His mission is to “wake up a bunch of dead people. No one cares for nothing but the money God.”
August 20 1976. from Vacaville. THIS IS LETTER 5 OF 6. It’s written by CM. He refers to the story written by reporter Greg. He again threatens to stop writing because his writing does not reflect what he thinks. Taketh away.
August 20 1976. from Vacaville. This is letter 6 of 6 written on Aug 20 1976. Sig.
He said I have not written to him ever since I picked up the two crates of mail from his family, friends and documents from prison. I replied that I’m burning the midnite oil sorting them out and trying to place them into categories.
August 30 1976 from Vacaville. 4 legal-sized pp. “Everyone knows what Im doing a lot better than I do & they are taller & smarter & good looking & Im just a little lost child.”
CHILD AGAIN: “Im a MR child (mentally retarded)
CRIME FACTORY: The real wars the US is fighting is a cover-up for the war with our own kids. Society is on a rampage, glorifying crime & harming its children.
DISPENSATION MENTIONED AGAIN.
MY LAPD BROTHER: “You got a brother that is a police & I got nothing but a handful of misfits.”
September 10 1976 from Vacaville. Letter 3 pages on legal-sized paper.
Manson forgot to include page one. The letter opens with page 2 on the upper left hand side. In his “P.S.” (one page) he wrote that he instructed Red (Lyn Fromme) to send me some letters. He is putting together a crate of mail to send to me. Manson did send the crate to me—thirty pounds of letters from inmates in various prisons; children and adults letters from the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia. Letters from ministers on a Jesus trip; drawings and touching letters with landscape drawings from “Woman of the Land.” permission. He giveth. September 10 1976 from Vacaville. 4 pages on legal-sized paper. . (NOTE): Some of the letter was dictated to a buddy & some written in Manson’s writing.)
Manson again accused me of chopping up his words and adding to the confusion over his thoughts. He is referring to two letters I wrote in August 1975. (Yes, 1975 is correct.) He writes, “I want those letters back from you.” (I told him I cannot return them.)
He also writes, “I suggest you send me a copy of what I wrote I dont remember saying that I sent out a death list.”
CLARIFICATION ABOUT THE INMATE WHO MANSON DICTATED PART OF THE LETTER: “I told this to the guy next cell so you might understand it.”
ABOUT ME UNDERSTANDING: “Until you have seen into all rooms (seeing with the inner eye) how could you understand that which you have not seen.”
ON SHAKESPEARE: “Shake Spear didnt say all that can be said.” Manson is implying he is deeper than the bard.
COMPARES HIMSELF TO KING JAMES & GENGIS KHAN: “King James would hang 10 at a time for poaching in his forest & Genguh Kahn piled 1000 heads up in front of his tent. Were they over acting or just making a point…”
September 15 1976 from Vacaville. 2 pp on legal-sized paper. Understanding is not found in racional (rational) thought. Reality is found in the world of not.
He believes in “neo thought” as it captures reality. A complicated brain (learned from books) cannot capture the reality beyond reality. PICKING UP A PERSON’S VIBES: “More is shown to the eye than can be said with words.”
CRIME FACTORY: Society programs its people to kill, murder and commit mayhem. Kids killing their parents is a reflection of hate that is learned from the endless programs on violence given on TV, newspapers & movies.
September 16 1976. from Vacaville 2 pages on legal-sized paper. Signs off B Cool & his initials. ME & THE FAMILY. Now that I’ve met several new female family members, including one that is married to Steve Grogan (a convicted family member) Manson feels I have achieved insights & will want to join the family.
DON’T PRINT EVERYTHING HE TELLS ME OR WHAT I’M FINDING OUT ABOUT THE FAMILY Taketh away. September 21 1976 from Vacaville. 2-pages on 8 ½ inch paper. “Fear is the name of the game,” Manson writes. (NOTE: In his very first letter to me dated August 20 1976 he succeeded in invoking fear in me. Take another look at that letter.)
Manson writes that Baba Ram Dass & Ed Sanders (NOTE: author of The Family) did not know or care about taking care of the world. September 21 1976 from Vacaville. 6 pp on legal-sized paper.
