The August 1993 release of an interview transcript with Beckham affirmed that Crisman managed his singing career and had introduced him to the UFO world. [12]

One other UFO circuit personality had a non-encounter with Crisman: Wayne Aho. Aho had remained active in the ufological community since his spaceship encounter in the Mojave Desert on May 11, 1957. Crisman invited him to attend the First Midwest UFO Conference in Omaha, Nebraska on August 12, 1967. Aho showed, but Crisman did not. Aho had previous involvement with shady characters on the UFO fringe. He and a business associate named Otis T. Carr were indicted in the late 50s for an investment scheme to develop a flying saucer that ran on free energy. The two were indicted for selling hundreds of thousands in illegal stocks, but charges against Aho were dropped. Carr was convicted and given a $5,000 fine. Like the money that Beckham and Crisman allegedly raised, the final disposition of Carr's profits remains unknown.

Aside from these instances, Crisman kept to his principle of avoiding publicity with regard to Maury Island and UFOs. He returned to his traveling and "the areas of a business world that has no interest in such matters."

After the radio show, the Garrison subpoena, and his career with politics and the public, Crisman tried to start a public television station in Tacoma in 1975.[13]

The charge that he was one of the mystery tramps at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963 arose again in the mid-70s in articles that appeared in True magazine and Crawdaddy. Crisman maintained his story that he was teaching high school in Rainier on that day. [14]

The next time Fred Crisman ran for office, for a seat on the City Council; he lost by over 10,000 votes. [15] In September 1974, he was hospitalized for kidney failure. In April 1975 he married Mary Frances Borden, an ally in his library political battles. On December 10, 1975, Fred Crisman died at the age of 56. [16]

Endnotes:

[1] This is found in something called the Easy Papers, discussed at length in the book, Maury Island UFO (IllumiNet Press, 1999).

[2] Wilkins, Jack, "Slim Praises Pals, Raps Detractors as Era Ends," Tacoma News Tribune, January 7, 1970.

[3] "Hodges Halts Libel Suit," Tacoma News Tribune, February 4, 1970.

[4] "CTV Firm Plans To Sue City Council," Tacoma News Tribune, April 16, 1971; "Complete Unofficial Councilman Vote," Tacoma News Tribune, September 22, 1971.

[5] Gibbs, Al, "Mismanagement Called Cause of Libraries Woes," Tacoma News Tribune, October 13, 1971; "Library Director Answers Critic," Tacoma News Tribune, October 13, 1971; "Three Attend Library Meet," Tacoma News Tribune, January 26,1972.

[6] Wilkins, Jack, "Politics Looms In Affairs of Tacoma Library Board," Tacoma News Tribune, August 7, 1973. Gibbs, Al, "Library In Hubbub: Jarstad, Crisman Exchange Invective," Washington News Tribune, August 22, 1973); Anderson, Win, "Crisman Resigns Position, Charges Library Politics," Tacoma News Tribune, October 7, 1973.

[7] The Hahanos say that this actually took place at a meeting of something called Understanding Incorporated at the Tacoma Public Library on February 4. Correspondence from Gary Leslie indicates the July date. In either case, this was two years before Mayor Rasmussen appointed him to the board and a year before he started broadcasting on KAYE. (UFO Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 34.)

[8] The Hanohanos note that this establishes Crisman's connection to New Orleans a year before Garrison's subpoena (UFO Vol. 9, No. 1, 34.)

[9] The Hanohanos quote Dahl's widow Helen as saying "Something happened in the late 1960s to change the relationship between my husband and Fred. Fred began calling the shots. It's possible that Fred was blackmailing Hal." It should be recalled, however, that Dahl owned the boat upon which he had his UFO encounter but nevertheless reported it to his "boss," Fred Crisman. Crisman dominated the relationship even in 1947.

[10] Support for this notion comes in the form of other letters written by "F. Lee" to noted UFO researcher Lucius Farish in Plumerville, Arkansas from November 1967 to January 1968. The correspondence discusses technical particulars of a well-organized but small and invite-only paranormalist study group called Parapsychology Research, including that its new director would be Crisman chum Robert Lavender, and gives a detailed report about Maury Island. The letters also make mention of the Loch Ness monster and the San Juan Lights and of networking with over 200 Fortean societies. They contain Crisman's complaints about the UFO community, repeat the allusion to The Invaders TV show, and note that "Any letter sent to Hal Dahl is usually answered by Crisman - if he bothers to answer at all."

[11] Hanohano, Kalani and Fatiuska, "Beckham Talks About Crisman," UFO Magazine, Volume 9, Number 1, 1994, pp. 36-38. The Hanohanos also discuss Milton Northdruft, who had lunch with Stranges and Beckham. Northdruft reports, "Beckham was quite an enterprising individual and gave me the impression of operating rather smoothly, having some solid people on which he could depend when things actually got under way at 8:00 p.m. that evening, with Frank Stranges speaking." Also according to the Hanohanos, Stranges "was very hesitant to discuss the matter" with investigator Bill La arl when approached about it at Timothy Beckley's 1992 UFO conference in Phoenix.

[12] House Select Committee on Assassinations transcript 014888, Thomas eckham interviewed by Robert Baras and L. J. Delsa.

[13] Sypher, Richard, "TV Station's Promoters Assail TNT Coverage," Tacoma News Tribune, January 10, 1975.

[14] Shomshak, Vem, "True Magazine Less Than True-Crisman Says of Article on JFK's death," Tacoma News Tribune, May 22, 1975. "Secret Agent Man Meets The Mystery Tramp," Crawdaddy, November 1975. In December 1978, the House Select Committee on Assassinations summoned Stanley Peerboom, the principal at Rainer High School, to produce Crisman's employment records from the time. Peerboom complied, producing a two-page list with a single handwriting demonstrating that no substitute had been called for Crisman on November 22, 1963. It does reflect several absences for Crisman the following February through May. The accompanying letter from Peerboom points out that "Since the school district did not keep very extensive records at the time, I cannot supply the exact information which you requested. I am supplying all that is available. "In a separate letter, however, Peerboom includes the remark, "I can also verify that on the day of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, I was teaching at the school and Fred Lee Crisman was also teaching at the school on that day." He concludes, "I might mention that I regard Mr. Crisman as a person lacking in truth. I can only say if it is important, I can give reasons for the above statement." Peerboom also doubted the authenticity of a letter he received from Crisman's wife Mary, asking for copies of the same records, but included the letter with the materials he sent to the HSCA.

[15] "Elections At A Glance," Tacoma News Tribune, November 5, 1975.