Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, the FBI has confirmed William Branham's "halo photograph" to be a hoax. William Branham invented a story about the FBI, George J. Lacy, and a "supernatural" photograph as a fictional element for his stage persona. According to FBI Document EX-105 REC-73, the FBI has been aware of Branham's fictional tale since September 5, 1974.
Here is the fictional story that William Branham told:
And that night when they taken the picture of It…Lot of times they said it was psychology. But the man who taken it was an Orthodox Jew, name is Ted Kipperman. Mister Ayers was a Roman Catholic. Been standing there making fun. Put a piece in the paper the day before that, just before, and said I was a hypnotizer, and made all kinds of remarks, insulting about it. He almost had a heart attack. And he try—tried to get into the Rice Hotel. And of course, they wouldn’t let him in where I was at. The next morning, they flew the picture away to Washington, DC for a copyright. Before it could be released, it had to go before the FBI examinations. And when they did, they went and got the best, George J. Lacy, the best there is in the United States. He kept it for two or three days, and to see if there was any touch-up, or anything was wrong, that picture would… 21 When he brought it out, he said, "Well, it was perfectly right, that the Light was there that struck it,” and gave a great write-up, each one that had to go with each picture like that. And there it is, visible.[1]
On August 28, 1974, one Mr. Warnock of the Knollwood Church of Christ in Xenia, Ohio, inquired about cult propaganda spread by William Branham's "Message" cult following. Warnock knew that if William Branham's claims were true, and George J. Lacy, the alleged "head of the FBI",[2] had examined the photograph in Washington, DC, the Bureau would have a record of Lacy, the photograph, and the examination. On September 5, 1974, Director Clarence M. Kelly confirmed this story not to be true.
According to Kelly, the FBI had no information about the photograph, and George Lacy had never been employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Interestingly, the Freedom of Information Act request has redacted the name of either/or Kipperman and/or Ayers, the photographers.
Read the full document here:
https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=56586c9e-8146-4ded-a70c-5559b55e213a&parent=houston_photograph
References
[1] Branham, William. 1950, July 14. At Thy Word (50-0714).
[2] Branham, William. 1958, May 12. Life (58-0512). "Now, while we’re in prayer, everybody just reverent. But if you’re praying, and you hear me call, look up. See? Because I have to speak quick. Here is the picture. They’ve told you about it. George J. Lacy, head of the FBI, fingerprint and documents, took the picture of an Angel of God, the Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel."
Here is the fictional story that William Branham told:
And that night when they taken the picture of It…Lot of times they said it was psychology. But the man who taken it was an Orthodox Jew, name is Ted Kipperman. Mister Ayers was a Roman Catholic. Been standing there making fun. Put a piece in the paper the day before that, just before, and said I was a hypnotizer, and made all kinds of remarks, insulting about it. He almost had a heart attack. And he try—tried to get into the Rice Hotel. And of course, they wouldn’t let him in where I was at. The next morning, they flew the picture away to Washington, DC for a copyright. Before it could be released, it had to go before the FBI examinations. And when they did, they went and got the best, George J. Lacy, the best there is in the United States. He kept it for two or three days, and to see if there was any touch-up, or anything was wrong, that picture would… 21 When he brought it out, he said, "Well, it was perfectly right, that the Light was there that struck it,” and gave a great write-up, each one that had to go with each picture like that. And there it is, visible.[1]
On August 28, 1974, one Mr. Warnock of the Knollwood Church of Christ in Xenia, Ohio, inquired about cult propaganda spread by William Branham's "Message" cult following. Warnock knew that if William Branham's claims were true, and George J. Lacy, the alleged "head of the FBI",[2] had examined the photograph in Washington, DC, the Bureau would have a record of Lacy, the photograph, and the examination. On September 5, 1974, Director Clarence M. Kelly confirmed this story not to be true.
According to Kelly, the FBI had no information about the photograph, and George Lacy had never been employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Interestingly, the Freedom of Information Act request has redacted the name of either/or Kipperman and/or Ayers, the photographers.
Read the full document here:
https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=56586c9e-8146-4ded-a70c-5559b55e213a&parent=houston_photograph
References
[1] Branham, William. 1950, July 14. At Thy Word (50-0714).
[2] Branham, William. 1958, May 12. Life (58-0512). "Now, while we’re in prayer, everybody just reverent. But if you’re praying, and you hear me call, look up. See? Because I have to speak quick. Here is the picture. They’ve told you about it. George J. Lacy, head of the FBI, fingerprint and documents, took the picture of an Angel of God, the Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel."
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