According to Rob McConnell, Publisher of THE 'X' CHRONICLES, "North America's Only Monthly Parapsychology Newspaper," the infamous 1967, Bigfoot Photographs and film by Roger Patterson, has been uncovered as a hoax. McConnell is in possession of a letter from Harry Kemball, director and screenwriter at Golden Eagle Productions, who told THE 'X' CHRONICLES researchers that he was at the CanaWest 16mm Film Editing Room in 1967 "when Roger Patterson and his friends put together his Bigfoot Hoax on 16mm film." According to Kemball, "they all laughed and joked about the rental of the gorilla costume and the construction of the bigfeets. One of his extra tall buddies played the role of Bigfoot. They carefully chose muddy ground so footprints would expand." To further enhance the effect, say Kemball, the film crew "carefully shot it on 16mm Kodak EF high Speed Color Positive film stock, and when the film is force processed in "Hot Soup" - the film grain is enlarged to add the sense of mystery. They added a shaky camera zoom with the right amount of 'out of focus' to complete the deception. Kemball who says he is a graduate in comparative anatomy studies concluded: "this creature does not and never has existed." (THE 'X' CHRONICLES is in possession of a signed statement by Kemball to the validity of the quote within.)

In response Peter Byrne, Director of the Bigfoot Research Project, completely denies the charge of hoax claiming that "it has been definitely established" and that the creature was "seven feet three and a half inches in height." Further, he says the "footage shows its subject walking in deep, gray-white sand" not mud, and that it was not shot with a 16mm cine camera. It was shot with a Gimlin camera, for which Byrne claims to have the serial numbers. Finally, Byrne is especially suspicious that this claim of a hoax came forward so late in the game - nearly 30 years after the fact. Surely Mr. Kemball would have revealed the big news back when the Patterson film was hot.

Who hoaxed whom? Who knows? The photograph (pictured) certainly has the characteristics of a guy in an ape suit. But Kemball's letter is somewhat unconvincing. But then, so too is Patterson's film footage. Finding the body would help.

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