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77-468: Initially accepted by some document experts and collectors, and rejected by others, the salamander letter generated much discussion and debate inside and outside the Latter Day Saint movement. Kenneth W. Rendell , a prominent dealer of historical papers, lent credence to the salamander letter by stating that the ink, paper, and postmark were all consistent with the period; he concluded that "there

154-508: A First Presidency statement, quoting Gordon B. Hinckley : "No one, of course, can be certain that Martin Harris wrote the document. However, at this point we accept the judgment of the examiner that there is no indication that it is a forgery. This does not preclude the possibility that it may have been forged at a time when the Church had many enemies. It is, however, an interesting document of

231-531: A " seer stone ," which was later confirmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). According to the letter, when Smith dug up the plates a "salamander" appeared, which transformed itself into a spirit that refused to give Smith the plates unless his brother, Alvin Smith , was also present. This would have been very difficult, as Alvin was dead at the time of the alleged appearance. This reference may have been an attempt by Hofmann to associate

308-518: A 10,000-square-foot building near Boston, a place, declared Architectural Digest , where "More than 6,000 Artifacts Put History into Unforgettable Perspective." The Boston Globe described the museum as "an evocative and jaw-dropping collection of more than 6,000 wartime artifacts Rendell has gathered over four decades," and "very much an extension of its creator and his passion for the subject." A subsequent Town & Country article noted, "Unlike at most museums, visitors here are allowed to touch

385-676: A London firm. In 2000 Rendell created an endowment with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) to provide for trail maintenance in the White Mountains of New Hampshire , where he and his sons frequently had hiked. The Jason J. Rendell Endowment also funds AMC activities. Since the 1990s Rendell has been a very active supporter of Youth Enrichment Services (YES), in Boston's inner-city neighborhoods, and serves on an advisory board. In Hawaii , where Rendell maintains

462-472: A Person in 1830 Connect an Angel With a Salamander?" Hofmann drew suspicion for discovering so many astounding documents that others had missed, including the so-called " Oath of a Freeman ", which he was attempting to sell to the Library of Congress . By early 1984, Jerald Tanner concluded there was significant doubt as to the salamander letter's authenticity. He even went so far as to publish an attack on

539-593: A better life awaits your initiative, your perseverance, your cleverness, your hard work." In 1959 Rendell began collecting documents about World War II . Over the next 50 years this informal effort grew into an organized and serious endeavor to represent the human story of the causes and consequences of World War II. During the 1960s and 1970s, when there was often little interest in such material at auctions, even from government libraries and archives, he readily (and inexpensively) bought entire collections. He eventually established The International Museum of World War II in

616-483: A few deceivers, but that is the price they pay to increase their effectiveness in counseling, comforting, and blessing the hundreds of honest and sincere people they see. It is better for a Church leader to be occasionally disappointed than to be constantly suspicious. More than twenty years later, effects of the letter still lingered. The letter was referenced in research by both Mormons and critics of Mormonism alike. Resulting publications that include conclusions based on

693-593: A foreword by Kenneth Rendell, it is illustrated almost exclusively with images of artifacts that were in the museum's collections. In 2016 the museum, which was originally known as the Museum of World War II, was renamed The International Museum of World War II to better reflect the global perspective of its exhibitions, which, the Imperial War Museum has asserted, boast "the most comprehensive display of original World War II artifacts on exhibit anywhere in

770-609: A home, he has likewise supported the Paia Youth Cultural Center in helping young people develop in a positive way, and two organizations that offer care and hope to the homeless. Rendell was a founding supporter and on the board of the Rare Book School at Columbia University and continued his support after its move to the University of Virginia . In 2021 he and his wife Shirley McNerney endowed

847-472: A lecture and publication series on the importance of original manuscripts and rare books to human understanding. In 2021 the Grolier Club of New York , the premier organization of manuscript and rare book collectors, announced the major gift of Rendell's collection on the detection of forged handwriting, numbering over 10,000 pieces, including hundreds of original forgeries from the sixteenth century to

