© Copyright FATE Magazine Reproduced with permission Maybe it's not all that uncommon, but I had the dubious distinction of knowing three people who claimed contact with a race of beings living inside the planet. It isn't something one chats about at the dinner table or at Tupperware parties, because it isn't an item of casual conversation. "Pass the mashed potatoes, please; oh, and did I mention that I've been to the Underworld and there are people living down there?" My association with these individuals didn't happen at some New Age shaman's retreat on the California coast. It sprang from my acquaintance and correspondence with Richard Shaver, the man who put the "Shaver" into the famous Shaver Mystery. My association with Shaver began in 1972, growing out of pure curiosity, blossoming into pure amazement, and dying three years later with the sci-fi writer's fatal heart attack. The connection was enough, however, to lead me to a seven-year term as the editor of Shavertron, a fanzine dedicated to Shaver's life and times. As editor of the only Shaver Mystery publication extant at the time, I was contacted by many oldtimers of the post-war pulp fiction era. That's how I met these inner-Earth explorers and heard their stories. The Shaver Mystery was a far-out cosmology of underworld civilizations, mind control, government conspiracy, and evil intent. It is difficult, in 1998, to feel the magnetism the Shaver Mystery exerted on so many people in 1946. Thanks to the agile mind of Ray Palmer, who prodded, tormented, and teased readers with each issue of Amazing Stories, a legend emerged. Seeking Contact Not unlike flying saucer believers, the goal of Shaver Mystery buffs was contact -- not with space aliens, but with beings from the Inner Earth. Like the flying saucer mystery, it had its soothsayers, the grandest of those being Ray Palmer, co-founder of FATE, Flying Saucers from Other Worlds, Search, The Hidden World, and many others. During Palmer's reign as editor of Amazing Stories and other 1940s Ziff-Davis pulps, an itinerant science-fiction writer named Richard Sharpe Shaver appeared seemingly out of nowhere to team up with Palmer and create what became known as the Shaver Mystery. The Palmer-Shaver match was a double-barreled, lethal, and absolutely controversial combination. Palmer made Shaver's claims of an underworld civilization seem real, important, and timely. "On December 27, 1949, Albert Einstein came out with a new theory of gravitation and electromagnetic fields," taunted Palmer. "Months before that, Mr. Shaver (minus the mathematical formula) told me the same thing! For the record, I want to say that if any credit for a new and revolutionary theory of gravity goes to anybody it should go to Richard S. Shaver, on the basis of prior publication." Shaver claimed he owed all this astounding information to technologically advanced subworld beings that, like it or not, communicated with him. Palmer often pointed out that Shaver's stories alluded to UFOs long before Kenneth Arnold made his 1947 Mt. Rainier sighting. Inner-Earth Civilization Oddly enough, it wasn't the UFO controversy that angered a contingent of Palmer's readers as much as Shaver's claim that he had been a visitor to the fabled Inner Earth, and lived for a time in a hidden world populated in part by evil mutations associated with the demons and devils of old. He called these evil creatures Dero, short for "detrimental robot." He dubbed the good inner-earthers "Tero" for "integrated robot." These "revelations" made Shaver's world view, to say the least, radically different from that of the average person. His writings pre-dated the conspiracy literature of the 1960s to the present, and in teaming up with Palmer, he helped create a framework for ufology and its basic premises that exist to this day. Characters that figured into the early days of the Shaver Mystery were evident as well on the grassy knoll in 1963 Dallas, weaving a sinister web of confirmation for Shaver Mystery buffs. The Feds kept tabs on Shaver and Palmer early on. FBI documents released to this writer through the Freedom of Information Act prove that the FBI was convinced the two men concocted "flying saucer hysteria" in 1947. Agents pointed to Shaver and Palmer's claims of flying saucers, abductions, and hints of government cover-ups as the source of this hysteria. No student of the flying saucer/occult scene in post-war America was ignorant of the Shaver Mystery. You had to take sides. It wasn't a matter of sitting on the fence -- either beings are living in the caverns of the Earth or they aren't. If they are, it opens up a complex can of