Approved For Rele rae 26001VO110 m kIA-KUl TRANSMITTAL SLIP SG1 I To: ROOM NO. BUILDING REMARKS: FROM: Approved For Releac atcUOQ/08/1 0 1: FMAURDP96-00791 666 REPLACES FORM 3134 t O.R.M. NO. - 9 4 WHICH MAY BE USED. -8 (47) Approved For Release 2000/08/lOiz~QArRQ,99660figgliMOO100450001-8 CPYRGHT Geller a fake,, says exmmanager Yasha Katz, who brought Uri Geller to England, adr-n-its he hE James Randi Since Uri Geller first challenged is a member of the scientists five years ago, he has Inner Magic Circle, been widely branded as a fraud London, and author of and equally widely hailed as a The Magic of miracle worker. Last week, for the Uri Geller (Ballantine) - first time, someone from inside the Geller organisation has pro- vided an answer. Yasha Katz, Geller's manager when he first came to Britain in 1973, admitted on RAI-TV, Rome, on Saturday, that he helped Geller cheat. When Geller was still in Israel, Katz signed an agree- ment to manage Geller outside the US for a percentage of Geller's income. He now says Geller never paid him and sent him packing after Geller really got rolling in the US. Bitter and angry, Katz finally told his story. At first, he said, he believed in Geller. Even after he became aware that Geller at least sometimes used tricks, Geller continued to perform for him as if it were all real. Eventually, however, Geller announced to Katz that he would have to act as a confederate by sitting in the audience and signalling to the stage. Katz realised that it was because Shipi Shtrang (Geller's main assistant in these matters) was not there on that occasion. He was given the gesture code, which was done by the position of his cigarette (pointed up to designate the colour "blue", down for "green", etc) and the hand signals as well. He served in this way many times at public performances, and Geller presented it as genuine ESP. Katz observed that Geller took notes, assisted by Shipi, of the licence-numbers of cars driven by members of the audience as they arrived. He was able to reveal these details to the spectators as if he obtained them by ESP. Once, Katz watched Geller take down a description and plate-number of a special-model Porsche, and he waited to see if Geller would use the information at the press con- ference being held. He did. - Geller took Katz entirely into the fold when he stationed him.at the door of the theatre to note details about seating and possessions of certain people. Thus, Geller could tell a lady that she had some sort of object in her purse, and identify her by the seat number. All of this was relayed to Geller backstage just before the show started. Flying spoons In Paris, while Geller was being interviewed by a extracted a number of personal details from the visitc and repeated them close to the active telephone, Gelb came bursting into the room and repeated the conversatio which he pretended had come to him by telepathy. TI publisher was very impressed. One of Geller's standard tricks, recreating a drawing, done in several ways. Sometimes, Katz noted that Gelli would simply pretend to write down a guess of what tl subject was thinking, then when the subject made tl drawing, Geller would quickly sketch an approximati( surreptitiously and show it as a previously-made imprc sion, Geller always showed great excitement and satisfe tion at the results. At other times, Katz actually had help w Jhen Geller found he could not see through a heal envelope used to conceal a drawing. For a TV progranm in San Francisco, Geller instructed Katz to secretly op( the envelope while Geller distracted the staff at the f side of the studio.'Katz did so, and told Geller just befo he went on the air. In Palm Beach, Florida, Katz first saw Geller sneak t" lenscap off a "sealed" camera lens to create a "psychi photo effect. When Geller was due to appear in Birmingham, wo arrived backstage that the'front row was packed wi magicians, Geller, said Katz, turned white, and refused go onto the stage, He begged Katz and Werner Schm, the impressario, to tell the reporters, management a- audience that there had been a bomb scare. Katz w appalled a little later to learn that he was being blam for the cancellation, and that Geller was saying that wanted to perform, but Katz would not allow it. The sh( was cancelled. While they were in Italy, Katz had a bad scare. Togeth he and Geller visited a jewellery shop to price expensi watches. They left without buying. Moments after th had rounded the corner, Geller exclaimed that a "te portation" had taken place; a new wristwatch was on arm. Said Katz, "I knew he had stolen it". Although he now says he was brainwashed, it is curic how simple the tricks were that Geller used to convir Katz. Two remained complete mysteries until I interview, him for RAI-TV. One involved the "teleportation" of heavy potted-plant holder that he claimed had been fou outside the apartment he shared with Geller, when K returned from buying a newspaper. He said that it woi reporter for L'Express, Katz was instructed to throw a have been impossible for Geller to have lifted this, sinc( spoon in the air to hit the ceiling, to create the effect of a took the two of them to replace it inside the apartment aga "teleportation". The reporter was impressed, and wrote it The same planter was there in his apartment with him up as a miracle. Frequently, says Katz, he saw Geller throw Tel Aviv, and against his protestations, I easily lifted objects from behind his back, over his shoulder, unnoticed, a couple of plants, moved the planter several feet, and to create the "teleportation" effect. the extra pots back. He dropped his claims on the mat Geller and Katz visited the wife of a well known at that point. entertainer in Hollywood. She offered Geller a piece of He went on to describe an event which he had forgot heirloom jewellery, a valuable "fork" used in family having told me about several years before in New Yc ceremonies at her home. Katz reports he saw Geller and I was astonished to hear how much the story I snap it in both hands while she was not looking, and he gained in that time, It involved a theatre chair arm-T presented it as a psycho-kinetic effect. that he claimed had been "levitated" and allowed to fal' In London, at a hotel, Geller was trying to impress a a puddle. He had the arm-rest with him there, and asser publisher who was attempting to pry him away from that after he'd lifted it from the puddle, it had been be Doubleday, with whom he had signed for the publication of dry! I poured a glass of water over it right before h Dr Puharich's book Uri. Geller arranged a subterfuge with and showed him that the vinyl plastic arm-rest was jus' Yasha. When Geller got up and left to go to his room and dry then as it had been when the Geller miracle took ph leave Yatz and the visitor to talk alone, Katz was to call As the Geller myth finally disintegrates, Geller 69rted living in Mexico. And 0-fp -'a-d it on the floor so that the conversation Geller believers. No doubt they too, have moved on- - . _ ___ _~, 1_'l other miracle workers.