John Frum

John Frum is the name of the messiah of a cargo cult in Vanuatu in the South Pacific. Some say he was a native of the island of Tanna; others say he was an American. Either way he considered the Jesus Christ of their religion.

I discovered a rare 78 RPM recording of John Frum being interviewed by a Frank Cristillo. I believe from some of the other content on the on the record that it was recorded about 1946 or 1947. The interview provides some evidence to the theory that John Frum was an American from the Midwest. This is my transcription of the interview.

John Frum: Hi, I’m John Frum.
Frank Cristillo: Oh, ok, where you from John?

JF: My name’s John Frum
FC: Yeah? From where?

JF: No, I’m John Frum
FC: From where?

JF: Frum right here.
FC: No, I mean what’s your name?

JF: I am John Frum.
FC: Yeah, but where are you from?
JF: From Bismarck, North Dakota to the Bismarck Archipelago.

For more information on John Frum see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frum

Information on Frank Cristillo can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Costello