1 00:00:08,466 --> 00:00:10,468 [tense music building] 2 00:00:14,264 --> 00:00:16,016 [man] Can I ask a favor? 3 00:00:16,683 --> 00:00:18,018 Don't make me answer that. 4 00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:21,187 Don't make me answer that. 5 00:00:22,313 --> 00:00:23,523 Let somebody else do it. 6 00:00:25,942 --> 00:00:27,819 I don't wanna make a hero out of him. 7 00:00:30,238 --> 00:00:31,698 Because he was fantastic. 8 00:00:32,198 --> 00:00:33,241 [static crackling] 9 00:00:33,324 --> 00:00:35,326 [ominous music playing] 10 00:00:43,043 --> 00:00:47,589 No one has come close to doing what he has done. 11 00:00:47,672 --> 00:00:49,883 -[man 1] Officer? -[man 2] One male fatality. 12 00:00:50,383 --> 00:00:54,054 The calm of Salt Lake City, Utah, was rocked today by two booby-trap bombs 13 00:00:54,137 --> 00:00:55,430 that left two people dead. 14 00:00:55,513 --> 00:00:57,515 [man 3] …a morning of fear and death. 15 00:00:57,599 --> 00:01:01,436 The first explosion ripped through a downtown office building, killing a man. 16 00:01:01,519 --> 00:01:04,814 The second explosion outside a Holladay home claimed another life. 17 00:01:04,898 --> 00:01:08,860 There was dark talk involving religious documents, hired professional killers. 18 00:01:08,943 --> 00:01:10,403 A Watergate-style cover-up, 19 00:01:10,487 --> 00:01:11,821 and one of the wealthiest, 20 00:01:11,905 --> 00:01:14,365 if not most wealthy, church in America involved, 21 00:01:14,449 --> 00:01:15,825 the Mormon Church. 22 00:01:17,285 --> 00:01:20,872 [man 4] There is a common thread that seems to connect all the victims. 23 00:01:20,955 --> 00:01:22,832 [man 5] A mysterious Salamander letter. 24 00:01:22,916 --> 00:01:24,626 [man 4] The Salamander letter challenges 25 00:01:24,709 --> 00:01:27,128 the Mormon Church's account of its own origin. 26 00:01:27,212 --> 00:01:30,965 The bombing's impact has drawn the Church into an uncomfortable spotlight: 27 00:01:31,549 --> 00:01:32,842 Murder among the Mormons. 28 00:01:32,926 --> 00:01:39,390 [somber, suspenseful music playing] 29 00:01:42,352 --> 00:01:43,978 [dramatic music plays] 30 00:01:44,062 --> 00:01:45,271 [explodes] 31 00:02:25,103 --> 00:02:27,105 [gentle, mysterious music plays] 32 00:02:34,112 --> 00:02:37,282 [man] What I love the most about treasure stories, 33 00:02:37,365 --> 00:02:40,118 they're always about lost treasures, you know? 34 00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:45,206 Whether we're looking for Atlantis or the Titanic or whatever, 35 00:02:45,290 --> 00:02:47,125 there's a lot of treasure out there. 36 00:02:49,669 --> 00:02:54,048 But the thing is, treasure stories always have the same ending. 37 00:02:55,133 --> 00:02:57,177 The treasure is temporarily found. 38 00:02:57,927 --> 00:03:03,516 But then some calamity happens, and the treasure's lost again. 39 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,478 [upbeat music playing] 40 00:03:10,940 --> 00:03:13,568 You know, the old airplane pilot joke about, 41 00:03:13,651 --> 00:03:16,404 "Ladies and gentlemen, we're landing in Salt Lake City. 42 00:03:16,487 --> 00:03:19,365 Set your watch back ten years." 43 00:03:19,449 --> 00:03:20,533 It's an old chestnut. 44 00:03:20,617 --> 00:03:23,995 -[church bell tolling] -It's a very conservative community. 45 00:03:24,078 --> 00:03:27,540 The state of Utah has long been the home of the Mormons. 46 00:03:27,624 --> 00:03:30,293 [narrator] Mormons are members of a worldwide church, 47 00:03:30,376 --> 00:03:32,962 headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. 48 00:03:33,046 --> 00:03:35,757 We'd like you to meet the Mormons. 49 00:03:38,051 --> 00:03:41,596 Mormonism is relatively young. It was founded only 150 years ago 50 00:03:41,679 --> 00:03:42,597 by Joseph Smith. 51 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:47,936 In 1829, a young man named Joseph Smith translated a set of gold plates 52 00:03:48,019 --> 00:03:49,896 to which he was directed by an angel, 53 00:03:49,979 --> 00:03:52,398 into a volume called "The Book of Mormon." 54 00:03:52,482 --> 00:03:55,902 [narrator] This is the true story of Joseph Smith's valiant mission 55 00:03:55,985 --> 00:03:58,863 in bringing forth "The Book of Mormon." 56 00:03:58,947 --> 00:04:02,659 [mysterious male voice] I am a messenger sent from the presence of God. 57 00:04:03,326 --> 00:04:05,286 My name is Moroni. 58 00:04:06,037 --> 00:04:09,874 There is a book deposited, written upon gold plates. 59 00:04:10,541 --> 00:04:12,126 [Turley] Joseph Smith formed a church 60 00:04:12,210 --> 00:04:14,587 called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 61 00:04:14,671 --> 00:04:16,381 abbreviated to "LDS." 62 00:04:16,464 --> 00:04:22,136 [Moroni] Translate these ancient writings and bring them forth to the world. 63 00:04:22,887 --> 00:04:26,099 [narrator] The real treasure is not the gold in those plates, 64 00:04:26,182 --> 00:04:27,600 but what's written on them. 65 00:04:27,684 --> 00:04:31,604 [man] The LDS Church believes it has a divine mandate to preserve its history. 66 00:04:31,688 --> 00:04:35,441 For Latter-Day Saints, the history is integral with the faith itself. 67 00:04:35,525 --> 00:04:39,612 Joseph? Is this where you saw Heavenly Father and Jesus? 68 00:04:39,696 --> 00:04:40,655 Yes, Lucy. 69 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:43,533 This is the very place. 70 00:04:50,248 --> 00:04:53,626 Early Mormonism is full of treasure tales, 71 00:04:53,710 --> 00:04:57,213 and it really carried over into the '70s and '80s. 72 00:04:57,297 --> 00:05:03,386 You've got a growing LDS religion and a growing market for Mormon artifacts. 73 00:05:03,970 --> 00:05:07,056 So the Mormon people have always had a propensity 74 00:05:07,140 --> 00:05:09,309 to seek those kind of treasures out. 75 00:05:09,392 --> 00:05:11,144 [woman] It's a thinking man's game, 76 00:05:11,227 --> 00:05:15,106 dealers who know history well enough to purchase old books and pieces of paper 77 00:05:15,189 --> 00:05:16,607 and sell them for a profit. 78 00:05:17,317 --> 00:05:20,028 There are only a handful of men who've acted as dealers 79 00:05:20,111 --> 00:05:22,113 for these pieces of high-prized history. 80 00:05:22,196 --> 00:05:23,614 Shannon Flynn's one of them. 81 00:05:23,698 --> 00:05:25,825 There's a certain amount of detective work. 82 00:05:25,908 --> 00:05:29,662 There's a certain amount of excitement, high stakes, valuable pieces. 83 00:05:30,955 --> 00:05:33,916 I had taken an interest in LDS Church doctrine, 84 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,002 probably since those late teenage years. 85 00:05:37,086 --> 00:05:41,632 I remember clearly the first collectible item I bought. 86 00:05:41,716 --> 00:05:45,261 It was a third edition of a pamphlet by B.H. Roberts. 87 00:05:45,928 --> 00:05:48,765 I didn't know what I was doing. I paid $10 for it. 88 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:52,727 But I was interested in the history, 89 00:05:52,810 --> 00:05:56,898 and in the Salt Lake area, it was centered mainly on bookstores. 90 00:05:57,690 --> 00:06:01,319 And that kind of became the Mormon history coffeehouse, 91 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,447 if you want to think of it in those terms. 92 00:06:04,530 --> 00:06:06,157 You would go, meet people. 93 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:07,784 "Hey, come over here. 94 00:06:07,867 --> 00:06:10,161 Let me show you this.  Let's see that book." 95 00:06:12,205 --> 00:06:15,625 And it was at that time that I was introduced to Mark Hofmann. 