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Help Finding A Source About INFO

The Truth

The Truth

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Dec 12, 2014
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I am currently writing a book about Charles Fort's influence on SF and am searching endlessly for a whatever source has been used for the wikipedia entry on INFO. User "sagemab" (who used to be a user on these forums) added much of the article that interests me, specifically that:

The Willis brothers owned a bookstore in the States (Arlington, Virginia) and were also publishers of SF fanzines and magazines of speculative fiction and non-fiction, notably "Anubis". They enjoyed a long-time correspondence and relationship with many Fort-inspired science fiction writers such as Fritz Leiber, Philip K. Dick, Robert Anton Wilson and, especially Robert A. Heinlein, who remained a loyal member and friend to INFO until his death. Paul was an exceptionally avid letter and article writer and had long-running data exchanges with an international group of nascent forteans including Bob Rickard who went on to found "The Times" in 1967, later the "Fortean Times", which was encouraged to expand with the help of corporate sponsorship. Rickard, and others, urged Paul Willis to publish. INFO was incorporated as a non-profit in 1965. The "INFO Journal: Science and the Unknown" was born shortly thereafter in the Spring of 1967.

Membership was set at $12US and Heinlein would dutifully send in a check which was promptly framed and put on the wall. Heinlein would then send in a letter complaining that his check had not been cashed, along with suggestions for articles and improvements and, that too, would be framed and put on the wall. This incident is mentioned more than a few times in the "INFO Journal".

Does anyone have any idea where this information comes from? I cannot find the letters between the Willis Brothers and these SF giants or where the reference to Heinlein's checks being hung up on the wall. I searched through the INFO Journal but had a limited number of issues to look through in a local library and the incident wasn't mentioned in any of them.

Can anyone here help me? I am quite desperate and have been looking for these letters or sources for months now.

Thanks,

TT
 
Hey guys, so while I think that the letters no longer exist (likely thrown away at some point) I was wondering if anyone familiar with the INFO Journal could confirm that a mention of Heinlein's check being placed on the office walls appeared in some issue? This would likely be in a later issue. Scans of the journal are not publicly available but I was hoping someone here might own physical copies.
 
Just seen this ... the OP said a few things that need correcting. This is a quick reply as I'm a bit too lazy busy to go look up actual dates.

There is no way short of having a time machine that I could have founded 'The Times' in 1967. Perhaps in an alternate universe, but in this one I founded 'The News' in late 1973.

Perhaps around late 1971, saw an ad in one of the underground papers - IT or Friends - placed by a London playwright (name escapes me right now) who was acting as UK agent for INFO Journal. He wanted to free up time move onto other things and was seeking someone to take over as their UK agent. Swiftly, a package arrived with the INFO mailing list and the guy's good wishes. I used to send bundle of UK news clippings to Paul and Ron Willis, (much as Eric Frank Russel did at the end of WW2 over to Thayer's Fortean Society).

They were living in Arlington after the collapse of their fanzine business, but were very friendly and warmly welcomed me into the world of US forteana. By 1973, INFO was being published few and far between, and only a few of the many clips I sent were ever published. After a gentle complaint, P&W suggested I start a magazine for UK. I had the same encouragement from Paul Screeton (then publishing The Ley Hunter) and my immortal pal Steve Moore.

I was very glad to add the disappointingly small number of UK INFO readers to my 'News' List. So, in November 1973, FT began as 'The News fro Nowhere' which was immediately shortened to The News, and eventually Fortean Times. I kept up a correspondence with P&W, which gradually became just Paul. He was a poet by nature and a Fortean Taoist by inclination, so we really got on. Sadly, bro Ron died after a short illness with a brain tumor. Paul was not good at the editorial and publishing discipline and things got worse; letters went unanswered, INFO became fewer and further between and then became a matter of concern.

I went over to stay with Paul for a short period and like to think he enjoyed the company, but it was clear he was struggling with very little income and unpublished material piling up (much of it behind his sofa). Even his correspondence became rare and I feared that like his brother he was sinking into a depression. When he heard about the death of my son (Freddie, two and a half) it seemed to hit him very hard. After nearly two years not hearing from him, I learned (can't remember from whom) that he had been found dead in a manner that rendered him a notable Fortean footnote. A member of the family, at whose house he rented a small top floor flat, realized that they had not heard from or seen him for a while. His door was locked and had to be forced. The was lying in bed, nearly mummified, and so had been dead for some time.

