Fred Lee Crisman

Fred Lee Crisman (July 22, 1919 - December 10, 1975), also known by his nom-de-plume Jon Gold, was an American teacher, writer, and radio commentator. He is noted for various curious claims and associations: first, his claimed 1947 UFO sighting (with Harold Dahl) near Maury Island in the Puget Sound, Washington and alleged harassment by Men in Black in the aftermath; two stories linked to the Shaver Mystery, both published in Ray Palmer's Amazing Stories during the same timeframe, including his heroic escape from a hostile cave-dwellers with unknown ray weapons in Burma,[A] and an exploration of another cave in Alaska that resulted in the death of a companion;[B][C] and his later acquaintanceship with Thomas Edward Beckham, through whom he became involved with Kirby J. Hensley's Universal Life Church, the National Institute of Criminology (and certain related schemes), and, ultimately, District Attorney (Orleans Parish, Louisiana) Jim Garrison's investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Letters to the Editor

 * &mdash; Anonymously printed letter, warning off the editor and any others interested in the Deros to "drop the whole thing," recounting a hostile encounter in a cave while on leave in Burma, resulting in the author and a companion fighting their way "out of a cave with submachine guns," having been attacked by unknown weapons that left terrible scars and seared flesh.
 * &mdash; in which Crisman complains about being singled-out in William S. Baring-Gould's article "Little Superman, What Now?" in Harper's Magazine (v. 193, n. 1156, September 1946), before mentioning his expedition to Alaska, and how his friend Dick was killed there.
 * &mdash; in which a reader takes Palmer to task over the Shaver Mystery generally, mentioning in particular Crisman's claims about Alaska; Palmer responds by stating Crisman had not followed up on the Alaska claims.