Private sale

[AdamNeilWood]

Thanks Adam. Just my hunch, but I think the "personally" in the heart attack letter suggests that Sandell didn't agree with the decision to reject the story, though he could hardly criticise the higher-ups.

Hi Robert,

I'm glad someone spotted that comment. Personally, I tend to agree.

Adam

[AdamNeilWood]

Correspondence from Jim Swanson to his accountants

Letter from Jim Swanson to his accountants, Gilmore and Hudson, 31 March 1983 relating to an enquiry from HM Inspectors relating to his income from the News of the World agreement.

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[AdamNeilWood]

Letter from Jim Swanson to his accountants, Gilmore and Hudson, 31 March 1983 relating to an enquiry from HM Inspectors relating to his income from the News of the World agreement.

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[AdamNeilWood]

Reply from Gilmore and Hudson, 7 April 1983.

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[AdamNeilWood]

Further letter from Gilmore and Hudson, 14 October 1983 in which copies of the News of the World correspondence is requested.

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[AdamNeilWood]

Letter from Jim Swanson to Gilmore and Hudson, 18 October 1983 enclosing carbon copy of the letter to Charles Sandell

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[AdamNeilWood]

Letter from Gilmore and Hudson, 16 December 1983 asking for further information as requested by HM Inspector of Taxes.

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[Lechmere]

Jenni
As interesting, useful and generous as it was of Adam to take the time to post those documents, the only one that can be offered as any sort of proof that the Marginalia contained the suspects name in 1981 was the Express letter.
As it is suggested that the only feasible or potential forger could have been Jim Swanson, his own letters are not good proof that the Marginalia is genuine.
The Express letter is reasonably compelling - but there are a few nagging doubts - as they did not see the Marginalia, there was that passage about testing its authenticity and Jim Swanson perhaps too readily accepted the News of the Word offer.

[AdamNeilWood]

Letter from HM Inspector of Taxes to Gilmore and Hudson, 29 November 1983 asking for clarification of the News of the World agreement.

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[AdamNeilWood]

Letter from Jim Swanson to Gilmore and Hudson, 27 January 1984 detailing the agreement with the News of the World.

On this page Jim states that he wrote to the NOTW and Sunday Express on the same day, and that Charles Sandell replied first.

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[AdamNeilWood]

Letter from Jim Swanson to Gilmore and Hudson, 27 January 1984 detailing the agreement with the News of the World.

On this page Jim writes that the name of the suspect was stated in the marginlia.

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[AdamNeilWood]

Letter from Jim Swanson to Gilmore and Hudson, 27 January 1984 detailing the agreement with the News of the World.

On this page Jim states that he doesn't know what Charles Sandell wrote or why the story wasn't published.

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[AdamNeilWood]

As interesting, useful and generous as it was of Adam to take the time to post those documents, the only one that can be offered as any sort of proof that the Marginalia contained the suspects name in 1981 was the Express letter.

Don't you think the News of the World might have been more than a little surprised if they received a letter from Jim Swanson saying he had "authentic printed and written information that names the suspect" only to find no such name when they inspected it a few days later?

[Jenni Shelden]

Jenni
As interesting, useful and generous as it was of Adam to take the time to post those documents, the only one that can be offered as any sort of proof that the Marginalia contained the suspects name in 1981 was the Express letter.
As it is suggested that the only feasible or potential forger could have been Jim Swanson, his own letters are not good proof that the Marginalia is genuine.
The Express letter is reasonably compelling - but there are a few nagging doubts - as they did not see the Marginalia, there was that passage about testing its authenticity and Jim Swanson perhaps too readily accepted the News of the Word offer.

No ,you have lost me .the memo was written by sandell
what your saying makes no sense in the context of the narrative
Jenni

[Lechmere]

From Adam Wood’s Ripperologist article

The letter wasn’t glued in place when Charles Nevin visited Jim in October 1987 while preparing the Telegraph article, nor when Martin Fido saw the book shortly afterwards, although the latter remembers seeing the letter and book together, possibly as a loose insertion.

It is interesting that the January 1984 letter to the accountant contains the claim that the ‘Lighter Side of my Official Life’ was autographed – by implication by Anderson.
When it wasn’t and the letter wasn’t even stuck in at that date.

Regarding the ‘personally’ comment, I think too much is being read into it, although plausibly, even if the Crime Museum draft is fake, Sandell either would have written or at least researched the article and would have wanted it published as it was his baby so far as the News of the World was concerned.

Adam
‘Don't you think the News of the World might have been more than a little surprised if they received a letter from Jim Swanson saying he had "authentic printed and written information that names the suspect" only to find no such name when they inspected it a few days later?’

If that was what Jim Swanson wrote in the letter he actually sent to the News of the World – the yes – obviously. But was it? If he was capable of forging the Marginalia then he would have been more than capable of forging his own letter.