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924-438: A poem supposedly written by Harris and placed in his old Book of Common Prayer and determined it had actually been created by Hofmann. Hofmann used the poem to authenticate the writing in the salamander letter. Although this was enough proof by itself that the letter was a forgery, Throckmorton and Flynn bolstered their case by getting in touch with Frances Magee, the widow of a descendant of Martin Harris. Magee's family had owned

1001-413: A safety switch. Two people were killed: Christensen at his office, the main target; and Kathleen Sheets at her home. That bomb was intended as a diversion, to draw off investigators by causing them to focus on unrelated business dealings between Christensen and Sheets's husband. Hofmann himself was subsequently injured when a third bomb went off prematurely in his car. That bomb exploded in a way that most of

1078-673: A specific historical subject or period, often related to a church current event, such as the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple , the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics , Joseph Smith 's bicentennial birthday, the Mountain Meadows massacre sesquicentennial, or Gordon B. Hinckley 's death. In 2009, the almanac consolidated and modified most sections to improve design and dramatically reduce size. The new format included many more visuals, as well as expanded biographies of First Presidency members. State, province, and country history

1155-402: A teen he expanded into several numismatic specialties: he became one of just two specialists in early American coinage in the colonies, political campaign memorabilia, and alternative currencies created during difficult financial times. In 1959 he was appointed to the committee of 35 leading rare coin dealers who set the values in A Guide Book of United States Coins , the standard reference, and

1232-522: A transcript of it to him and he had declared it to be fake. The contents of the letter also seemed too similar to Howe's Mormonism Unvailed to others in the LDS Church's Historical Department. The letter was also offered to other interested parties, including Jerald and Sandra Tanner , prominent critics of Mormonism. Although the letter's authenticity would have bolstered the Tanners' claims against

1309-509: A wide range of other talented young people. Spark scholarship recipients regularly attend summer sessions at Barnard College , Boston University , Columbia University , Georgetown University , Harvard Medical School , Harvard Business School , Smith College , Stanford University , Tufts University , Wellesley College , Yale University , and many other colleges and universities. In September 2023 Whitman Publishing released Rendell's memoir Safeguarding History: Trailblazing Adventures in

1386-399: Is no indication that the document is a forgery." The document was later demonstrated to be a forgery created by Mark Hofmann , who had been responsible for the forgery of many other notable documents. Rendell then recast his conclusion, stating that while there was "the absence of any indication of forgery in the letter itself, there was also no evidence that it was genuine." The contents of

1463-542: Is the only publication by the LDS Church that is entirely devoted to news coverage of the LDS Church. The Church News is the official newspaper of the LDS Church, publishing the church's "Authorized News." This is not to be confused with the " Mormon Times " branded coverage within the religion section of the Deseret News , which contains unofficial social and cultural LDS news coverage, though both are now distributed together to Church News subscribers. As with

1540-531: The Ensign , the LDS Church encourages its members to subscribe to the Church News , which gives its content an air of official endorsement. The Church News does not carry advertisements in its pages, although it did in its first three issues and during 1959–60. Despite higher prices than in other Deseret News sections, Church News ad space didn't make enough money, and it was felt that it detracted from

1617-626: The Book of Mormon . A joint statement by Harris and two other men appears in the front of the Book of Mormon stating that he was shown by an angel the golden plates from which the book was translated. The letter presented a version of the recovery of the golden plates which contrasted with the orthodox version of events as related by Joseph Smith and the Latter Day Saint movement, which would have, if true, confirmed some controversial aspects of Smith's life. Smith had been accused of "treasure digging" and using

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1694-767: The Church News was available throughout the United States without a subscription to the Deseret News , except for residents of Utah who were required to subscribe to the Deseret News to receive the Church News . In 2014 the subscription model changed, allowing Utahns to subscribe to the less expensive weekly Deseret News National Edition and receive the Church News as an insert. Starting in 1948, large photos were used for each issue's cover. Gradually, more graphics and colors were used and regular features were added, such as editorials , "Gems of Thought," "The Missionary's Diary," "I Want to Know," and short historical or scriptural vignettes. The editorials became one of