96 00:06:18,086 --> 00:06:20,922 And I was very excited to meet Mark. 97 00:06:21,005 --> 00:06:21,881 He was… 98 00:06:21,964 --> 00:06:24,550 In the Mormon document world, he was a rock star. 99 00:06:25,385 --> 00:06:28,221 [woman] Mark Hofmann, a student at Utah State University, 100 00:06:28,304 --> 00:06:29,764 found the document. 101 00:06:29,847 --> 00:06:32,475 It appears to be the earliest Mormon document 102 00:06:32,558 --> 00:06:34,560 and the earliest Joseph Smith holograph. 103 00:06:35,228 --> 00:06:38,731 Also, I think it's exciting just to think that 104 00:06:39,232 --> 00:06:42,860 apparently, this piece of paper was copied by Joseph Smith's own hand, 105 00:06:42,944 --> 00:06:46,364 the characters were, right from the gold plates that were right there. 106 00:06:46,447 --> 00:06:49,075 [woman] It's covered with carefully drawn symbols. 107 00:06:49,158 --> 00:06:51,452 On the back, a statement signed by Joseph Smith. 108 00:06:51,536 --> 00:06:56,457 "These characters were diligently copied by my own hand from the plates of gold." 109 00:06:56,541 --> 00:06:58,251 [Mark] Well, I feel pretty lucky. 110 00:06:59,001 --> 00:07:01,462 [woman] Mark bought an old Bible from a man in Salt Lake. 111 00:07:01,546 --> 00:07:03,756 The man said he'd purchased the Bible 112 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:06,634 from the granddaughter of Joseph Smith's sister. 113 00:07:07,885 --> 00:07:10,763 [Mark] Uh, Dorie walked in. She just got home from work. 114 00:07:11,681 --> 00:07:15,393 [Dorie] He had this Bible, and I started flipping through the pages. 115 00:07:15,476 --> 00:07:17,103 And there was this part 116 00:07:17,186 --> 00:07:20,106 that was folded up and had this sticky gum on the end of it. 117 00:07:20,189 --> 00:07:21,274 I think it was black, 118 00:07:21,357 --> 00:07:24,485 and I called to him, saying, "There's something in here." 119 00:07:25,945 --> 00:07:30,408 [Mark] She was there when I finally succeeded in prying off the top page… 120 00:07:31,784 --> 00:07:34,412 that revealed a folded piece of paper. 121 00:07:35,496 --> 00:07:37,123 Well, the Anthon Transcript. 122 00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:42,962 [Dorie] Things in that document validated The Book of Mormon 123 00:07:43,045 --> 00:07:43,921 and Joseph Smith… 124 00:07:44,630 --> 00:07:45,715 And it was thrilling. 125 00:07:46,424 --> 00:07:49,010 That's when he said he wanted to do this as his job. 126 00:07:49,093 --> 00:07:51,679 He said, "I'm gonna be going into the document business. 127 00:07:51,762 --> 00:07:53,055 Is that okay with you?" 128 00:07:57,059 --> 00:07:59,812 [man] The LDS Church and its members are world-renowned 129 00:07:59,896 --> 00:08:02,231 for their zeal in collecting historical documents. 130 00:08:02,315 --> 00:08:04,484 Dozens of researchers and collectors 131 00:08:04,567 --> 00:08:06,903 are committed to finding tidbits from the past. 132 00:08:06,986 --> 00:08:10,364 That Joseph Smith's first encounter with the Divine 133 00:08:10,448 --> 00:08:13,743 was his experience with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. 134 00:08:13,826 --> 00:08:16,245 [speaking now] At the time, my particular interest 135 00:08:16,329 --> 00:08:18,748 was the origins of Mormonism. 136 00:08:19,999 --> 00:08:23,169 And the first time I heard about Mark Hofmann 137 00:08:23,252 --> 00:08:25,671 would have been seeing the picture of Mark 138 00:08:25,755 --> 00:08:30,718 surrounded by major figures of the Mormon hierarchy. 139 00:08:31,344 --> 00:08:35,097 Here they are, gathered to see what this young man has found. 140 00:08:35,181 --> 00:08:38,351 [reporter] The Anthon Transcript discovery was widely publicized 141 00:08:38,434 --> 00:08:42,188 and brought Mark Hofmann into contact with top leaders in the Mormon Church. 142 00:08:42,271 --> 00:08:46,108 Mark wanted to be the ultimate document dealer, 143 00:08:46,734 --> 00:08:50,404 and so, Mark would ask me to do the genealogical research, 144 00:08:50,488 --> 00:08:54,992 where we would research the descendants of certain mission presidents 145 00:08:55,076 --> 00:08:59,413 and see if they had any of these family documents or books on hand. 146 00:09:00,831 --> 00:09:02,291 I was so enthusiastic, 147 00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:05,545 and it just started snowballing at that point. 148 00:09:05,628 --> 00:09:08,965 [woman] A 137-year-old letter was found and proved authentic 149 00:09:09,048 --> 00:09:10,508 by a Mormon Church historian. 150 00:09:10,591 --> 00:09:13,010 The document was found by Mark Hofmann. 151 00:09:13,094 --> 00:09:17,139 I'd never seen anybody come up with the material that Mark was coming up with. 152 00:09:17,223 --> 00:09:19,350 The first time I actually read the letter, 153 00:09:19,433 --> 00:09:22,019 I think I about fell off the chair I was sitting in. 154 00:09:22,103 --> 00:09:23,980 [woman] The letter is from Lucy Mack Smith, 155 00:09:24,063 --> 00:09:27,400 mother of the Church's first prophet and president, Joseph Smith. 156 00:09:27,483 --> 00:09:30,903 [Brent Ashworth] He'd track old letters down by postage stamps, 157 00:09:30,987 --> 00:09:32,405 wax seals, and all that. 158 00:09:32,488 --> 00:09:36,576 He always had some inside track on how he was getting things. 159 00:09:36,659 --> 00:09:37,827 Part of the collection… 160 00:09:37,910 --> 00:09:40,371 [Ashworth] I bought a lot of them over the years. 161 00:09:40,454 --> 00:09:44,500 [man] There haven't been a lot of dealers in this kind of thing before. 162 00:09:44,584 --> 00:09:48,963 It was almost like a new era for Mormon collectibles. 163 00:09:49,046 --> 00:09:51,090 [woman] The buying and selling of Mormon documents 164 00:09:51,173 --> 00:09:52,883 has attracted so much attention lately, 165 00:09:52,967 --> 00:09:54,468 they're commanding top dollar. 166 00:09:54,552 --> 00:09:56,429 [man 1] It's become a lucrative business 167 00:09:56,512 --> 00:09:59,348 because many new items come from a period of Mormon history 168 00:09:59,432 --> 00:10:01,350 for which very little is known. 169 00:10:01,434 --> 00:10:05,479 Mark would travel to different places, including New York City, 170 00:10:05,563 --> 00:10:07,523 and discovered a number of things. 171 00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:09,775 [man 2] Hofmann's dealings soon branched out 172 00:10:09,859 --> 00:10:11,986 from selling only Mormon-related documents 173 00:10:12,069 --> 00:10:13,613 to letters and signatures 174 00:10:13,696 --> 00:10:16,782 by some of the most prominent names in American history. 175 00:10:16,866 --> 00:10:20,036 It certainly smacks of Indiana Jones. 176 00:10:21,579 --> 00:10:25,249 He didn't look the part. He looked like a nerd, and he was a nerd. 177 00:10:25,875 --> 00:10:30,588 He was able to remember minute, who-could-give-a-care details 178 00:10:30,671 --> 00:10:33,549 that somewhere along the line would make a lot of difference. 179 00:10:33,633 --> 00:10:37,386 We had a friendship that extended to his wife 180 00:10:37,470 --> 00:10:38,929 and our families. 181 00:10:39,013 --> 00:10:40,723 One of the times I was there, 182 00:10:40,806 --> 00:10:42,933 we played Celestial Pursuit, 183 00:10:43,768 --> 00:10:46,187 Trivial Pursuit for Mormons. 184 00:10:48,856 --> 00:10:53,444 One by one, Mark sat there with the cards, every one right. 185 00:10:54,195 --> 00:10:55,446 Never missed one. 186 00:10:57,031 --> 00:11:00,409 And so, I started working on document deals for him. 187 00:11:01,410 --> 00:11:05,373 It was like I was given the opportunity to play along Michael Jordan, 188 00:11:05,456 --> 00:11:09,251 or, um, Brett Favre or Ryne Sandberg. 