A Childhood Encounter with a Man in Black (M.I.B.)

My friend of five years just happened to mention, after cleaning out her attic, that her father corresponded with George Adamski and that she had visited his home near Palomar Observatory. She then went on to relate that she had met a “Man in Black” while accompanying her dad during his meetings with his engineer friends.

George Adamski

Here are her notes to me: “I'm still attic-bound and have been finding amazing things of my father's - I have something set aside to send to you, I believe you will find it interesting (it was an early issue of “UFO Magazine” from 1968 featuring an article on the Men in Black). I found all sorts of correspondence with Adamski - I recall visiting him at his place in the `50s near Palomar Observatory.

We even met one of the Men in Black on one occasion, actually on two occasions - his name was “Lev”. He wore a heavy black double breasted suit and a felt hat, but I saw him once without it - his head was hairless, not exactly the style at the time. The dark suit was very odd attire in a beach community. He was one of a cast of characters that my dad mingled with, I went everywhere with him."   I wrote back saying that some people consider the Men in Black to be entities who are not of this world, and she replied: “Yes, I met Lev and my father considered him to be an alien - he shook my hand and he had silky soft hands and I will never forget that - he was hairless all over - I was about 9 or 10 when I experienced this which means it was about 1953 or 54. I know my dad met him in a small house near the supermarket we shopped at which was on Sepulveda Blvd. I don't know how my dad knew he was there - or what they talked about.

Men-In-Black

Maybe a few weeks/months later he surfaced again at a house we "gathered" at regularly - my dad's friend was an electrical engineer and was trying experiments to transmit and receive television signals from space. I remember staring at the tube and trying to make sense of the static. The guy's name was Charlie Artz - and Lev came to the house one time. It was a weird time.

Adamski type UFO craft

Yes, I had an unconventional childhood but in retrospect, I wouldn't have traded it.”

I then inquired as to her father`s background: “My dad was a mechanical engineer and a draftsman, he was always in the airline industry (he was Howard Hughes' favorite designer!)”. My own father was a test pilot for the aircraft industry and had experienced his own encounters with anomalous lights.

I remember one time in 1953 when I was about five years old, a large white light about the size of a volleyball was following our station wagon. I pointed it out to my parents who were in the front seat, my dad denied seeing it and stepped on the gas. I`d never seen him scared before. The light kept up with the car, I saw it out of the side window which I was facing. It turns out that my friend and I have very similar backgrounds. My sister used to say that the aliens had followed our Dad home from work. Perhaps he`d been trailed by the FOO Fighters when he was putting a new fighter jet through its paces.

My friend`s father was not a pilot, but he`d had an amazing contact. Adamski`s encounter out at Joshua Tree has always fascinated me, it`s wonderful to hear about a personal friendship with him!