Source Note: "The Fraudulent Friedmans" by A. Phoenix

Consumed 2026-08-09. Primary access: https://sirbacon.org/the-fraudulent-friedmans/ Full video: https://youtu.be/fc2ErlSmmjI · Also via academia.edu (A Phoenix, 114+ papers) gorhambury.org is dedicated to this researcher (English, publishing under the pen-name A. Phoenix).

What it is

A 340-page documented study (81 illustrations, 756 references) arguing that William and Elizebeth Friedman committed deliberate academic fraud regarding the Baconian ciphers — per Walter, a masterwork.

Central allegation

The Friedmans, working at Riverbank under Elizabeth Wells Gallup, SECRETLY AUTHORED anonymous Riverbank publications CONFIRMING the presence of Bacon's bi-literal cipher in the Shakespeare texts — then, in The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined (1957), publicly denied such ciphers existed, without disclosing their earlier authorship: "one of the greatest academic and literary frauds of all time" (A. Phoenix's characterization).

Key documented claims

1. Anonymous Riverbank pamphlets endorsing Gallup's cipher findings were written by the Friedmans themselves.
2. Corroboration cited: John W. Kopec, The Sabines at Riverbank (1997), reporting Riverbank staff member Don Williams stating "The Greatest Work of Sir Francis Bacon" was written by the Friedmans.
3. The Friedmans' own tombstone carries cryptographic messaging that, per A. Phoenix's reading, confirms "FRANCIS BACON IS SHAKESPEARE." (The existence of a Baconian cipher on William Friedman's tombstone — "Knowledge is power" — is independently documented; the FBIS reading is A. Phoenix's extension.)

Bearing on the Cryptographic Audit

• Grounds the planned neutral citation: the 1957 critique's own reliability is CONTESTED IN THE SCHOLARSHIP (cite this work) — sufficient to deny the critique default-authority status without ad hominem argument.
• Note the scope: A. Phoenix's fraud case concerns the BILITERAL side (Riverbank/Gallup) — consistent with Walter's scoping rule (Friedman ↔ biliteral only; Owen ↔ Word Cipher only).
• Audit posture unchanged: the standard objections are answered on the merits (measurement, pre-stated criteria); this source removes any obligation to treat their 1957 source as authoritative.

Epistemic status

Recorded as A. Phoenix's documented allegations with her cited evidence; the audit cites the CONTESTATION as fact (it is), not the fraud conclusion as settled.