189 00:11:09,335 --> 00:11:10,836 [crickets chirping] 190 00:11:16,967 --> 00:11:19,387 [younger Metcalfe] I worked in the genealogical archive 191 00:11:19,470 --> 00:11:21,806 doing research on the beginnings of Mormonism 192 00:11:21,889 --> 00:11:23,849 and contemporaries of Joseph Smith, 193 00:11:23,933 --> 00:11:25,935 people like Martin Harris, David Whitmer… 194 00:11:26,018 --> 00:11:32,233 [now] Back then, I spent a lot of my time in the historical archives, 195 00:11:32,316 --> 00:11:38,114 uh, researching documents and working for the LDS Church security department. 196 00:11:39,490 --> 00:11:41,325 I'd come across a book. 197 00:11:42,076 --> 00:11:43,744 Um, how can I put it? 198 00:11:45,121 --> 00:11:49,166 It became a lightning rod for a number of general authorities 199 00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:54,547 because they felt that that material was damaging to the Church, 200 00:11:54,630 --> 00:11:57,174 and they were concerned that I would publish it. 201 00:11:59,301 --> 00:12:01,762 I was called in by my supervisors, 202 00:12:01,846 --> 00:12:03,389 and was terminated. 203 00:12:04,098 --> 00:12:06,600 [church bell tolling] 204 00:12:08,436 --> 00:12:12,523 And so the Church is in kind of an ironic situation. 205 00:12:13,566 --> 00:12:17,194 On the one hand, they are driven by history, 206 00:12:17,278 --> 00:12:19,405 and they want to preserve documents. 207 00:12:19,488 --> 00:12:24,034 Their appreciation for the builders of the past will be enhanced. 208 00:12:24,577 --> 00:12:27,580 But on the other hand, what do you do with documents 209 00:12:27,663 --> 00:12:30,374 that have the potential of destroying someone's faith? 210 00:12:30,458 --> 00:12:32,293 [ominous music playing] 211 00:12:42,386 --> 00:12:45,723 I remember it specifically because it was my birthday, 212 00:12:46,223 --> 00:12:48,976 December 27th, 1983. 213 00:12:50,019 --> 00:12:51,687 Mark said, "Come here. 214 00:12:51,771 --> 00:12:54,940 I'm gonna show you something that no one has seen." 215 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:58,819 He takes out of his briefcase the Salamander letter. 216 00:13:01,572 --> 00:13:04,825 "That was in the box where the gold plates were." 217 00:13:05,618 --> 00:13:06,452 What? 218 00:13:06,994 --> 00:13:07,828 What? 219 00:13:09,288 --> 00:13:10,122 Wow. 220 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:13,626 And he says, 221 00:13:13,709 --> 00:13:16,086 "We don't have any photographs of this. 222 00:13:16,170 --> 00:13:17,505 Can you photograph it?" 223 00:13:17,588 --> 00:13:19,548 [camera shutter clicks] 224 00:13:19,632 --> 00:13:22,968 And so I was the first person to take those photographs, 225 00:13:24,094 --> 00:13:28,599 and he was keeping it under tremendous secrecy. 226 00:13:29,183 --> 00:13:32,061 I was one of a select group, this big… 227 00:13:32,895 --> 00:13:35,314 that was privy to the bombshells. 228 00:13:35,397 --> 00:13:39,819 But that was his world, and there was a reason for it, 229 00:13:40,611 --> 00:13:43,781 because everybody did that to a certain extent. 230 00:13:44,281 --> 00:13:46,075 They would never reveal 231 00:13:46,158 --> 00:13:48,536 where they were getting their best materials. 232 00:13:49,119 --> 00:13:53,207 So that world, it was not that odd to keep secrets. 233 00:14:05,177 --> 00:14:11,058 ♪ Throned on the mountain's crest In robes of statehood dressed ♪ 234 00:14:11,517 --> 00:14:15,729 ♪ Utah, we love thee! ♪ 235 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:18,858 -Rod Decker, KUTV News. -[woman giggles] 236 00:14:18,941 --> 00:14:21,777 Thank you, Rod. That's a nice way to end the news, right? 237 00:14:21,861 --> 00:14:26,198 I've been a journalist in Utah for 45 years. 238 00:14:26,282 --> 00:14:30,202 Among the people who are interested in Mormon documents and Mormon history… 239 00:14:30,286 --> 00:14:31,787 [now] If you look at the '80s, 240 00:14:31,871 --> 00:14:35,249 Mark Hofmann found document after document, 241 00:14:35,332 --> 00:14:38,168 and he made a huge reputation for himself. 242 00:14:39,169 --> 00:14:43,841 Then one of the documents he had found was called the White Salamander letter. 243 00:14:43,924 --> 00:14:47,761 It was a letter from Martin Harris, an important man in early Mormonism, 244 00:14:48,554 --> 00:14:51,765 and the letter said that Joseph Smith had told him 245 00:14:51,849 --> 00:14:54,602 that Joseph Smith was led to the Golden Plates 246 00:14:54,685 --> 00:14:56,395 by a white salamander. 247 00:14:56,478 --> 00:14:57,938 [suspenseful music playing] 248 00:14:59,899 --> 00:15:04,028 This contradicted the Church version of what had happened 249 00:15:04,111 --> 00:15:06,572 and struck deeply at Mormon belief. 250 00:15:10,409 --> 00:15:12,453 [Turley] This new Salamander letter 251 00:15:12,536 --> 00:15:16,123 gave a far different story of the Church's earliest roots 252 00:15:16,749 --> 00:15:21,754 and took that context of Christian familiar terms, like angels… 253 00:15:21,837 --> 00:15:23,589 My name is Moroni. 254 00:15:24,173 --> 00:15:28,177 …and twisted them towards a kind of folk magic context. 255 00:15:30,512 --> 00:15:34,475 And the contents of the Salamander letter got a lot of attention from scholars, 256 00:15:34,558 --> 00:15:37,227 who argued about it and began to say, "Wait a minute. 257 00:15:37,311 --> 00:15:41,357 Is the history that we learned about this from Joseph Smith not correct?" 258 00:15:46,070 --> 00:15:50,908 Now, the LDS Church does, in fact, keep documents from the public, 259 00:15:50,991 --> 00:15:56,121 so some people say that the LDS Church hides its history. 260 00:15:58,624 --> 00:16:02,628 One of Mark's concerns was that the Church 261 00:16:02,711 --> 00:16:07,716 would try to hide documents that proved embarrassing to them, 262 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,427 and I think that's why you find him 263 00:16:10,511 --> 00:16:12,846 giving copies of the documents to other people. 264 00:16:15,057 --> 00:16:16,558 [Metcalfe] I remember one day, 265 00:16:16,642 --> 00:16:19,728 Mark Hofmann approached me with the Salamander letter. 266 00:16:21,021 --> 00:16:25,401 And I remember that, as I read it, I said, 267 00:16:25,484 --> 00:16:28,070 "Have you talked to Steve Christensen yet?" 268 00:16:28,153 --> 00:16:31,073 [woman] Okay, and you're a collector of this kind of thing. 269 00:16:31,156 --> 00:16:33,951 Well, uh, actually not. 270 00:16:34,034 --> 00:16:36,370 -I collect a lot of books… -[woman] Mm-hmm. 271 00:16:36,453 --> 00:16:38,622 …and the way I became aware of the document 272 00:16:38,706 --> 00:16:40,958 was through, uh, Brent Metcalfe… 273 00:16:41,041 --> 00:16:44,211 [Metcalfe] Steve had a genuine interest in Church history, 274 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,756 and while he loved the Church, 275 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:52,761 he also felt that there was a need for intellectual transparency 276 00:16:52,845 --> 00:16:55,597 when it came to the history of the Church. 277 00:16:57,599 --> 00:17:00,561 [Rigby] I know when Steve first saw the Salamander letter, 278 00:17:00,644 --> 00:17:06,525 he recognized there were some issues in there that were very much, um… 279 00:17:07,192 --> 00:17:09,528 controversial to many members 280 00:17:09,611 --> 00:17:12,114 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 281 00:17:12,656 --> 00:17:15,284 His first concern was, number one, is this authentic? 282 00:17:15,868 --> 00:17:19,121 A few select individuals actually read the contents of the letter, 283 00:17:19,204 --> 00:17:21,749 and look at the handwriting, uh, early in '84. 284 00:17:22,374 --> 00:17:24,918 I received the authentication reports back… 285 00:17:25,753 --> 00:17:26,587 uh… 286 00:17:26,670 --> 00:17:28,338 shortly thereafter, uh, 287 00:17:28,422 --> 00:17:31,550 made the purchase of the letter from Hofmann… 288 00:17:31,633 --> 00:17:34,470 [Metcalfe] I remember going with Mark to Steve's office, 289 00:17:34,553 --> 00:17:38,682 and the price that they negotiated was $40,000 for the document. 