One of UFOlogy’s Most Bizarre MIB Encounters!

by Brent Raynes

Chapter 14 of Dr. Berthold E. Schwarz’s book UFO DYNAMICS, Book I, (1983) contains the story he was told of a very strange Man In Black (MIB) encounter described to him by a Maine physician, Dr. Herbert Hopkins. Shirley Fickett of Portland, Maine, was actually the first researcher to interview Dr. Hopkins about this mysterious and frightening sounding event. Here is her initial report:

“Call From Mrs. Hopkins”

September 12, 1976:

I received a call from Mrs. Hopkins approximately 1:00 p.m. stating that the previous evening her husband Dr. Hopkins had received a visit from an MIB. She was quite shaken and said the Doctor had been told to dispose of all his UFO material.

I visited the home of the Doctor on the above date and stated here is what he related to me.

His wife Madeline had gone to the outdoor movie with an elder son and his wife. Also, without knowing it the Doctor’s younger son and his girlfriend were also at the same outdoor movie. This left the Doctor alone in the house, an occurrence that hadn’t happened for some time.

The Doctor, a spiritualist minister, had just called Etna, Me (spiritual convention is held there). It was about 8:00 p.m. After his call the phone rang. Answering it, a man at the other end stated that he was the Vice President of “N.J. UFO Research Foundation.” He gave no name but said he was a personal friend of Betty and Barney Hill. He had read about the Stephens case in “Official UFO” and wanted to talk to the Doctor about the case. The Doctor invited the man over, giving directions on how to get there to which the man replied he already knew where the Doctor was.

The Doctor put the phone on the hook and went to put the porch light on and the visitor was there immediately. He had asked if he was phoning from the area and he had said yes. (There is no public phone that could deliver him there that fast!)

The Doctor’s thought was “He looks like an undertaker” observing his attire. The derby, black suit, black tie, black shoes, but white shirt. The suit fit the MIB like a dummy in a store. The Doctor noticed particularly the crease in the pants, not a wrinkle!

After greeting the MIB, the Doctor invited him in and the “Man” removed his hat with the Doctor observing that he had no hair, no eye lashes, no eyebrows! His skin was a pure white, his mouth was bright red in contrast. The Doctor asked him to sit down, which he did. “The crease in his trousers intrigued me,” the Doctor stated. “The crease in the knee stood up and looked most artificial.” The MIB spoke in monotone voice. Very articulate, as if he had learned our language but not mastered it! His face was without any wrinkles, nose was small and ears were small and set low.

The MIB asked the Doctor to tell him about the Stephens case and the Doctor complied stating that he had done some hypnosis and learned things that David had no knowledge of. “You made tape recordings,” the MIB said. The Doctor affirmed that this was true.

The MIB then said, “You have two coins in your pocket!” This was correct, the Doctor pulled out a dime and a penny. The MIB (said) “Take one of those and place it in your outstretched palm.” The Doctor complied and looked at the MIB, who told him to “Look at the coin and not me and don’t take your eyes off it!” It was the penny the Doctor held. As he watched, it turned from copper to silver, then to a metallic blue. The Doctor then had difficulty at focusing his eyes upon the coin for there was a fuzzyness about it. The next thing the coin disappeared by fading away. The Doctor says he felt no sensation as this was happening, no vibrations, no tingling, nothing, but his arm did drop down and mustering up strength, he managed to bring it back up and placed it in his lap. Panic then began to build up within him.

While they were talking, the Doctor made an observation. The MIB at one point put his hand to his mouth and when he took it down there was a red stain on his fingertips (as though he were wearing lipstick or something painted on).

After the coin disappeared the Doctor said, “That’s a neat trick, now make it come back!” to which the MIB replied, “Neither you or anyone else on this plane will ever see that coin again….”

The visitor then asked if the Doctor knew why Barney Hill died and the Doctor answered that he understood that he was ill, he was then told it was because Barney knew too much! The Doctor said he understood that Barney died of a heart attack. The MIB speaks, “That is not correct. He did not die of a heart attack. He died because he lost his heart. …just like you lost your coin!” He continued, “If you don’t do as I say, you will die like Barney Hill!”

The Doctor was then told to destroy tape recordings and all correspondence relating to UFOs, to put them out of his mind and not think of them again and the MIB stated that he would know when he did these things.

The visitor asked if the Doctor had recently had problems with the phone and the answer was “yes.” To this he was told, “Well, just think about it.”

The Doctor says that his son recently tried to call four times and it was like the line was dead. Also a patient had said the same after trying 3 times. This sort of thing had been going on.

The MIB said, “You received a letter from Shirley Fickett….destroy it!” The Doctor did this. Also told not to answer it!

Towards the last part of the conversation, the Doctor noticed the MIB’s speech was slowing down, and he terminated the whole thing by saying, “My energy is getting low, must go now, Good bye!” With this, he got up and went to the door with the Doctor observing him going down the stairs with caution, slowly as if he might fall.

As the MIB walked towards the driveway, the Doctor noticed a bright light (as if a car was waiting for him) but he heard no sound, motor, no cars going by, etc. The Doctor then rushed to the kitchen to observe but saw no light except the porch light. The man was no longer visible. Upon this the Doctor then rushed to the front porch and knew the man would have to pass this window to get out of the yard. Still nothing! Upon going immediately outside and observing up and down the street there still was no one to be seen. Nor were there any cars anywhere at that time.

This statement was made to me by a person who was very much in control of himself, very definite on just what occurred and he wanted to relate it in the exact order of its happening. He said he did not have any fear of telling me this, but there was a fright within him about the threat itself.

The Doctor did not notice anything peculiar about the eyes of the MIB. It was the voice. It did not sound mechanical for all of its monotone quality, yet the Doctor stated, “What visited me here was not of this earth!”

He did not call police about threat for he knew what their response would be. He couldn’t understand why he should receive the visit from the MIB for he was skeptical of their existence in the first place and even skeptical about UFOs.

After the man left the Doctor was very shaken and began to pace the floor. That was when he observed the light in the parking lot out in the yard. It was a light that kept shifting around and going off and on. About 4-5 feet off the ground and as large as 10 inches in diameter. It flashed in different places upon coming on, then would go off, etc. In all it must have appeared 6-7-8 times. He did not count it.

While at the movies in one car, the Doctor’s wife (with the elder son and wife) looked out the window to the heavens and observed what she felt might be a UFO hovering. She at the same time felt an anxiety for her husband back home with the desire to return. They stayed for the entire movie although she expressed this desire to her son.

In the other car, at the outside movie, sat the younger son and his girlfriend. For some unknown reason, [son’s girlfriend] was also picking up anxious feelings about the Doctor during their time at the movies.

Upon returning home they found a badly shaken man who had encountered the MIB. The young men suggested they go out to observe the yard for any marks that might have been left. They observed both cars tire marks there. Also there was a strange mark for about 4-5 feet in the middle of the driveway. They didn’t feel this was done by a car since the other wheel would have had to have been too far to one side.