Yeah, I hope that Brent presents whatever information he's holding back. I have a feeling that we haven't quite gotten to the bottom of this story. One of the questions that no one has asked DCP yet was whether or not he was aware of the passage in
The Encyclopedia of Mormonism prior to the Watson Letter/Ogden Fax. I.e., are we supposed to believe that the folks at the FP's office stumbled upon the FARMS-penned EoM entry on their own, and then sent it over, pretending as if it was an original statement from Watson? Or, instead, did Hamblin or Hall tell the FP that they should look up the information on the
Encyclopedia?
Certainly, the people at FARMS (including DCP, as editor) were in contact with the
Encyclopedia just prior to (or right around) the issuing of the Ogden Fax. Interestingly, it was John Gee who reviewed
The Encyclopedia of Mormonism for FARMS back in 1993. Was Gee among those who received copies of the Ogden Fax, I wonder? Regardless, this bit, from his FROB article, struck me:
John Gee wrote:Superficiality is a hallmark of encyclopedias and this one is no exception. The authors were specifically advised not to break new ground, so those looking to hear something new will likely be disappointed.
And this:
John Gee wrote:Several of the articles deal directly or indirectly with the Book of Mormon. Many of these are important condensations of facets of the Book of Mormon that many people (especially anti-Mormons and others who have never taken the time to study the work) should carefully consider. John Clark's "Book of Mormon Geography" (pp. 1:176-79) and John Sorenson's "Book of Mormon Peoples" (pp. 1:191-95) are particularly insightful.
(emphasis added)
Increasingly, I think there *is* evidence that FARMS force-fed Watson into making the statement (or committing the plagiarism, as it were). Certainly, it seems that Gee viewed the
Encyclopedia as a potential weapon to be used against "anti-Mormons." And if Gee realized this, one has to assume that DCP---and by extension Hamblin---realized it, too.
Edited to add: I'm willing to bet that the also-missing Hamblin Letter advised Watson to look up the entry on Cumorah in
The Encyclopedia of Mormonism. That's how FARMS got the letter/fax, and that would explain the plagiarism.
"[I]f, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14