290 00:17:41,435 --> 00:17:46,356 So at that point, the Salamander letter began to create some real concerns 291 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,401 on the part of, particularly, President Gordon B. Hinckley. 292 00:17:49,485 --> 00:17:54,198 When we are called before the bar of God to give an accounting of our performance… 293 00:17:54,281 --> 00:17:57,034 [Turley] Hinckley released the letter with a disclaimer. 294 00:17:57,951 --> 00:18:00,871 He said, "We'll have to accept, for the time being, 295 00:18:01,455 --> 00:18:04,958 the scientific evaluations of the examiners, 296 00:18:05,542 --> 00:18:06,877 but that does not mean 297 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,922 that it could not have been a forgery from that time period, 298 00:18:10,005 --> 00:18:12,758 that was created for the purposes of hurting the Church." 299 00:18:13,258 --> 00:18:17,971 I think it unlikely that any of us will be commended for wearing out our lives 300 00:18:18,806 --> 00:18:21,809 in an effort to find some morsel of history, 301 00:18:22,434 --> 00:18:24,561 incomplete in its context, 302 00:18:25,354 --> 00:18:28,190 to cast doubt on the integrity of this work. 303 00:18:28,690 --> 00:18:33,821 When the Salamander letter got publicized, and newspaper stories were written on it, 304 00:18:33,904 --> 00:18:35,948 it just changed everything. 305 00:18:36,615 --> 00:18:38,742 The letter generated a lot of controversy, 306 00:18:38,826 --> 00:18:41,703 some saying it alters traditional views of Mormon history. 307 00:18:41,787 --> 00:18:44,498 Others say it merely sheds new light and doesn't change a thing. 308 00:18:44,581 --> 00:18:47,251 [man 1] The Church is not eager to retell its story, 309 00:18:47,334 --> 00:18:49,837 but I think the story is gradually going to be altered 310 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:50,921 in light of new evidence. 311 00:18:51,004 --> 00:18:52,339 [man 2] The Salamander letter 312 00:18:52,422 --> 00:18:55,008 challenges the Mormon Church's account of its own origins. 313 00:18:55,092 --> 00:18:58,470 [man 3] It sent historians scurrying to reinterpret the Mormon past. 314 00:18:58,554 --> 00:19:03,183 Instead of God and angels, now it's salamanders and magic. 315 00:19:03,267 --> 00:19:06,520 [Decker] It's as if someone came up with a document in which Moses said, 316 00:19:06,603 --> 00:19:10,107 "I got the Ten Commandments from the ghost of Elvis Presley." 317 00:19:10,190 --> 00:19:11,942 [man 4] The letter accuses Smith 318 00:19:12,025 --> 00:19:14,361 of dealing in folk magic and treasure hunting. 319 00:19:14,444 --> 00:19:16,613 This Mormonism, it's an outgrowth of magic. 320 00:19:16,697 --> 00:19:18,323 It's just boogeldy-boogeldy. 321 00:19:18,407 --> 00:19:23,245 Religion sometimes breeds amongst people some extremes. 322 00:19:23,745 --> 00:19:27,207 It was a striking blow at the belief in the Church. 323 00:19:27,291 --> 00:19:29,585 [man 5] Mormon leaders came under fire from critics 324 00:19:29,710 --> 00:19:31,628 when the Salamander letter came to light… 325 00:19:31,712 --> 00:19:35,090 The Church is not in a crisis of faith. We do not feel… 326 00:19:35,674 --> 00:19:38,969 whatever the commentaries may be, that the Church's foundations 327 00:19:39,052 --> 00:19:41,847 are in any way being battered or crumbled. 328 00:19:41,930 --> 00:19:44,516 I love the gospel with all my heart… 329 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:46,143 Steve began to recognize 330 00:19:46,226 --> 00:19:49,188 that document dealing wasn't just a gentle pastime 331 00:19:49,271 --> 00:19:51,565 for those who have a passing interest in history. 332 00:19:51,648 --> 00:19:53,525 [woman] Do you still have the letter? 333 00:19:53,609 --> 00:19:56,028 No, I donated the letter to the LDS Church, 334 00:19:56,570 --> 00:20:00,282 which had really been the plan for some time. 335 00:20:00,365 --> 00:20:03,827 [man 6] Those documents are reportedly in the possession of the Church Archives. 336 00:20:03,911 --> 00:20:06,997 Examination by historians outside the Church is forbidden. 337 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:08,248 [Turley] At that point, 338 00:20:08,332 --> 00:20:11,460 Steve Christensen donated the Salamander letter to the Church, 339 00:20:12,169 --> 00:20:16,173 and in a letter that he wrote to President Gordon B. Hinckley, 340 00:20:16,256 --> 00:20:17,966 one of the things he said was, 341 00:20:18,050 --> 00:20:20,219 "It appears that dealing in Mormon documents 342 00:20:20,302 --> 00:20:22,387 -can be a dangerous business." -[thud] 343 00:20:23,764 --> 00:20:25,933 -[woman] I think that's what I need. -Okay. 344 00:20:26,016 --> 00:20:27,851 [ominous music plays] 345 00:20:38,695 --> 00:20:41,490 [Alvin Rust] I came to Utah and joined a bowling league. 346 00:20:42,824 --> 00:20:46,703 And one of the bowlers there brought out a tool chest of coins. 347 00:20:47,287 --> 00:20:49,039 My eyes got that big. [chuckles] 348 00:20:51,792 --> 00:20:54,336 I bought it, and it got me started in coins. 349 00:20:56,588 --> 00:21:01,593 And Mark Hofmann saw that I was interested in Mormon-related money items. 350 00:21:02,344 --> 00:21:05,806 So he was coming in all the time with new items. 351 00:21:07,641 --> 00:21:09,726 [man] The notoriety of the Salamander letter 352 00:21:09,810 --> 00:21:11,603 has increased the odds that even more 353 00:21:11,687 --> 00:21:14,314 of these rare Mormon documents might soon be found. 354 00:21:14,398 --> 00:21:16,775 Dealers and collectors are especially conscious 355 00:21:16,858 --> 00:21:19,236 of the possibility of finding these rare Mormon papers. 356 00:21:19,319 --> 00:21:22,489 Knowledgeable dealers believe unfound LDS documents 357 00:21:22,572 --> 00:21:26,076 may number in the hundreds or even thousands. 358 00:21:26,159 --> 00:21:29,788 [soft, mysterious music playing] 359 00:21:31,415 --> 00:21:33,917 [Rust] One day, Mark comes into my store 360 00:21:34,001 --> 00:21:37,379 and says he's located a large collection in New York City 361 00:21:38,255 --> 00:21:42,592 that is by far the largest, uh, Mormon money 362 00:21:42,676 --> 00:21:46,680 and, uh, documents of the Church in existence. 363 00:21:46,763 --> 00:21:52,185 And he says, "They've contacted me and are interested in selling it." 364 00:21:55,731 --> 00:21:58,191 Mark says, "I don't have the money to buy it. 365 00:21:58,275 --> 00:22:00,861 Would you help finance the item?" 366 00:22:00,944 --> 00:22:02,988 And I say, "Well, how much is it?" 367 00:22:03,071 --> 00:22:06,450 And he says, "$185,000." 368 00:22:07,492 --> 00:22:11,997 And I had credit with the bank, so I gave the money in an advance to Mark. 369 00:22:12,914 --> 00:22:16,460 [Ashworth] Stories got around that Mark is offering this collection. 370 00:22:16,543 --> 00:22:19,421 I remember talkin' with him. "What's in the collection?" 371 00:22:19,504 --> 00:22:21,423 "It's got five little diaries. 372 00:22:21,506 --> 00:22:24,468 They're written between 1831 and '38." 373 00:22:25,677 --> 00:22:27,429 It became the McLellin Collection. 374 00:22:29,806 --> 00:22:31,892 [Flynn] Well, the McLellin Collection. 375 00:22:31,975 --> 00:22:36,271 There was a letter in there of potentially a devastating nature. 376 00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:39,941 A letter that was written by Joseph Smith's wife, 377 00:22:40,025 --> 00:22:44,404 which detailed that it was, in fact, Joseph Smith's older brother 378 00:22:44,488 --> 00:22:46,531 who first met Moroni, 379 00:22:47,157 --> 00:22:49,618 lifted the stone, saw the gold plates. 