Charles Berlitz
THE
PHILADELPHIA
EXPERIMENT
Copyright © 1979 by William Moore and Charles Berlitz
First published in the U.S.A. by Grosset & Dunlap Inc.,
First British Edition published 1979 by Souvenir PressLtd., 43 Great Russell Street,
London WC1B3PA Reissued in paperback 1990 Reissued 1994 Reprinted 1997 Reprinted 2004
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Copyright owner.
ISBN 0 285 62999 9
Made and printed in Great Britain by Cox & Wyman Ltd, Reading, Berkshire.
The publishers gratefully acknowledge permission to reprint the following:
Selection from Albert Einstein, Creator and Rebel by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffmann. Copyright © 1972 by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman. Reprinted by permission of Viking-Penguin, Inc.
Selection from The New York Times © 1940 by The New York Times Company. Reprinted by permission.
Dedicated to the outriders of science whose quest for knowledge takes them to the most distant stars and to the innermost worlds.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
It is more than thirty years since the events surrounding the Philadelphia Experiment are purported to have taken place. Many of the people who may have been concerned are now dead; others may be too afraid to come forward; any documentary evidence, if it ever existed, has vanished and is unlikely to come to light. Whether or not there was ever an experiment in invisibility which succeeded so dramatically and terribly, cannot under present circumstances be completely substantiated.
All that can be said is that during his long experience as a researcher and lecturer on the mysteries of the world, Charles Berlitz has been questioned more frequently on the Philadelphia Experiment than on any other subject. Despite a succession of dead ends, denials by the American Office of Naval Information and a total lack of concrete evidence, the subject will not die. Somehow, somewhere, it originated, and enough faith in its possible authenticity survives to lead the authors to suggest that it could have happened. They have carried out the most painstaking research, and while no final proof has emerged, they feel that the evidence they have collected is probably as much as we shall ever possess with which to judge the truth. The fact that Einstein progressed to a certain point with his Unified Field Theory means that the possibility of making something - or someone - invisible cannot be ruled out; many equally incredible theories have in recent years achieved respectability through sound scientific research, and we know that we are but scratching the surface of the many strange phenomena crowding our universe.
Here, then, is the story of the Philadelphia Experimem. The authors leave it to us to make up our own minds as to whether we can believe it or not.
CONTENTS
Introduction
1 A Close Encounter with the Incredible
2 Fan Mail for a Scientist
3 The Navy Takes Note
4 Some Clues and a Few Conjectures
5 The Mysterious Senor Allende
6 Investigations Can Be Fatal
7 The Einstein Connection
8 The Elusive Archives
9 The Unexpected Key
10 The Force Fields of Townsend Brown
11 The Reality of the Impossible
12 The Circle Closes Acknowledgements Chronological Bibliography
When a distinguished but elderly scientist slates that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong. Arthur C Clarke
Actually the biggest deterrent to scientific progress is a refusal of some people, including scientists to believe that things that seem amazing can really happen.
George S. Trimble (of Glenn L. Martin Co. 1955; and later, director of
NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston)
INTRODUCTION
by Charles Berlitz
During my research for the writing of The Bermuda Triangle I came across an incident so unusual in terms of accepted scientific possibility as to be almost incredible. In earlier ages, perhaps, it would doubtlessly have been easier to believe, but only as a manifestation of pure magic - the work of wizards. For the alleged incident concerned nothing less than a successful experiment in invisibility, performed in 1943 in the decidedly unmagical surroundings of the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
According to one version of this incident, a Navy destroyer escort was caused, by a series of magnetic manifestations, to vanish temporarily and then to reappear at another place. More detailed versions tell of deleterious effects on crew members who manned the disappearing craft and whose psychological after-effects and in some instances deaths caused further experimentation to be abandoned.
This incident, story, or legend has been consistently denied by the Office of Naval Information but nevertheless appears to have a persistent and ever-expanding life through references in print and insistent declarations by individuals (who generally are unwilling to be named) who claim to have witnessed the events which now, for want of a better (or code) name, are referred to as the 'Philadelphia Experiment.'
My own special interest in the Philadelphia Experiment was connected with the possibility that a shift in the molecular composition of matter, induced by intensified and resonant magnetism, could cause an object to vanish -one possible explanation of some of the disappearances within the Bermuda Triangle. In my lectures throughout the nation and overseas I noted an extraordinary public interest when I mentioned the Philadelphia Experiment, and. surprisingly, occasionally there appeared a 'witness,1 who usually had a passion for anonymity.
