A research article pertaining to the enigmatic, CIA redacted, text The Adam and Eve Story, detailing the many mysteries surrounding the book and its author, with an aim to introduce some kind of clarity and coherence to the historical narrative.
An online urban legend gaining a great deal of popularity at the time of writing professes, in the early 1960s a book titled The Adam and Eve Story was published and soon after seized by the Central Intelligence Agency with all evidence of its existence being scrubbed from history for the next fifty years. Of the supposed 284 pages in the original text a mere fifty-five were released in June 2013 under the Freedom of Information Act.[1] The pages made available offer a perplexing mix of topics focused around the central theme of global cataclysm. The extracts range includes biblical interpretation and retranslation, comparative mythology from Sumerian to South American legends, excerpts from Plato’s Timaeus dialogue and grim descriptions of the effects that earth crust displacement and pole-shifts can have on our planet. Supposedly penned by a Chan Thomas for Emerson House (publisher) the author has proved to be, at first glance, about as present in the historical record as the other eighty per cent of his book is in the CIA sanitised release. Who was Chan Thomas? Why was his book censored so heavily? What information could the missing portion of the text possibly feature? And what is Chan even short for anyway? It is the purpose of this article to answer, in detail, all of these questions whilst constructing a somewhat more grounded, authoritative source of information on a topic that is at risk of moving into the realms of pure and unrestricted conspiracy fiction.
A natural starting place would be to relate the contents of the original 1965 scan. In this copy, Thomas states ‘Every time the cataclysmic concept has come to life, the “beast” has been stoned, burned at the stake, beaten to a pulp and buried with a vengeance; but the corpse simply wont stay dead’,[2]a possible premonition to his work’s censorship. From pages fourteen to seventeen he bullet points much of the evidence that has since come to be associated with Catastrophism, presumably to be expanded on in the complete text. Examples such as Peruvian legend, global linguistic and etymological similarities, rapid extinction events and the sudden end of work at Tiahuanaco are all cited; many of which are still prevalent in the works of leading researchers such as Graham Hancock today. Largely relating to the title, Thomas goes on to discuss the process by which the Biblical book Genesis was corrupt and original meaning lost.[3] Simply put, it is hypothesised here that the original story was handed down father to son from Moses and Aaron to Azariah in the form of Naga glyph tablets. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed these records in the sack of Jerusalem 586 B.C. after which the story was passed to Ezra orally who dictated it to five scribes following his commission to re-establish Hebrew law by Artaxerxes in 458 B.C. Following this there is a brief chicane to discuss ancient planetary topography where Thomas makes the claim that, 11,500 years ago, Tiahuanaco ‘now at 12,500 feet above the Pacific, was then at sea level’[4]and alludes to ancient high technology asserting ‘Astronomers of Tiahuanaco used telescopes like ours today’.[5] He then dives right back into biblical interpretation with a wild yet compelling retranslation of Genesis I, II and III that simply cannot be summarised and must be read.
For all its curiosities however, the fifty-five-page document offers no proof or data to correlate the presumptions made. One could assume that validations would be present in the full 284-page text, however this brings us to a common myth that is in need of dispelling. The figure of 284 pages seems completely baseless; it is merely a number being bandied about, propagated in videos and forums with no original document present to confirm this attested pagination. Moreover, upon further research one can find that another edition of this text is present and potentially unmolested by any government agency – The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms. Bengal Tiger Press published the book under an extended name and by the same author in 1993. At 127 pages long it contains all of the information present in the 1965 edition as well as an additional text eighty-five pages in length called Aftermath of the Adam and Eve Story, which will also be discussed. This version is largely enlightening as to why the CIA may have been so interested in censoring its contents back in the 1960s. One point the Agency may have found contention with was a passage concerning the funeral of late president John F. Kennedy. ‘I remember watching John Kennedy’s funeral on television;’[6]Thomas writes ‘and most vividly the incantation given by the Archbishop to keep John Kennedy from the doors of hell.’[7] Nothing particularly malicious and certainly no claim of an “inside job” as it were, however the fundamentals of his assassination are a highly debated topic still to this day and the event would have been fresh in the memory of American citizens – a scab that was simply not to be picked right then perhaps?
