:28:33,378 --> 00:28:37,382
into this issue
involving the Mothman.
551
00:28:37,382 --> 00:28:40,552
NARRATOR:
Mary Hyre had begun
investigating
552
00:28:40,552 --> 00:28:43,430
the mysterious incidents
in and around Point Pleasant
553
00:28:43,430 --> 00:28:47,726
with a New York based UFO
researcher named John Keel.
554
00:28:47,726 --> 00:28:50,854
REDFERN:
John Keel heard about
the Mothman story
555
00:28:50,854 --> 00:28:52,856
and decided,
"I'm gonna go up there,
556
00:28:52,856 --> 00:28:56,068
I'm gonna see what's going on,"
and when he did so,
557
00:28:56,068 --> 00:28:59,738
he hooked up with Mary Hyre,
and the two of them
558
00:28:59,738 --> 00:29:03,742
sort of became like the
Mulder and Scully of that era
559
00:29:03,742 --> 00:29:06,578
and secured a great deal
of information,
560
00:29:06,578 --> 00:29:08,455
interviewed a lot of people.
561
00:29:08,455 --> 00:29:12,042
NARRATOR:
These investigations
would eventually lead
562
00:29:12,042 --> 00:29:14,628
to the popular book,
and later Hollywood film,
563
00:29:14,628 --> 00:29:17,047
The Mothman Prophecies.
564
00:29:17,047 --> 00:29:20,050
But not everyone was pleased
with the information
565
00:29:20,050 --> 00:29:22,636
Mary Hyre and John Keel
were gleaning from the public
566
00:29:22,636 --> 00:29:24,429
about the Mothman.
567
00:29:27,099 --> 00:29:30,435
Mary Hyre was visited
by men in black,
568
00:29:30,435 --> 00:29:33,647
eh, who told her to stop writing
569
00:29:33,647 --> 00:29:36,108
about the Mothman and all these
strange encounters.
570
00:29:36,108 --> 00:29:39,778
Stop writing about this.
571
00:29:39,778 --> 00:29:42,406
You don't want
to be involved in this.
572
00:29:42,406 --> 00:29:46,618
This is a classic example
of the men in black
573
00:29:46,618 --> 00:29:51,081
not just terrorizing
and threatening UFO witnesses,
574
00:29:51,081 --> 00:29:53,375
but also journalists, as well.
575
00:29:57,045 --> 00:30:00,173
NARRATOR:
Was this just one more case
of the men in black
576
00:30:00,173 --> 00:30:03,051
attempting to cover up
a potential alien encounter?
577
00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:06,304
Or might the fact
that numerous witnesses
578
00:30:06,304 --> 00:30:09,057
reported being visited,
and threatened,
579
00:30:09,057 --> 00:30:11,810
by these mysterious
characters indicate
580
00:30:11,810 --> 00:30:15,063
that they were protecting
an even bigger secret?
581
00:30:18,275 --> 00:30:20,152
Eight miles north
of Point Pleasant
582
00:30:20,152 --> 00:30:23,155
is the McClintic Wildlife
Management Area,
583
00:30:23,155 --> 00:30:25,532
a 3,600‐acre wilderness
584
00:30:25,532 --> 00:30:28,452
known to locals as
"the TNT area."
585
00:30:28,452 --> 00:30:31,955
This former World War II
military installation
586
00:30:31,955 --> 00:30:33,331
is believed by many
587
00:30:33,331 --> 00:30:37,085
to be the home of the Mothman.
588
00:30:38,837 --> 00:30:41,131
The reason it's called
"the TNT area" is because
589
00:30:41,131 --> 00:30:45,427
they manufactured explosives
and TNT for the war effort.
590
00:30:46,470 --> 00:30:49,473
When the war ended in 1945,
591
00:30:49,473 --> 00:30:54,019
the government basically
just deserted that area there.
592
00:30:54,019 --> 00:30:57,439
That's where the first
Mothman sighting took place.
593
00:30:57,439 --> 00:31:00,192
And then you had
some people who, you know,
594
00:31:00,192 --> 00:31:02,527
claimed to have seen it
in the TNT area,
595
00:31:02,527 --> 00:31:04,404
near some
of the vacant buildings.