380 00:22:52,371 --> 00:22:57,209 And after the Salamander letter had significant impact for the Church, 381 00:22:58,835 --> 00:23:02,798 the McLellin Collection was potentially devastating. 382 00:23:03,632 --> 00:23:04,466 Devastating. 383 00:23:04,549 --> 00:23:06,426 [church bell tolls] 384 00:23:06,510 --> 00:23:09,471 [Turley] When Mark was marketing the McLellin Collection, 385 00:23:09,554 --> 00:23:12,516 he talked about it with Steve Christensen, 386 00:23:13,100 --> 00:23:16,686 who was representing the Church's interest at that time, 387 00:23:16,770 --> 00:23:20,607 and hearing about this, began to think, "Well, the Church ought to own that." 388 00:23:24,152 --> 00:23:30,325 Steve Christensen had sort of been put in charge from someone in the LDS Church, 389 00:23:30,409 --> 00:23:36,456 and he was gonna go with Mark and get the McLellin Collection. 390 00:23:37,374 --> 00:23:39,709 [Rust] Mark took it through Steven Christensen 391 00:23:39,793 --> 00:23:41,503 directly to the LDS Church, 392 00:23:42,170 --> 00:23:45,715 and they're gonna buy it for $300,000. 393 00:23:47,384 --> 00:23:51,138 And meanwhile, I should say that I had guaranteed 394 00:23:51,763 --> 00:23:54,724 to not mention this to anybody. 395 00:23:55,642 --> 00:23:58,437 He told me, on this collection, 396 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:01,314 that the Church didn't want it to be exposed 397 00:24:01,398 --> 00:24:04,276 until they could go through the entire collection 398 00:24:04,359 --> 00:24:07,612 and find out what it's about before it was released to the public. 399 00:24:08,447 --> 00:24:10,782 You know, secrets just can't be kept. 400 00:24:11,533 --> 00:24:13,827 Every-- [scoffs] Well, there's an old story. 401 00:24:14,327 --> 00:24:19,833 If-- The only way to keep a secret between two people is to kill one of 'em. 402 00:24:20,417 --> 00:24:21,835 It's kind of true. [chuckles] 403 00:24:23,044 --> 00:24:24,337 [loud thud] 404 00:24:24,421 --> 00:24:27,632 [siren wailing] 405 00:24:27,716 --> 00:24:30,218 [woman over radio] There's an emergency in the Church building 406 00:24:30,302 --> 00:24:31,428 on the corner of Main… 407 00:24:31,511 --> 00:24:33,972 -[man 1 over radio] An APB… He's been cut. -…and Third South. 408 00:24:34,055 --> 00:24:35,724 [man 2 over radio] 231, we've got an echo. 409 00:24:35,807 --> 00:24:39,686 -[man 3 over radio] Let's notify homicide. -[man 4] We have one male fatality… 410 00:24:39,769 --> 00:24:41,062 [woman] It's the kind of terror 411 00:24:41,146 --> 00:24:43,106 that so often grips other parts of the world. 412 00:24:43,190 --> 00:24:45,275 [man 5] But today, the violence we associate 413 00:24:45,358 --> 00:24:47,194 with the Middle East or Northern Ireland 414 00:24:47,277 --> 00:24:49,112 struck tragically along the Wasatch Front. 415 00:24:49,196 --> 00:24:52,115 All of a sudden, we heard a boom. It shook the building. 416 00:24:52,199 --> 00:24:54,451 And there was debris out in the hallway, cans. 417 00:24:54,534 --> 00:24:55,911 Looked like a wastebasket. 418 00:24:55,994 --> 00:24:57,078 [siren wailing] 419 00:24:57,913 --> 00:25:02,125 [man 6] The bomb went off in the east side of the Judge Building shortly after eight. 420 00:25:02,209 --> 00:25:04,961 The office building was already full of workers. 421 00:25:05,045 --> 00:25:08,882 I was sitting up in my bed, uh, watching TV, 422 00:25:09,508 --> 00:25:12,636 and I got a call from Curt Bench. 423 00:25:13,678 --> 00:25:17,349 -I was driving to work downtown… -[news playing on radio] 424 00:25:17,432 --> 00:25:19,184 …and I always listened to the news. 425 00:25:19,267 --> 00:25:21,561 [man 7 on radio] …still searching through the debris, 426 00:25:21,645 --> 00:25:25,524 waiting for the victim's body to be brought out of the Judge Building. 427 00:25:25,607 --> 00:25:30,028 The newscaster said that there had been an explosion downtown, 428 00:25:30,820 --> 00:25:33,156 and that a man had been killed. 429 00:25:34,324 --> 00:25:37,452 And I only knew one person that worked in the Judge Building. 430 00:25:38,328 --> 00:25:39,579 It was all over the news. 431 00:25:39,663 --> 00:25:43,875 Every network station was running it at that point. 432 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,461 [woman] …a powerful blast rocked the sixth floor 433 00:25:46,545 --> 00:25:48,213 of the Judge Building in Salt Lake. 434 00:25:48,296 --> 00:25:50,465 [man 8] Police believe it was a sophisticated bomb. 435 00:25:50,549 --> 00:25:53,552 …blown the door off the hinges, thrown shrapnel… 436 00:25:53,635 --> 00:25:57,055 Here's the secretary that found a box addressed to our victim. 437 00:25:57,138 --> 00:26:02,102 [Metcalfe] And, uh, then I got a call from a reporter, and, uh… 438 00:26:11,444 --> 00:26:13,029 He said, um… 439 00:26:15,448 --> 00:26:19,452 "What can you tell me about Steve Christensen 440 00:26:20,245 --> 00:26:22,497 now that he's died?" 441 00:26:24,207 --> 00:26:25,917 [woman] In downtown Salt Lake, 442 00:26:26,001 --> 00:26:28,795 a local financial consultant, Steven F. Christensen, 443 00:26:28,878 --> 00:26:30,380 died in that explosion. 444 00:26:30,463 --> 00:26:32,882 Witnesses say he had stopped to pick up a package 445 00:26:32,966 --> 00:26:35,885 in the doorway of his office when the booby trap went off. 446 00:26:35,969 --> 00:26:40,265 [man 9] A search dog from the airport was brought in to look for more explosives. 447 00:26:40,348 --> 00:26:43,184 So far, no other bombs have been found. 448 00:26:45,353 --> 00:26:47,188 [Rigby] The morning of October 15th, 449 00:26:47,272 --> 00:26:50,191 Steve and I decided we were gonna get together at eight o'clock. 450 00:26:50,775 --> 00:26:52,444 at the Judge Building. 451 00:26:52,527 --> 00:26:55,822 I called Steve to tell him I was running ten minutes late, 452 00:26:55,905 --> 00:26:58,158 because I had stopped to get these documents, 453 00:26:58,241 --> 00:26:59,492 and I'd be walkin' down. 454 00:27:00,327 --> 00:27:03,913 Uh, the phone rang and rang, and I just got our answering machine. 455 00:27:03,997 --> 00:27:07,667 [Christensen] Hello. You've reached the offices of Steve Christensen. 456 00:27:07,751 --> 00:27:12,255 [Rigby] And as I'm walking down, I see police and firetrucks 457 00:27:12,339 --> 00:27:14,549 right out in front of the Judge Building. 458 00:27:15,925 --> 00:27:19,721 Literally, as I walked in the building, I walked in the same time 459 00:27:19,804 --> 00:27:22,474 that the property manager was also walking in, 460 00:27:22,557 --> 00:27:24,893 and we ran up the stairs together. 461 00:27:24,976 --> 00:27:26,686 [ominous music plays] 462 00:27:26,770 --> 00:27:32,942 And I'll never forget looking down at the hall to our office, 463 00:27:34,110 --> 00:27:35,695 and our door was totally… 464 00:27:36,946 --> 00:27:37,989 blown away. 465 00:27:38,073 --> 00:27:39,074 There was no door. 466 00:27:39,699 --> 00:27:40,784 There were Tab cans. 467 00:27:40,867 --> 00:27:43,536 There was debris all over in the hallway, 468 00:27:44,287 --> 00:27:48,416 and it just was unbelievable to me. 469 00:27:48,958 --> 00:27:50,543 [ominous music plays] 470 00:27:56,633 --> 00:28:00,470 And I'll never forget the building manager turning to me and saying, 471 00:28:01,179 --> 00:28:04,307 "What in the hell type of business were you guys running?" 472 00:28:04,391 --> 00:28:06,601 [sinister music plays] 473 00:28:06,685 --> 00:28:09,813 [man 1] The Sheriff's Department reports another explosion 474 00:28:09,896 --> 00:28:14,192 at a home on Naniloa Drive in Holladay within the past hour. 475 00:28:14,275 --> 00:28:16,861 County Sheriff is now investigating the possibility 476 00:28:16,945 --> 00:28:18,905 that this second explosion, once again, 477 00:28:18,988 --> 00:28:22,450 could be linked to this morning's bomb at the Judge Building downtown. 