1771-422: The Church News was distributed as a separate publication by mail, to areas Deseret News circulation didn't cover, a practice that still continues. This allowed Church News circulation to increase to almost 250,000 in 1981, compared to the Deseret News at about 70,000. The paper was also distributed in an LDS serviceman 's edition from 1944 to 1948 and by telegram from 1952 to 1953 For much of its history

1848-426: The Church News . Starting in 1981, the Church News was retitled LDS Church News: News of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , but today it is usually referred to as Church News or LDS Church News . In 1943, the paper became available through a special Saturday-only Deseret News subscription, which allowed the paper to eventually surpass the regular Deseret News circulation by 12,000. In 1948,

1925-412: The Deseret News J M. Heslop became Editor of the Church News in 1969, he changed its format from dense text and statistics into a strongly visual showcase of his photography with short faith-promoting stories. During Heslop's editorship, the Church News used mail distribution to greatly expand circulation to over 200,000, vastly surpassing the 70,000 readers of its parent, the Deseret News . In

2002-470: The 1890s, efforts to emphasize secular news pushed church coverage to dedicated sections on inside pages. As early as the mid-1850s and 1860s consideration was given to creating a separate church newspaper. In 1931, a new Saturday tabloid called the Church Section was released, which primarily reported leaders' sermons, church events, and notices about new bishoprics and stake presidencies . It

2079-506: The 1973 tax court trial of former Illinois governor Otto Kerner, Jr. . By the turn of the century, Rendell's reputation as a collector had made him a leading voice in a business that, due to technological innovation, was rapidly changing. He helped Bill Gates start a paper library in his Shangri-La mansion on the shores of Lake Washington . In 1995 the University of Oklahoma Press published Rendell's book History Comes to Life: Collecting Historical Letters and Documents, considered

2156-641: The American Dream: Selections From the Collection of Kenneth W. Rendell, a book of some 500 illustrations that built upon the original exhibition. In 2013 Whitman Publishing released Rendell's second book devoted to Western Americana, The Great American West: Pursuing the American Dream. Centered on additional artifacts from the author's collections, the book traced the migration of settlers spurred west by "the hope that

2233-507: The Church routinely acquires and suppresses Church history documents in order to deceive its members and the public. In the hands of clever writers and cartoonists, the mythical salamander proved a most effective instrument to pique public interest... In addition to addressing the media's treatment of the church during this period, Oaks also spoke about other concerns including alleged suppression of documents, Hofmann's access to church officials, actual amounts paid for documents, and reminders of

2310-651: The Deseret News published the Deseret News Church Almanac (or just Church Almanac ), composed of LDS Church facts and statistics edited and prepared by the staff of the Church News . The almanac started in 1974 as an annual publication, then became biennial in 1984, then annual again from 2002 to 2013. With access to records and the LDS Church Historical Department, the almanac presented some material that

2387-569: The LDS Church's general conferences , but only prints brief reports of the sermons and announcements, unlike the Ensign and Conference Report , other church publications which circulate later and print full transcripts. The Church News' purpose has been stated to "build testimonies and uplift its readers." In doing this it focuses on inspirational and motivational stories in a graphics-heavy format. The paper isn't intended to cover controversial issues, but emphasizes success stories and reinforces

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2464-565: The Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington, Massachusetts, mounted an exhibition called "The Western Pursuit of the American Dream: Selections From the Collection of Kenneth W. Rendell," comprising letters, diaries, artifacts, and art that he had acquired over decades. The Grolier Club in New York City subsequently hosted an abridged version of the exhibit, 150 objects, which, the club noted, "document this national adventure through

2541-621: The Resistance, Enigma Code Machines and the Imitation Game, and Hitler Attacks, Churchill Rises From the Ashes of Appeasement. The most recent, The 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor: Why We Remember, ran from October 8, 2016, through January 7, 2017. On October 25, 2016, National Geographic Books released The Secret History of World War II: Spies, Code Breakers, and Covert Operations, by Neil Kagan and Stephen G. Hyslop. Featuring