Furthermore, the far lengthier 1993 edition also provides raw data to bolster claims made, references other key works the author sees as valuable, interesting or relevant to his own, and a host of fresh claims simply not hinted to in the CIA redaction. Whilst the 1965 text is enigmatic for its governmental classification alone, it doesn’t exactly add anything new to the field of catastrophic research. Cataclysmic pole shifts had been proposed as early as 1872 in Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg’s Chronologie Historique des Mexicainsand earth crust displacement has been elaborated upon extensively in Charles Hapgood’s 1958 Earth’s Shifting Crust. Whilst his ideas regarding Genesis are interesting, without the rest of the text they could come across to some readers as simply bizarre. The 1993 text is a far more compelling read and like its predecessor its contents will be elaborated upon further. Whether the entire body of the 1993 text was present in its initial 1965 forerunner is up for debate, it is simply unknown and, at present, impossible to tell if additions or revisions have been made. Both editions are marked as “First Edition” confusing this matter further. What can be assured however is that Aftermath(the eighty-five page addendum) was written, at some point after 1989. This can be ascertained from references to the last months of the Reagan Administration being spoken of in the past tense.[8] But what exactly does this edition contain?
Initially one should note that the pages are numbered differently and as such the majority of new information can be found from page sixty-five onward. Thomas elaborates on his suggestion (drawing from the writings of Hans Bellamy and Peter Allan in The Calendar of Tiahuanacoand The Great Idol of Tiahuanaco) that ancient residents of Tiahuanaco used a now lost natural satellite to mark the passage of time.[9] He then goes on to give his own reassessment of the Titus-Bode Law to explain where this orbiting body originated from and where other undiscovered heavenly bodies may be situated – detailed in a table on page ninety-one. He gives his own fascinating reinterpretation of the Greek alphabet using Polynesian to tell a story of an apocalyptic event,[10]and explains the motions of the earth in terms of Magnetohydrodynamic energy outlining the research of Swedish physicist Hannes Alfven.[11] Most curious of all is his helicoid-based prediction model for future cataclysms.[12] This may be another reason for the books initial censorship. With cold war tensions already running considerably high, and the Cuban Missile Crisis occurring just a few years prior in 1962,[13]people needed very little agitation to bring them to a panic over an end-of-the-world scenario. This book would have been largely unhelpful in the sort of socio-political climate the American population was exposed to at this time. Moreover, one can note that whilst the 1965 publication is dedicated to ‘WAYO’, the full 1993 text is dedicated to ‘Wife’ with an additional two dedications; one to General Hal Grant, General LeMay and Admiral Taylor, and the second to those ‘who ridiculed, scorned and laughed’.[14]This mention of military personal may have offered yet more leverage for the book’s classification.
Aftermath on the other hand, is somehow more nihilistic in tone. A strange thought considering both texts revolve around the theme of apocalypse. Swapping the Old Testament interpretations out for New Testament commentary on the life of Jesus. Thomas here gives graphic descriptions of the crucifixion of Christ as well as retranslates his cry on the cross to give it new meaning and significance. He also proffers information on Christ’s whereabouts during his absence between the age of twelve and the start of his ministry. This is all of course wild speculation. Teeming with dissatisfaction regarding governmental behaviour,[15]one gets the sense from this section that Thomas was left somewhat embittered by his work’s prior treatment; the addition also seems more liable to governmental censorship than any of the statements made in his initial work, however it did not suffer the same fate. He also claims to possess some kind of Extra Sensory Perception as well as understand how nature creates gravity, which he discusses more in another publication of his, Body 2: The Incredible World of ESP. Aftermath is certainly the more obscure of the two texts, which is no small accolade considering the scope of information discussed in the first. In all, for readers interested in the subjects of global cataclysms, lost civilisations and technology, conspiracy, fringe theories and comparative mythology this is simply a must read text. Too long has this work gone without reference by contemporary thinkers and will no doubt receive a great deal of attention now that it is back in the public’s awareness.