worms. Critics were many, but so were believers; and everyone wanted proof. Shaver spent the rest of his life defending himself and his world view, forever answering questions of skeptics and believers alike. "I am somewhat weary of such questions after 14 years of answering them with negative results," wrote Shaver in the late 50s. "First, they ask 'Are there really caverns under the Earth with people living in them?' This one I've been asked so often I wince." Fans were eager to learn where they could find these underworld strongholds. But few were willing to travel the world looking for them. Caving was and still is dangerous work, even for trained spelunkers. Shaver Mystery's "Danger" Thanks to Palmer's shrewd marketing of the Shaver Mystery, Amazing Stories' circulation shot through the roof. It wasn't long before critics viewed the Shaver Mystery as "dangerous," much in the way CSICOP (the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal) denounced belief in UFOs during the late 1970s. Belief in UFOs, said CSICOP pundits, could "break down our critical judgment," and might also break down "our resistance to new and unforeseen forms of tyranny." Blame was heaped upon the media for spreading such nonsense. (In Shaver's day, pulp magazines were the perpetrators.) FATE columnist John Keel railed against the Shaver Mystery as late as the mid-80s, calling it "just another devil theory." "The Shaver Mystery is dangerous nonsense," wrote A. J. Streichert in the July 1958 issue of Ziff-Davis Fantastic Magazine. "Most dangerous because its nonsense seems to make sense. But what should make sense to anyone who reads it is the patent lack of any concrete evidence, any actual artifact, any discovered cavern containing evidence of its inhabitants, any ancient ruins to demonstrate the actuality of the existence in the past of these enormously advanced races." UFO buffs have heard it all before, which is why they cling so tenaciously to Roswell for UFO proof. A "Roswell" for the Shaver Mystery would have been a cave entrance leading to the Underworld. Palmer's early letter columns overflowed with requests to pinpoint cavern entrances to the subworld. Some even claimed success in finding them. The Shaver Mystery was eventually dropped from Ziff-Davis publications, because of complaints from people like Streichert. The publisher became leery of taking responsibility for readers crazy enough to trek off into the desert hunting for dangerous caverns. Palmer was one of the first to warn against this reckless intent. Naturally, there were those who ignored the warnings. Searching for the Underworld Once Ziff-Davis gave the heave-ho to the Shaver Mystery, interest in subworld exploration cooled; but not for all. A group of Michigan UFO buffs published a newsletter during the mid -- 1950s with a heavy subworld/UFO bent. They were also cave explorers. This blend of inner and outer space was not uncommon at the time, but is much less prevalent now. Recall that Albert K. Bender, the man who popularized Men In Black in the book Flying Saucers and the Three Men (with help from Gray Barker), claimed he had stumbled onto the true source of flying saucers, bringing with it the wrath of the MIB. Bender's source was the inner Earth, but he was not the only 1950s UFO buff who had a working knowledge of hollow Earth concepts. One of the Michigan ufologists was a spelunker named George D. Wight. He wrote a column in a popular mimeographed flying saucer newsletter. Wight, and the zine's editor (known only as "L" once controversy ensued) denied allegiance to the Shaver Mystery. Nonetheless, he, Wight, and three other friends and spelunkers were very interested in cave exploration, and they regularly organized expeditions to their favorite caverns. The group had a paramilitary bent and enough equipment to prove they were serious. Two of them had law enforcement backgrounds. One was a schoolteacher. "I had many contacts with Palmer and Shaver during the '50s and '60s" wrote "L" in a 1982 issue of Shavertron. "It was a frustrating and worthless endeavor. In those years, both Shaver and Palmer were not researching physically. For three years I requested at least a hint of a prospective entrance to the cavern world. Neither of them aided in [our] research." Another player in this underworld saga, Charles A. Marcoux, was casually associated with the Michigan group, writing a monthly column for the same newsletter, but dealing mostly with Shaver Mystery concepts. Marcoux was a fanatical Shaver believer who gave public lectures on the topic, often with the spelunkers in attendance. They ridiculed his lectures, having never