His Death
Jessup attempted to make a living writing on the subject of UFOs, but his followup books did not sell well and his publisher rejected several other manuscripts. In 1958 his wife left him, and his friends described him as being somewhat unstable when he traveled to New York. After returning to Florida, he was involved in a serious car accident and was slow to recover, apparently increasing his despondency. On April 19, 1959, Jessup contacted Dr. Manson Valentine and arranged to meet with him the next day, claiming to have made a breakthrough regarding an event known as the Philadelphia Experiment. However, on April 20, 1959, Jessup was found dead in Dade County, Florida, with a hose between the exhaust pipe and a rear window of the vehicle, filling the car with toxic exhaust fumes. The death was ruled a suicide. Some people believed that "The circumstances of Jessup's apparent suicide remain mysterious" and conspiracy theorists contended that it was connected to his knowledge of the "Philadelphia Experiment". Although some friends claimed that he possibly had been driven to suicide by the "Allende Case," other friends said that an extremely depressed Jessup had been discussing suicide with his friends for several months before his act.
Read more about this topic: Morris K. Jessup
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