478 00:28:22,534 --> 00:28:25,954 Police say both bombs were triggered by an electrical timing device 479 00:28:26,037 --> 00:28:28,289 and were the work of professional assassins. 480 00:28:28,373 --> 00:28:31,543 Yes. It was quite loud, a big pop, bang. 481 00:28:31,626 --> 00:28:34,337 [man 2] The first victim was Steve Christensen. 482 00:28:34,421 --> 00:28:35,630 The second was the wife 483 00:28:35,714 --> 00:28:38,466 of one of Christensen's former business associates. 484 00:28:38,550 --> 00:28:40,427 Kathy Sheets died by the blast, 485 00:28:40,510 --> 00:28:42,762 apparently intended for her husband, Gary. 486 00:28:43,471 --> 00:28:46,766 [Rigby] My mind was just racing with what I just experienced. 487 00:28:47,350 --> 00:28:49,269 I looked over in the corner of my eye. 488 00:28:50,061 --> 00:28:53,565 There's my former partner and boss, 489 00:28:53,648 --> 00:28:57,986 Gary Sheets, just standing there, wondering what's going on. 490 00:28:58,069 --> 00:29:00,947 [man 3] The connection between Christensen and Sheets. 491 00:29:01,030 --> 00:29:03,908 Both served as officers in a financial consulting company… 492 00:29:03,992 --> 00:29:06,327 The bomb was apparently meant for Gary Sheets, 493 00:29:06,411 --> 00:29:08,913 but the killer missed his mark, and Sheets' wife Kathy… 494 00:29:08,997 --> 00:29:11,624 Kathy Sheets died instantly when she picked up a bomb 495 00:29:11,708 --> 00:29:12,834 placed on a wooden walk. 496 00:29:13,418 --> 00:29:16,504 Police say the device was equal in power to two sticks of dynamite. 497 00:29:18,423 --> 00:29:22,302 [Sanders] The headlines were Salt Lake City was like Beirut, Lebanon. 498 00:29:22,886 --> 00:29:25,764 It's like, "What on Earth's going on?" 499 00:29:26,389 --> 00:29:28,099 [sinister music playing] 500 00:29:28,183 --> 00:29:32,395 And panic began to ensue because one bomb is an anomaly. 501 00:29:32,479 --> 00:29:34,773 Two bombs suggests a serial killer. 502 00:29:35,273 --> 00:29:38,318 If there were two bombs, there could be three, four, five, 503 00:29:38,401 --> 00:29:39,360 or a dozen or more. 504 00:29:39,444 --> 00:29:41,404 [man 4] A secretary at the Salt Lake Tribune 505 00:29:41,488 --> 00:29:43,948 received a call that said the bomber wasn't finished. 506 00:29:44,032 --> 00:29:45,909 [woman] "I suggest you listen carefully. 507 00:29:46,576 --> 00:29:49,537 There's four more bombs from here to South Temple." 508 00:29:49,621 --> 00:29:53,291 It was very disturbing and frightening, 509 00:29:53,374 --> 00:29:55,752 and there was all kinds of speculation going on. 510 00:29:55,835 --> 00:29:58,797 If there is a reason for today's madness, the answer probably lies 511 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,216 buried in the business records of Christensen and Sheets. 512 00:30:01,299 --> 00:30:03,468 [Decker] …theories revolved around high finance 513 00:30:03,551 --> 00:30:05,762 and big losses in the CFS company. 514 00:30:05,845 --> 00:30:08,223 There was dark talk of disgruntled investors, 515 00:30:08,306 --> 00:30:11,017 hired professional killers, and Las Vegas connections. 516 00:30:11,100 --> 00:30:13,394 [man 5] Sheets helped bombing victim Steve Christensen 517 00:30:13,478 --> 00:30:16,773 finance the purchase and study of the so-called Salamander letter 518 00:30:16,856 --> 00:30:18,942 before it was turned over to the Mormon Church. 519 00:30:19,025 --> 00:30:20,026 My feeling is that 520 00:30:20,109 --> 00:30:23,738 some disgruntled investor somewhere hired someone to do this. 521 00:30:23,822 --> 00:30:26,574 We didn't know who the targets were going to be next, 522 00:30:26,658 --> 00:30:28,827 if there was anybody that was gonna be next. 523 00:30:28,910 --> 00:30:32,330 Chief Willoughby has been meeting the past hour with other officials, 524 00:30:32,413 --> 00:30:35,208 and we're going to go to him right now for this briefing. 525 00:30:37,085 --> 00:30:42,215 At this moment, we have a task force put together 526 00:30:42,298 --> 00:30:46,511 because, uh, we definitely feel that there is a direct tie 527 00:30:46,594 --> 00:30:50,473 between both of the bombings here in Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City. 528 00:30:51,182 --> 00:30:55,520 There are two areas that we're centering our efforts on, 529 00:30:55,603 --> 00:30:58,314 and one is the financial dealings, 530 00:30:58,398 --> 00:31:02,235 uh, both Mr. Sheets and Mr. Christensen were involved in. 531 00:31:03,111 --> 00:31:05,697 The other motive, uh, we're getting information on 532 00:31:05,780 --> 00:31:08,825 has to do with the White Salamander letter, uh, 533 00:31:08,908 --> 00:31:11,828 which is now in the possession of the LDS Church. 534 00:31:11,911 --> 00:31:12,829 [Rigby] Hold on. 535 00:31:12,912 --> 00:31:16,040 Now, my mind immediately started turning elsewhere. 536 00:31:17,166 --> 00:31:20,295 This has something to do with that crazy document deal 537 00:31:21,254 --> 00:31:22,672 that Steve was dealing with. 538 00:31:23,423 --> 00:31:24,591 [ominous music playing] 539 00:31:32,348 --> 00:31:34,142 [TV talk show theme music playing] 540 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:42,066 Welcome now to Primetime Access. 541 00:31:42,150 --> 00:31:43,067 I'm Bruce Lindsay. 542 00:31:43,151 --> 00:31:45,528 On this day of extraordinary news in Salt Lake City, 543 00:31:45,612 --> 00:31:47,947 we're going to devote most of the rest of this hour 544 00:31:48,031 --> 00:31:49,866 to questions emerging from the murders. 545 00:31:49,949 --> 00:31:53,036 [man] The violence began as downtown was opening for business. 546 00:31:53,119 --> 00:31:56,331 A morning of fear and death for much of the Wasatch Front. 547 00:31:56,414 --> 00:31:59,292 …an anonymous caller warned there were even more bombs 548 00:31:59,375 --> 00:32:00,877 in surrounding buildings. 549 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,838 Police say that that call could have been a copycat prank, 550 00:32:03,922 --> 00:32:06,674 but the department was taking no chances at that point. 551 00:32:06,758 --> 00:32:10,637 I would, uh, work with Mark, and it was always on Wednesday afternoon. 552 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:12,639 And we would just meet at Walden Book. 553 00:32:12,722 --> 00:32:13,640 That was our spot. 554 00:32:14,182 --> 00:32:17,185 But on October 16th, I didn't go up that day. 555 00:32:17,685 --> 00:32:18,519 [phone ringing] 556 00:32:18,603 --> 00:32:20,647 Uh, I tried to get ahold of Mark, 557 00:32:20,730 --> 00:32:22,398 but I couldn't reach him. 558 00:32:22,482 --> 00:32:25,151 I guess he was running around town that day. 559 00:32:25,234 --> 00:32:27,195 But I did run into Curt Bench, I think, 560 00:32:27,278 --> 00:32:30,782 and Curt told me that, uh, he had talked to Mark or something, 561 00:32:30,865 --> 00:32:33,952 and he also made it sound like Mark was, uh… 562 00:32:35,370 --> 00:32:36,663 really nervous. 563 00:32:36,746 --> 00:32:37,664 Okay? 564 00:32:37,747 --> 00:32:38,748 Really nervous. 565 00:32:38,831 --> 00:32:42,502 [woman] An associate of Christensen said, "We're filled with absolute terror." 566 00:32:42,585 --> 00:32:45,004 The houses were cordoned off, families evacuated, 567 00:32:45,088 --> 00:32:47,131 and dogs brought in to sniff for bombs. 568 00:32:47,215 --> 00:32:48,132 None were found. 569 00:32:48,216 --> 00:32:50,760 [Bench] I called Mark, and I warned Mark 570 00:32:50,843 --> 00:32:55,098 and told him that he ought to get his family out of their house. 