2618-538: The World , John S.D. Eisenhower wrote: "Virtual reality dominates our lives. This museum is doubly refreshing … authenticity is not only the norm, it is demanded … every item is authentic, original and real." The museum was regularly acknowledged for its original approach and world-class content. On April 12, 2016, The Power of Anti-Semitism: The March to the Holocaust, 1919-1939, an exhibition developed by Rendell from

2695-493: The Worlds of Collecting and Forging History with a foreword by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Rendell married Diana Angelo in 1967. They had two sons, Jeffrey (b. 1971) and Jason (1982-1998) before divorcing in 1985. He married journalist Shirley McNerney on July 14, 1985; their daughter Julia Louise was born in 1994. Rendell is also co-editor of two books: Rendell wrote the foreword, consulted, and provided virtually all of

2772-603: The actual words and artifacts of explorers, travelers, warriors, gold seekers, merchants, outlaws—dreamers all—who shaped the American frontier." According to The New York Times the exhibit offered "a sense of the struggle to tame the gorgeous wilderness that stretched beyond the tidy civilizations of the East," and called it "worth spending time with." In 2004 the University of Oklahoma Press published The Western Pursuit of

2849-691: The blast did not hit Hofmann. The police investigated these bombings, and during a search of Hofmann's home found a studio in the basement where he could create counterfeited documents as well as a semi-automatic carbine which had been converted to full automatic fire. Many of the documents Hofmann sold or donated were proven to be forgeries by a new forensic technique developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation , chiefly to detect his forgeries. The Salt Lake City Police Department used Utah State special agent and forensic examiner George Throckmorton and Arizona document examiner William Flynn to examine

2926-423: The book for many years, and Magee told investigators that she'd never seen the poem before. She suspected someone had planted it there after she sold the book. Hofmann ultimately pleaded guilty to his forgeries and murders and was sentenced to life in prison. Church leaders, especially First Presidency member Gordon B. Hinckley, continued to field criticism for some time for "being duped" and being "unable to discern

3003-528: The church message. Though it experimented with some "hard news" in the early 1970s, the paper has always stayed with its successful, uplifting formula and remained reverential toward church leaders. Some have nicknamed the paper "Mormon Pravda ," because of its dedication to promoting faith, which others see as producing soft " human interest " stories. Since the paper and the church are both based in Salt Lake City, much Church News coverage over

3080-424: The church's efforts to obtain and archive historically significant material extend to works even by anti-Mormon authors. Hofmann was struggling under massive debt and falling behind on delivering on deals that he had made. In 1985, when he learned that the pedigree of the salamander letter was under widespread suspicion, he produced and placed a number of bombs. They were detonated with a mercury switch , but without

3157-465: The church, they expressed doubts as to its authenticity. A deal with the LDS Church was never reached. Hofmann finally sold the letter to Steven F. Christensen on January 6, 1984, for $ 40,000. Christensen wanted to try to authenticate it and then donate it to the LDS Church . In the Church News on April 28, 1985, the LDS Church revealed the contents of the salamander letter. Alongside was included

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3234-444: The community he grew up in, Somerville , Massachusetts , next to Boston , who were excelling in school but whose economic and social constraints were limiting their potential. The Spark Foundation ( thesparkfoundationma .org ) offers them a broad range of academic and career possibilities and the realization that their place in the world is determined by their efforts and success, not their background. They see that they belong with

3311-441: The document, which surprised many scholars and students since this and other "discoveries" of important Mormon documents by Hofmann often appeared to bolster the Tanners' own arguments. By late 1984, Jerald Tanner questioned the authenticity of most if not all of Hofmann's "discoveries", based in large part on their unproven provenance. The Tanners did concur with Hofmann in contending that the LDS Church's apparent inability to discern

3388-540: The earlier trumpeting of the claims that his newly discovered documents destroyed faith... In the course of this episode, we have seen some of the most sustained and intense LDS church-bashing since the turn of the century. In a circumstance where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could not say much without interfering with the pending criminal investigation and prosecution, the Church and its leaders have been easy marks for assertions and innuendo ranging from charges of complicity in murder to repeated recitals that

