Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the legendary island fortress off the coast of San Francisco, was considered America‘s most secure prison. With its brutal reputation, strict regimen, and location surrounded by treacherous currents, it was long seen as inescapable. According to the FBI, during its 29 years of operation from 1934-1963, no inmate ever successfully fled the island and survived.[^1]
And yet, nearly 60 years ago in June 1962, three hardened criminals vanished from their cells, never to be seen again. Their ingenious escape plot and unknown fates have become one of the most enduring mysteries in American criminal history.
Alcatraz: Uncle Sam‘s "Devil‘s Island"
To understand the significance of the 1962 escape, one must understand the fearsome reputation of Alcatraz. Originally a military prison dating back to the Civil War, the island became a federal penitentiary in 1934. It was designed to house the "worst of the worst" – the most notorious, troublesome inmates from other prisons.[^2]
Alcatraz‘s security was unparalleled. It was outfitted with strategically positioned guard towers, reinforced steel bars, and strict rules governing every aspect of prison life. Inmates were counted as often as 13 times a day.[^3] Escape seemed impossible with the prison surrounded by the frigid, turbulent waters of San Francisco Bay. As the Alcatraz warden famously put it: "We have the cream of the toughest criminals in America…if they escape, they have only one place to go – Alcatraz."[^4]
Yet in its 29-year history, there were 14 separate escape attempts involving 36 inmates. While most were quickly foiled or ended in death, the 1962 attempt would prove historic for its audacity and mystery.
The Conspirators: Morris and the Anglin Brothers
The mastermind of the 1962 plot was Frank Lee Morris, inmate AZ1441. A seasoned criminal, he had a record of escapes from other prisons using his exceptional intelligence (he allegedly had an IQ of 133).[^5] Described as "a loner with a quick wit," Morris was serving a 14-year sentence for bank robbery when he arrived at Alcatraz in 1960.[^6]
His accomplices were brothers John and Clarence Anglin, inmates AZ1476 and AZ1485, respectively. The brothers had a long rap sheet, with arrests for robbery and other violent crimes. They were sent to Alcatraz after a failed escape attempt at another federal prison.[^7] Both brothers were skilled swimmers and grew up near water in Florida.
The Plan: Dummy Heads and a Raincoat Raft
Morris began plotting his escape soon after arriving on the Rock. For months, he studied the prison‘s security routines and layout, probing for weaknesses. The weak point, he determined, lay in the aging ventilation system.
Using tools like saw blades and spoons stolen from the prison workshops and dining hall, Morris and the Anglins began secretly widening the ventilation ducts in their cells, concealing the holes with cardboard and paint.[^8] To mask the noise, Morris played his accordion during music hour.
Behind the vents was an unguarded utility corridor. The men used this to access the ceiling above their cell block, where they set up a secret workshop. There, they spent months constructing an ingenious array of escape materials, including:
- Dummy heads to place in their beds, featuring real human hair from the prison barbershop[^9]
- Makeshift life vests and a 6×14 foot rubber raft, stitched together from over 50 stolen raincoats[^10]
- Wooden paddles, crafted from scrap wood
The Escape: "My Lads, We‘re Leaving Here"
On the night of June 11, 1962, their plan was set in motion. The three prisoners placed the dummy heads in their beds and slipped into the ventilation shafts, leaving behind a note reading "We are through with this life – my lads, we‘re leaving here."[^11]
They climbed up to the cellblock roof undetected, slid down a kitchen vent pipe, and snuck to the island‘s northeast shore. There they inflated their raft with a concertina one of them had stolen, according to FBI records, and paddled off into the night.[^12]
Fellow inmate Allen West had also been in on the plan but became trapped behind the grill in his cell‘s vent and was left behind. The next morning, guards discovered the dummy heads and sounded the alarm.
