Media1956

Allende letters and the annotated Jessup book behind the 'Philadelphia Experiment' myth

When: 1956
Sources: 2 public sources

USS Eldridge, the ship named in the Allende letters as the subject of the alleged Philadelphia Experiment U.S. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

After Morris Jessup's 1955 book The Case for UFO's, a writer calling himself Carlos Allende sent him letters claiming the Navy made a ship invisible in 1943, and an annotated copy of the book reached the Office of Naval Research in 1956. ONR says no such experiment was ever conducted.

Sources

OfficialInformation Sheet: Philadelphia Experiment (Office of Naval Research), archived copy of NHHC FAQ page (opens in a new tab)U.S. Navy, Naval History and Heritage Command (archived by UNT Libraries) / 1996-09-08
PressThe Philadelphia Experiment: The bizarre WWII urban legend about an invisible Navy destroyer (opens in a new tab)Task & Purpose / 2022-05-17

How sources are chosen and tiered

Where it fits

Earlier in MediaDonald Keyhoe publishes 'The Flying Saucer Conspiracy'5 Dec 1955 Later in MediaGray Barker's 'They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers' spreads the Men in Black story1956

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