Talk:Martin Caidin

• The page says Martin Caidin is also known for having restored the only and last surviving Junkers 52 aircraft to flying condition.. When you go to the Junkers 52 page it says there are eight such planes. Which is right ? Hektor 00:54, 7 October 2005 (UTC)
• The page appears to have changed since your observation. I would submit that he was the first to restore a JU-52, and for a brief period Iron Annie was the only surviving JU-52...but that situation has since changed.Warhrs (talk) 19:03, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

"This Ain't Fiction"

Has anyone read his article "This Ain't Fiction"? It was published in New Destinies. He made claims about some research in telekinesis. He seemed quite serious but I haven't seen anything else about it. Anyone know, was it debunked, did it not pan out? (Or maybe that's what they want you to think ;) Tualha (Talk) 07:35, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

"The Rest of the Story"

Marty Caidin (he went by "Martin Strasser Caidin" the last several years of his life) had a large and devoted following but he was not held in high regard by serious historians. Samurai is riddled with factual errors, including people who never existed, and Sakai stated more than once that he never received any royalties from Caidin. It's a measure of Sakai's stature that he considered the friends he made in America more than worth whatever finances he lost.

Caidin's worst book undoubtedly was The Mission, a demonstrably bogus account of the 1942 B-26 mission with then-Congressman Lyndon Johnson. Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Caro somehow accepted the account at face value when it had long been debunked in aviation circles.

Caidin also committed plagiarism in extracting at least one article from a naval aviation magazine and inserting it in one of his books. When confronted by the editor, MSC realized he'd been caught legally vulnerable and hastened to make friends. He got off far too lightly for so serious an offense, having to pledge that he would not steal other material.

The article should mention Caidin's best book: Thunderbolt with Robert S. Johnson.

• Okay...can you cite the source that says this? The other thing that should be noted is that Caidin was notorious for being difficult to get along with, both by his editors and his ex-wives (he had three; the fourth wife, Dee Dee, he managed to stay married to from the early seventies until his passing in 1997). So for somebody to come up and say that he plagiarized or committed gross factual errors isn't surprising. Such a claim bears the earmarks of an old grudge, unless some tangible evidence can be produced.Warhrs (talk) 19:08, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

Martin Caidin Comments

1. I thought it was strange that the original author of this article didn't mention Marooned, which was turned into a major movie in 1962, starting Gregory Peck, Gene Hackman, and Peter Jansen.

• I would also add the movie The Final Countdown to this (movie came out in 1980-81, with Kirk Douglas as one of the headlining stars).Warhrs (talk) 19:12, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

2. Caidin wrote a book called Natural or Supernatural? that is now out of print. This was a book on supernatural and paranormal topics. Caidin also had a couple of unfinished manuscripts on this subject, both of which I've read.

Mlibrescu 00:50, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Attempts at a biography

There has been at least one attempt at a biography for Caidin. In the late 1990s and into 2001, an independent aspiring writer, W. Baker Quinby, made repeated attempts to get a biography started. Quinby established contact with Michael Collins at AOPA Pilot magazine, as well as Dee Dee Caidin (Martin's widow), Terry Ritter (the chief mechanic/restorer on Iron Annie), and Pamela Caidin, one of his surviving daughters living in Colorado. Quinby's efforts are mentioned briefly in AOPA Pilot's May 2001 "Pilot Briefing" section (www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2001/news0105.html).

Unfortunately, that was as far as his efforts went. Shortly thereafter, 9/11 happened, and Quinby was activated by his USCG reserve unit. He made a few perfunctory efforts after returning home, but with the GWOT occupying more of his time, and a near-total lack of support from the aviation community, no manuscript has even been started, and the outlook for a proper remembrance of Caidin---one of aviation's most colorful mavericks---is doubtful.Warhrs (talk) 19:35, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject Military history/Assessment/Tag & Assess 2008

Article reassessed and graded as start class. In addition I am somewhat unsure if this article even falls under Military History scope.--dashiellx (talk) 13:54, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Criticism

Whether one agrees with Caidin or not, I think it is necessary to remind readers that he was and still is heavily criticized in his work as an aviation historian. The simple fact that he wrote so many books and articles is already outstanding and casts doubt about the seriousness of the research involved.

If anybody thinks the criticism is unjustified, just bear in mind that it is widespread and therefore should be mentioned, out of simple objectivity. Caidin is not appreciated in the aviation historians' community and it is considered he did considerable harm by spreading false information.