Before EVP Had a Name: A Historically Significant Early Account of Recorded Voice Phenomena
An archival transcription and research commentary by JM Talboo of DebunkingDeath.blogspot.com
The following article is preserved as part of an effort to document the history of paranormal research and the early investigations that would later become associated with Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP).
Published decades before EVP became a widely recognized term, this account describes the experiments of Friedrich Jürgenson and the unusual recordings that attracted attention from researchers, broadcasters, and members of the public. Regardless of how one interprets the source of these recordings, the article represents an important historical document in the development of recorded-voice research.
The original article is presented here through selected excerpts and historical discussion, with additional commentary from a modern researcher examining the continuing evolution of EVP investigation.
Researcher's Commentary
One of the most interesting aspects of this account is that it captures a moment before EVP had fully developed into the field known today. The investigators were still trying to understand what they were hearing, what methods should be used, and what possible explanations existed.
The article’s description of unusual voice qualities, apparent responses, and references to the recording apparatus are themes that continue to appear in modern discussions of EVP.
The statement that this was “only the beginning” is historically interesting. Since the publication of this account, recording technology has changed dramatically, and researchers have continued experimenting with new methods for investigating possible communication phenomena.
A continuing question in this field is not only whether unusual recordings exist, but also what they represent. If one approaches these reports from a survival-of-consciousness perspective, possibilities include complete continuation of personality, fragments of memory or identity, or some other form of preserved consciousness. Similar questions arise in discussions of different types of reported hauntings, including the distinction between intelligent and residual phenomena.
The value of preserving historical material like this is that it allows future researchers to examine how these ideas developed over time and compare early reports with modern investigations.
Weise states, absolutely, the voices came in just between his question and Jurgenson's answer, all but eliminating the possibility of pre-recording.
Many of Jurgenson's friends, newspapermen, Swedish and foreign parapsychologists, have heard the tapes and all share Weise's amazement.
"And no one has any explanation to give," Jurgenson says. "To fake such transmissions for four years would be impossible. Imagine engaging choirs from different countries for transmissions in a blended language and with personal greetings."
Stensson says:
"Interesting and perplexing. One hears voices and choirs that could not possibly be part of the usual radio transmission, and the voices are definitely not part of normal interference.
"Sometimes it's difficult to catch the words, and there's always the question of interpretation.
"But on the other hand, some of the ghostly voices can be heard very clearly. There is no doubt that they are on the tape.
"Our present radio technique has no reasonable explanation for this phenomena. There is no reason to expect falsification.
"One might find it a little strange, however, that the departed use such measures. For example, why use an aria out of Rigoletto to send messages to Jurgenson in the city of Molnbo in Sweden?"
One of the four recordings which Stensson says it would be impossible to fake was made through Jurgenson's radio of a BBC broadcast of Handel's Messiah. Voices interrupt in the middle of the Hallelujah Chorus to say:
"We are not dead, we live, we live, contact, contact, contact in the middle of the earth."
If such an interpretation were technically possible, and Stensson says it isn't, it would require a full symphony orchestra and choir.
Jurgenson recognizes some of the voices as belonging to friends or recent historical figures. A total of 139 voices have been identified. Nearly double that number have preferred to remain anonymous.
There are no voices of people who died before the 19th century. The oldest voice is that of Bismarck, who states he is impatient for reincarnation.
According to the information relayed by these voices, fellowship on the other side is easy and pleasant. There appears to be a gentleman's agreement among the spirits not to discuss politics. They are tenderhearted, friendly, witty, and forgiving of earthly foibles.
Hitler, for example, is said to associate with a victim of a Nazi concentration camp. He has identified himself on one of the tapes with the words:
"Ich bin Adolf Hitler,"
and seems to be continuously ashamed of his earthly misdeeds.
He states:
"If one does not want to stink on the earth and stand in the middle of time and swear recompense, then he must take all the guilt on himself, becoming the father of his time."
Nevertheless, Hitler claims he was a victim of circumstances, that his actions were the result of an unbelievable dementia brought about by syphilis.
A woman believed to be Eva Braun sings in a nervous, passionate voice about her wedding and death. She sang about her death and all about the dead in a voice "dreary in its monotony," according to one listener.
"It is as if the dead were mature souls but naive as children," Jurgenson says. "Sometimes people don't know they have died. They sleep a long time and must be awakened by others. This happens to people who die quickly, as in auto accidents."
Caryl Chessman, however, was well prepared.
"Now I am really dead. I'm flying, I'm flying," he says on one of the tapes.
Rai Boris Sacharow.
A dead friend of Jurgenson says, "Oh, so cold," in Swedish. Although the man did not speak Swedish during his lifetime, he's full of Swedish phrases now.
One spirit is interested in the Jurgenson family poodle, Carino.
Another told Mrs. Jurgenson's, a Stockholm dentist, to take a taxi to work rather than the risky family car.
(Anybody who has tried driving among the numerous Swedish Stirling Mosses will understand why!)
Another spirit offered a bit of scientific information.
"On Venus, there is no life," the voice said.
Jurgenson has some recordings of spirits who wail and scream hysterically, apparently because they suffer from the nightmare that they are still alive and living on Earth.
But for the most part, the voices are characterized by a cheerful and happy imbecility.
Intelligence seems to deteriorate rapidly after death.
Here is the final section:
Writing
What of the man the dead have chosen to talk with?
Jurgenson came to Sweden in 1943 and is now a citizen of his adopted country. For two years he was an opera singer, but was forced to retire by a sinus condition.
He speaks many languages, including Hebrew, German, English, French, Italian, and Yiddish, as well as Russian and Swedish.
The paintings which decorate the walls of his home in suburban Molnbo bear witness to a talent cultivated in a post-academic style.
He used to earn between three and six thousand Swedish crowns for a portrait, but lately he has not been painting at all.
Jurgenson believes the spirits have chosen to contact him because of his knowledge of languages. Another reason may be his appreciation and sensitivity to music. Another reason is perhaps his patience.
Jurgenson, a shy, quiet man, says he is especially glad a Swede was chosen to contact the spirits in the other world. Sweden, he points out, is a land with a good reputation among the dead. It is known for its peaceful, positive, helpful, and hospitable people.
He sees himself as sort of a guinea pig.
"What has happened," he says, "is only the beginning, the beginning of a communications network between the living and the dead."
He's also not afraid of skepticism. He points out that Thomas Edison tried to build a machine to contact the dead, and so did Marconi. He talks of Rhine's experiments in extrasensory perception.
Weise says:
"I know him as a good fellow. It would be terrible if he had fooled us. He has received so many letters from people who have lost someone and who want to make contact."
Weise says he regarded Jurgenson as a "skeptic" in matters of religion.
"It is on a purely technical basis that he talks about what has happened. There is another world. People are in it, and that's all there is to it."
Jurgenson hopes to do a television program in Sweden with Weise and his entire family, all of whom believe in the voices.
