Berlitz, Charles (1914-)

Popular writer on the Bermuda Triangle and similar mysteries. Born November 23, 1914, in New York City, Berlitz is the grandson of the founder of the famous Berlitz language schools and is familiar with some 30 languages. He studied at Yale University (B.A. magna cum laude, 1936) and during World War II served in the army, becoming a captain in counterintelligence in Europe and Latin America.

He has written or edited dozens of textbooks, language dictionaries, and tourist phrase books in his capacity as vice-president of the Berlitz Schools of Language. His leisure time allowed him to pursue interests in such areas as the Bermuda triangle, Atlantis, UFOs, and ancient astronauts, which stemmed from his prior interest in archaeology and scuba diving. His first book in this vein, The Mystery of Atlantis (1969), reached a popular audience and was followed by a host of others, including Mysteries from Forgotten Worlds (1972), The Bermuda Triangle (1974), Doomsday 1999 A.D. (1981), and The Dragon's Triangle (1989).

In 1979 Berlitz and UFO researcher William L. Moore became unwitting accomplices in spreading the hoax usually referred to as the Philadelphia Experiment. The story recounts a reported incident in which the U.S. Navy developed a device that transported a destroyer from Philadelphia to Norfolk, Virginia. In the early 1960s Carlos Alende (real name Carl Allen) claimed to have witnessed the experiment and states that the navy classified it and denied that it ever happened.