3465-453: The early 1970s, the Church News began carrying historical sketches written by members of the LDS Church Historical Department. Around 1977, following high-profile criticisms of Historical Department work, the paper replaced these with staff-written "Vignettes of Faith" and avoided reviews of new major historical publications. In 1995, the Church News went online, with subscription-only access, with archives available back to 1988. In 2008

3542-407: The evil intentions of a man like Hofmann". Hinckley later noted: "I accepted him to come into my office on a basis of trust … I frankly admit that Hofmann tricked us. He also tricked experts from New York to Utah, however .... I am not ashamed to admit that we were victimized. It is not the first time the Church has found itself in such a position. Joseph Smith was victimized again and again. The Savior

3619-532: The foreword. The 254-page, large format work drew exclusively from maps in Rendell's collection. In 2019 it was decided that the museum's future was in Washington, D.C. Efforts to raise funds for a new, greatly expanded museum in the Boston area had been unsuccessful, and billionaire Ronald Lauder took over responsibility for the museum. Rendell and Lauder completed most of the design for the new facility with

3696-412: The forged documents was evidence against church leadership being divinely inspired . John Tvedtnes, a Mormon scholar, responded with Joseph Smith's statement that "a prophet was a prophet only when he was acting as such," and that purchasing historical materials is a business activity rather than a prophetic undertaking. It is also asserted that the LDS Church's leaders do not claim infallibility and that

3773-494: The hill Cumorah in order to obtain the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was said to be translated. Jerald and Sandra Tanner refuted this suggestion and determined that the only known source of such a requirement would have been the salamander letter. Kenneth W. Rendell Kenneth William Rendell (born May 12, 1943) is the founder of The International Museum of World War II in Boston, and an American dealer and expert in historical documents . Kenneth Rendell

3850-605: The illustrated artifacts for: Church News The Church News (formerly LDS Church News ) is a multi-platform supplement and subdivision of the Deseret News , a Salt Lake City , Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (informally, the LDS Church). It is published daily online, and weekly as tabloid -sized. Deseret News also provides the news site Of Good Report (now only in social media and formerly Mormon Times ). It

3927-604: The items, if ever so gently." In 2009 Rendell showcased his World War II document collection with the first of two books, World War II: Saving the Reality . In her foreword Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote: "Through this unparalleled collection of original letters and artifacts, we follow the story of the war, not as historians after the fact, but by the side of the leaders and the people who lived and died during those dramatic years." In his foreword to 2013's Politics, War and Personality: Fifty Iconic World War II Documents That Changed

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4004-416: The letter implied a magical aspect to Smith's life, a controversial subject debated amongst scholars of Latter Day Saint history. The salamander letter was supposedly written by Martin Harris to W. W. Phelps , an early convert in the Latter Day Saint movement. Harris served for a short period of time as scribe for the translation of the golden plates , and assisted in the financing of the first printing of

4081-599: The magazine as a consultant, Rendell investigated "everything—from paper to ink to handwriting to bindings." He also checked into the alleged provenience of the documents" Hired by Stern to investigate, Rendell later published his findings in Forging History . Rendell was subsequently drawn into what would prove to be one of the most notorious fraud cases in American history. It centered on Utah native Mark Hofmann , who had forged and sold several documents related to early Mormon history. Hofmann's boldest forgery

4158-460: The many cautions Church leaders gave as to the documents' authenticity prior to Hofmann's arrest. In addressing why Hofmann's lies were not detected by church leaders, Oaks said: In order to perform their personal ministries, Church leaders cannot be suspicious and questioning of each of the hundreds of people they meet each year. Ministers of the gospel function best in an atmosphere of trust and love. In that kind of atmosphere, they fail to detect

4235-405: The most noticeable features of the Church News . Longtime Deseret News editor and LDS Church apostle Mark E. Petersen wrote for the Church News since its 1931 beginning, and in 1943 started his own weekly editorial. In 1948, these moved to the back page, where they remained until Petersen died in 1984 and they were replaced by staff-written "Viewpoints." Because of his church authority and