596
00:31:07,032 --> 00:31:10,994
NARRATOR:
Within days of the first Mothman
sighting in 1966,
597
00:31:10,994 --> 00:31:13,246
residents of Point Pleasant
were surprised
598
00:31:13,246 --> 00:31:17,000
by another unexpected visitor
at the TNT area:
599
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,336
the U.S. military.
600
00:31:19,336 --> 00:31:21,088
According to reports
from locals,
601
00:31:21,088 --> 00:31:23,882
they had barricaded the site
602
00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:26,843
and swiftly turned away
anyone who approached it.
603
00:31:26,843 --> 00:31:28,887
While no explanation
604
00:31:28,887 --> 00:31:31,973
was ever given for
the military's sudden arrival,
605
00:31:31,973 --> 00:31:35,227
some researchers suggest
that it could provide a clue
606
00:31:35,227 --> 00:31:38,146
as to the truth
behind the men in black.
607
00:31:39,689 --> 00:31:41,233
There are a lot
of people who think
608
00:31:41,233 --> 00:31:43,443
the men in black
are government agents.
609
00:31:43,443 --> 00:31:47,405
There are an equal number
of people in the UFO community
610
00:31:47,405 --> 00:31:50,992
who believe that they are
actually extraterrestrials.
611
00:31:50,992 --> 00:31:52,577
The fact is,
we really don't know
612
00:31:52,577 --> 00:31:54,579
who or what
the men in black are.
613
00:31:54,579 --> 00:31:58,083
And in fact,
some of the aliens may be
614
00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:02,254
impersonating government agents
to intimidate witnesses.
615
00:32:04,756 --> 00:32:07,092
NARRATOR:
Could it be
that those who believe
616
00:32:07,092 --> 00:32:09,261
the men in black
are government agents
617
00:32:09,261 --> 00:32:12,639
and those who believe
they are from another world
618
00:32:12,639 --> 00:32:14,558
are both right?
619
00:32:14,558 --> 00:32:19,437
But if so, are extraterrestrials
impersonating the men in black,
620
00:32:19,437 --> 00:32:21,106
or are aliens
and government agents
621
00:32:21,106 --> 00:32:23,942
actually working together?
622
00:32:23,942 --> 00:32:26,278
Perhaps further clues
can be found
623
00:32:26,278 --> 00:32:28,446
by examining
another mystery associated
624
00:32:28,446 --> 00:32:32,742
with these shadowy characters:
black helicopters.
625
00:32:43,336 --> 00:32:45,672
NARRATOR:
Seven‐year‐old Colby Landrum
626
00:32:45,672 --> 00:32:48,049
is with his grandmother
and her friend
627
00:32:48,049 --> 00:32:50,927
driving along
a desolate two‐lane road
628
00:32:50,927 --> 00:32:54,306
when they have
a life‐changing experience.
629
00:32:55,891 --> 00:32:59,394
Betty Cash, my grandmother,
Vicky Landrum and myself
630
00:32:59,394 --> 00:33:01,229
headed back home towards Dayton.
631
00:33:01,229 --> 00:33:04,232
It was real late at night.
Nobody else on the road.
632
00:33:04,232 --> 00:33:08,236
And, uh, we encountered
a bright light.
633
00:33:08,236 --> 00:33:12,699
It actually looked just like
a big glowing ball of flame.
634
00:33:12,699 --> 00:33:15,869
It was probably about
the size of a water tower.
635
00:33:15,869 --> 00:33:21,291
100 foot across, 100 foot tall,
but in a diamond shape.
636
00:33:49,319 --> 00:33:50,904
It was, uh, surrounded
637
00:33:50,904 --> 00:33:55,283
by 23 Chinook
double‐rotor helicopters.
638
00:33:55,283 --> 00:33:57,744
To me, it looked like
it was being escorted
639
00:33:57,744 --> 00:33:59,412
by the helicopters.
640
00:33:59,412 --> 00:34:03,458
In my belief, the government
definitely knew about it.
641
00:34:03,458 --> 00:34:05,502
There's no way that something
642
00:34:05,502 --> 00:34:08,630
of that size is gonna have
23 Chinook helicopters.
643
00:34:08,630 --> 00:34:11,758
They were in, like, escort mode.
644
00:34:11,758 --> 00:34:14,844
They were definitely
transporting it.
645
00:34:14,844 --> 00:34:18,515
NARRATOR:
For UFO researchers,
the presence of helicopters
646
00:34:18,515 --> 00:34:21,601
is one aspect
of the Cash‐Landrum incident
647
00:34:21,601 --> 00:34:24,479
that makes it
particularly intriguing.
