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If anyone is interested. Here is Dr. Todd Grande (one of my favs I've mentioned here before) on Mark Hoffman. Video runs 16 minutes and change.

Mark Hofmann Case Analysis | Murder Among the Mormons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RncoHSVSYB0

Interesting. Thanks for posting the link.

Hofmann is an odd one. I’d love to see a psych evaluation on him.

Res Ipsa wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:16 am

Interesting. Thanks for posting the link.

Hofmann is an odd one. I’d love to see a psych evaluation on him.

I really like Dr. Grande. I've noticed that during the pandemic he's letting his dry sense of humor become part of his commentary. He didn't do that prior but I like it. It makes you do a mental double take when you hear it woven into his analyses. I think he mistakenly called JSJr "John Smith" somewhere in there but I don't think it really takes points off his analysis of Hofmann.

Jersey Girl wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:08 am

I think he mistakenly called JSJr "John Smith" somewhere in there but I don't think it really takes points off his analysis of Hofmann.

Reminds me of another Youtube history reteller mentioning the destruction of the printing press in Carthage, Illinois. That immediately reminded me of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jersey Girl wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:08 am

Res Ipsa wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:16 am

Interesting. Thanks for posting the link.

Hofmann is an odd one. I’d love to see a psych evaluation on him.

I really like Dr. Grande. I've noticed that during the pandemic he's letting his dry sense of humor become part of his commentary. He didn't do that prior but I like it. It makes you do a mental double take when you hear it woven into his analyses. I think he mistakenly called JSJr "John Smith" somewhere in there but I don't think it really takes points off his analysis of Hofmann.

I wondered about the the humor. When he said in a deadpan voice something about bombs not usually being a tool to solve financial problems, but a tool for solving something needs blowing up problems, I had a “did he really say that” moment.

The name stumble didn’t bother me. It was irrelevant to his analysis.

Res Ipsa wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 13, 2021 8:41 pm

I wondered about the the humor. When he said in a deadpan voice something about bombs not usually being a tool to solve financial problems, but a tool for solving something needs blowing up problems, I had a “did he really say that” moment.

The name stumble didn’t bother me. It was irrelevant to his analysis.

That's it! He seems to do it quite a bit since the pandemic started. He'll slip in a zinger while he's analyzing without ever missing a beat and his facial expression never changes.

Thanks for posting. I read the book on Hoffman, but this profile had additional information.

I always thought of Hoffman's psyche as being a war zone between his id and his superego. I think Hoffman thought of himself as living in a dystopian universe, the universe of Mormon thought and culture that controlled and defined his existence. Instead of choosing open rebellion, he chose subterfuge, creating the Salamander letter.

Some critics of the Church are excommunicated for their apostasy. Hoffman used his apostasy to create a profitable business. The question I ask myself: If Hoffman grew up in another culture, would he have turned out the same way? Was he a stone-cold sociopath regardless of upbringing, or was he the wrong psyche in the wrong culture?

I have not lived in Utah for some time, but one of the things I remember was the amount of trust that could be conferred with the right introduction from someone connected within the Church. Hoffman really knew how to work the gullibility that can come with trust. Sounds like he got too greedy. I think finding Oath of a Freeman was a bridge too far.

Fascinating guy, still serving a life sentence.

I highly recommend watching the Netflix 3 part documentary, Murder Among the Mormons. I just finished watching it this weekend. It was a fascinating study into the nature of Hofmann's motives, methodology and mindset. He seemed totally without remorse or conscience. His bombs were designed not just to kill, but to make the deaths as painful and agonizing as possible. His second bomb, though, was deliberately designed with a defective detonation mechanism that had only a 50/50 chance of actually working. He had nothing whatsoever against the woman it killed, who happened to be the wife of the intended target. He didn't really care whether it actually worked or not. It was just a diversion, and whether it was discovered and disarmed before going off or not, it still fulfilled his purpose. His answer to the question about whether he felt any remorse for the murders was chillingly cold blooded. He indicated that whether they died in an auto accident or some other way rather than being killed by him was totally inconsequential in the overall scheme of things. Their lives were valueless, according to him, and would eventually have ended some way or other anyway.