Wolf Messing
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Wolf Gregorevich Messing (b. 10 September 1899, Góra Kalwaria, d. 8 November 1974, Moscow) was an alleged psychic who became a stage performer. Born to a Jewish family, Messing fled from Germany to USSR before World War II. His abilities came to the attention of Joseph Stalin.
Stalin became interested in the case of Wolf Messing, and was determined to check the authenticity of his supposed abilities. In one experiment, Messing walked into a bank, presented the teller with a "note", and requested 10,000 roubles. The "note" was actually a blank piece of paper. The cashier handed over the money, and Messing packed the banknotes into his briefcase and left the bank. Messing then re-entered the bank with two observers who had witnessed the transaction, and handed back the money. The cashier collapsed with a heart attack when he realised what he had done.[citation needed]
A second test set by Stalin was to enter his house - surrounded by armed guards - without a pass. Later, as Stalin was working in his office, Messing walked in. Messing explained that he had broadcasted a mental suggestion that he was the feared head of the secret police Lavrenti Beria, and that the guards had seen Beria, not Messing.[citation needed]
Messing is remembered in some circles for the stories surrounding his telepathic and precognitive abilities, which were said to have been verified by other prominent figures such as Mohandas Gandhi, Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein.
In recent years the Messing stories have been propagated by Indian mystic Sathya Sai Baba.
Wolf Messing is mentioned in Suvorov's fiction "The Choice" (Выбор), under the name "Rudolf Messer"
Wolf Messing is also mentioned in "The Coming of Tan", by Rily J. Martin & O-Qua Tangin Wann, as one who has "neurological attributes or powers that the aliens don't or no longer have".
[edit] References
- Ostrander, Sheila and Schroeder, Lynn (1970). Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain. Prentice-Hall, Inc. ISBN 0-13-732230-5.
- Nagel, Alexandra Een mysterieuze ontmoeting... :Sai Baba en mentalist Wolf Messing/A mysterious meeting... :Sai Baba and mentalist Wolf Messing published in Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie/Journal for parapsychology 368, vol. 72 nr 4, Dec. 2005, pp. 14-17 (Dutch language)