THREATENS ME AGAIN. Manson addresses me as “Dear Sir”
He’s mad with Greg (the reporter from the Vacaville newspaper) for saying that he (Manson) gave a confession. “Im truly sorry you done your selves that way—one of you will not survive.”
“I know I didnt confess to things I couldnt confess to…you are the dum ass you think I am.”
“Git off me RR & I mean it” WRITTEN IN A BIG SCRAWL.
“Also wright everyone I know that Im through with you & you not my friend anymore.” September 28 1976 from Vacaville Correctional Facility. Two-page letter on 8 1/2 inch paperHe continues to talk about getting him a kecit (cassette) recorder.This would make it easier to help me write the book. Permission. Taketh away.“What you see in me is in you.”He makes another reference to ‘pig’ written in Sharon Tate’s blood.He urges me to work with Elf, a Manson family member, in writing the book.
October 7 1976. from Vacaville. 4 legal-sized pages. GEMS “I got no hate. It died a long time ago.”
CM includes his signature on a signed 2”x3 ½” card.
He is true to himself. He judges no one. What others say about him comes from their own projections of him.
He writes about Jack getting out on parole. Later, in another latter, Manson will refer to him as the raven who will pay me a home visit to “git those letters back.” I refer to Jack as Tough Dude. He jokes about sending me a duck, which is worse than a raven. Or he will send me a hummingbird or a spider or a lizard.
He writes he has been “dead for eternity,” He will not threaten me with death.
October 7 1976 from Vacaville. 4 legal-sized pp. More on DISPENSATION. People who cut down trees for money deserve to be killed. Manson is proud of the work done by the family members who started the organization called “International Court of Retribution” (IRC). Manson granted dispensation or permission to carry out their job to take punitive action against corporate and govnt leaders involved in killing the earth.
October 27 1976. from Vacaville. 2 legal-sized pages. This letter 1 or 2 written on the same date..
“…I dont think much at all—I know & I know knowing don’t try to prove—If its trying to prove then its trying to know. You are god— ok—you have my permission—I figure if you were you would never need to say it. I thought you were (NOTE: god) all along but when you felt the need to tell me then I guess thats you. I like you whatever game you wish to play.”
“If you dont want to play ravens with me then Ill (I will) play handball with myself.”
(NOTE: This is becoming ominous, as will be seen in the letter dated October 28 1976, when the raven—a dark force--is introduced.” THREATENS ME
This warning on page 4: “And youll listen to what ever I tell you & keep your mouth shut
October 27 1976. From Vacaville. 2 legal-sized pages. This letter 2 of 2 written on the same date.
Threatens me more than once.
“RR your not better or worse than the other blood sucking maggots that feed upon me—I tried to reach you but all you done is take the little bit of thought Ive gave you & added your own past confusion & ambitions & came up with a brand of your own. I wasnt thinking of humiliating or degrading you that’s your own defeatist complex.” (NOTE: He accuses me and Greg—a newspaper reporter CM hooked me up with—of being confused.)
THIS GEM: “I have been in darkness but that doesn’t make me darkness.”
“I never wrote no confession twice or signed anything like that you sick bitch mind you would sell your soul for something that ant (ain’t) there…yes Ive got the secrets and Im far to wise to give them up—Fuck all you people thats put me in a cage for 30 years…Im not angry at you you gave the news
paper things that ade me look like I had fucked up in my words & cut my balls off.”
(NOTE: He’s referring to the my story published in Harper’s Weekly. They printed his letter and made editorial comments.)
“Your the one in darkness…I can kill a fool if he gets in my circle & if my life is at stake.”
He calls me a punk.
“The truth is RR I would without anger or emotion cut your face off your tongue & leave you on display.” (NOTE: More degrading comments, including calling me a maggot again and other things. A few sentences later on page 3 he writes):
“Don’t kill yourself RR because you killed the only friend you ever came close to.”
October 28 1976. From Vacaville. 1 page ltr on legal-sized paper. This letter is about our disagreement—battle is a better term—Manson wanted me to return his letters. Once again, I disagreed. The “D” in this letter refers to Dennis Patrick O’Donnell, a man tougher than Tough Dude and highly feared. D is likened to Clint Eastwood in his spaghetti films. D allied himself with me on the issue of returning the letters.