571 00:32:55,890 --> 00:32:58,601 [Dorie] Mark tells me, "Christensen has been killed. 572 00:32:58,685 --> 00:33:00,144 Kathy Sheets has been killed. 573 00:33:00,228 --> 00:33:02,397 I don't know what is happening here. 574 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:03,898 Your life may be in danger. 575 00:33:03,982 --> 00:33:05,441 You need to leave the house." 576 00:33:05,942 --> 00:33:09,612 We don't know if the attacks had something to do with religion or business 577 00:33:09,696 --> 00:33:11,072 or even possibly both… 578 00:33:11,155 --> 00:33:14,784 We knew that the people involved in the Mormon document business 579 00:33:14,867 --> 00:33:17,620 could be potential targets. 580 00:33:18,496 --> 00:33:23,042 And Mark did tell me that he had concerns 581 00:33:23,126 --> 00:33:26,337 about the McLellin Collection. 582 00:33:27,797 --> 00:33:29,507 People had heard things about it, 583 00:33:29,590 --> 00:33:33,219 and it was becoming more of a controversial subject. 584 00:33:36,097 --> 00:33:38,725 [man] Lawmen in Salt Lake City are going all out now 585 00:33:38,808 --> 00:33:40,935 to come up with the "whys" in the tragedy. 586 00:33:41,019 --> 00:33:43,479 They have come up with some startling information. 587 00:33:43,563 --> 00:33:45,940 It now turns out that there's another collection 588 00:33:46,024 --> 00:33:49,610 of early Mormon documents that are reputed to be far more explosive. 589 00:33:49,694 --> 00:33:51,320 They're the McLellin Collection. 590 00:33:51,404 --> 00:33:54,407 Books, diaries, and revelations from the era of Joseph Smith. 591 00:33:54,490 --> 00:33:56,993 One of the would-be buyers turns out to have been 592 00:33:57,076 --> 00:33:59,162 bombing victim Steve Christensen. 593 00:33:59,245 --> 00:34:01,914 LDS officials have yet to confirm or deny reports 594 00:34:01,998 --> 00:34:04,792 that Gordon B. Hinckley had agreed to buy the documents, 595 00:34:04,876 --> 00:34:07,587 which are believed to contain controversial information 596 00:34:07,670 --> 00:34:09,672 about the founding of the Mormon Church. 597 00:34:09,756 --> 00:34:16,095 Alvin Rust says the LDS Church had agreed to pay $300,000 for the collection. 598 00:34:16,179 --> 00:34:19,390 [woman] Who at the Church had agreed to purchase these for $300,000? 599 00:34:19,474 --> 00:34:21,434 It was, uh, Gordon B. Hinckley. 600 00:34:23,186 --> 00:34:25,354 I get on the phone to call the prophet 601 00:34:25,438 --> 00:34:28,107 of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 602 00:34:28,608 --> 00:34:32,695 The man that took the call says, "What is it about?" 603 00:34:33,488 --> 00:34:36,240 And I said, "It's about the McLellin Collection." 604 00:34:36,324 --> 00:34:39,494 He says, "Yeah, you and Hofmann were to bring that right now." 605 00:34:39,577 --> 00:34:43,081 [man 1] A Church spokesman confirms that Hofmann met with LDS apostles 606 00:34:43,164 --> 00:34:44,624 on Tuesday afternoon, 607 00:34:44,707 --> 00:34:47,835 just hours after the first bomb killed Steven Christensen. 608 00:34:47,919 --> 00:34:51,339 He said he wanted to donate the collection to the Church. 609 00:34:52,173 --> 00:34:55,176 There was no discussion of our purchasing it. 610 00:34:55,885 --> 00:34:58,596 [Rust] He says, "We've got people here right now 611 00:34:58,679 --> 00:35:00,598 waiting for the McLellin Collection, 612 00:35:00,681 --> 00:35:01,974 to examine it. 613 00:35:02,058 --> 00:35:04,685 They want to purchase it for the Church." 614 00:35:04,769 --> 00:35:07,605 [man 2] Hofmann was to turn over the collection to Christensen 615 00:35:07,688 --> 00:35:09,440 the morning Christensen was killed. 616 00:35:09,524 --> 00:35:12,443 [man 3] Hofmann didn't show for the 10:00 a.m. appointment, 617 00:35:12,527 --> 00:35:14,779 but called and asked to meet at 2:00 p.m. 618 00:35:14,862 --> 00:35:16,197 Sources tell Channel 5 619 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:19,367 Hofmann had at least two meetings set up to peddle the papers. 620 00:35:19,450 --> 00:35:22,662 [man on phone] …signature and have it witnessed, or something like that. 621 00:35:22,745 --> 00:35:25,081 [Mark on phone] Yeah, I can tell you also that, uh, 622 00:35:25,164 --> 00:35:27,667 the LDS Church is interested in it also. 623 00:35:27,750 --> 00:35:31,170 [man] Yeah, well, that may tend to complicate things. 624 00:35:31,254 --> 00:35:34,632 [Mark] They've already acquired, in fact, uh, some other pieces 625 00:35:34,715 --> 00:35:35,591 they got from me, 626 00:35:35,675 --> 00:35:37,844 -but they don't have this one yet. -[man] Mm-hmm. 627 00:35:37,927 --> 00:35:40,263 [Mark] I don't know what they're interested in it for, 628 00:35:40,346 --> 00:35:42,098 if they just want to lock it up or… 629 00:35:42,181 --> 00:35:44,517 I can't imagine them publishing it or anything. 630 00:35:45,017 --> 00:35:46,644 [man] Well, be hard to say. 631 00:35:46,727 --> 00:35:48,104 -[Mark] Yeah. -[man] Um… 632 00:35:49,397 --> 00:35:52,441 [man 4] Shannon Flynn is believed to have been working with Hofmann 633 00:35:52,525 --> 00:35:53,943 on the sale of those papers. 634 00:35:54,986 --> 00:35:55,987 I don't know. 635 00:35:57,405 --> 00:36:01,367 He had an appointment at two o'clock with an attorney 636 00:36:01,450 --> 00:36:04,704 that represented a well-to-do Church member 637 00:36:04,787 --> 00:36:08,791 that was going to buy that McLellin Collection, 638 00:36:08,875 --> 00:36:13,421 give Mark the money, and kind of keep it for the Church. 639 00:36:14,380 --> 00:36:16,382 And then the shock came. 640 00:36:17,258 --> 00:36:18,467 [tense music rising] 641 00:36:24,182 --> 00:36:25,683 [somber music playing] 642 00:36:25,766 --> 00:36:28,811 We saw the explosion, and the window in the back 643 00:36:28,895 --> 00:36:29,729 flew up in the air. 644 00:36:29,812 --> 00:36:32,773 Was it loud? Yeah. It shook this whole building, right here. 645 00:36:35,109 --> 00:36:36,027 [sighs] 646 00:36:36,110 --> 00:36:40,781 I drove out to Mark's house because we had set up a lunch. 647 00:36:40,865 --> 00:36:42,700 Went and knocked on his door. 648 00:36:42,783 --> 00:36:43,659 No one answered. 649 00:36:43,743 --> 00:36:45,036 No one was home. 650 00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:51,667 And, while I was there, there's news of another bombing coming in. 651 00:36:51,751 --> 00:36:54,670 [Brokaw] A bomb was placed under the seat of a sports car… 652 00:36:54,754 --> 00:36:58,090 [Metcalfe] It's a car that's been bombed. It's a Toyota MR2. 653 00:36:58,174 --> 00:37:01,344 [Brokaw] All three explosions may be connected to a controversy. 654 00:37:01,427 --> 00:37:05,223 I mean, I immediately said, "That's Mark Hofmann's car." 655 00:37:06,515 --> 00:37:10,186 [siren wailing] 656 00:37:10,269 --> 00:37:11,979 [bystander] …he's pretty banged up. 657 00:37:12,063 --> 00:37:14,065 He was missing some fingers that I could see, 658 00:37:14,148 --> 00:37:18,027 had a hole kind of on top of his head, had a hole in one of his legs. 659 00:37:18,110 --> 00:37:22,823 [Bench] I remember distinctly that I had to pull over my car, 660 00:37:22,907 --> 00:37:25,993 and slamming my hand against the steering wheel 661 00:37:26,077 --> 00:37:27,161 and saying aloud, 662 00:37:27,662 --> 00:37:29,538 "Why didn't you listen to me? 663 00:37:29,622 --> 00:37:31,082 Why didn't you listen to me?" 664 00:37:31,749 --> 00:37:33,668 [man 1] When officers searched Hofmann's car, 665 00:37:33,751 --> 00:37:36,963 they found a collection believed to be early Mormon historical documents. 666 00:37:37,046 --> 00:37:38,965 They're known as the McLellin Collection. 