Men in Black (Lore).
allegedclaimFortean / Mothman / MIB
Folklore of black-suited figures who silence UFO witnesses; documented as a subculture artifact, claim as paranormal entities, competing-documented as hoax + Cold-War psychological phenomenon.
Originates with Albert K. Bender (1953) and was named/popularized by Gray Barker (1956). Three competing readings: (1) government disinfo/psychological warfare — no agency has ever acknowledged such a program and no verifiable agent has come forward; Blue Book officers identified themselves and followed protocol; (2) paranormal/otherworldly entity — Keel called MIB 'demonic supernaturals'; surreal details (the cauliflower-eating MIB) push some toward this; (3) folkloric/psychological — folklorist James R. Lewis compared MIB accounts to Lucifer encounters/psychological trauma. The lore is the documented ancestor of the operationally-real Doty/Bennewitz AFOSI disinformation.