Wolf Messing

Wolf Grigorevich Messing (10 September 1899, Góra Kalwaria, Poland – 8 November 1974, Moscow) was an alleged psychic who became a stage performer.
== Biography ==
Born to a Jewish family, Messing fled from Germany to the USSR before World War II. He claimed that his abilities came to the attention of Joseph Stalin.
When he was 11 he ran from home and made it to Berlin, where he undertook some unskilled labour. He often had nothing to eat. During one of faintings caused by starvation he was taken to a hospital, where a neuropathologist, professor Abel discovered his abilities. According to a common version, Wolf had read the thoughts of the doctor, when he allegedly thought that the police should be called to deliver the boy to an orphanage. The boy shouted that he didn't need the police and going to an orphanage.
During a performance in 1937 in Poland he was asked a question about what would happen if Adolf Hitler were to invade Poland. He answered: "If Hitler turns on East, Germany will fall".
In 1939, after the World War II had begun, Wolf Messing fled to the USSR.
He claimed that Stalin became interested in his case, and was determined to check the authenticity of his supposed abilities (although, no documented evidences of Stalins interest were found in KGB-FSB archives http://kp.ru/print/article/24396/573481/). From his words, in one experiment, Messing walked into a bank, presented the teller with a “note”, and requested 100,000 rubles. The “note” was actually a blank piece of paper. The cashier handed over the money, and Messing packed the banknotes into his briefcase and left the bank. Messing then re-entered the bank with two observers NKVD who had witnessed the transaction, and handed back the money. The cashier collapsed with a heart attack when he realized what he had done. . Not taking into account, that there is no any evidences of this experiment, it should be noted that the procedure of withdrawing money from the bank at that time was completely different from the one described by Messing http://www.ras.ru/FStorage/Download.aspx?id=5676688f-f374-4b43-a1ad-e193bae6e1b8,.
A second test as claimed by Messing was set by Stalin was to enter his house — surrounded by armed guards — without a pass. Later, as Stalin was working in his office, Messing walked in. Messing explained that he had broadcasted a mental suggestion that he was the feared head of the secret police Lavrenti Beria, and that the guards had seen Beria, not Messing. 
Although, there is no evidences of this test also.
In 1953 Messing personally foretold Stalin his death, while pleading to stop persecution of Jews in Russia. He claimed that Stalin would die on a Jewish holiday,, which as a matter of fact eventually happened.
Wolf Messing died of kidney failure and lung oedema on November the 8th, 1974 at 11 o'clock PM. According to his wife, he knew the exact date and time of his death many years before it really happened.
== Cultural references ==
Wolf Messing is mentioned in Suvorov's novel The Choice (Выбор), under the name “Rudolf Messer”.
Wolf Messing is also mentioned in The Coming of Tan, by Riley L. Martin (allegedly with extraterrestrial O-Qua Tangin Wann), as one who has “neurological attributes or powers that the aliens don't or no longer have”.
== References ==
*Nagel, Alexandra Een mysterieuze ontmoeting… :Sai Baba en mentalist Wolf Messing/A mysterious meeting... :Sai Baba and mentalist Wolf Messing published in Tijdschrift voor Parapsychologie/Journal for parapsychology 368, vol. 72 nr 4, Dec. 2005, pp. 14-17 (Dutch language)
* Topsy Küppers: Wolf Messing – Hellseher und Magier. Langen/Müller, München 2002. ISBN 3784428800 
== See also ==
* Telepathy
Category:1899 births
Category:1974 deaths
Category:Telepaths
Category:Hypnotists
Category:Clairvoyants
Category:Prophets
de:Wolf Messing
he:וולף מסינג
pl:Wolf Messing
ru:Мессинг, Вольф Григорьевич
sv:Wolf Messing
th:โวล์ฟ เมสซิ่ง
tr:Wolf Messing
uk:Мессінг Вольф Григорович