Manson informed me he will send the Raven to my place. Refer to the letter dated July 1 1976, where more info is provided on Tough Dude.
In this letter CM comments about D being another lost soul who has been tossed into society’s garbage heap.
I informed CM that I will send a dove to cool during our feud. He replied that he is sending the Raven.
D intervened and slipped a note to CM that no harm should come to me. D refers to himself as “the winner of a thousand battles.” If harm came to me, D would be the winner of 1001 battles.
Letter received in 1976 from Vacaville postmark not clear. Thirteenpages legal-sized pages.
Included is a news clip from the Sacramento Bee dated March 31 1976. It’s a story about Jerry Rubin autographing a book for a fan. Manson asked to get a copy for him.
Also included is a one-page letter from a contributing writer for New Times. He’s asking a second time for an interview: “Together we could produce an extraordinary document abut who you are and how you feel.”
Manson made multiple comments on the sides of the letter; as well as comments above and below the page. One lengthy comment focuses on Timothy Leary. Manson says he tuned in and dropped out a long time ago. (NOTE: Leary and Manson met at Vacaville Prison. They had adjoining cells for a brief time. Their exchange is reported in my screenplay Tricking Charles Manson.
In another page of the the letter Manson focuses on Tim Leary and gurus who used LSD “to rewire the brains” of their followers. He mentions the government using LSD experiments to see its effect on brainwashing.
November 30 1976. from Vacaville 2 pages on 8 ½ in paper. CM IS TRIED TO BRING ORDER TO THE PLANET. When he freed from prison in 1967 his mission was to save the water and restore the “earth’s balance” (eco-solution). “I call me a (he drew the swastika) life.” He wanted to stop the suicidal people from further suicidal acts on the planet. Once again the swastika is drawn.
December 1 1976. from Vacaville. 4 pages on 8 ½ x 11”. NOTE: pages are 5,6 & two pages are not numbered.
Manson is writing to someone but the person is unknown. As he did not include pages 1-3 it is difficult to determine who the recipient is. He uses fear to instill love.
“My works was only to free not slave”
ABOUT VIOLENCE VS NON-VIOLENCE: “You say nonviolence I would like that but what of the people who dont understand the ways of a gentil (gentle) child Ive worked to live a total destruction” He talks about the woman he wants to take as his wife. She must surrender her will to him.
December 6 1976. From Vacaville. 2 pages on 8 x ½ in paper.
This is CM’s CHRISTMAS LIST.
CM reminds me “what I git in the Xmas package will haft to last me a year.”
His list: Pall Mall cigarettes, Las Palmas or Mark 4 cigrs & some good smoke stuff, like Canadian pipe tobacco. Some good cocoa—no Nestles. Hard candy
He will send me $200 (I declined). He requests I send $100 in presents to Dennis Patrick O’Donnell.
He said if I ever to go prison he will not be able to send me a Xmas box but he could send me a song.
December 6 1976 from Vacaville. 2 pp on 8 ½ x 11” paper. No sig. NOTE: This is addressed to Lyn Fromme & Sandy Good (Red & Blue). On the top margin of page 1 is written, “Letter in parts” He’s pleading to hold the family together. People like Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten & Patricia Krenwrinkel have forsaken him. Manson says he can be trusted because he’s always truthful. “But you cant trust anyone els because they don’t even tell themselves the truth.”
He refers to an unnamed family members and writes: “No one named Charles Manson forced you to do nothing—He never judged you But its you who ran your own judgments on yourselves.”
December 8 1976 from Vacaville. 6 pages on legal-sized paper. The letter is addressed to Timothy Leary; all six pages are devoted to Leary. (NOTE: put in background when Manson & Leary were in adjoining cells for a brief period and relate their exchange.) Manson is furious with Leary. When Leary became an inmate he was recognized as the most looked-up man in the slammer. Manson was relegated to second place. Manson accused Leary of being responsible for selling out to the “money mind.” Manson accused Leary of being responsible for killing many children of the land “drop out to death” is Manson’s phrase.
