The Hoax
by Clifford Irving[ Biography ]
The ultimate caper story, novelist Clifford Irving's no-holds-barred account of the literary hoax that stunned the publishing world, is the story of his faked “autobiography” of Howard Hughes. HOAX was first published in Great Britain in 1997, where it became a bestseller. But no American hardcover house would touch THE HOAX until now. One major publisher offered a $500,000 advance when the book was nearing completion, drew up the contract...then abruptly bowed out. Why? The answer is implicit in this classic tale of daring, treachery, and corruption. As fast-paced and exciting as any spy novel, it involves the reader at every devilish twist and turn. Clifford Irving tells how the hoax developed, like a Chinese puzzle, from its madcap beginning to the final startling confession--a witty and nail-biting story of international intrigue and beautiful women, of powerful corporate executives and jet-set rogues, of cover-ups and headlines.
A great deal has been written about the Hughes hoax, including a few truths culled from documents and indictments. The bulk of it, however, has been defensive posturing and gossip masquerading as fact, as well as a plethora of tales woven from the whole cloth. "But," asked one critic, in his review of The Hoax--a book-length compendium of newspaper clippings, misquotations, and muddled journalistic fantasies--"even if Clifford Irving's own, projected book tells the story more fully--who on earth is going to believe it?"
The answer to that question is simple and painful. My wife, Edith, Richard Suskind, and I have testified to the facts--under oath--before Federal and New York State grand juries. An extensive investigation has been conducted, which included the sworn but hitherto unknown testimony of other witnesses, to determine that we told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Robert Morvillo, Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York, has explained to me--and without mincing his words--that if the facts contained in this book are at variance with sworn testimony and the body of truth known to the prosecutors and the courts, Richard Suskind and I are open to a charge of perjury which carries a sentence of up to five years' imprisonment. We like to think, despite the Kafkaesque quality of the past months, that we are still sane. And no sane man would risk an additional five years in prison.
This book, therefore, contains the truth-however bizarre it may appear to be, and however shamed and regretful I may feel about what happened, particularly in regard to the plight of my wife and children. It bears my name as author, but it is a joint effort of myself and Richard Suskind, as was The Autobiography of Howard Hughes. Edith has also contributed recollections of her various journeys to Zurich.
Although he has been consistently pigeonholed and labeled by the press as "Irving's researcher," Dick Suskind is and was far more than that. He is an author in his own right, and many of the passages in this book which deal with shared experiences have been written by him from my point of view. We shared the responsibility for the caper and we share the credit, or lack of it, for this final revelation.
And so this book is dedicated to the many friends to whom we lied over the course of the affair and who, when the truth was known, still remained loyal and offered us their unqualified and unstinting help. They know who they are and need not be named.
Clifford Irving
East Hampton, New York
March, 1981
