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Tony “Doc” Shiels (he purchased his doctorate for $5) has one of the better obituary headlines you’ll ever read. The Telegraph described him as a “hard-drinking bohemian artist who claimed to have raised the Loch Ness Monster.” Those are big shoes to fill.
Shiels was a magician, a practitioner of “bizarre magic,” and an unconventional monster hunter (is there any other kind?) whose specialty was conjuring sea serpents. He was like the Steven Greer of lake monsters. He claimed he could telepathically call the notoriously fickle creatures to the surface for photo ops.
Shiels was much more than an eccentric cryptozoologist, but since this isn’t a recollection of his life and times, we’ll encourage you to read this, this, or this to learn more about this fascinating artist/magician/trickster. You can also pick up his book, Monstrum, which gives firsthand accounts of his exploits.
For purposes of The FATE Files, we’re more interested in the psychic climate of the 1970s.
It was an era dominated by bent silverware. Famed psychic Uri Geller (side note: we have a ton of correspondence between him and FATE that we’ll be showcasing in future editions) was in high demand after dazzling audiences across the world with his feats and a highly publicized appearance on The Tonight Show.
In January of 1974 Geller was touring Europe to the usual reactions—everything from skepticism to fanaticism—when the last leg of his journey took an alarming turn. On February 3, Geller abruptly canceled his 8-day British itinerary and went into hiding after “serious” threats on his life.
Of course some saw his exit motivated by other reasons—namely the “tests” he was set to undergo by panels of British scientists bent on getting to the bottom of his abilities.
Which brings us to Doc Shiels.
No, he wasn’t responsible for the mischief that prompted Uri to hightail it out of the UK. Just the opposite. After getting maligned in the British media, Shiels wrote to FATE in support of Geller. His letter was dated March 13, 1974.
Cornwall, March 13th, 1974
Although I know most ‘serious’ ESP researchers wouldn’t touch an ‘entertainer,’ such as myself, with a barge pole, I thought, perhaps, you’d be interested to know that I support Uri Geller 100%—as several British newspapers have recently reported, I, too, have demonstrated the DBA power for various cynical newsmen.
Best Wishes,
Tony Shiels
If anyone knows what “DBA” meant in Tony’s letter, let us know in the comments below.
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