d for wasting the taxpayers' money 。。。 and for putting this type of installation in a populated area。）
Meanwhile the Public Broadcasting Laboratories was having second thoughts about Dan Drasin's UFO special。 After nearly a year of work； and several trips to UFO flap areas； the program was suddenly canceled。 History repeated itself in 1973 when Fred Freed； an award…winning producer； began work on a white paper documentary for NBC News。 Ralph Blum and a team of technicians were in Mississippi interviewing Hickson and Parker when they suddenly received word that the program was being canceled because NBC needed the money and personnel to cover the Arab…Israeli War。
I had other problems。 I was going through one of my broke periods and owed the staggering sum of four hundred dollars in back taxes。 The IRS sent a representative around to see me every single week。 Once； two different IRS men turned up in the same week。 （They were not MIB 。。。 but were definitely from the IRS。） One seedy little character was so obnoxious and insulting that I actually grabbed him by the collar and physically threw him out of the apartment。 Another let slip a remark about a movie deal I was working on （it eventually fell through） which no one； not even my friends； knew about。 The only way he could have known about it was through listening to my telephone conversations。
Was the IRS tapping my phone for a lousy four hundred dollars？ Was I on somebody's 〃Enemies〃 list？
I was plaining to the telephone pany about my many crank calls and telephone interference； so I asked them to run a check and see if my phone Was being tapped。 A few days later my friendly telephone representative called me back。
〃You were right； Mr。 Keel；〃 she said。 〃Somebody is definitely tapped into your phone。〃
I switched on my tape recorder and asked her to repeat the statement； which she did。 Then I asked her to put it in writing； but she hedged there。
〃Do you have any idea who's tapping it？〃 I asked。
〃We can't tell that。 All we know is there's a drop in the voltage that indicates that someone is hooked up to it。〃
She promised to turn the matter over to a 〃Special Agent〃 for investigation。 Nothing ever came of that； either。
When I woke up on July 3； 1967； my line was dead。 I went down to the basement of my apartment building to call the phone pany on a pay phone。 As I walked along the basement corridor I saw the door to the telephone room； which was normally locked； was wide open and a man in coveralls was there surrounded by the jumble of wires from the hundreds of phones in the building。 I told him my phone was dead and he only shrugged。
〃You'll have to call the main office；〃 was his not very helpful advice。
My service did not resume for another twenty…four hours。
Although all my contactee calls were ining； my phone bills started to skyrocket that summer。 I was out of the city and away from my phone for two or three weeks at a time； but when I returned I would find a phone bill for 150…200 waiting。
And that was just the beginning。
III
A reporter on the Daily American in West Frankfort； Illinois； picked up his phone on February 16； 1967； and heard a weird echo chamber voice which instructed him to be at a certain pond at 3：15 A。M。 the following Sunday。 The reporter motioned to his co…workers and they picked up extensions to listen in。 The voice immediately said； 〃'Tell them to put down their phones。〃 Electronic sounds beeped and whistled behind the hollow speaker。 〃Bring no one with you。〃
The newsmen decided it was all a joke but that it 〃was a first…rate performance 。。。 whoever that was had talent and electronic equipment to work with。〃
In my travels I found that newspaper offices all over the country have received these calls； usually hollow voices that sound 〃like they're in the bottom of a well；〃 with background sounds like electronic music or Teletypes。 The purpose of the background is simple enough 。。。 it makes it impossible to tape the voices。 I've tried and found that the background pletely smothered the voice on the tape。
I kept a careful log of the crank calls I received and eventually cataloged the various tactics of the mysterious pranksters。 Some of these tactics are so elaborate they could not be the work of a solitary nut harassing UFO believers in his spare time。 Rather； it all appears to be the work of either paranormal forces or a large and well…financed organization with motives that evade me。
From my years in show business I know that talented mimics are rare and that some voices are almost impossible to imitate。 Nevertheless； our hypothetical Organization is able to mimic almost anyone…including myself。 And I have a flat； colorless voice somewhat like former Vice…President Spiro Agnew's。 Professional mimics like Rich〃 Little and David Frye were never able to get Agnew's voice down pat。
At 1 A。M。 on the morning of Friday； July 14； 1967； I received a call from a man who identified himself as Gray Barker from West Virginia。 The voice sounded exactly like Gray's softly accented mellifluous own； but he addressed me as if I were a total stranger and carefully called me 〃Mr。 Keel。〃 At first I wondered if maybe he hadn't been out celebrating。 The quiet； familiar drawl told me that he knew I wrote for newspapers and he had just heard about a case which he thought I should look into。 It was； he said； similar to the Derenstein case。 Gray and I had visited Woodrow Derenberger together so I knew this was not the kind of mistake he would make。
Around that time I had received a number of reports from people in the New York area who had been receiving nuisance calls from a woman who identified herself as 〃Mrs。 Gray Barker。〃 I knew that Gray was not married but when I mentioned these calls to this 〃Gray Barker〃 he paused for a moment and then said； 〃No； Mrs。 Barker hasn't been calling anybody up there。〃 He returned to his recital of an absurdly insignificant UFO sighting near West Mifflin； Pennsylvania。 It was not the kind of incident that would have inspired a long…distance call。 Later I did try to check it out and found all the information he gave me was false。
We talked for about ten minutes and throughout that period 〃Gray〃 sounded like a man under duress 。。。 as though someone was holding a gun to his head。 I tricked him several times with different meaningless references and by the time I hung up I was definitely convinced that this man was not the real Gray Barker。
An hour later my phone rang again and a young man said； 〃Gray Baker has been trying to reach you 。。。 he asked us to give you this number and to please call him。〃 He recited a number that was identical to my own except for the last digit。
There were more calls from strangers that night； and more pointless messages from Gray Baker。
The next day I called Gray long distance and he denied having placed the call； naturally。
Soon after that I discovered that another 〃John Keel〃 had been phoning people around the country； imitating my voice and mannerisms exactly。 Mary Hyre received one such call。 I phoned her a few days afterward and she said； 〃I'm glad you're feeling better 。。。 you sounded sick or drunk the other night。〃
〃What other night？〃
〃When you called a couple of nights ago。 Remember we talked about your letter and what you thought was going to happen on the river。〃
I had not called her and discussed the letter。 Nor had I discussed the disaster prediction with anyone other than the contactees who were told about it。
Jaye P。 Paro called me one morning to plain。
〃You must think I'm crazy。 I wouldn't go up to Mount Misery alone at midnight。〃
〃What are you talking about？〃 I demanded。
〃Last night。 You called and told me to meet you on Mount Misery。〃
〃I didn't call you last night； Jaye； and I certainly wouldn't ask you to do such a thing anyway。〃
〃You're putting me on。 It sounded exactly like you。〃
I spent most of March 1968 i