The last time he fired…

by lapostina

In 1960 Hemingway left the island of Cuba and returned to Ketchum, Idaho, USA. Suffering from serious physical illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, he was placed for “treatment” at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (USA). Constantly feeling followed, he fell into a deep state of depression. It seemed to Hemingway as if everywhere, he was followed by FBI agents, bugged, had his phone calls listened to, mail read and his bank account constantly monitored. He could take passersby for FBI agents. Psychiatric methods such as Electroconvulsive Therapy were tried on him. After undergoing 13 sessions of Electroconvulsive therapy, Hemingway lost his memory and was unable to continue to write.

While at the Mayo Clinic, Hemingway called his friend using a phone located in the clinics corridor to tell him of the clinic being bugged.Similar treatments were tried on him later. Hemingway was unable to work, depressed, suffered from paranoia and often talked about suicide. There were suicide attempts he was stopped from, for example the unexpected jerk he made towards the plane’s propeller.

On the 2nd of July, 1961, just days after being discharged from the psychiatric Mayo Clinic, without leaving a death note, Hemingway committed suicide in his Ketchum home by shooting himself from his favourite rifle.

50 years after Hemingway’s death, based on the Freedom of information bill,  an inquiry was made to the FBI  regarding the writer. The answer was: he was followed, bugged and wiretapped. Even the psychiatric clinic Hemingway called from to his friend was wiretapped.