He wrote that Leary was just another “school brain dummie.” Leary has “book brain confusion”—like others who are well-educated. Leary is a coward, in CM’s eyes, for failing to languish in his cell for a long period of time. “You (Leary) cant sit in a cell with yourself.” Leary did not have the courage, as Manson has, to sit in darkness and be willing to behold what the eye could see in the pit.
It is Manson who possesses the eyes beyond all eyes.
It is Manson who is the astute observer. “Just watching, not doing,” are Manson’s words.
“The eyes can teach much to the soul.”
Manson is angry because Leary referred to him as being an evil person. “I never use that word,” Manson wrote. This is in reference in their brief conversation when Leary called Manson “a control freak.” ABOUT WISDOM: “Your words speek wisdom,” Manson writes, “but your actions dont match.”
ABOUT FEARING MANSON: Many people say “that I hold fear and that Im in fear. Leary, you may have some fear for me also. ON POWER OVER OTHERS: “I never looked for power over others.”
Manson admires Leary’s SMILE.
Manson thinks Leary should move to India along with Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman. In India they can “help Baba Ram Dassburg pimp off some more Christian ass
More attention is devoted to power.
December 9 76. Vacaville 2 page ltr on 8 ½ inch paper.
“I never broke the law—they did.” (referring to the judge & jury in the murder trial. He sees himself above the law. In another letter he writes: “I am the law.”
He’s mad at the National Enquirer and other reporters. They failed to print what he said at interviews.
He’s helping me to write the book but he feels inadequate in “paper words.”
He giveth. permission.
Tells how he learned a valuable lesson from a mule while in the desert.
December 13 1976 from Vacaville. 2 page ltr on 8 ½ x 11 in paper. He giveth. permission CM included the letter from the prison administrator (Ed George). The letter states that Richard Rubacher might be a Manson follower; is so, his correspondence with Manson will be terminated.) CM hopes the upcoming visit with me will be an all-day affair. He wants me to bring cigarettes. I should bring an agenda. He doubts any publisher will clamor for the book.
December 27 1976. From Vacaville. 2 pages on 8 ½ in paper. MYSTICAL: “I am the survival & the balance of both. I am one with my inner self because I think as a child—I don’t think I know—Knowing has no doubts no questions it is faith in what is, I put my faith in my Christ self & that’s me.”
UNUSUAL IN
TERPRETATION OF CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS: “You have committed no sin.” (NOTE: Matthew Fox, a Catholic priest was ex-communicated by the Vatican for his book Original Blessing. Father Fox never took to the idea of Original Sin.)
CM says we “were trained to think you sined” (sic).
CM says, “I am the truth & the way.”
He states the difference between him and me: “Ive been reborn in into new time & now is my reality” (NOTE: another advanced Buddhist concept).
January 3 1977. Vacaville. 2 pencil drawings; 1 post card of little girl in red; CM note on back of card
Two unusual pencil drawings. Manson hovers over Lyn Fromme & Sandy Good.
The second drawing is the devil with horns.
The postcard of the little girl in red bears a striking resemblance to Lyn Fromme
CM makes a brief comment on the back of the little girl postcard.
January 12 1977 from Vacaville. 3 pages on legal-sized paper. He asks me to be prepared for the upcoming interview. (It was a visit, not an interview.) He wants me to spend as much time as I can.)He will not see me unless he is not ‘cuffed. It turned out he wasn’t cuffed. He said some of what he tells me will be private. (Once again, I told him I am the writer.)
He wrote, “Dont come to see me unless you sent my last letters along.” (I told him I cannot forward any letters to the family. That will get me in trouble with the prison.)
(The meeting was the best of all possible worlds as we were escorted to the attorney’s room. No guards were present. Manson was not ‘cuffed.)
Received February 2 1977 from Vacaville. 1 page. No sig. The Enquirer never sent him or Lyn Fromme a copy of the interview they did.
The guitar I sent him got broke. He failed to tell me that he broke it in a fit of rage (over what I don’t know.
His prison friend Phil told him the chapters I sent CM were more about me than CM. Manson drew a smile.
March 1 1977. From Vacaville. 1 page on 8 ½ in paper.
CM says he will let me interview him when the prison removes its handcuff policy.
Charles Manson's Blood Letters: dueling with the devil Page 6