667 00:37:39,048 --> 00:37:39,924 [camera clicks] 668 00:37:40,007 --> 00:37:43,886 [Metcalfe] I remember running out the door as fast as I could, 669 00:37:43,970 --> 00:37:45,930 driving up to the police line, 670 00:37:46,013 --> 00:37:46,847 and just… 671 00:37:47,723 --> 00:37:51,686 jumping out of my car and leaving it in the middle of the street, 672 00:37:52,270 --> 00:37:55,898 and running over to an officer who was standing there, 673 00:37:55,982 --> 00:38:00,069 and saying, "Excuse me, but I think I know whose car that is." 674 00:38:00,152 --> 00:38:03,406 [man 2] Mark Hofmann was trying to sell historical Mormon documents. 675 00:38:03,489 --> 00:38:06,450 The original appointment included Steven Christensen. 676 00:38:06,534 --> 00:38:08,494 [Metcalfe] He said, "What's your name?" 677 00:38:08,577 --> 00:38:10,579 And I said, "Brent Metcalfe." 678 00:38:11,539 --> 00:38:14,375 And he said, "I want you to come with me right now." 679 00:38:14,458 --> 00:38:15,376 [inhales sharply] 680 00:38:18,337 --> 00:38:19,547 And he tells me, 681 00:38:20,631 --> 00:38:24,844 "We have reason to believe that somebody may be trying to kill you." 682 00:38:25,303 --> 00:38:26,262 [inhales shakily] 683 00:38:29,348 --> 00:38:31,851 [siren wailing] 684 00:38:31,934 --> 00:38:34,270 [Rigby] I get a call from a gentleman who said, 685 00:38:34,353 --> 00:38:38,232 "Randy, you need to take your family and leave. 686 00:38:38,316 --> 00:38:41,402 We're gonna have bomb dogs and people come over 687 00:38:41,485 --> 00:38:43,821 and actually go through your home." 688 00:38:43,904 --> 00:38:46,532 I'm now looking underneath my car. I mean… 689 00:38:46,615 --> 00:38:48,117 And this is where my mind was. 690 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:50,161 I mean, you didn't dare trust anything. 691 00:38:50,911 --> 00:38:54,332 Our lives had been totally, uh, torn apart. 692 00:38:54,915 --> 00:38:57,793 [Rust] They informed me that I was in extreme danger 693 00:38:57,877 --> 00:39:01,047 and that my family and I should take every precaution. 694 00:39:01,130 --> 00:39:02,548 "Please take cover. 695 00:39:02,631 --> 00:39:04,884 Call your wife immediately, 696 00:39:04,967 --> 00:39:07,011 and be very careful right now. 697 00:39:07,094 --> 00:39:08,679 We don't know what's going on." 698 00:39:18,356 --> 00:39:19,273 [phone ringing] 699 00:39:23,152 --> 00:39:25,112 [Dorie] I was at my mother's house, 700 00:39:25,196 --> 00:39:27,031 and a phone call came in 701 00:39:27,114 --> 00:39:30,576 that said Mark had been hurt in a car, 702 00:39:30,659 --> 00:39:31,619 with a car bomb. 703 00:39:32,870 --> 00:39:35,915 And I immediately started shaking. 704 00:39:37,708 --> 00:39:40,086 My sister drove me down 'cause I couldn't drive. 705 00:39:40,169 --> 00:39:41,003 I was too upset. 706 00:39:41,087 --> 00:39:42,963 So she drove me down to the hospital. 707 00:39:43,923 --> 00:39:46,717 I went into the hospital, told them I was Mark's wife. 708 00:39:48,094 --> 00:39:48,928 Um… 709 00:39:52,431 --> 00:39:53,432 [tense music rising] 710 00:39:57,436 --> 00:39:59,230 He was on a table in a gown. 711 00:39:59,313 --> 00:40:01,148 He had glass all over his face. 712 00:40:03,609 --> 00:40:06,612 None of it made sense to me. Why would these people want to… 713 00:40:06,695 --> 00:40:08,781 Why would they wanna kill Steve or Kathy? 714 00:40:08,864 --> 00:40:10,574 Why would anybody wanna kill them? 715 00:40:10,658 --> 00:40:12,034 It didn't make sense to me. 716 00:40:12,118 --> 00:40:13,702 Why would they wanna kill them? 717 00:40:14,245 --> 00:40:16,080 It just didn't-didn't make sense. 718 00:40:17,790 --> 00:40:19,542 [sighs, clears throat] 719 00:40:20,209 --> 00:40:21,335 [crickets chirping] 720 00:40:21,419 --> 00:40:24,004 [man] Throughout this day, Salt Lake lawmen rushed to check 721 00:40:24,088 --> 00:40:26,173 several bomb threats and suspicious situations. 722 00:40:26,257 --> 00:40:29,051 Even tonight, it has extended to the heart of our city. 723 00:40:29,135 --> 00:40:31,887 Temple Square is at this moment under lockdown. 724 00:40:31,971 --> 00:40:34,932 Everyone on the square, including the Mormon Youth Symphony, 725 00:40:35,015 --> 00:40:37,935 was evacuated after what was believed to be a bomb threat. 726 00:40:38,018 --> 00:40:40,479 Canine units were called in to patrol the grounds. 727 00:40:40,563 --> 00:40:41,856 At the Mormon Church… 728 00:40:41,939 --> 00:40:44,275 ♪ …for a prophet ♪ 729 00:40:44,358 --> 00:40:48,696 ♪ To guide us in these latter days… ♪ 730 00:40:48,779 --> 00:40:52,658 [Metcalfe] I didn't think the Mormon document world was a dangerous business. 731 00:40:52,741 --> 00:40:55,286 I thought it was an exhilarating business, 732 00:40:55,369 --> 00:40:59,123 but there was definitely an underbelly 733 00:40:59,206 --> 00:41:01,876 -to Mormon document dealing. -[church organ playing] 734 00:41:04,545 --> 00:41:07,298 -[choir singing] -[man 1] More than any crimes in memory, 735 00:41:07,381 --> 00:41:09,717 these bombings have given rise to speculation, 736 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:11,469 theories, and public guessing. 737 00:41:11,552 --> 00:41:14,722 Security has been beefed up, and bomb searches carried out. 738 00:41:14,805 --> 00:41:16,390 The university's archives have… 739 00:41:16,474 --> 00:41:19,101 Some documents vanished or disappeared. 740 00:41:19,185 --> 00:41:22,313 Uh, we don't really know what might have happened to them. 741 00:41:22,396 --> 00:41:24,523 [singing hymn] 742 00:41:26,775 --> 00:41:29,153 [Metcalfe] Whoever had committed these murders, 743 00:41:29,236 --> 00:41:32,031 they're somehow related to these Mormon documents. 744 00:41:32,114 --> 00:41:35,659 [man 2] Police are refusing to comment on reports that Hofmann had other letters 745 00:41:35,743 --> 00:41:38,120 believed to be even more damaging to the Church… 746 00:41:38,204 --> 00:41:41,957 At this time, I will not comment on that. That's still part of the investigation. 747 00:41:42,041 --> 00:41:44,001 And a killer is still on the loose. 748 00:41:44,084 --> 00:41:49,215 Most likely, it was somebody who was LDS, 749 00:41:49,298 --> 00:41:53,010 who knew the details of what we were doing. 750 00:41:53,093 --> 00:41:56,055 [woman] Ties to murder and intrigues have given the Mormon Church 751 00:41:56,138 --> 00:41:57,848 the kind of attention it doesn't want. 752 00:41:57,932 --> 00:42:00,684 [Metcalfe] It could have been someone who had a loved one, 753 00:42:00,768 --> 00:42:03,395 who had a crisis of faith as a result of all of this. 754 00:42:03,479 --> 00:42:06,732 To have the Church involved in the acquisition 755 00:42:06,815 --> 00:42:10,986 of a collection at this time would simply fuel speculation 756 00:42:11,070 --> 00:42:14,573 that the Church was trying to acquire it in order to suppress it. 757 00:42:14,657 --> 00:42:17,493 [Metcalfe] They wanted to inflict damage and harm. 758 00:42:17,576 --> 00:42:19,703 A Mormon Church official said there was, quote, 759 00:42:19,787 --> 00:42:23,832 "Nothing sinister in the Church's efforts  to acquire historical documents 760 00:42:23,916 --> 00:42:24,875 from Mark Hofmann." 761 00:42:24,959 --> 00:42:26,252 Hofmann was hospitalized… 762 00:42:26,335 --> 00:42:28,045 [Metcalfe] It seemed clear to me… 763 00:42:28,921 --> 00:42:30,923 this was retaliatory. 764 00:42:31,048 --> 00:42:31,882 [organ playing] 765 00:42:31,966 --> 00:42:36,512 [chorus] ♪ We thank thee, O God For a prophet ♪ 766 00:42:36,595 --> 00:42:40,724 ♪ To guide us in these latter days ♪ 767 00:42:41,475 --> 00:42:47,731 ♪ We thank thee for sending the gospel ♪ 768 00:42:47,815 --> 00:42:52,152 ♪ To lighten our minds with its rays ♪ 769 00:42:52,236 --> 00:42:54,238 [organ continues playing] 770 00:43:24,810 --> 00:43:26,020 [organ stops playing] 771 00:43:26,103 --> 00:43:27,438 [sinister music playing]