648
00:34:24,479 --> 00:34:28,942
Since the 1970s, encounters
with the men in black have often
649
00:34:28,942 --> 00:34:33,238
been connected to reports
of unmarked black helicopters.
650
00:34:33,238 --> 00:34:37,200
A black helicopter, which has
now also become legend,
651
00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:42,330
is a helicopter that doesn't
have insignia markings on it.
652
00:34:42,330 --> 00:34:46,459
It's stealthy,
it's simply painted black
653
00:34:46,459 --> 00:34:48,962
and it has come to be known
654
00:34:48,962 --> 00:34:52,966
as the vehicle of choice
for the men in black.
655
00:34:52,966 --> 00:34:56,553
One of the most baffling aspects
of the men in black mystery
656
00:34:56,553 --> 00:35:00,390
is how quickly they seem
to arrive on the doorsteps
657
00:35:00,390 --> 00:35:03,977
of people who've had
recent UFO encounters.
658
00:35:03,977 --> 00:35:07,397
Now, if the men in black
are actually flying around
659
00:35:07,397 --> 00:35:10,942
in black helicopters, well,
a helicopter would be
660
00:35:10,942 --> 00:35:14,863
the perfect tool, if you like,
to get from town to town
661
00:35:14,863 --> 00:35:17,866
and threaten people
very, very quickly.
662
00:35:17,866 --> 00:35:21,828
BARA:
Black helicopters
can be very intimidating.
663
00:35:21,828 --> 00:35:25,665
They've been seen by multiple
credible witnesses at one time.
664
00:35:25,665 --> 00:35:27,208
Maybe the men in black
665
00:35:27,208 --> 00:35:30,086
and the black helicopters
are actually associated.
666
00:35:30,086 --> 00:35:35,216
Maybe it's "men
in black helicopters."
667
00:35:35,216 --> 00:35:38,845
NARRATOR:
Could the helicopters witnessed
during the Cash‐Landrum incident
668
00:35:38,845 --> 00:35:42,974
have been piloted by the men in
black on an emergency dispatch
669
00:35:42,974 --> 00:35:47,062
to follow and retrieve
an alien spacecraft?
670
00:35:47,062 --> 00:35:50,106
Many people think it could
possibly have been some kind
671
00:35:50,106 --> 00:35:52,442
of an antigravity device that
our government was building,
672
00:35:52,442 --> 00:35:54,235
and it was being tested.
673
00:35:54,235 --> 00:35:56,237
Others think it might have been
a‐an extraterrestrial craft
674
00:35:56,237 --> 00:35:57,906
that got in trouble
675
00:35:57,906 --> 00:36:01,159
and came into our atmosphere
and into our presence
676
00:36:01,159 --> 00:36:03,787
and was being followed
by these military helicopters.
677
00:36:03,787 --> 00:36:06,581
NARRATOR:
According to Colby Landrum,
678
00:36:06,581 --> 00:36:09,000
whatever it was that
they witnessed that night
679
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,712
seemed to be emitting
dangerous levels of radiation.
680
00:36:14,464 --> 00:36:16,925
LANDRUM:
Betty stopped the car.
681
00:36:16,925 --> 00:36:20,637
You could feel the heat off of
it. The heat was very intense.
682
00:36:20,637 --> 00:36:22,806
There was an imprint
683
00:36:22,806 --> 00:36:25,475
from my grandmother's hand
on the actual dash.
684
00:36:25,475 --> 00:36:27,352
It was hot enough,
for when she grabbed
685
00:36:27,352 --> 00:36:29,270
the dash when we stopped...
686
00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:32,607
I mean, it was an indention
of where her hand was sitting.
687
00:36:32,607 --> 00:36:37,445
NARRATOR:
Following the incident, all
three witnesses were examined
688
00:36:37,445 --> 00:36:41,032
at a NASA‐run laboratory
for radiation exposure.
689
00:36:41,032 --> 00:36:45,412
JoAnne Donaldson was a member
of the NASA medical team
690
00:36:45,412 --> 00:36:47,831
that conducted the examination.
