The Case For The UFO

Morris K. Jessup was an American writer who achieved note in the 1950s for his work on unidentified flying objects (UFOs). His most famous book, The Case for the UFO, published in 1955, argued that UFOs were a subject worthy of serious study. This book introduced some ideas that became popular themes in UFOlogy, including speculations about ancient monuments being linked to prehistoric superscience, predating similar claims made by Erich von Däniken. The Allende letters and the Philadelphia Experiment controversy Jessup's book, The Case for the UFO, became central to a conspiracy theory known as the "Philadelphia Experiment" due to unusual annotations in one copy. In 1956, Carl Meredith Allen, also known as Carlos Miguel Allende, sent an annotated copy of Jessup's book to the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) and also sent letters to Jessup. These handwritten notes and letters claimed to detail a secret World War II U.S. Navy experiment where a ship was allegedly rendered invisible and accidentally teleported. The notes also discussed alien races and advanced technology. This annotated version was later published as the "Varo Edition". Allen eventually confessed that he made up the story, but the "Philadelphia Experiment" conspiracy theory has persisted. Jessup's death and controversy Morris K. Jessup died on April 20, 1959, in Dade County, Florida, where he was found dead in his car with a hose connected from the exhaust pipe into a rear window. His death was officially ruled a suicide. However, the circumstances surrounding his death have led to various conspiracy theories, often linking it to his involvement with the "Philadelphia Experiment" and the alleged secret knowledge he possessed about it. Some of Jessup's friends suggested he might have been driven to suicide by the ridicule he faced over the "Allende Case..