Having detailed the scope of his publication, it is now of paramount importance to understand more about Chan Thomas himself. In Body 2 Thomas anecdotally informs the reader that he was in attendance at an all boys school in Cheshire Connecticut (then known as Roxbury) in 1936.[16] The “author” sections of the two Adam and Evepublications offer very little information to build a clear picture from. We rejoin Thomas’ life during his attendance at Dartmouth College and Columbia University, receiving a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1943.[17]We are told that throughout the early 1960s he accurately predicts seismic activity all over the world,[18]and that he devoted twenty years of his life to The Adam and Eve Story, spending seven of those years on his retranslation of Genesis alone.[19] That is the majority of the information given; wider research is needed for a deeper understanding of this elusive figure. Looking at the 1941/1942 Student Directory for Columbia University we can confirm that there was indeed a C. P. Thomas enrolled at the time our enigmatic author would have been.[20]With further archival combing a newspaper clipping from 1943 can be found that not only confirms his graduation in Electrical Engineering, but also lists his full name as Chauncey P. Thomas as well as the name of his father and brother – both James A. Thomas.[21] When searching for this family on Ancestry even more can be detailed. Born in 1920 to the aforementioned James A. Thomas and his wife Caroline Giles Van Buren, Chan Powers Thomas married his wife Eleanor Ruth Bohn[22]in December 1948 – they had four children.[23]
During his career, Thomas himself informs us in Aftermath that he wrote a book on and taught natural childbirth for 43 years.[24]He was ‘awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree and [was] subsequently ordained as a non-sectarian minister’.[25] He also claims to have taught 560 students a class on extra sensory perception at UCLA and has written a book on the subject of ESP (Body 2) which was published in 1972, again by Emerson house.[26]In fact this publication is somehow even less present than Adam and Evewith copies held at only three libraries in the world, one being the Library of Congress. Turning attention back to archival information, a 1974 article for Star News informs the researcher that Chan was one of only three Cataclysmologists in the world and that in addition to giving a lecture in that year, he had previously appeared on the Tonight Show, the Arthur Godfrey Show and the Virginia Graham Show.[27]Archival footage of these appearances has not yet surfaced however the Internet Movie Database confirms that in 1965 (episode 640) a Cahn Thomas was indeed one of the listed guests. According to this same article his television appearances prompted thousands of viewers to write in to the network, the subject of these letters is unknown however one could speculate that his controversial ideas regarding cataclysms may have provoked such a response – perhaps then another reason for his retreat from the public eye? Around this time (1961) Thomas became president of a company called Chan Incorporated, in his words this was a company ‘dedicated to the discovery and analysis of nature’s processes, and their duplication in controlled form for mankind’s utilization.’[28]
Finally, he mentions briefly in Body 2 whilst narrating an anecdote set in 1965 that he had been in the airline business for some years, primarily working in an engineering and flight-testing capacity.[29]In the October 2008 issue of MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) Journal, there is an entry by a Dr. Robert M. Wood that confirms and, to a degree, details Chan’s role in the “airline business”. Alleging himself to be an ex-colleague of Thomas’, Wood states that they were both part of the Advanced Concepts division at McDonnell Douglas, an aerospace company now owned by Boeing. Wood states that he had become ‘involved in work outside the paradigms of normal science’[30]and that it was this ‘perspective that caused [him] to be more accepting of the ridiculous claims of others, including one exceptionally innovative Chan Thomas.’[31]He goes on to say that he hired Chan ‘because he was a psychic who claimed to be in contact with some ETs sometimes, and who also had espoused the claims of “cataclysmic geology.”’[32] It would then appear that Chan’s bohemian views were very much linked with his role in the aerospace industry, at least for a time. During his tenure at McDonnell Douglas, he worked on a project to develop a gravity control device, a project that received some government funding[33]as well as relating to his claims in Aftermath regarding gravity. Wood reminisces over outlandish claims made by Chan and whilst some of their colleagues were not accepting of his views, he nevertheless praises his ‘tremendously innovative mind’.[34] This was yet another line of work for Chan that received a level of interest from one of the intelligence agencies. The agency goes unnamed but it was a seemingly more harmonious relationship this time.