4312-773: The museum's collections, debuted at the New-York Historical Society and ran through July 31. An 80-page companion book of the same name, written by Rendell, was published simultaneously. The Wall Street Journal described the exhibit as "powerful," while the director of the New-York Historical Society deemed it "a new—and path-breaking—understanding of the trajectory of anti-Semitism in Europe." The museum's special exhibitions, based wholly on its own artifacts and documents, included Most Secret: Rudolph Hess's Own Archive, The Reality of

4389-529: The paper's religious intent, it was unclear whether these editorials constituted official church positions. Petersen wrote on a variety of topics, including secular and controversial subjects like politics. In the 1970s, his editorials came out against the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which ended up establishing the LDS Church's position and changing modest LDS support for the amendment into firm opposition. When former chief photographer of

4466-523: The present day and thousands of facsimiles of genuine handwriting, reference books, and tools. It is the most comprehensive collection on the subject in the world. In the same year, Rendell and McNerney established an endowed annual lecture at the Grolier Club—the Rendell Lecture on the importance of original manuscripts in understanding the thoughts and intentions of historical persons. In 2018 Rendell formulized an idea to help students in

4543-401: The presumption that the letter was authentic are still available and may influence the opinions of those seeking information on "deep Mormon doctrine" or evidence to support a naturalistic or magical historical view of Mormonism or Joseph Smith. Grant H. Palmer , author of the book An Insider's View of Mormon Origins , stated that his work was influenced in part by his original acceptance of

4620-429: The recovery of the gold plates to a rumor that Alvin's grave was dug up by Smith's family to use Alvin's remains in a magical ceremony. Hofmann's use of a salamander drew upon legends about certain animals having supernatural powers. Hofmann may have been inspired by the early anti-Mormon book, Mormonism Unvailed (1834), which claimed that a toad-like animal was rumored to have appeared to Smith in conjunction with

4697-454: The recovery of the plates. The letter was initially deemed authentic by experienced document examiners, however this conclusion is disputed. Critics of the LDS Church have used the letter as an argument against the validity of the religion. The letter was useful to these organizations because it seemed to support the opinions of Reed Durham , D. Michael Quinn , and others regarding "magical" aspects of Smith's religious experiences. The letter

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4774-917: The religious paper's dignity. Instead, the section is financially supported by the rest of the Deseret News operations, and high volume subscriptions. A mainstay of the Church News is its continuing features that make up most of the paper. These include "This Week in Church History," "Message of Inspiration," "Living By the Scriptures," "A Thought From the Scriptures," and "Viewpoints." It also regularly carries announcements, such as upcoming events in "Calendar of Events," 70th wedding anniversaries in "Milestones of Togetherness," birthdays over 100 in "Centenarians," and deaths of prominent church members in "Obituaries." Announcements are posted of all new stake , mission , and temple presidents when they occur. The Church News publishes semiannual issues on

4851-402: The salamander letter as being valid and supportive of his view. Palmer stated that the "salamander letter" caused him to explore Joseph Smith's "mystical mindset". The salamander letter also influenced the content of the film The God Makers II , an alleged exposé of Mormonism. The film suggests that Joseph Smith was required to dig up his brother Alvin's body and bring a part of it with him to

4928-434: The standard collector's guide covering all aspects of the field. Rendell's pioneering study Forging History, The Detection of Fake Letters & Documents from 1994 was the first reference book to document, with systematic descriptions and exhaustive illustrations, the forensic examination of questioned historical documents. By 1987, Rendell had founded a course on forgery detection at Columbia University that included

5005-415: The times." At about this same time, the church also released a letter to its high school seminary program for youth, suggesting that seminary teachers not encourage debate about the salamander letter, but that they should tactfully answer genuine questions on the subject. FARMS (a research group composed of Mormon scholars) published several articles which examined the salamander letter, such as, "Why Might

5082-496: The use of ultraviolet light and microscopes in the analysis of ink, paper, and minute details of handwriting. In the spring of 1983 the West German magazine Stern published excerpts of what were purported to be Adolf Hitler 's diaries, which had reportedly been found in a wrecked German transport plane. On May 2, 1983, Newsweek trumpeted the discovery of "Hitler's Secret Diaries" and asked, "Are They Genuine?" Hired by

