Willis Carto archive

Including information about his associates

More Lies from The SPOTLIGHT — October 30, 1995

Carto-inspired ‘declaration’ attacking Tom Marcellus

The following declaration appeared in Willis Carto’s weekly tabloid paper, The Spotlight, under the heading IHR Update, Number 7, July 28, 1995. Even more amazing than the declaration itself is the fact that Carto actually seems to believe these charges, in a way reminiscent to the way Stalin would make up charges against his subordinates, and then proceed to act as if the charges were proven true.

IHR Update

Number 7
July 28, 1995

New Light on Treacherous Tom

Tom Marcellus, who played the role of a dutiful, faithful and highly ethical director of the IHR for 13 years until he decided to wreck it … had a very revealing conversation with an IHR supporter …

In fact, the IHR supporter thought the conversation so interesting he wrote and filed a document called a declaration … The text follows:

The undersigned, (name of declarant) hereby deposes and says:

  1. Sometime in late 1984 or early 1985 I met with Mr. Thomas Marcellus at a restaurant in North Torrance or South Redondo Beach California for the purpose of discussing ways to strengthen and fireproof the headquarters of the Institute for Historical Review since my profession is architecture since 1946. I am a licensed architect.
  2. During the course of the conversation I asked Mr. Marcellus why his name is the same as the famous Roman senator. He replied that Marcellus is not his real name — it is a pen name. I asked why he had a pen name and he answered it was to protect his family from reprisal. I asked where he was from. He replied the Ontario, Riverside, California area.
  3. Marcellus further said when he was a kid he went joyriding in someone’s new car and was picked up by the police. He was 16 at the time and saw 21 when released. I asked what the police called joyriding and he said they called it grand larceny.
  4. I swear that the above is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. Done this 13th of November, 1994.

(Signed)

(Name of declarant deleted)

Commentary

Besides the convenient fact that the so-called declarant is anonymous and his identity was never revealed, it is interesting to note that this declaration was never submitted in any of the many court cases between Carto and the IHR, even though Carto is desperate to discredit Tom and other IHR staffers.

Getting into the meat of this declaration:

  1. Tom’s name really is Tom Marcellus. His family name is Marcellus as far back as he knows.
  2. Tom is not from either the Ontario or Riverside area, and in fact is not even from California.
  3. Tom has never been picked up by the police … ever, for anything.
  4. Tom has never been convicted of anything, certainly not grand larceny.
  5. During the time Tom supposedly was in prison, according to the statement published in The Spotlight, he was actually in college in another state, and was a star of the tennis team.

If Carto believes stories such as this, he is an idiot. If he doesn’t, then he is a liar. Carto worked alongside Tom for over 13 years, and certainly had the chance to know as much about him as anyone else. At the very least, he knew where Tom was from, and that he went to college as a young man.

It is this type of mendaciousness that led to the IHR staff severing all ties with Carto.