During a college lecture appearance two years ago I met a young English teacher, an author with a flair for research. His obsessive interest in the Philadelphia Experiment story has taken him to various parts of the country, and his dedication has helped him to overcome official denials, to locate conveniently missing documents, to renew the memory of forgetful witnesses, and even to find certain key scientists whose proximity to and familiarity with this experiment *which never took place* had impelled them to live quietly in an extremely isolated area, perhaps for reasons of health (or survival).
This new research unearthed by Bill Moore, the tireless researcher referred to above, has been incorporated into the following joint investigation which presents information never before revealed; information which indicates that the 'impossible' experiment actually took place. The research itself is a fascinating exercise in overcoming official inertia, camouflage, and cover-up. The inference is extraordinary, for if the experiment was carried on as indicated, we once stood, and perhaps still stand, at the edge of the discovery of how to make objects and people, others and ourselves, invisible - one of the oldest dreams of man.
But this and other ancient dreams no longer seem so unattainable, especially since 1945, when a dream of supreme and explosive power first became an actuality at Alamogordo. Coincidentally, at least two other projects more properly reserved to the domain of science fiction were reportedly under way at a time (1943) when America was seeking unusual aids for protection and survival. One of these was concerned with antigravity and the other with invisibility, but work on these was reportedly suspended with the evident success of the atom bomb.
This unusual book makes a surprisingly concrete case for the actuality of this experiment in invisibility. At the same time one might consider the premise that the most remarkable discoveries of scien
ce should not necessarily be triggered by wartime conditions - an example being the peaceful exploration of space.
If the Philadelphia Experiment was stopped at the edge of success, one feels that perhaps it should be started again or continued. For, as the universe expands
around us, we cannot remain at a standstill in our efforts to unlock the cosmic secrets of matter, space, and time.
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
OFFICt OF INFORMATION
WASHINGTON C»C 20350 WtPi* HlfER to
OI-2252A/JW/dh
Z 3 JUL 197S
Over the years we have received innumerable queries about the so-called "Philadelphia Experiment" or "Project" and the alleged role of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in it. The frequency of these queries predictably intensifies each time the experiment is mentioned by the popular press# often in a science fiction book.
The genesis of the Philadelphia Experiment myth dates back to 1955 with the publication of The Case for UFO's by the late Dr. Morris K. Jessup, a scientist with a Ph.D. Tn~astrophysics and a varied career background.
Some time after the publication of the book. Dr. Jessup received a letter by a Carlos Miquel Allende, who gave his address as R.D. #1, Box 22 3, New Kensington, PA. In the letter, Allende commented on Dr. Jessup's book and gave details of an alleged secret naval experiment in Philadelphia in 1943. During the experiment, according to Allende, a ship was rendered invisible and tele-ported to and from Norfolk in a few minutes, with some terrible after-effects for the crew members. Supposedly, this incredible feat was accomplished by applying Einstein's never-completed "unified field" theory. Allende claimed that he had witnessed the experiment from another ship and that the incident was reported in a Philadelphia newspaper. Neither the identify of Allende, nor that of the newspaper has ever been established.
■
In 1956 a copy of Jessup's book was mailed anonymously to Admiral Furth, the Chief of Naval Research. The pages of the book were interspersed with hand-written annotations and marginalia apparently made by three different persons as they passed the book back and forth among them. The notations implied a knowledge of UFO's, their means of motion and generally, the culture and ethos of the beings occupying *-hese UFO's.
The book came to the attention of two officers then assigned to ONR who happened to have a personal interest in the subject.
It was they who contacted Dr. Jessup and asked him to take a look at his book. By the wording and style of one of the writers of the notations, Dr. Jessup concluded that the writer was the
,
same person who had written him about the Philadelphia Experiment. It was also these two officers who personally had the book retyped and who arranged for the publication, in typewritten form, of 25 copies. The officers and their personal belongings have left ONR many years ago, and we do not have even a file copy of the annotated book.
The Office of Naval Research never conducted an official study of the manuscript. As for the Philadelphia Experiment itself, ONR has never conducted any investigations on invisibility, either in 1943 or at any other time. (ONR was established in 1946.) In view of present scientific knowledge, our scientists do not believe that such an experiment could be possible except in the realm of science fiction. A scientific discovery of such import, if it nad in fact occurred, could hardly remain secret for such a long time.
I hope this provides a satisfactory answer to your inquiry.
