Fred Crisman
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Fred Crisman (July 22, 1919 - December 10, 1975) was an writer, educator, minor political provacateur, broadcaster and self-described "disruption agent" from Tacoma, Washington. He is a bizarre and enigmatic figure, whose name pops up in unusual circumstances, paranormal events, and conspiracies in the middle decades of the 20th century.
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Shaver Mystery
In the mid-1940s, his name appears in the pages of pulp magazines, reporting on his own Shaver Mystery experiences via letters to the editor, warning of the threat from subterranean-dwelling "Deros," or "detrimental robots." He claimed to have encountered the beings while fighting as a commando in Burma during World War II, and wrote that he sustained injuries from a futuristic laser weapon.
Maury Island Incident
His name next pops up as a key player in the strange Maury Island Incident, an early UFO encounter. Crisman claimed to have seen the objects in question, and to have collected debris. Many UFO researchers have dismissed the incident as an outright hoax, likely perpetrated by Crisman, but others still believe the incident to be a genuine paranormal event.
Murder of a City, Tacoma
He next turns up in Tacoma in the late 1960s, railing against the city's city manager form of government. He hosted a conspiracy-themed radio talk show under the pseudonym "Jon Gold," and wrote a self-published book, The Murder of a City, Tacoma. He was also appointed by the mayor to serve on the Tacoma Public Library board.
John F. Kennedy Assassination
During this time period, he was subpoenaed by Jim Garrison to testify in the case against Clay Shaw in the John F. Kennedy assassination. When Shaw was arrested, apparently Crisman was the first person he called. Various conspiracy theories place Crisman on the grassy knoll, possibly as a radio operator, or as one of the three tramps taken in to custody near Dealey Plaza. His testimony has not been made public, but in Murder of a City, Tacoma, Crisman claimed no knowledge of a conspiracy, and he was not called as a witness in the actual trial. Documents related that indicate a Crisman link to the assassination may have been fabricated by Crisman himself, as they are written in an idiosyncratic style reminiscent of Crisman's own.
Inslaw and The Octopus
Crisman died in 1975, but his name continues to resonate in the shady world of conspiracy theories. Michael Riconosciuto was a key player in the Inslaw flap of the 1980s and 1990s, which may have led to the death of journalist Danny Casolaro (and was covered in Kenn Thomas's book, The Octopus). Riconosciuto was a young electronics whiz from Tacoma who was a close acquaintance of Crisman's, and who helped Crisman sweep for (and possibly plant) electronic eavesdropping devices during the years he was writing Murder.
External links
- The Majestic Documents - Fred Crisman (http://www.majesticdocuments.com/personnel/crisman.html)
- Conspiracy Planet - Fred Crisman:Key Man in JFK/UFO Conspiracy/Coverup (http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=94&contentid=1033&page=2)
- Maury Island UFO: Fred Crisman and covert infiltration of ufology (http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/article/id904/pg1/)