What is Jason Kaufman's Role in All This?
The always mysterious Ahamedd Saaddoodeen writes often now, and each email contains a further bit of information -- always intriguing and each time taking a further step to color in a bizarre picture accompanied by a page of documentation here and there.
"What you seek is found in Jason Kaufmann's head," Saaddoodeen writes. "He is the one who knows almost the entire story. That which Mr. Kaufman does not know, Blythe does. Poor Dan Brown is unaware of many things that have swirled about him. But that of which he is unaware is now closing in on him."
"Poor Dan Brown?" As if!
Oh well! Nothing like a good conspiracy theory from a strange person with an anagrammic name. I'd dismiss it all out of hand along with the other crank emails if not for the bits and pieces of data that Saaddoodeen doles out each time. Each piece adds to the others and is beginning to accumulate into a hefty dossier of sorts that I'll begin to publish here as the final confirmations happen.
Saaddoodeen's data may have a lot to do with why Random House does not want Dan Brown under oath and why theyare trying to avoid a trial at all costs.
"What you seek is found in Jason Kaufmann's head," Saaddoodeen writes. "He is the one who knows almost the entire story. That which Mr. Kaufman does not know, Blythe does. Poor Dan Brown is unaware of many things that have swirled about him. But that of which he is unaware is now closing in on him."
"Poor Dan Brown?" As if!
Oh well! Nothing like a good conspiracy theory from a strange person with an anagrammic name. I'd dismiss it all out of hand along with the other crank emails if not for the bits and pieces of data that Saaddoodeen doles out each time. Each piece adds to the others and is beginning to accumulate into a hefty dossier of sorts that I'll begin to publish here as the final confirmations happen.
Saaddoodeen's data may have a lot to do with why Random House does not want Dan Brown under oath and why theyare trying to avoid a trial at all costs.
posted by Lewis Perdue at 5/11/2005 07:41:00 PM
6 Comments:
Honestly, it sound like this Saddoodeen character is toying with you, Mr. Purdue. Kaufman is supposed to be Brown's assistant--of COURSE, if Brown did in fact plagiarize, Kaufman probably knows. That's not surprising. But if this Saddoodeen character does in fact know something, why would he be dropping hints on a public blog? Private emails to you, maybe, but not like this. Sound like a set-up for a lame attempt at public humiliation by a Dan Brown fan.
Jocelyn: I have considered the possibility that it is "a lame attempt at public humiliation by a Dan Brown fan," but a couple of things keep me from concluding that.
First of all, none of the information has actually been left on the blog, only emails and voicemails.
Second, the data sent so far has all been verifiable through several "for pay" online investigation sources.
Vanessa: I was formerly an investigative reporter who helped break a number of significant cases (among which is the Koreagate Congressional payoff scandal which resulted in jail terms for some of those involved including a Congressman).
Because of that background, I know that I not only need to have confirmation from multiple sources, but also that I have to have a "gut" feeling about things.
I have a comfortable "gut" feeling about the fact that something is very wrong here beyond just the plagiarism litigation and I am pretty darned sure I know what that is.
With the confirmation I already have (multiple independent, third-party sources), I feel I am on strong grounds, but the quirky nature of Saddoodeen still leaves me suspicious of motives.
Once I am "hooked" on the information, will they ask me for money for the rest of the documents?
I am not going out on a limb. Not going to publish without having the entire story before I publish the first part.
Will this person try and make a monetary deal to write an investigative book?
As the data accumulate, it grows more likely that a series of magazine articles and/or a non-fiction book may be a better venue than the blog.
I've started the outline, but it's still in the draft stages.
A monetary deal with whom? Any publisher that will buy the premise. I can just imagine the conflict trying to pull that off without a previous publishing history. Brown claims Blythe is his first editor, and she's the art historian so if anything is nefarious with his research and claims she's going to know ahead time.
Kaufman is the editor; Lange the agent.
Mark: as you can see, I am baffled by the obscurity of this Saddoodeen person (male? female?) and flailing about for something that makes sense in the motivation department.
I think that, rather than try to rehone all the investigate reporting skills and do this by myself, it's probably time to retain a professional investigator to vet Saddoodeen's data and to follow up on many of the intriguing leads that are coming up.
Sounds like a plan. The information must be pretty convincing to warrant that. It's a rare thing in Internet work.
Looks to me like William Stafford would be the guy to talk to about this.
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