Bender Mystery Confirmed

By: Gray Barker

Narrated by: Mark Barnard

In 1952, Gray Barker became a state representative in the first civilian UFO group, the International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB), headed by a World War II veteran named Albert K. Bender. Bender, who had been stationed at Fort George Meade (home of the NSA), and Langley Field (today's aerial drone headquarters), seemed to be genuinely interested not only in UFOs, but also in the strange psychic phenomena surrounding their appearances.

After heading the IFSB for one year, Bender abruptly closed the organization, citing encounters with dancing blue lights and terrifying Men in Black, who could appear and disappear at will, and could teleport objects and people around the galaxy.

In 1956, Barker wrote a book featuring Bender's story, "They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers," which brought the horror of the Men in Black into public consciousness, and became popular around the world. In 1962, Barker published Bender's own book, Flying Saucers and the Three Men, which also elicited an excited response from saucer enthusiasts. Controversy also ensued, as opinion became divided into different camps, ranging from those who believed Bender's account completely, to those who thought he had concocted the story for psy-ops purposes.

Later that same year, in an effort to come to some sort of conclusion about Bender's claims, Barker collected correspondence from Saucerian subscribers into this book, Bender Mystery Confirmed. By reading these letters, one can examine the different theories about Bender, and come to one's own conclusion.

As the title infers, Barker came to believe that Bender was telling the absolute truth. Whatever Bender's original intentions, he had stumbled onto the real paranormal phenomena underpinning the UFO experience, and had paid a price for it.

©2015 Andrew B. Colvin (P)2015 Andrew B. Colvin