Bonus Episode 55 - the Finders Operation pt. 2: the Rogue’s Gallery and Deniable Operations, feat. John Brisson of We’ve Read the Documents

[originally published on Patreon May 18, 2023]

Today I'm joined by John Brisson of We've Read the Documents (@weve_read) to finish our discussion about the Finders. Brisson explains the flophouses and the day-to-day activities that the Finders seemed to engage in. 

Then, we go through the list of Finders members and associates. There was probable pedophile Roy Mason, zany doctor Hunter "Patch" Adams, polyamorous pioneer Michael Versace Rios, Carl R. Schleicher and Mankind Research Unlimited, Christopher Peter Bird, Robert Schwartz, Ken Keyes Jr., Dr. Carl Betz Shapley, Edwin Elkin and potential ties to the CoS, and Mildred Jensen Loomis and her commune. We discuss Norman Mailer's relations with the Finders, Gerry Davis, and the curious case of Steve E. Beltz. Beltz raises the possibilities of ties to Kenneth Grant-style magick. 

Finally, Brisson walks us through the events of the Tallahassee Incident of 1987 and why he believes the account of US Customs agent Ramon J. Martinez. We attempt to make sense of what the Finders were based on what can be proven with documentary evidence.

artwork by Dakota

Links:

⁠https://twitter.com/weve_read⁠

⁠https://linktr.ee/weveread⁠

Songs: