Fred Crisman

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Fred Crisman (July 22, 1920 - December 10, 1975) was a writer, educator, minor political provocateur, 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.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Fred L Crisman was born 1920 in Washington, the only child of Fred Crisman and his wife Eva Pitchers, both from Iowa. His father was a salesman.[1]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 talk 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.

[edit] 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. (Marrs, Jim. Alien Agenda, 128. ISBN 0-06-109686-5. ) 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.[2] However, a log from Rainier High School where Crisman was teaching shows no substitute was called for him on the day of the assassination, supporting Crisman's claim that he was teaching that day.[3] His Grand Jury testimony is now public, and 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Books that mention Fred Crisman

  • Thomas, Kenn. Maury Island UFO IllumiNet (1999)ISBN 1-881532-19-4
  • Nomenclature of an Assassination Cabal AKA "The Torbit Document" republished as NASA, Nazis & JFK: The Torbitt Document & the Kennedy Assassination, AUP, US, 1996 paperback, ISBN 0-932813-39-9
  • Fonzi, Gaeton. The Last Investigation.
  • Sprague, Richard E.. The Taking of America 1, 2, 3.
  • Marrs, Jim. Alien Agenda - Investigating the Extraterrestrial Presence Among Us HarperPaperBacks (1997)ISBN 0-06-109686-5

[edit] Magazines

  • UFO 34 Vol.8 No. 5 The Secret Life of Fred L. Crisman by Anthony L. Kimery pp. 34-38

[edit] References

  1. ^ 1930 Census of Tacoma
  2. ^ The origin of this repeated claim appears to be the Torbitt Document
  3. ^ Kenn Thomas, Maury Island UFO: The Crisman Conspiracy

[edit] External links