Categories
discordianism jim garrison kerry thornley letters louise lacey writings

The Raymond Broshears Files Part 00004: The Multiple Wave Oscillator Debacle

The Rev. Raymond Broshear
circa early 1970s.
In March 1970, Discordian Society member Stan “Doc” Jamison (aka Coman Ra—Lt. Colonel, Commanding 1st Intergalactic Confederacy Advance Detail—Planet Shan) was exchanging information with Rev. Raymond Broshears regarding a contraption called the “Multiple Wave Oscillator.”

How Doc Jamison became acquainted with Rev. Broshears one can only guess, although it was probably due to their mutual affiliation with the Universal Life Church.

The Multiple Wave Oscillator (MWO) was invented in the 1930s by Georges Lakhovsky, and was said to produce healing therapies through the application of “ultra radio frequencies.”

Lakhovsky's Multiple Wave Oscillator.

The MWO has a long history in conspiratorial lore as one of those suppressed inventions along the lines of Wilhelm Reich’s Orgone Accumulator. Here’s a paper Jamison put together on the MWO, to further enlighten (or befuddle) your mind.

From what I’ve been able to piece together, Jamison acquired the MWO from someone in the San Francisco bay area, and Broshears was holding the unit in safekeeping until Jamison had an opportunity to pick it up. That’s when all the fun started.

Louise Lacey, late 60s/early 70s.
Photo courtesy of Louise Lacey.

On March 11, 1970, Jamison sent a letter to fellow Discordian Louise Lacey aka Lady L, F.A.B. (Fucking Anarchist Bitch) alerting her that “in a very few days, Rev. Ray Broshears should have a Lakhovsky M.W.O. unit in his possession…”

March 11, 1970 letter from Stan Jamison to Louise Lacey.
Courtesy of the Discordian Archives.

Lacey responded to the above letter on June 22: “I’m writing Rev. Ray Broshears about the Lakhovsky MWO unit, and hope to get together with him…” A short time later, Lacey received a phone call from Broshears, as documented in the letter below.

July 1, 1970 letter from Louise Lacey to Stan Jamison.
Courtesy of the Discordian Archives.

Broshears fired off a letter a few days later, on July 7, informing Jamison that the MWO unit had “gone with the wind” and that Lacey and “her bunch of rotten bastards can go to hell.” This letter included a mini-rant criticizing Jamison for apparently withdrawing support for “Light and Understanding” —whatever that actually entailed. (“Light and Understanding” was Broshears’ newsletter—maybe Jamison let his subscription lapse.) Broshears also notes that the “Council of New Age Churches (CNAC) Convention was an absolute financial disaster, and I resigned the presidency as the honorable thing to do. Dr. Stranges will make an excellent president…”

July 8, 1970 letter from Rev. Raymond Broshears to Stan Jamison.
Courtesy of the Discordian Archives.

Dr. Stranges, of course, was the one and only Rev. Frank Stranges, noted ufologist and close associate of Broshears, who was mentioned in the last installment of this startling series.

Cover of the July 1970 issue of Light and Understanding, featuring Rev. Frank Stranges (with his charming wife Bernice) in his new role as President of the 'Council of New Age Churches.'

As noted in our first installment, Rev. Broshears was a key witnesses in Jim Garrison’s case against Kerry Thornley, which at this time was unresolved. When Thornley heard through the Discordian grapevine that Lady L. had been interacting with Rev. Broshears, he implored her: “Please don’t try and convert him; he is far more valuable on the other side as a hostile witness.”

1970 letter from Kerry Thornley to Louise Lace regarding
her puzzling interactions with the Rev. Raymond Broshears.
Courtesy of the Discordian Archives.

In response, Lacey sent a letter to Thornley, dated August 1, 1970, chronicling her brief but befuddling interactions with Broshears, which she described as a “mind-cracking experience… 30 minutes of tortured insanity about his fear the cops were going to bust him because he had the MWO machine… His head is so messed up that I can’t think of a better hostile witness you could have… I have without a doubt established to my own satisfaction that he doesn’t know what he is talking about…”

August 1, 1970 letter from Louise Lacey to Kerry Thornley.
Courtesy of the Discordian Archives.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *