[What follows are some of the more interesting documents from the 30 pages contained in Philip K. Dick's FBI file. These documents were received after a routine Freedom of Information Act / Privacy Act request.]
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October 28, 1972
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Washington, D.C.
Gentlemen:
I am a well-known author of science fiction novels, one of which dealt with Nazi Germany (called MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, it described an "alternate world" in which the Germans and Japanese won World War Two and jointly occupied the United States). This novel, published in 1962 by Putnam & Co., won the Hugo Award for Best Novel of the Year and hence was widely read both here and abroad; for example, a Japanese edition printed in Tokio (sic) ran into several editions. I bring this to your attention because several months ago I was approached by an individual who I have reason to believe belonged to a covert organization involving politics, illegal weapons, etc., who put great pressure on me to place coded information in future novels "to be read by the right people here and there," as he phrased it. I refused to do this.
The reason why I am contacting you about this now is that it now appears that other science fiction writers may have been so approached by other members of this obviously anti-American organization and may have yielded to the threats and deceitful statements such as were used on me. Therefore I would like to give you any and all information and help I can regarding this, and I ask that your nearest office contact me as soon as possible. I stress the urgency of this because within the last three days I have come across a well-distributed science fiction novel which contains in essence the vital material which this individual confronted me with as the basis for encoding. That novel is CAMP CONCENTRATION by Thomas Disch, which was published by Doubleday & Co.
Cordially,
Philip K. Dick
3028 Quartz Lane Apt. #2
Fullerton,
Calif 92361.
P.S. I would like to add: what alarms me most is that this covert organization which approached me may be Neo-Nazi, although it did not identify itself as being such. My novels are extremely anti-Nazi. I heard only one code identification by this individual: Solarcon-6.
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Nov. 4, 1972
Federabl (sic) Bureau of Investigation,
Washington, D.C.
Sirs:
I am directing the enclosed letter to you rather than to Inspector Shine to whom it is addressed. I would like you to read it in conjunction with the letter from me to your department sent earlier this month dealing with Thomas Disch's novel CAMP CONCENTRATION; that novels deals with the imaginary paresis mentioned in my letter to Inspector Shine. What the connection is I do not know. It is clear, however, how a subversive hoax could be involved.
Cordially,
Philip K. Dick
3028 Quartz Lane #3
Fullerton,
Calif 92631
P.S. Sergeant Keaton of the Tiberon Police Dept, Marin County, informed me around January of this year that I could (I believe he may have said should) sign a grand theft complaint against Kinchen for the theft by Kinchen of my single action .22 pistol. I never did so, out of fear of Kinchen's organization (see enclosed letter). Sergeant Keaton also advised me informally that I "ought to get out of Marin County for good, or I'd very likely get a bullet in my back some night. Or worse." He did not specify what he meant by "or worse." I took his advice and left for Canada, as I say in the enclosed letter. Possibly a case could be made that my civil rights were violated, but I honestly believe Sergeant Keaton was warning me for my own good, and not as a veiled threat from him.
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November 4, 1972
Inspector Shine
Marin County Sheriff's Office,
Marin County Civic Center,
San Rafael,
Calif 94903.
Dear Inspector Shine:
As you may recall, on or about November 17, 1971, my house at 707 Hacienda Way, Santa Venetia, was extensively robbed. The last time I talked to you, during February of this year, you informed me that you had broken the case; a man named Wade (Jerry Wade I believe) had been arrested with the Ruger .22 pistol of mine stolen during this robbery. I have been in Canada and now in Southern California and hence out of touch. Have any more of my possessions been recovered? Have there been any more arrests made? Do you have anything more you can tell me at this date?
While I was in Canada evidently my house was robbed again, during March of this year. I did not know this until what remained of my things arrived down here; my realtor, Mrs. Annie Reagan, had stored them, and at least one entire room of stuff is missing: the bedroom in which the control system of the burglar alarm was located, the one room not covered by the scanner. Obviously it was robbed by someone who intimately knew the layout of the alarm system and how to bypass it. I recall that Inspector Bridges thought that the November 17 robbery was an inside job, at least in part. I believe that this later robbery in March of this year proves it. Only two or three persons that I can recall knew the layout of the burglar alarm system. One was Harold Kinchen, who was under investigation by Airforce Intelligence at Hamilton Field at the time I left (Mr. Richard Bader was conducting the investigation; through Sergeant Keaton of Tiberon he asked me to come in and give testimony. It had to do with an attempt on the arsenal of the Airforce Intelligence people at Hamilton on I recall January first of this year). I have more reason to believe now than I did then that Kinchen and the secret extralegal organization to which he belonged were involved in both robberies of my house, although evidence seemed to point more toward Panthers such as Wade. I say this because this is Orange County where I live now, and I have come to know something about the rightwing paramilitary Minutemen illegal people here -- they tell me confidentially that from my description of events surrounding the November robbery of my house, the methods used, the activities of Harry Kinchen in particular, it sounds to them like their counterparts up there, and possibly even a neo-Nazi group. Recently I've obtained, by accident, new information about Kinchen's associates, and the neo-Nazi organization theory does seem reinforced. In this case, the November robbery was political in nature and more than a robbery. I have thought this for some time, but until now had less reason to be sure.