found evidence of this "secret world" of Palmer and Shaver. "I personally did not believe in the Shaver mystery," "L" later explained, "but as editor of the journal, I printed every aspect of ufology and related subjects." Although Wight and his caving companions were not Shaver, Palmer, or Marcoux admirers, in 1966, long after the hoopla of the Shaver Mystery had faded, the team wrote to Palmer with an unbelievable discovery, which brought no response. During a week-long exploration in a deep cavern named Blowing Cave near Cushman, Arkansas, the team claimed the discovery of manmade steps nearly two miles beneath the surface of the Earth. As the story goes, the men followed the steps into a long and well-constructed tunnel glowing with luminous green light. Their experiences were chronicled in a diary written by Wight. It included the astounding claim that the team had encountered living beings in the tunnel, remnants of a civilization that had been existing there for centuries. "In 1961, I disassociated myself from the UFO field, the subsurface aspect, and related phenomena," wrote "L" in the mid-1980s. "I do not anticipate further involvement. My obligation ended when I forwarded Wight's material to Marcoux." The Wight Manuscript The "material" was in the form of Wight's journal, now dubbed "The Wight Manuscript." The diary explained that Wight felt guilty for his many years of doubting Marcoux and wanted him to know that the Underworld did, indeed, exist. It claimed that Wight chose to throw in his lot with the subworlders and never return to the surface, but not before offering homage to both Marcoux and Shaver in the diary. Once the specifics of the group's alleged discovery were written, Wight gave the manuscript to "L" on a return journey to the surface. "L's" job, then, was to locate Marcoux and hand over the manuscript. The problem was that nearly 13 years had passed, and he had no idea where to find Marcoux. Six more years passed. Marcoux had not given up on the Shaver Mystery in those 20 years, and finally, in 1980 his name came to the attention of "L," who was more than happy to turn over the manuscript. Marcoux claimed it as his vindication for his years of faithful research and as a mandate to lead one final chapter in (as he now called it) the "Shaver/Marcoux Theories." By 1980, the Shaver Mystery was nothing more than a memory. Shaver and Palmer had died in 1975 and 1977 respectively, and the mystery died with them. Full of juicy details, the Wight Manuscript, Marcoux thought, was the smoking gun Shaver Mystery believers had hoped for. "Curiosity made two of us go toward the end of the tunnel and probe around to see if the light was possibly coming from some other source," it said. "As we went toward the light, we noticed a crevice, barely wide enough to get in. I crawled in several feet, where I came upon manmade steps, and I called out to the others to follow me and bring the equipment with them. "The opening became wide and high enough to walk upright. When we walked down the steps, the green light became more pronounced. Suddenly, we came into a large tunnel/corridor, about 20 feet wide and just as high. All the walls and the floor were smooth, and the ceiling had a curved dome shape. We knew that this was not a freak of nature, but manmade. We had accidentally stumbled into the secret cavern world!" Wielding the Wight manuscript as his battle standard, Marcoux promoted his self-proclaimed role as sub-world expedition leader through the alternative press. Shavertron was one of those publications. By telling his story and leaking bits and pieces of the manuscript, Marcoux gathered a handful of seekers (longtime followers of the Shaver Mystery and hollow Earth interests) to join his "Blowing Cavern Expeditionary Unit." In late 1981, Marcoux, now well into his 60s, had sold his mobile home in New Mexico to grubstake an expedition to Blowing Cavern. Assault on Blowing Cave Mary Martin, a member of Marcoux's expeditionary unit and editor of a hollow Earth fanzine called The Hollow Hassle, traveled from her home in Aurora, Colorado, to confer with Marcoux on plans for their assault on Blowing Cave. "We met him at a motel in Albuquerque," said Martin, who now lives in California. "He had maps all laid out of Blowing Cave and we were supposed to meet him in Arkansas. I brought my son Bill along, and Bruce Walton and Labron Bynum were there, too. I had already gone out and bought some stuff for caving." If there had been any doubts in Marcoux's mind about the Wight manuscript, they were washed away by references to Wight's own doubts and his subsequent conversion to the