Reported Photograph
A photograph attributed to UFO researcher Allen H. Greenfield is being presented as a 1969 image of a purported “Man in Black” encountered in Charleston, West Virginia. The image, published by Alien Archivist on October 13, 2026, shows a thin man in dark clothing and dark glasses, wearing what appears to be a light-colored hat. The accompanying account identifies the figure with Indrid Cold, a name associated with Men in Black stories and broader paranormal lore.
The supplied material does not provide independent verification of the photograph’s date, location, subject or circumstances. It also does not establish that the man was actually Indrid Cold, rather than an unidentified individual later connected to that character through UFO literature.
Greenfield’s Account
According to the account attributed to Greenfield, he attended a UFO convention in Charleston in June 1969. During the gathering, he noticed an unfamiliar man dressed in dark clothing and wearing dark clip-on prescription glasses. Greenfield later described the individual as extremely pale, with a “putty-like” appearance, stiff movements and a mechanical-sounding voice.
On the final day of the convention, Greenfield and other attendees crossed the street from their hotel to eat at a restaurant. The same stranger reportedly appeared and remained near their table. Greenfield eventually confronted him, prompting the man to move toward the restaurant’s exit. Outside, Greenfield asked the stranger who he was. The man allegedly replied: “I am a man in black in training.”
Greenfield then used a 35mm camera to photograph him standing in the street. The image reproduced with the report is a black-and-white photograph consistent with the description, although the supplied material does not include details about the camera, film processing, original negative, or chain of custody.
The Reported Disappearance
Greenfield said the man continued walking after the photograph was taken. He followed closely behind as the stranger turned a corner, estimating that only about two seconds elapsed before he reached the same point. The man was reportedly gone, and Greenfield said there was no obvious doorway or other place where he could have disappeared.
That claim became part of the story’s paranormal significance. However, the account is based on Greenfield’s later recollection, and no corroborating witnesses, contemporaneous police report, convention record or independent photographic analysis is identified in the supplied source. The disappearance therefore remains an unverified anecdote, rather than established evidence of an extraordinary event.
Indrid Cold and the Men in Black Tradition
The photograph was later associated with Indrid Cold, a figure linked to accounts of mysterious visitors and the alleged inhabitants of Lanulos. The name is particularly connected with West Virginia resident Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Derenberger, whose experiences were published in 1971 in Visitors From Lanulos, prepared with Harold W. Hubbard.
Greenfield was active in ufology from the early 1960s, having been involved with NICAP and helping establish the organization that developed into the National UFO Conference alongside Rick Hilberg and Al Manak. He later became known for connecting UFO encounters, Men in Black narratives, occultism and ceremonial magic, including in works such as Secret Cipher of the UFOnauts and Secret Rituals of the Men in Black.
Assessment
The photograph remains an intriguing artifact of late-1960s UFO and paranormal storytelling, particularly because it is tied to a named witness, a specific location and a memorable quotation. Yet the available material does not independently confirm the identity of the person shown or demonstrate that the image documents Indrid Cold. Until original photographic records, contemporaneous documentation or independent testimony emerge, the picture is best described as a photograph attributed to Greenfield and interpreted through the later mythology surrounding Men in Black and Lanulos.
