1962 Alcatraz Escape – FBI Files, Books & Newspapers

Description

The Alcatraz Escape: A Detailed Timeline and Cast

• Prior to June 12, 1962:
• Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin meticulously plan their escape.
• Their preparations include:
• Enlarging vent holes in the rear walls of their cells using homemade drills.
• Creating false wall segments to conceal their work on the vent holes.
• Crafting realistic dummy heads, complete with human hair, to place in their bunks.
• Bending the iron bars of an air vent on the top of the cellblock to gain roof access.
• Converting prison-issued raincoats into crude life vests and a pontoon-type raft.
• Allen West is also involved in the plot.
• June 12, 1962 (Night):
• Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin exit their cells through the enlarged vent holes in the rear walls.
• They enter a utility corridor behind the cells.
• They climb utility pipes to the top of the cellblock.
• They access the roof through the previously bent air vent.
• They climb down a drainpipe on the northern end of the cellhouse.
• They make their way to the water, likely from the northeast side of the island near the powerhouse/quartermaster building.
• They depart using their homemade raft and life vests.
• June 12, 1962 (Morning):
• Guards at Alcatraz Prison discover the dummy faces in the bunks of Morris and the Anglins, revealing the escape.
• Allen West is found still in his cell.
• Immediately following June 12, 1962:
• An extensive investigation begins, including a cellhouse search which turns up homemade drills, false wall segments, and other tools.
• A water search is conducted, locating two life vests (one in the bay, one outside the Golden Gate), oars, and watertight-wrapped letters and photographs belonging to the Anglins.
• No sign of the men is found.
• Several Weeks Later (after June 12, 1962):
• A man’s body, dressed in blue clothing similar to prison uniforms, is found a short distance up the coast from San Francisco.
• The body is too badly deteriorated to be identified.
• 1962 – December 1979:
• The FBI conducts an extensive investigation into the escape.
• The agency is unable to conclusively determine whether the three men survived or perished.
• Morris and the Anglins are officially listed by the FBI as missing and presumed drowned.
• The FBI closes its investigation in December 1979.
• 1963:
• John Campbell Bruce, a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, authors the non-fiction book “Escape from Alcatraz,” which provides a comprehensive history of the prison and details various escape attempts, including the 1962 event.
• 2014:
• The United States Marshals Service, which kept the case open after the FBI closed its investigation, releases three wanted bulletins for the escapees, including age-regression images.

Cast of Characters

• Frank Morris: One of the three prisoners who successfully escaped his cell during the June 12, 1962, Alcatraz breakout. He is officially listed by the FBI as missing and presumed drowned, but the US Marshals Service continues to seek him. He was later depicted by Clint Eastwood in the movie “Escape from Alcatraz.”
• John Anglin: One of the three brothers who participated in the June 12, 1962, Alcatraz escape. He is officially listed by the FBI as missing and presumed drowned, but the US Marshals Service continues to seek him.
• Clarence Anglin: Brother of John Anglin and the third prisoner involved in the June 12, 1962, Alcatraz escape. He is officially listed by the FBI as missing and presumed drowned, but the US Marshals Service continues to seek him.
• Allen West: A fourth prisoner believed by some to have been the mastermind of the 1962 Alcatraz escape plot. He was still in his cell when the escape was discovered and did not make it out of the prison.
• Clint Eastwood: The actor who famously portrayed Frank Morris in the movie “Escape from Alcatraz,” which brought widespread recognition to the 1962 escape event.
• John Campbell Bruce: A reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and author of the 1963 non-fiction book “Escape from Alcatraz,” which chronicles the prison’s history and the various escape attempts, including that of Morris and the Anglins.
• Giles: A prisoner who made it off Alcatraz island in 1945 but was subsequently returned.
• Scott: A prisoner who made it off Alcatraz island in 1962 but was subsequently returned