A major controversy in the mid-1920s that split the psychical research community for a generation. The Margery controversy centered on medium Mina Crandon. Crandon had emerged as a medium in 1923. Within a short time, she began to go into trances in which a spirit control named “Walter” spoke through her. A short time later, she began to manifest direct voice communication and automatic writing.
A group from Harvard conducted an initial investigation of Crandon with inconclusive results. She then allowed a number of psychical researchers on both sides of the Atlantic to study her. To allow her some personal privacy, she adopted the name “Margery,” which was used in all published reports. Researchers assessed her talents favorably.