Review of Hoax: The Philadelphia Experiment Unraveled, by P.J. Dowers. Pandora's Press, 2012. Available from TheBookPatch.com, $15.95. Hoax is an odd title for a book so committed to the reality of the Philadelphia Experiment--invisibility, teleportation, and all. This is a rather odd book in … [Read more...]
The Philadelphia Experiment and Joe Gould
Once there was a man called Carl Allen, otherwise known as Carlos Allende, who had within him a secret. (Don’t we all?) From that secret, as yet undiscovered, Carl Allen created a myth called “the Philadelphia Experiment” which reverberates within our culture to this day. He died in 1994, … [Read more...]
The Philadelphia Experiment – The Fury of an Invisible Man
Of course he was insane. Now: having said this, have we said anything worth knowing? That’s what I can’t quite figure out. The earliest letter relevant to Carl Allen in the Barker files is dated 22 July 1954. The latest is 22 December 1985—almost a year after Barker died. These are two of … [Read more...]
The Philadelphia Experiment – “Amigo, I Do Not Underestimate You”
Will a biography of Carl Allen, a.k.a. Carlos Allende, ever be written? I doubt it. In the events of his life there’s not much of interest. Mystery shrouds his one great achievement—the creation of a myth that’s spawned at least one novel, at least two purportedly non-fiction books and two … [Read more...]
The Philadelphia Experiment – “Carlos Allende Speaks”
When did Carl Allen begin to grasp that he was no longer an invisible, insignificant drifter but an exotic mystery man, earnestly sought after by “those who ponder the elusive disks” (Gray Barker’s phrase), himself as elusive as any of them? That Hispanicized Carlos Allende had become a hero of … [Read more...]