5159-582: The validity of what was purported to be the diary of Jack the Ripper . He concluded that it was a forgery. Hyperion Press published The Diary of Jack the Ripper, which "included Rendell's full seven-page report to Time Warner Books that it was a hoax. In a five-page rebuttal, the English publisher disagreed with all of his conclusions." Another of Rendell's interests is the American West . In 2004-5

5236-411: The website was redesigned and free access was then granted to non-subscribers. In 2014, the Church News website, LDSChurchNews.com, was moved to DeseretNews.com, to integrate with the technology improvements being made on the Deseret News website. At the time, an archives site was created at ldschurchnewsarchive.com. Continuing in the tradition of Mormon almanacs from the mid-nineteenth century,

5313-952: The world." The museum contained some 12,500 artifacts, 500,000 photographs and documents, 3,500 posters, and 7,500 reference books. Items from its collections were frequently loaned to other museums, including the Imperial War Museum, in London, the International Spy Museum , in Washington, D.C. , and the CIA Museum , in Langley, VA. In 2018 National Geographic Books published Atlas of World War II: History's Greatest Conflict Revealed Through Rare Wartime Maps and New Cartography, again by Neil Kagan and Stephen Hyslop in conjunction with Kenneth Rendell, who wrote

5390-460: The years has been Utah-centric, earning it the nickname "This Week in Utah" by some Australian readers. Its global focus has expanded as the paper attempts to showcase the church's international activities. Since the Deseret News was founded in 1850, it reported news of the LDS Church in its regular issues. Minutes of ward meetings were covered and sermons were often carried on the front page. In

5467-631: Was a founding member of the Rittenhouse Society, a group that published original research in the field. As a teen, Rendell's interests and growing expertise led him into the world of historical documents. He developed his business into one of the most prominent in the world, establishing galleries in New York City , Beverly Hills , and Tokyo . He served as an expert witness for the Internal Revenue Service in

5544-519: Was born in 1943, the son of Harry, a pharmacist, and Pauline, an art teacher. In 1953 a customer in his father's drug store paid with an 1806 Liberty half-dollar, which launched Rendell into the rare coin business. In 1955 the Somerville Journal recounted how he sold the coin for $ 3.50, used the money to begin his business, and later bought the coin back for $ 4.50. Soon, he was sending out monthly price lists to 500 prospective clients. As

5621-576: Was initially offered to Don Schmidt of the LDS Church Historical Department on January 3, 1984, by Lyn Jacobs, who wanted to trade it for a $ 10 Mormon gold piece . Jacobs told Schmidt that he got the letter from a collector in the east, referred by Mark Hofmann. Jacobs later changed his offer to a trade for a copy of a Book of Commandments . This offer was also rejected. Jacobs also suggested that Brent Ashworth might have an interest in it, although Hofmann had already showed

5698-399: Was not available in other publications. It contained history and membership statistics of geographical areas for the year ending before the previous year (e.g., the 2009 almanac included data up to the year-end 2007). It also had brief biographies of all who had been leaders of the larger church and a summary of church news from the previous year. Each annual edition included features on

5775-611: Was retitled as the Weekly Church Edition in 1942, and Church News in 1943, though the name remained in flux for the next few years. It was also in 1943 that circulation as an independent publication from the Deseret News began. In 1945, when Liahona The Elders' Journal (an LDS publication based in Independence, Missouri aimed at members and missionaries in the eastern and central United States) ended publication, it recommended that its subscribers began taking

5852-414: Was soon dubbed the " Salamander Letter . Fearing exposure, Hofmann attempted to kill the main characters. On October 15, 1985, bombs built by Hofmann exploded, killing Utah collector Steven Christensen and a second victim, Kathy Sheets. Investigations led to Hofmann being formally charged with the forgeries and murders." He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. In 1993 Rendell was enlisted to test

5929-468: Was victimized. I am sorry to say that sometimes it happens." Following the Hofmann trial, in a speech at Brigham Young University titled "Recent Events Involving Church History and Forged Documents", Dallin H. Oaks addressed media critiques of the church, saying: I was saddened but not surprised that the news coverage of the truth about the forgeries and lies of Mark Hofmann was small by comparison with

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