JOHN KEEL NOT AN AUTHORITY ON ANYTHING

At the beginning of October 1967, John’s record becomes even more nightmarish. He reports some disturbing phone conversations with Helen Oglemyer (and her alien familiar Cloé) and Jaye Paro (and her aliens Agar and Appell). Whatever was really happening here, someone was apparently vomiting at Jaye’s house, and Jaye herself was becoming suicidal. I don’t know what she meant by “Green Glass.” Poor John, who simply wanted a story, has gotten far more than he bargained for. He headed this entry “Denouement,” but his record continues for several months more.

Threaded throughout the events of 1967 is the continuing story of Joe Henslik, from Greenlawn, L.I.. His story is still repeated in Men In Black books: he photographed a UFO, and was visited by two men dressed in black, who demanded the photos. The next day three of them visited him, at which point he gave them the negatives. (John’s full report is here.) John had several interactions with Henslik, and claimed he had a tape of Henslik confessing that the story was a hoax, and that he had been coached by Jim Moseley and Gray Barker. (See here, at the end of John’s notes on the letter.)

Sometime in September, Henslik stopped answering his phone, and was presumed missing.

Gray Barker sent John this photo of Henslik, commenting that he was starting to think some of John’s claims were true, meaning, I suppose, that John had told him the aliens were real and dangerous.

John responds to the aliens’ request that he and Jaye Paro marry and have children. He is, therefore, in the unusual position of writing to a supposed alien, to explain why he doesn’t want to mate with the contactee he’s investigating. It’s complicated by the fact that Appell may be Jaye, although John apparently doesn’t think so. John also touches on the state of his career: all of this is taking a lot of his time and attention, and his work is suffering. What a mess!

The next day, John received a letter from Apol/Appell, which he transcribed for inclusion in his notes. Appell returns to the idea that John and Jaye Paro (Tim’na) should get married and have a baby. The baby will, of course, be the “future leader” of the aliens. What’s happening here? Is Jaye writing these notes? If not, who is?

The next day, John has a phone conversation with Helen Oglemyer, and indirectly with Cloé, who claims to be Agar’s sister. She apparently also disapproves of John’s bawdy Batman spoof, The Fickle Finger of Fate. Jaye Paro (Tim’na) reports “that the MIB were turning people into evil, mindless zombies,” and adds several of her own MIB interactions. Agar predicts (wrongly) that there will be many Mothman sightings in Long Island.

The following day, John reports on a phone call from Helen Oglemyer (spelled “Ogelmyer” last time), who receives a visit from Agar. Agar wants more salt, and tells Helen that John is “very nice and very sexy.” Helen also reports the sound of a crying baby, a staple of the paranormal. Jaye Paro also calls with more stories of aliens and Men in Black, and reports her father’s recurring nightmare of 28,000 large seagulls over the city.

The saga continues… Jaye Paro visits Mt. Misery, and finds some of her fellow contactees. The aliens predict Mothman will visit Long Island, Dave returns, and Joe Henslik is still missing.

The next entry in John’s record fills us in on some activity in Point Pleasant. There are updates from Linda Scarberry and Connie Carpenter, and Doris Lilly has an encounter with a classic bedroom visitant in a checkered shirt. (Doris Lilly was the woman who had found wooden plugs in her phone.)

John goes on to report a long conversation with Apol/Appell, who tells him many sensational tales about Mothman — or, more precisely, Mothmen. It’s not clear if John talked directly with Apol, or only through Jaye Paro. I suspect it was through Jaye.

We’ll mark John’s birthday with a portrait of him as a teenager. The caption says: “Some friend of Junie’s drew this.” Junie (short for “Junior”) was John’s nickname as a child. There is also a figure study on this sheet, which I’ve cropped so you won’t get into trouble at work. As always, the best way to mark John’s birthday is to read his books!

One day after the last entry, John has a lot to report. Agar gave Jaye Paro a gold cross; Jaye’s fiancé Dave is missing; Long John Nebel (host of a popular all-night radio show) is looking for Princess Moon Owl; Linda Scarberry (one of the original Mothman witnesses in Point Pleasant) has some strange visitors; Joe Henslik (contactee and/or hoaxer) is not answering his phone. And the next day, a certain Helen Ogelmyer in Long Island calls John with an encounter similar to Jaye’s stories about Agar, including the importance of salt.