We Met the Space People

Amid the surge of UFO contactee accounts in the mid-twentieth century, this unusual narrative by sisters Helen and Betty Mitchell offers a glimpse into the cultural imagination of the late 1950s. Beginning with chance encounters in a St. Louis coffee shop, the sisters describe meetings with beings from Mars and Venus who appear human yet carry extraordinary knowledge. Through a mysterious communicator, they receive transmissions urging humanity to abandon nuclear testing, embrace vegetarianism, and pursue higher ideals such as educational broadcasting. Their story culminates with a journey aboard a spacecraft, where they observe the daily lives of the so-called 'Space People,' complete with a universal language and curious pastimes. Combining personal testimony with broader social concerns of the era, this account reflects the hopes, fears, and ideals projected onto extraterrestrial visitors. It remains a compelling example of contactee literature and its enduring message of planetary responsibility.