Morris K. Jessup

Born near Rockville, Indiana, Jessup grew up with an interest in astronomy. He earned a bachelor of science degree in astronomy from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1925 and, while working at the Lamont-Hussey Observatory, received a master of science degree in 1926. Though he began work on his doctorate in astrophysics, he ended his dissertation work in 1931 and never earned the higher degree. Nevertheless, he was sometimes referred to as "Dr. Jessup". He apparently dropped his career and studies in astronomy and worked for the rest of his life in a variety of jobs unrelated to science, although he is sometimes erroneously described as having been an instructor in astronomy and mathematics at the University of Michigan and Drake University.[2]

Jessup has been referred to in ufological circles as "probably the most original extraterrestrial hypothesiser of the 1950s", and it has been said of him that he was "educated in astronomy and archeology and had working experience in both."[3] Actual evidence of an educational background in archaeology or archaeological field work is absent from Jessup's resume, but Jerome Clark[4] reports that Jessup took part in archeological expeditions to the Yucatan and Peru in the 1920s. Jessup documented an expedition to Cuzco he took part in during 1930.[5]

Jessup achieved some notoriety with his 1955 book The Case for the UFO, in which he argued that unidentified flying objects (UFOs) represented a mysterious subject worthy of further study. Jessup speculated that UFOs were "exploratory craft of 'solid' and 'nebulous' character."[6] Jessup also "linked ancient monuments with prehistoric superscience";[7] years later similar claims were made by Erich von Däniken in Chariots of the Gods? in 1968 and other books.

Jessup wrote three further flying-saucer books, UFOs and the Bible, The UFO Annual (both 1956), and The Expanding Case for the UFO (1957). The latter suggested that transient lunar phenomena were somehow related to UFOs in the earth's skies. Jessup's main flying-saucer scenario came to resemble that of the Shaver Hoax perpetrated by the science-fiction magazine editor Raymond A. Palmer—namely, that "good" and "bad" groups of space aliens were/are meddling with terrestrial affairs. Like most of the writers on flying saucers and the so-called contactees that emerged during the 1950s, Jessup displayed familiarity with the alternative mythology of human prehistory developed by Helena P. Blavatsky's cult of Theosophy, which included the mythical lost continents of Atlantis, Mu, and Lemuria.

Jessup attempted to make a living writing on the subject of UFOs, but his follow-up books did not sell well, and his publisher rejected several other manuscripts. In 1958 his wife left him, and he traveled to New York City; his friends described him as being somewhat unstable. After returning to Florida, he was involved in a serious car accident and was slow to recover, apparently increasing his despondency. On April 19, 1959, Jessup contacted Manson Valentine and arranged to meet with him the following day, claiming to have made a breakthrough regarding an event known as the Philadelphia Experiment. However, the next day, April 20, 1959, in Dade County, Florida, Jessup was found dead in his car. A hose had been run from the exhaust pipe into a rear window of the vehicle, which had filled with toxic fumes when turned on. The death was ruled a suicide. Some believed that "[t]he circumstances of Jessup's apparent suicide [were] mysterious",[8] and conspiracy theorists contended that his death was connected to his knowledge of the Philadelphia Experiment.[9] Although some of Jessup's friends suggested that he may have been driven to kill himself by the "Allende Case",[10] others said that he had been extremely depressed, and had discussed suicide with friends, for several months.[11]

• Jessup, Morris K. (1955). The Case for the UFO. New York: Citadel Press.
• Jessup, Morris K. (1956). UFO and the Bible. New York: Citadel Press.
• Jessup, Morris K. (1956). The UFO Annual. New York: Citadel Press.
• Jessup, Morris K. (1957). The Expanding Case for the UFO. New York: Citadel Press.

• The Philadelphia Experiment
• Unidentified flying object
• Ancient Astronauts
• Erich von Däniken

• Jessup, Morris K.; annotated by three unknown individuals (1957). The Case for the UFO, Varo Edition. Garland, TX: Varo Corporation; available online. Reprinted as: The Allende Letters And the VARO Edition of the Case For the UFO. Global Communications/Conspiracy Journal, November 2007, ISBN 1-892062-41-0
• Clark, Jerome (1988). The UFO Encyclopedia. Detroit: Omnigraphics.
• Richie, David (1994). UFO: The Definitive Guide to Unidentified Flying Objects and Related Phenomena. New York: Facts on File.
• Story, Ronald D. (2001). The Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters. Garden City, NY: New American Library.
• Story, Ronald D. (1980). The Encyclopedia of UFOs. Garden City, NY: Doubleday/Dolphin.
• Moore, William L.; Charles Berlitz (1979). The Philadelphia Experiment: Project Invisibility. New York: Fawcett Crest.
• Farrell, Joseph P. (2008). Secrets of the Unified Field: The Philadelphia Experiment, The Nazi Bell, and the Discarded Theory. Adventures Unlimited Press. ISBN 978-1-931882-84-2.

• The Philadelphia Experiment from A-Z - The highest quality and quantity of images, articles, USS Eldridge’s Logs, original research, and timeline of events
• Dr? Morris K. Jessup - His life, involvement with the Philadelphia Experiment, and his death
• The Varo Edition of The Case for the UFO All Information available, including original pages.
• Transcription of the Varo Edition of The Case for the UFO
• "Did the U.S. Navy teleport ships in the Philadelphia Experiment?" at The Straight Dope