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round 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 in Washington； D。C。 While I was gone an old army buddy； a serious； quiet man who worked in advertising； stayed in my apartment。 He was totally reliable and not a practical joker。 When I returned I found a stack of messages from phone calls he had received while I was gone。 One was from George Clark； a UFO enthusiast in New Jersey。 He had called on March 23 and asked for me to call him back。 I never got around to it。 So a few days later he called again and I apologized for not returning his previous call。 There was a stunned silence on the other end and then he slowly told me that I had called him back around 10 P。M。 on March 27。 A voice that sounded exactly like mine had talked to him at length； using my pet expressions and nonmittal statements such as； 〃Well； we'll just have to wait and see what happens next。〃
Two days later George said he called my number again around 8 P。M。 and a 〃hippie〃 answered。 〃No； man； Mr。 Keel ain't here right now 。。。 but he ought to be back soon。 Would you like to leave a message； man？〃 George left a message with him。
That particular evening I was back in New York and sitting next to my phone。
Three months earlier； on January 18； 1968； my phone went dead again。 The main office of my exchange could find nothing wrong； so a repairman was dispatched to my apartment。 He examined my telephone but it seemed okay。 I acpanied him to the basement where he unlocked the telephone room and began examining the maze of wires。 The multitude of connections are coded in such a vague way that only a real expert can pick out an individual line。
〃This is where your line is connected；〃 he explained to me。 〃And you see 。。。〃 He stopped and stared at the wires。 〃Look at this。 This wire has been cut。〃 He waved a neatly snipped wire。 Someone had managed to single out my telephone line in that maze and cut it with a pair of pliers！
As soon as the wire was spliced and my phone was working again I called my friendly telephone representative。
〃This I must have in writing；〃 I snapped。
A few days later I received a letter from her stating that my phone had bee disconnected on January 18 because a piece of solder in the main office had loosened。 I knew there was only one piece of solder on my line in the main exchange and I had examined it personally only the month before。
Between the IRS； the phone pany； Apol and his gang； and flying saucers I was rapidly being a candidate for the funny farm。
18 … Something Awful Is Going to Happen 。。。
I。
Mrs。 Virginia Thomas was working in her kitchen deep inside the TNT area when she heard a loud squeaking sound unlike anything she had ever heard before in her years there。
〃The best way I can describe it；〃 she told Mrs。 Hyre and me； 〃is that it was like a bad fan belt 。。。 but much louder。 I stepped outside。 It seemed to be ing from one of the igloos。 Then I saw a huge shadow spreading across the grass。 It was just after noon so there shouldn't have b