Underworld's existence. "Yes, Charles, all that you told us is true, and some of the places where you said there were entrances to the hidden cavern world really do exist," Wight said. "I owe you a debt of gratitude, because the Teros healed my crippled leg, instantly. I am grateful for more than just that, and I have left these notes and somewhere a map, so that you, too can... visit with these people. "I have no desire to come back up to the surface, so maybe we will meet here some day." With wife Lorene in tow, Marcoux moved to Cushman in September 1983. He made some tentative forays into the cave, preparing for the final assault once expeditionary unit members arrived. Before the team ever assembled, however, internal disagreements brought accusations from Marcoux that questioned some members' dedication to the project. A month passed as Marcoux taunted readers in both Shavertron and The Hollow Hassle. "I allow you to disclose the location and name of this cave, which will give your readers enough information to decide for themselves whether they want to explore it... if they have the guts." One day, while on a November hike near the entrance of Blowing Cave, Marcoux was attacked by a swarm of bees, bringing on a fatal heart attack. He died at the scene, leaving the handful of Blowing Cave team members wondering what to do next. Rumors flew over Marcoux's untimely -- some said mysterious -- death. Shaver had always warned that the cavern world was hidden for good reason, and that cavern dwellers liked to keep it that way. A troubled Mary Martin conferred with a California psychic who knew nothing of Marcoux or Shaver. Martin wanted to know if Marcoux had any message to impart. "I told [the psychic] his name and that he had died, and could she make contact with him she said. "This is the message she received: 'Tell her I am unable to find the way to the underground tunnel at this time. Tell her to look in the Cucamonga wilderness area for what she seeks. She must be very wary for the guardians are quite jealous... They won't let me talk to you anymore. They are forcing me away... help me...'" The elusive "L" was also contacted. He said evil intent had nothing to do with Marcoux's death, but he would not elucidate. He also threatened to reassemble the old Michigan spelunking group one last time to wall up the Blowing Cavern portal to the Underworld. It had caused too much sorrow and misery already, he said. The story of Blowing Cavern, the Wight manuscript, and Marcoux's efforts to locate the worlds mentioned in the works of Shaver and Palmer was the final nail in the Shaver Mystery's coffin. Most active Shaver Mystery buffs had given up hope of finding proof long before Marcoux's 1983 attempt. They were facing old age and waning interest. Newcomers to the UFO/occult scene became New Agers, with new controversies to contemplate (Roswell, Area 51, Majestic 12) -- enough to distract from the Underworld of Shaver and Palmer. Foundation of Ufology Elements of the pulp science fiction glory days and the Shaver Mystery exist in the very foundations of ufology and in conspiracy literature on underground alien bases at Dulce, New Mexico. In a 1985 Shavertron interview, John Keel, a longtime FATE columnist and author of such classics as The Mothman Prophesies and Why UFOs? had this to say about the Shaver Mystery: "If Shaver and Palmer had not existed, there would be no ufology. It's that simple. Palmer started FATE magazine and he kept the subject alive during its darkest periods. The mystery had to be created before anyone could undertake to solve it." The men who helped create the vocabulary of flying saucers, abductions, and an Underworld full of strange and ancient civilizations are gone now. They died in ordinary and not-so-ordinary ways. As the future unfolds, their memory may linger only in the legends they helped create. "Shaver described the flying saucers, and predicted their appearance, said Ray Palmer in an interview just before his death. "And all this he said from the information he got from the caves. So whether or not it came from his own mental process of some kind, the information was correct and the information he's given us has been correct so many times that it's impossible to discard it as fiction." Richard Toronto is a California newspaper reporter, columnist, and freelance writer with a weakness for the offbeat. His one and only mentor as writer and artist was Richard S. Shaver, who had a good heart no matter what history says about him. FATE is published monthly by Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. 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