Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders’ living up to its title in every way conceivable, we get a docuseries that can only be described as equal parts intriguing and haunting. After all, it delves deep into the way an investigative journalist pursuing an international political scandal suddenly wound up dead in his hotel room back in 1991, alongside all its related ordeals. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about Dr. John Philip Nichols — with a particular focus on his background, his involvement in the matter as well as his ultimate fate — we’ve got the details for you.
Who Was Dr. John Philip Nichols?
While not much regarding Dr. John or his early experiences is publicly known, we do know he was a member of the CIA around the 1950s before really making a name for himself in the 1960s. After all, that’s when he evolved into a labor and community organizer, where he primarily managed union funds while also helping individuals register themselves as applicable voters. He actually claimed to be a “simple social worker” with experience in having directed mental health programs across the globe, yet he was much more, as indicated in the aforementioned docuseries.
According to reports, John was often referred to as Dr. John or Doc owing to his having pursued a Ph.D. in Theology from the Philatea Theological Seminary of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church in London, Ontario, Canada, but he never actually finished his degree. As for his long and varied resume, per his son, he lived a colorful life dedicated to social change at every step of the way, and it started all the way back in Milwaukee. “Initially, he started working with labor unions, getting his training as an organizer,” his son Bobby Moses Nichols said. “But all of a sudden we find ourselves moving to South America.”
Bobby then added, “I’m really not sure how or why, but he was definitely involved in something that was US policy in some way or other. My father seemed to know a lot of people in the halls of power. But he liked to operate in the – – I hate to use the word’ shadows.’ Then we moved to Chile, and he started organizing Indigenous people to become a voting bloc… Next thing you know, we’re moving to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. But he was gone a lot; there was a lot of travel. Then we moved to a small town in southwestern Minnesota,” following which came Pittsburg, Belgium, Kentucky, Washington DC, South America again, and ultimately the Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians near Indio, California.
It was in 1978 that Dr. John was appointed a financial advisor for this area — after years of being hired by some unidentified group or organization – driving him to work towards its expansion. He actually launched several ventures on the reserve, including a tax-free cigarettes and liquor store, a casino, as well as a bingo hall, yet none seemingly brought in the cash flow the natives had expected. According to the docuseries, this may have been because he was allegedly working alongside the security firm Wackenut to produce arms plus biochemical devices indirectly for the government, yet there is no backing or physical evidence to this claim.
How Did Dr. John Philip Nichols Die?
Under Dr. John’s leadership, the Cabazons did manage to establish not just health insurance plans but also opportunities in both education and employment, yet it wasn’t enough. It turns out he ultimately grew so drunk on his power that he conspired to have two locals killed since he believed they were dealing in drugs, but they were fortunately never carried out. He thus pleaded guilty to the same in 1985, resulting in him serving two years behind bars – he has also been accused of having ordered Fred Alverez’s murder, but he has never been charged for it. In the end, this 76-year-old sadly died of a heart attack at an Indio hospital on March 17, 2001.
Read More: Where is Phillip Arthur Thompson aka “Jason” Now?