691
00:36:49,249 --> 00:36:52,127
JOANN DONALDSON:
Our role was to make sure
692
00:36:52,127 --> 00:36:55,839
all of the readings, uh,
were recorded
693
00:36:55,839 --> 00:36:58,299
correctly and accurately,
694
00:36:58,299 --> 00:37:01,803
and that everything was
documented accordingly
695
00:37:01,803 --> 00:37:06,349
to the established protocols
for doing a radiation testing.
696
00:37:06,349 --> 00:37:10,937
They did get radiation exposure,
and I fully believe
697
00:37:10,937 --> 00:37:14,065
that their story
was absolutely true.
698
00:37:14,065 --> 00:37:17,527
There was no fabrication
in that experience.
699
00:37:17,527 --> 00:37:20,447
LANDRUM:
I got nauseous and sick.
700
00:37:20,447 --> 00:37:24,242
It probably lasted
two or three days with me.
701
00:37:24,242 --> 00:37:28,163
My grandmother,
she had the same symptoms,
702
00:37:28,163 --> 00:37:30,915
but she also had
blisters on her skin.
703
00:37:30,915 --> 00:37:33,668
They would bust open
and she'd have sores
704
00:37:33,668 --> 00:37:35,670
for several years after that.
705
00:37:35,670 --> 00:37:39,299
Betty Cash suffered
the most severe part of it.
706
00:37:39,299 --> 00:37:42,635
She was out of the car
the longest.
707
00:37:42,635 --> 00:37:47,390
According to the doctors,
she had the most exposure to it.
708
00:37:49,184 --> 00:37:51,770
HARZAN:
The Mutual UFO Network,
also known as MUFON,
709
00:37:51,770 --> 00:37:54,147
investigated
the Cash‐Landrum case,
710
00:37:54,147 --> 00:37:58,443
and radiation exposure was
verified by a radiologist later
711
00:37:58,443 --> 00:38:00,278
and put
into their public record.
712
00:38:00,278 --> 00:38:02,822
What was rare about
this incident is it's one
713
00:38:02,822 --> 00:38:05,742
of the very few that resulted
in court proceedings,
714
00:38:05,742 --> 00:38:09,245
because Cash and Landrum
actually sued the Air Force
715
00:38:09,245 --> 00:38:11,164
for their injuries.
716
00:38:11,164 --> 00:38:13,583
LANDRUM:
The lawsuit was against
the federal government.
717
00:38:13,583 --> 00:38:15,293
Uh, it was thrown out.
718
00:38:16,961 --> 00:38:21,132
They just said that it was
not government‐affiliated.
719
00:38:21,132 --> 00:38:24,636
NARRATOR:
Could the Cash‐Landrum incident
720
00:38:24,636 --> 00:38:26,554
and the connection
between the men in black
721
00:38:26,554 --> 00:38:29,182
and black helicopters
provide evidence
722
00:38:29,182 --> 00:38:31,184
that the U.S. government
is, in fact,
723
00:38:31,184 --> 00:38:35,271
working alongside
extraterrestrials?
724
00:38:35,271 --> 00:38:37,398
Is this the secret
that the men in black
725
00:38:37,398 --> 00:38:40,068
are so vigilantly defending?
726
00:38:40,068 --> 00:38:42,904
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes,
727
00:38:42,904 --> 00:38:45,865
and suggest that their ability
to hide the truth
728
00:38:45,865 --> 00:38:48,701
is due to a powerful
and disturbing technology.
729
00:38:56,668 --> 00:38:59,963
NARRATOR:
70 years on from
the Maury Island incident
730
00:38:59,963 --> 00:39:02,465
and the first known
men in black sighting,
731
00:39:02,465 --> 00:39:04,300
the mysterious figures continue
732
00:39:04,300 --> 00:39:07,679
to capture
the public's imagination.
733
00:39:07,679 --> 00:39:10,473
We're still fascinated
with all the stuff
734
00:39:10,473 --> 00:39:14,018
that this unleashed in 1947.
735
00:39:14,018 --> 00:39:17,230
And it's amazing,
the kind of life it's taken on.
736
00:39:17,230 --> 00:39:19,858
Especially, you know, when
you trace it back to kind of
737
00:39:19,858 --> 00:39:22,944
a single incident,
and then track it
738
00:39:22,944 --> 00:39:26,322
through these other experiences
and the connecting of dots,
739
00:39:26,322 --> 00:39:28,992
that it's kind of,
you know, gained a momentum.
