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Members of the 〃little old ladies in tennis shoes〃 brigade found instant identity in joining such clubs。 Then they trooped about their state； lecturing on the ing of the Brothers； appearing on local radio and television as the local 〃experts；〃 and； more often than not； bringing more ridicule to an already ridiculous situation。
Although they are largely a harmless； humorless lot； a few of the ego…tripping characters in ufology are not above creating a few hoaxes of their own； placing prank calls； and； of course； circulating the idiotic rumors。 Ivan Sanderson referred to them as 〃neurots；〃 short for neurotics。 Dr。 Edward Condon of Colorado University labeled them 〃obstructionist。〃 On several occasions I did find that some of these card…carrying ufologists had warned witnesses to report only to them。 Members of peting correspondence clubs often engaged in open battles； trying to reach witnesses first and accusing each other of all kinds of misdeeds。 Donald E。 Keyhoe； head of the Washington…based NICAP； had spent years building and publicizing his case against the air force。 The only tangible result of his campaign was the quality of the people attracted to ufology； and to his ideas。 Paranoid…schizophrenics and obsessive…pulsive personalities dominated the field。
Many of these groups collapsed inwardly in a short time because of the conflicting egos and the excessive paranoia （members often regarded their fellow members as 〃agents of the air force〃）。 Even NICAP； which had been founded in 1956 by a physicist who was hot on the trail of the secret of frying saucer propulsion systems； came apart at the seams in the late 1960s。 The few qualified members of its headquarters staff departed in an atmosphere of rancor； taking choice files and mailing lists with them； and Stuart Nixon； the office boy during the Keyhoe regime； became director of the organization。
The air force and CIA did not have to try to disrupt the ufological movement。 It is by its very nature a self…disrupting network of disoriented people。
In the spring of 1967； following the publicity that attended Mothman and the UFOs； mobs of strangers descended on Point Pleasant。 Cars filled with students from neighboring colleges would arrive unannounced at the homes of witnesses named in newspaper accounts； often late at night； and expect to be weled。 Mary Hyre and all the others were subjected to silly interviews by people who obviously didn't have any notion of how to go about investigating anything。 Some of these investigators were tactless and impolite； as only teen…agers can be； to the point of being offensive。 One by one the witnesses fell silent； refusing to talk to any more strangers； so newers saw a new mystery…someone had obviously ordered everyone in the Ohio valley to shut up。
While reporters from all the neighboring cities were flocking to Point Pleasant and writing extensively about the UFO and monster sightings； the little local daily； the Point Pleasant Register； ignored the whole situation。 When a girl on the Register staff was pursued by a UFO one night that spring； Mary Hyre printed the story in the Messenger。 The young editor of the Register remained steadfastly anti…UFO throughout the fracas。
It was then my policy to publish only reports in which the witnesses allowed their names to be used。 I avoided 〃blind〃 items。 But as time went on and I saw what was happening to some of these people； I realized they had to be protected； not from Men in Black or sinister government agencies but from the UFO believers themselves。 This unfortunate problem persists； and this is why I have used blind items here； or； in some cases； altered the names of the witnesses or their location。 This is a mon policy in medical books and scientific literature； but it is sad that it bees necessary in studies of this kind。
II
One Sunday afternoon in the spring of 1967； I was walking along Forty…second Street and Third Avenue with a lady friend。 There were very few people on the streets at the time。 Suddenly a tall； thin man came around a corner。 His face was gaunt and pointed； and he was carrying a camera。 He raised the camera and deliberately took our picture； then he turned and ran up the street。 My friend knew nothing about Men in Black； and it is not unusual to see tourists snapping pictures in New York City。 I deliberately refrained from making any ment。
〃That was strange；〃 she remarked。 〃And he was such an evil…looking man。 Why did he take our picture？〃
I could only shrug。 The man； incidentally； was not dressed in black。 He was wearing a sports jacket and slacks but his clothes seemed to hang very poorly on his thin frame。
A few days later； Dan Drasin phoned me。 He was preparing to go back to West Virginia with a camera crew。
〃You know； this probably doesn't mean anything；〃 he said slowly； 〃but the other day I was walking through midtown Manhattan and an Indian took my picture。 He was even wearing a black suit。〃
Dan knew of my concern with the MIB； but he was not well…known to the UFO enthusiasts （I had tried to tell myself that the photographer on Third Avenue was a ufo…nut of some kind）。
〃Probably just a tourist；〃 I offered。
〃Probably。〃
In West Virginia； Mrs。 Hyre was continuing to have problems。 A luminous object appeared over her house and projected a powerful beam of light into her backyard。 She was not home at the time but her husband and several neighbors saw it。 Then one evening her confused 〃little man〃 reappeared on the streets of Point Pleasant。 She was certain it was the same man who had visited her office in January。 This time he was wearing a khaki…colored uniform but had on the same thick…soled shoes。 When he saw Mary approaching him he looked alarmed； took off on a dead run； and leaped into a black car driven by a very large man。
〃By the time I got out in the line of traffic；〃 Mary said； 〃he was gone across the bridge into Ohio。 I didn't get the license number but the color looked orange。〃
