Dec 10 2007
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Vanishing Files…
You may be interested to know that the FBI has quietly removed from its website a PDF collection of documentation on alleged cases of spontaneous human combustion. Instead, all you get now is a summary of the files in question.
Interestingly, the FBI has also begun to remove other Fortean files, and UFO-related data, from its site too.
For example, up until very recently - but no longer, sadly - you could also download in PDF format the FBI’s 135-page file on Silas Newton, who was a key player in the legend of the alleged UFO crash at Aztec, New Mexico in March 1948.
Also: the FBI’s 42-page file on Philip Corso, of The Day After Roswell, has been completely deleted from the FBI’s site. All you get now is a name check listed in the “C” section of the Bureau’s online research page.
The 179-page FBI file on maverick scientist and Aleister Crowley disciple Jack Parsons is no longer available; the 287-page file on scientific genius Nikola Tesla is completely gone; as has the 789-page collection on Wilhelm “cloud-buster” Reich.
Some of the FBI’s files on weird phenomena - such as its UFO papers, its animal mutilation files, its MJ12 reports, and its Project Blue Book records - are still available.
But this recent deletion of what amounts to thousands of pages of “strange secrets” that the FBI had previously posted online in a handy, downloadable format is very curious indeed.
Of course, you can still get the files by filing a written request with the FBI; but that can take time, and for some of the larger files, it can cost significant amounts of money too.
Luckily, I downloaded all the now-missing files onto a CD some time ago…
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December 10th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I never realized the FBI had so much involvement with “high strangeness” subjects. Good bit of foresight you had there.
Damn, now I’d like to take a peek at the Tesla files especially.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
The good thing is that other people have copied the files too; and if you do a Google search on Tesla, Corso etc, you’ll find some places where copies of the files can also be obtained.
December 10th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
What is the legal status of these files? If they have been paid for by taxpayers and released to the public, then I’d imagine they are pretty much up for grabs.
It shouldn’t be a big deal then to provide some kind of mirror of the missing files - The Fortean FBI Files?
December 10th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Emperor:
Yeah, when the files are in the public domain, they are indeed up for grabs and cleared for usage.
For example, there are other sites on the net that have posted some of these files; it’s just weird that the FBI has started to delete them after years of being available on their site.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
I heard some guy who had downloaded the Parsons files interviewed by Adam Gorightly. I can’t remember if he said it was when he printed the files out or converted them into another format or something- but he was able to make out letters underneath blacked out portions. For example, one of the informants names was visible.
December 10th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Ben:
Yeah, Adam had told me that about a contact of his and the Parsons files. I’ve never experienced that; but I have received maybe 7 or 8 official files, where the the Black-Marker-Fiends sought to black out certain names, but missed one or two references, thus revealing to one and all the names of the people in question.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I rather think, its a combo of: some bureaucratic FBI webmaster deciding that people linking to the PDF files was ‘costing’ them too much bandwidth; and given the nature of the files someone deciding perhaps they were being too open on the web…
December 11th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Rob
That could indeed be so. The only problem with that is that the Corso file is only 40-plus pages, the Silas Newton is less than 150 pages, the spontaneous combustion file is less than 100 - and they’ve been removed.
Yet, huge, hulking files like the FBI files on Einstein and Frank Sinatra (both of which run into 1000s of pages) still remain.
Seems that if bandwidth were the issue, it would be the massive files (rather than small Fortean files) they’d be getting rid of.
I don’t find it sinister as such, because you can still request the files by mail and have them sent that way (even though costs may be involved).
But I do find it odd.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Maybe it’s got to do with the huge amount of paranormal/UFO movies that Hollywood is cooking for the next couple of years (The remake of “The Day The Eart Stood Still” among many others). My Grailer comrade Rick MG pointed out that the shooting of the new X-Files movie started this month, so maybe the FBI doesn’t want their servers collapsing with people searching for these kind of info
December 11th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Hey Nick, it’s not paranormal but if you have any interest in cults you should check out their file on the Moorish Science Temple of America. Their file was 3,117 pages long and is available online. There is a link to it on the Wikipedia page for the group.
December 11th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Nick,
You said: “I don’t find it sinister as such, because you can still request the files by mail and have them sent that way (even though costs may be involved).”
Agreed; still it is strange and all.
Further to my original post:
The size of the files may be small, but from my experience, I’ve had websites crash because suddenly there’s this itty bitty file or image that all of a sudden got popular and linked to.