The Manhunt: Raft Remnants and Red Herrings
What followed was one of the most intensive manhunts in FBI history. In the days after the escape, tantalizing clues washed ashore:
- Fragments of the men‘s raincoat raft and paddles[^13]
- A waterproof pouch containing names and addresses, likely the prisoners‘ contacts[^14]
- A deflated life vest, found washed up on rocks near the Golden Gate Bridge[^15]
Search parties combed nearby Angel Island, where the men had planned to land, but found no trace of the escapees. Several people reported seeing men in prison garb on the island, but these sightings went unconfirmed.[^16]
The FBI ultimately concluded that Morris and the Anglin brothers most likely drowned in the bay‘s rough currents, their bodies swept out to sea. "The FBI agents working on the case locally all believed the men drowned," said one former agent.[^17] With no hard evidence that they survived, the Bureau officially closed the case in 1979.
From Military Prison to National Park
The 1962 escape had far-reaching consequences for Alcatraz. Together with mounting operational costs, the brazen breakout eroded confidence in the prison‘s security. In March 1963, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered the penitentiary closed, ending its reign as America‘s toughest prison.[^18]
In 1972, Alcatraz was absorbed into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Today, the island is a popular tourist attraction managed by the National Park Service, drawing over 1.5 million visitors yearly.[^19] Visitors can tour the cell house, including Morris and the Anglins‘ cells, still bearing the pockmarks from their digging. The men‘s painted dummy heads are also on display.
Did They Survive? Clues and Conspiracy Theories
But even as Alcatraz transitioned from prison to park, the fate of its most famous escapees remained a mystery. In the decades since, numerous clues have emerged suggesting the men might have survived:
- The Anglin family claimed to have received unsigned postcards and messages from the brothers for years after the escape.[^20]
- A 1975 photo resurfaced showing two men resembling John and Clarence in Brazil.[^21]
- Handwriting analysts assert a 2013 letter sent to San Francisco police by a man claiming to be John Anglin was likely authentic.[^22]
The U.S. Marshals, which took over the still-open case from the FBI in 1979, have investigated these theories without conclusive results. In 2012 and again in 2022, they released age-progressed images showing what the men might look like now in their 90s.[^23]
Despite the tantalizing clues, hard evidence of the men‘s survival remains elusive. Most Alcatraz historians and the FBI maintain that the odds were stacked heavily against them. "The official position is, yes, they drowned," says the National Park Service.[^24]
An Enduring American Mystery
Ultimately, only Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin know the truth of what happened that fateful night. Their remarkable escape and unknown fates have secured their place in the pantheon of great American mysteries.
Today, their legacy lives on in movies, documentaries, books and the public imagination. To visit Alcatraz is to step back in time, into a story that continues to captivate and confound us six decades later. The island prison turned national park endures as a monument to America‘s justice system, and to the indomitable human spirit.
[^1]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, "A Byte Out of History: Escape from Alcatraz," June 8, 2007.
[^2], [^4]: "Alcatraz, 1860-1979," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed June 8, 2023.
[^3]: "Alcatraz Escape," FBI Records: The Vault, accessed June 8, 2023, https://vault.fbi.gov/alcatraz-escape
[^5],[^6],[^7]: Ocean View Publishing, "Biography of Frank Lee Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin," 2008. [^10]: "The Great Escape from Alcatraz," Smithsonian Magazine, June 2012.
[^11]: Cord Jefferson, "The Men Who Escaped From Alcatraz In 1962 May Still Be Alive," Mental Floss, October 9, 2015.
[^13],[^14],[^15],[^16]: Smithsonian Magazine, "The Great Escape from Alcatraz."
[^17]: "50 Years Ago, 3 Men Vanished from Alcatraz," CBS News, June 12, 2012.
[^18]: "Alcatraz Closed," Federal Bureau of Prisons, March 21, 1963.
[^19]: "Alcatraz Island," Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service.
[^20],[^21]: Smithsonian Magazine, "The Great Escape from Alcatraz."
[^22]: "Alcatraz Escapees May Still Be Alive," CBSNews, October 13, 2015.
[^23]: Daniel Arkin, "US Marshals release age-progressed photos of escaped Alcatraz inmates," NBC News, October 3, 2022.
[^24]: "Escape from Alcatraz," Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service, accessed June 8, 2023, https://www.nps.gov/alca/learn/historyculture/escapes.htm