Three days later； on May 8； Mrs。 Hyre arrived home from a civic meeting around 11：30 P。M。 Just as she was opening her front door a large black car squealed to a stop directly outside her house。 She stood on her porch and watched as a man got out of the vehicle； raised a camera to his face； and snapped her picture。
〃His flash gun was very bright；〃 she reported。 〃It blinded me momentarily。 While I was standing there rubbing my eyes he got back into his car and it drove off。 I couldn't see if there was anyone else in the car。〃 She paused。 〃Now why do you suppose anyone would want to take my picture like that？〃
Why indeed。 Our Men in Black were now engaged in a new game。 Or perhaps the game had been going for years but no one had ever noticed it before。 As if I didn't have enough trouble already； now I was chasing phantom photographers all over the landscape。
On a rainy night in April a man from Ohio had been driving along Route 2 near the Chief Cornstalk Hunting Grounds when a large black form rose from the woods and flew over his car。 〃It was at least ten feet wide；〃 he claimed。 〃I stepped on the gas and it kept right up with me。 We were doing over seventy。 It scared the hell out of me。 Then I saw it move ahead of me and turn toward the river。〃
Months later； late in October； he returned home from work and found a prowler in his apartment。
〃When I opened the door I saw this man standing in my living room；〃 he reported。 〃I think he was dressed all in black。 I couldn't see his face； but he was about five feet nine。 I started to fumble for the light switch when he took my picture。 There was a big flash of light； so bright I couldn't see a thing。 While I was rubbing my eyes the burglar darted past me and went out the open door。 I guess I arrived just in time because nothing was missing。〃
Burglars with flash guns！
Sixty miles north of Point Pleasant； a young family in Belpre； Ohio； was having the full range of UFO…associated problems。 The man in the family； I'll call bun Ben； had seen a UFO hovering near a chemical plant on the river。 He'd heard you could signal to the objects so he flashed his car's spotlight at it The spotlight went out instantly and later he found that all the electrical systems in his car had burned out。
His sighting marked the beginning of all kinds of weird happenings。 First； his telephone went crazy。 Like so many others； he had not reported his sighting to anyone yet he began to receive the beeping calls； and calls from 〃metallic voices；〃 urging him to attend undefined meetings （he never went）。 A poltergeist moved into Ben's house。 Drawers opened by themselves。 Objects disappeared。 A heavy cabinet pushed against a window was moved by some force。 （Later I tried to move this cabinet by myself and found it was too heavy。） Ben's wife began to notice unusual people in the neighborhood。 Ben received a mild scare that August as he was walking down the Main Street in Parkersburg and saw two black…garbed Oriental…looking men who grinned at him broadly as if they knew him。 They appeared to be confused or drunken； he noted； and seemed to have difficulty walking。 Ben knew nothing of the MIB lore； but the men so alarmed him that he crossed to the other side of the street。
He had more UFO sightings。 And more freak phone calls。 Finally he mentioned his troubles to Parke McDaniel 。。。 they worked together 。。。 and Mrs。 Hyre and I drove to Belpre。 Two weeks before our visit； according to Ben's wife； a black car had stopped in front of their house and a man in a black suit had apparently taken photos with a large camera。 Two of their neighbors had also witnessed this and corroborated their story。 The photographer did not pay any attention to any of the other houses on the street。
On Long Island； less than thirty miles from New York City； UFOs； Men in Black； and phantom photographers were all very busy that summer。 Eventually I gathered reports of the photographers from as far away as Seattle。 An aerospace engineer in the Northwest reported： 〃For some three days photographs were taken of our house。 We thought they might^be realtors or someone doing a film on the area。 Then began the telephone interference； mail stoppage and misdirection； etc。〃
The engineer； a well…educated man with a responsible position in a major aircraft pany； involved himself in UFO research as a hobby。 At first he assumed the photographers； telephone harassers； and all were agents of the government。 Then something uncanny attacked his new home。
'Twice a very powerful specterlike influence visited the house which projected FEAR of an incredible nature；〃 he wrote。 〃I am certain that anyone who did not understand these things would have been driven in very short order to the state mental hospital。 Another attack was interference with the time Constance of a heart beat。 I would be awakened with a pulse of over two hundred！ However； I always awakened because I sleep with plastic ear stoppers and in each of about thirty to thirty…five instances the noise awakened me。〃
I had heard of this heart…beat phenomenon in Massachusetts and several other places； and put it down as more psychological than physiological。 When Mary Hyre plained of hearing a loud； pulsing heart…beat sound late at night I knew she had suffered one severe heart attack and worried that she was really hearing her own heart beat。
The Linda Scarberry and the McDaniels plained of hearing the same sound。
Roger Scarberry was haunted by something else 。。。 by dreams of a great eye floating in the sky over Mary's house。 Point Pleasant was filled with omens and portents。 A man and a woman carrying a camera visited Steve and Mary Mallette； wanting to take pictures of them。 Mr。 Mallette took down the license number on their Volkswagen and when Mary had the police check it out it proved to be nonexistent。 This business with license numbers was repeated over and over； and in many places。 Witnesses would carefully note the plates on the black Cadillacs and mysterious panel trucks； but when the police ran a routine check the pute