740
00:39:28,992 --> 00:39:31,452
BARA: You know the men in black
have gone from these
741
00:39:31,452 --> 00:39:33,329
very scary, intimidating,
possibly
742
00:39:33,329 --> 00:39:36,833
ghost‐like
extraterrestrial beings
743
00:39:36,833 --> 00:39:39,878
to this cultural phenomenon.
744
00:39:39,878 --> 00:39:41,754
TSOUKALOS: I think
the world of entertainment,
745
00:39:41,754 --> 00:39:45,258
especially Hollywood movies
like Men in Black
746
00:39:45,258 --> 00:39:50,430
are part of disclosure, because
those movies are preparing us
747
00:39:50,430 --> 00:39:54,642
for the fact that we are not
alone in the universe.
748
00:39:54,642 --> 00:39:56,895
NARRATOR: While real‐world
accounts paint
749
00:39:56,895 --> 00:39:59,063
a much different picture
than what has been portrayed
750
00:39:59,063 --> 00:40:00,773
in the movies,
751
00:40:00,773 --> 00:40:04,861
both describe a technology that
may explain how the men in black
752
00:40:04,861 --> 00:40:08,823
have been able to operate
in the shadows for so long.
753
00:40:08,823 --> 00:40:11,910
CHILDRESS:
With the Men in Black movies,
754
00:40:11,910 --> 00:40:15,830
they are using this special
device called the neuralyzer.
755
00:40:15,830 --> 00:40:20,168
When this device is activated
on you, the subject,
756
00:40:20,168 --> 00:40:24,422
you will not have any memory
of what happened before.
757
00:40:24,422 --> 00:40:26,257
And they plant new ideas
in your head.
758
00:40:26,257 --> 00:40:28,092
"Oh, this is what you just saw."
759
00:40:28,092 --> 00:40:33,598
And yet there seems
to be some device like this.
760
00:40:33,598 --> 00:40:35,808
It's mentioned
in men in black books
761
00:40:35,808 --> 00:40:38,144
that there's a device called
the RHIC EDOM device:
762
00:40:38,144 --> 00:40:42,774
"radio hypnotic intracerebral
control" dash EDOM,
763
00:40:42,774 --> 00:40:45,735
"electronic dissolution
of memory."
764
00:40:45,735 --> 00:40:48,154
BARA:
What if you really can
wipe somebody's memory
765
00:40:48,154 --> 00:40:49,948
with just a little flash
of a device
766
00:40:49,948 --> 00:40:53,409
and make them forget
very, very specific things?
767
00:40:53,409 --> 00:40:55,036
Maybe they're around us
all the time.
768
00:40:55,036 --> 00:41:00,041
Maybe what we think we know
about UFOs and aliens
769
00:41:00,041 --> 00:41:02,627
is actually
a deliberately manipulated,
770
00:41:02,627 --> 00:41:05,755
consciousness‐raising timeline
771
00:41:05,755 --> 00:41:08,257
that's been controlled
by men in black all along.
772
00:41:09,759 --> 00:41:11,469
POPE:
UFO sightings haven't stopped.
773
00:41:11,469 --> 00:41:13,304
Quite the opposite.
774
00:41:13,304 --> 00:41:16,432
So if UFO sightings
are still going on,
775
00:41:16,432 --> 00:41:19,268
there's no reason to suppose
that men in black
776
00:41:19,268 --> 00:41:22,730
aren't still going around
speaking to witnesses.
777
00:41:22,730 --> 00:41:25,775
And if they're successful
in their mission,
778
00:41:25,775 --> 00:41:27,568
we don't get to hear about it.
779
00:41:27,568 --> 00:41:32,448
It's quite possible that the men
in black are still operating,
780
00:41:32,448 --> 00:41:34,367
still intimidating witnesses
781
00:41:34,367 --> 00:41:39,497
and still being the gatekeepers
of the UFO secret.
782
00:41:39,497 --> 00:41:43,292
NARRATOR: Could there be an
alien presence on planet Earth
783
00:41:43,292 --> 00:41:46,796
that is far more widespread
than we have ever imagined?
784
00:41:46,796 --> 00:41:51,342
Are the men in black working
to keep humanity in the dark?
785
00:41:51,342 --> 00:41:54,887
And if so, when the truth
finally comes to light,
786
00:41:54,887 --> 00:41:59,017
will it be forever wiped
from our memories?
787
00:41:59,017 --> 00:42:02,353
Perhaps it has already happened.