Sincerely,
VJ. Sli'irfea
BETTY W. SHIRLEY *
Head, Research and Public Inquiries Section
Left and above: Form letter sent by the Department of the Navy to persons request information about the Philadelphia Experiment
Below: Albert Einstein conferring with Naval officers in his study, Princeton, N Jersey, July 24. 1943 (National Archives)
* * *
Federal Ship Basin and Drydock at Port Newark, New Jersey, where the U.S.S. Eldridge (DE 173) was built. This photo was kept under classification by the Navy for 22 years (National Archives)
MOST SECRET
The Inter-Services Code-Word Index containing the code word 'Rainbow' which may have been the project name for the Philadelphia Experiment. When first contacted, the National Archives reported no record of Project Rainbow, and no knowledge of an index of projects; but when the name 'Rainbow' was later given to the National Archives, this proof print of the index was obtained
Meeting of the Project Orbiter Committee (the group that contacted Dr Jessup) on March 17, 1955 in Washington D.C. (Seated left to right): Cdr George W. Hoover, Office of Naval Research; Frederick C. Durant, III, Arthur D. Little, Inc.; James B. Kendrick, Aerophysics Development Corp.; William A. Giardini, Alabama Tool and Die; Philippe W. Newton, Dept, of Defense; Rudolf H. Schlidt, Army Ballistic Missile Agency; Gerhard Heller, ABMA; Wernher von Braun, ABMA; (Standing):
Lt Cdr William E. Dowdell, USN; Alexander Satin, ONR; Cdr Robert C. Truax, UDN; Liston Tatum, IBM; Austin W. Stanton, Varo, Inc.; Fred L. Whipple, Harvard University; George W. Petri, I8M; Lowell 0. Anderson, ONR; Milton W. Rosen, NRL
(Smithsonian Institution)
CHAPTER ONE
A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE INCREDIBLE
The area around Colorado Springs is particularly beautiful at all times of the year, but especially so in the late summer when the heat of the day is tempered by cool nights and the skies sometimes have an almost crystal clarity. It was on one such evening in 1970 that two airmen, James Davis of Maryland and Allen Huse of Texas, lacking anything in particular to do, set out with a camera for a refreshing walk in nearby War Memorial Park. The air was warm and pleasant, and as dusk came on, Huse began to occupy himself with taking photographs of the moon. Davis strolled around the park, enjoying the welcome break from the routine at nearby Colorado Springs Air Force Base, where both men had been stationed for some months.
A moment later, Davis was suddenly approached by a rather strange-looking man whom he had noticed earlier hanging around the War Memorial monument - a
short, balding, somewhat unkempt fellow. He recalls noticing that the man had a sort of faraway look in his eyes. Davis' initial reaction was that he was about to be asked for a handout. But a surprise was in store for him.
'Notice you're in the Air Force,' the man said. 'How do you like it?'
Davis responded that he got along all right, but that he sometimes wished the routine weren't so rigorous. 'Not enough time to relax,' he said.
The man agreed.
One thing led to another and soon the two were busy exchanging stories.
'You know,' said the small man, 'I was an officer once. Navy - during the war. But they did things to me. Finally put me out to pasture. Crazy, they say.' He tapped the side of his head lightly with a finger. 'But I'm not, you know. It was that experiment that did it. Couldn't take the pressure, so they put me out.'
He pulled out a wallet and flashed a worn and obviously outdated ID card. 'See?' he said. 'Navy, just like I said.'
Davis was curious. 'Experiment?' he said. 'Just what sort of an experiment are you talking about?'
The answer stunned him.
'Invisibility,' said the man. 'It was when they were trying to make a ship invisible. It would have been perfect camouflage if it had worked. And it did, too! With the ship, that is. But those of us on board ... well, it didn't work too well on us. We couldn't stand the effects of the energy field they were using. It did things to us. I should never have taken that assignment up to Philadelphia. It was Top Secret. I could've backed out, but I didn't. If I'd had any idea what I was getting myself into, I sure as hell would have told them where to get off.'
Davis was beginning to wonder whether he was hearing what he thought he was.
'Just what are you talking about?' he wanted to know. 'Are you saying that the Navy tried to make you invisible, in some sort of experiment, or what?'
'Electronic camouflage,' came the answer. 'Some sort of electrical camouflage produced by pulsati
ng energy fields.
I don't know exactly what sort of energy they were using, but there was sure a lot of it. We couldn't take it - none of us. Though it affected us in different ways. Some only saw double, others began to laugh and stagger like they were drunk, and a few passed out. Some even claimed that they had passed into another world and had seen and talked to strange alien beings. And in some cases the effects weren't temporary. I was told later that several had died. Anyhow, I never saw them again. But as for the rest of us - those of us who survived - well, they just let us go.
Disability, they called it. Discharged as mentally unbalanced and unfit for further service. Pensioned off!' he said bitterly.
The Philadelphia Experiment: Project Invisibility Page 1