Clifford Irving

Introduction

In 1972, novelist Clifford Irving fooled American publishing giant McGraw-Hill into believing that Howard Hughes, America's richest and most enigmatic man, had requested Irving to write his biography.
Irving provided a letter he said was written by Hughes, in which Hughes stated that he had called Irving to compliment one of his works.
Hughes had also provided him audiotapes and a manuscript, he said.
The author assumed that Hughes, a hermit since 1958, would not want to attract the attention of the media or the police and would do nothing to prevent the book from being published.

Clifford Irving was invited to McGraw-New Hill's York headquarters, where editors offered contracts for both Irving and Hughes to sign.
The publishers gave Irving a $100,000 (£80,000) advance and Hughes a $400,000 (£320,000) advance.
However, before completing and delivering the text, Irving renegotiated the entire amount to $765,000 (£610,000).
Irving's friend and partner, children's novelist Richard Suskind, faked Hughes' signature on the contract, which McGrawHill accepted without issue.
The publishers gave Irving the checks for his and Hughes' advances.
Irving's then-wife Edith deposited the cheques made out to H.R. Hughes in a Swiss bank account that she had just created under the name "Helga R. Hughes".

During their study, Irving and Suskind were handed an unfinished novel by author James Phelan about Hughes' former business manager.
Phelan was unaware that Irving had been handed the manuscript, which Irving stole and claimed as his own in major portions.
Irving handed a full draft to his editors at McGraw-Hill in late 1971, and they planned to publish the following year.
When Hughes' attorneys learned of this, they interfered, raising concerns to Irving's publisher about the legitimacy of the autobiography.
After a handwriting company examined writing samples and certified them legitimate, McGraw-Hill continued to support Irving.

Hughes ultimately emerged from seclusion in March 1972, two months before the book's scheduled publication, to attend a telephone news conference with reporters.
He called the book a forgery, and McGraw-Hill canceled the contract.
Irving was selected "Con Man of the Year" by Time magazine in its February 1972 edition.
Irving was investigated by the police, and a grand jury was formed to evaluate accusations of mail fraud, perjury, and forgery.
He was charged with "conspiracy to defraud by the use of the mails," but instead of going to trial, he pled guilty, received a $10,000 (£8,000) fine, was required to repay the advance, and was sentenced to 30 months in a federal jail.
Irving declared bankruptcy the next year.
Edith was punished with two months in prison, while Suskind was sentenced to six months in prison for stealing and conspiracy.
Irving's amazing narrative was published in 1977, and it was adapted into a big film in 2006.

Hoaxers often go to considerable pains to make a con seem credible.
The discussions with Hughes that Clifford Irving wrote about were not just made up; rather, he performed them out with Suskind, who played Suskind and Irving, respectively.
Because it was authentic and based on actual interactions with someone who knew Hughes well, the information Irving had stolen from novelist James Phelan seemed credible.
This made the book an engaging read, and Irving's undoubted writing talent—he had achieved acclaim in 1969 with his biography of forger Elmyr de Hory—also contributed.
There was a global desire to uncover the truth about the eccentric, secretive millionaire, thus the timing of the book was also ideal.
Irving subsequently acknowledged his secret: he had been duped by his own deceptions.
Hughes, who, in contrast to Irving's prognosis, ultimately broke his quiet to criticize Irving, was the single thing he miscalculated.

1844: Thomas Monck Mason, an Irish balloonist, is said to have flown over the Atlantic Ocean, according to The New York Sun, but this is later shown to be a fake by Edgar Allan Poe.
1998: With the help of David Bowie, who performs readings from the book during the "launch party," author William Boyd publishes a biography of fictitious American artist Nat Tate in an attempt to ironically mislead the New York art community.
2015: Coming Home, Texas, by Laura Harner is taken off the market when it is found that she copied parts of a book by New York Times best-selling author Becky McGraw.

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