It is certain that more information will surface about Thomas and his career as his story is perpetuated online. With four children and twelve grandchildren there is even the potential for anecdotal evidence to appear in the future, giving historians a more intimate rendering of this puzzling yet fascinating figure. Whether or not there was some kind of conspiracy out there to cover up his works and scrub his name from history is up for debate, it would seem that measures were taken to assess the potentially unnerving content of Adam and Eve – that much is certain. However, with the 1993 republication of this article’s focus text it seems that any initial concerns abated as the years passed. Chan Powers Thomas is an engaging and compelling figure with some even more captivating ideas and a particularly beguiling story. A reading of his available works cannot be recommended enough; they’re conversational, digestible and informative and without doubt will soon become staple reading for those interested in ancient civilisations and global cataclysms. Whilst some of the content has been outlined here, no text could ever be expansive enough to adequately summarise his words so as not to justify a full reading. With the limited information available a brief narrative has been given so as to provide a background reading to both Thomas’ personal and professional life.
[1]N/A. (2013). THE ADAM AND EVE STORY. Available: https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/cia-rdp79b00752a000300070001-8. Last accessed 8th April 2019.
[2]Thomas, C (1965). The Adam and Eve Story. Los Angeles : Emerson House. p10
[3]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story. pp22-28
[4]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story. p32
[5]Ibid
[6]Thomas, C (1993). The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms . South Chatham MA: Bengal Tiger Press. p36
[7]Ibid
[8]Thomas, C (1993). Aftermath of the Adam and Eve Story. South Chatham MA: Bengal Tiger Press. p56
[9]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms.p86
[10]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms.pp104 -105
[11]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms.pp108 -112
[12]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms.p115
[13]Editor. (2010). Cuban Missile Crisis. Available: https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis. Last accessed 11th April 2019.
[14]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms.
[15]Thomas, C. Aftermath.p56
[16]Thomas, C (1972). Body 2: The Incredible World of ESP. Los Angeles : Emerson House. p62
[17]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story. p55
[18]Ibid
[19]Thomas, C. The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms.p127
[20]Columbia University (1943). Columbia University in the City of New York Directory of Students. New York: Morningside Heights. p181. Accessed at: babel.hathitrust.org
[21]N/A. (1943). Bachelor of Science. Scarsdale Inquirer. vol XXV (46), p11
Accessed at: news.hrvh.org
[22]Ancestry . (2012). Chan Powers Thomas in the U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current. Available: https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60525&h=77054142&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=IGZ7&_phstart=successSource&geo_a=t&geo_s=us&geo_t=uk&geo_v=2.0.0&o_iid=41013&o_lid=41013&o_sch. Last accessed 8th April 2019.
[23]Unknown . (2010). Obituaries: Thomas, Eleanor Ruth Bohn. Available: http://www.griffinfamilyfuneral.com/index.php/obituaries/218-thomas-eleano-ruth-bohn. Last accessed 8th April 2019.
[24]Thomas, C. Aftermath. p13
[25]Thomas, C. Aftermath. p81
[26]Thomas, C (1972). Body 2: The Incredible World of ESP. Los Angeles: Emerson House.
[27]Unknown . (1974). Religion Notes. Available: https://newspaperarchive.com/star-news-aug-03-1974-p-5/. Last accessed 11th April 2019.
[28]Thomas, C. Body 2.p195
[29]Thomas, C. Body 2.p83
[30]Dr. Wood, R. (2008). McDonnell Douglas studied UFOs in 1960s: Project called BITBR for “‘Boys in the Back Room”. Mutual UFO Network Journal (MUFON). 486 (1), p3.
[31]Dr. Wood, R. McDonnell Douglas studied UFOs in 1960spp3-4
[32]IDr. Wood, R. McDonnell Douglas studied UFOs in 1960sp4
[33]Ibid
[34]Dr. Wood, R. McDonnell Douglas studied UFOs in 1960sp5
Speculative History 