As to the motive of the assault I'm not sure at all. Possibly it had to do with my published novels, one of which dealt with Nazi Germany -- it was extremely anti-Nazi, and widely circulated. I know for a fact that Harry Kinchen and the Japanese relatives he had through his wife Susan had read it. Kinchen's Japanese-born mother-in-law, Mrs. Toni Adams, had read the novel in the Japanese edition. Beyond any doubt, Kinchen is an ardent Nazi trained in such skill as weapons-use, explosives, wire-tapping, chemistry, psychology, toxins and poisons, electronics, auto repair, sabotage, the manufacture of narcotics. Mr. Bader is of course aware of this. What I did not pass on to anyone, because I feared for my life, is the fact that Kinchen put coercive pressure, both physical and psychological, on me to put secret coded information into my future published writings, "to be read by the right people here and there," as he put it, meaning members of his subversive organization. As I told you in November, he accidently responded to a phonecall from me with a code signal. Later, he admitted belonging to a secret "worldwide" organization and told me some details.
The coded information which Kinchen wished placed in my novels (I of course refused, and fled to Canada) had to do with an alleged new strain of syphilis sweeping the U.S., kept topsecret by the U.S. authorities; it can't be cured, destroys the brain, and is swift-acting. The disease, Kinchen claimed, is being brought in deliberately from Asia by agents of the enemy (unspecified), and is in fact a weapon of World War Three, which has begun, being used against us.
In a recent confidential discussion which I had with my Paris editor, a close friend of mine, this editor ratified my conviction that to allow this coded "information," undoubtedly spurious, to get into print, would be a disaster for this country. These neo-nazis or whatever they are would "break" their own code and make public this phony information, thus creating mass hysteria and panic. There is, of course, no such new untreatable paresis, despite rumors we have been hearing from Servicemen returning from Viet Nam. I have contacted the F.B.I. on the advice of my editor-publisher friend, but I felt I should contact you, too. You may wish to pass this information about the coded information in novels onto Mr. Bader.
I will hope, then, to hear from you. Thank you.
Cordially,
Philip K. Dick
3028 Quartz Lane #3
Fullerton,
Calif 92361.
P.S. Harold Kinchen introduced me to only one individual, who asked me to write for his underground pornographic publications; I refused. By accident I recently learned that this man, "Doc" Stanley, of Corte Madera, "was a student of the speeches of Hitler during his college days at the University of Chicago, advocating their doctrines and reading them to people." Neither Stanley nor Kinchen mentioned this to me.
PKD
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From an internal FBI memorandum dated 11/21/72:
"... DICK said [Kinchen] telephoned him on one occasion. When DICK immediately redialed [Kinchen] after terminating the phone call, DICK said he thought [Kinchen] gave a code name of "Solarcon 6." He said he was not certain as to what was said and did not know why such a code name would be given. [Kinchen] claimed he was a member of a "secret world health organization" which was tracking down paresis, an alleged new strain of syphilis sweeping the United States, which caused quick death. [Kinchen] claimed paresis was the start of World War III, that DICK did not have long to live, and he wanted DICK to put science fiction code names in any of his new future science fiction novels. [Kinchen] also told DICK that if DICK died, "they" would continue his novels and "they" would place code names in such novels. DICK said he did not know who [Kinchen] was referring to as 'they" or what the purpose of the code names was. He believed [Kinchen] had probably read the science fiction novel, "Camp Concentration," which was a story regarding paresis..."
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August 15, 1975
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Washington, D.C.
Dear Sirs:
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request a copy of any file which you may
have on me.
Here is information by which you can precisely identify me:
PHILIP KINDRED DICK. Born: December 16, 1928, in Chicago, Ill. Birth Registration
Notification #56957. Father's name: Joseph Edgar Dick. Mother's maiden name: Dorothy Grant
Kindred. Attended the Bruce Tatlock School in Berkeley, California (pre-first grade); moved then
to Washington, D.C., attended the Friends' School, the John Eaton School. Returned to California,
attended the Hillside Grammar School, then the Oxford Grammar School from which graduated.
Attended Garfield Junior High School, also in Berkeley; graduated. Then Berkeley High, from
which graduated. Attended the University of California for about two months only. MILITARY
RECORD: Was required to sign up under the Selective Service Law toward the end of World
War Two at a local draft board in Berkeley, but was not called up until the Korean War. Was
rejected for military service due to high blood pressure.
In the early 'fifties, two agents of the FBI, Mr. George Scruggs and Mr. George Smith, approached
me regarding my then wife, Kleo Apostolides Dick. Later, Mr. George Smith headed the Oakland
Branch of the Bureau. I remarried Anne Williams Rubenstein in the late 'fifties, in Marin County.
Then remarried again in the mid 'sixties to Nancy Hackett. Am married now to Tessa Busby Dick
(Leslie Busby). One child by Anne: named Laura. One child by Nancy: named Isolde Freya. One
child by Tessa: Christopher. Address in Berkeley in early 'fifties when Mr. Scruggs and Mr. Smith
approached me: 1126 Francisco Street. Later addresses: PO.Box 176, Point Reyes Station,
California. 707 Hacienda Way, Marin County, California. 3028 Quartz Lane, Fullerton, California.
1405 Cameo Lane, Fullerton, California. Present address below. While at 3028 Quartz Lane,
Fullerton, California, I was visited, at my request, by an FBI agent named Mr. Payne.
By profession I am a novelist, having published about 35 novels and 125 stories. My best known
novel is THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, for which I received the international Hugo Award
in 1963. Thank you, and I will hope to hear from you.
Cordially,
Philip K. Dick
2461 Santa Ysabel
Fullerton, Calif 92631