Oh yes ... the framed cheque. I have no recollection of seeing such a thing on the walls of his old flat. That is not to say it wasn't there. But it wouldn't surprise me. The Willises were SF fans of the old school and knew Heinlein, James Blish and a galaxy of other stars.

There,

~bR
 
I don't think so. Paul and Ron never spoke about their family ... at all.
~bR
 
Founder said:
Just seen this ... the OP said a few things that need correcting. This is a quick reply as I'm a bit too lazy busy to go look up actual dates.

There is no way short of having a time machine that I could have founded 'The Times' in 1967. Perhaps in an alternate universe, but in this one I founded 'The News' in late 1973.

Perhaps around late 1971, saw an ad in one of the underground papers - IT or Friends - placed by a London playwright (name escapes me right now) who was acting as UK agent for INFO Journal. He wanted to free up time move onto other things and was seeking someone to take over as their UK agent. Swiftly, a package arrived with the INFO mailing list and the guy's good wishes. I used to send bundle of UK news clippings to Paul and Ron Willis, (much as Eric Frank Russel did at the end of WW2 over to Thayer's Fortean Society).

They were living in Arlington after the collapse of their fanzine business, but were very friendly and warmly welcomed me into the world of US forteana. By 1973, INFO was being published few and far between, and only a few of the many clips I sent were ever published. After a gentle complaint, P&W suggested I start a magazine for UK. I had the same encouragement from Paul Screeton (then publishing The Ley Hunter) and my immortal pal Steve Moore.

I was very glad to add the disappointingly small number of UK INFO readers to my 'News' List. So, in November 1973, FT began as 'The News fro Nowhere' which was immediately shortened to The News, and eventually Fortean Times. I kept up a correspondence with P&W, which gradually became just Paul. He was a poet by nature and a Fortean Taoist by inclination, so we really got on. Sadly, bro Ron died after a short illness with a brain tumor. Paul was not good at the editorial and publishing discipline and things got worse; letters went unanswered, INFO became fewer and further between and then became a matter of concern.

I went over to stay with Paul for a short period and like to think he enjoyed the company, but it was clear he was struggling with very little income and unpublished material piling up (much of it behind his sofa). Even his correspondence became rare and I feared that like his brother he was sinking into a depression. When he heard about the death of my son (Freddie, two and a half) it seemed to hit him very hard. After nearly two years not hearing from him, I learned (can't remember from whom) that he had been found dead in a manner that rendered him a notable Fortean footnote. A member of the family, at whose house he rented a small top floor flat, realized that they had not heard from or seen him for a while. His door was locked and had to be forced. The was lying in bed, nearly mummified, and so had been dead for some time.

Oh yes ... the framed cheque. I have no recollection of seeing such a thing on the walls of his old flat. That is not to say it wasn't there. But it wouldn't surprise me. The Willises were SF fans of the old school and knew Heinlein, James Blish and a galaxy of other stars.

There,

~bR
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help Mr. Rickard. I'm still quite curious about who wrote that original wikipedia entry. Funny that he/she could not even get the name of the proto-Fortean Times rag correct. Several old INFO members said that the anecdote could have been a particular former member who had a habit of stretching the truth, but it heartens me to hear that you can confirm that the Willises knew Heinlein. That in itself is pretty phenomenal even if the anecdote was not true.

Regardless this is some killer information about a group that does not have much in the way of a written history. Would it be okay for me to quote parts of your reply to give more insight about the anecdote?
 
The Truth said:
Would it be okay for me to quote parts of your reply to give more insight about the anecdote?
Click to expand...

Sure, go ahead. If I've got it wrong, I'd be glad to be corrected.

BTW ... shortly after I visited PaulW, other officers of INFO began to take stuff away from him .. books, submissions, unanswered, unopened mail, etc etc. They tried to build up regularity with INFO Journal, and Phyllis took over organising the convention. At first Paul had his closest correspondents to fill the gap and he befriended a blind guy called Mike and felt useful helping Mike with things. After that was the awful silence.
 
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