The year was 1969, and Esquire magazine allegedly had a grand plan to photograph distinguished men and women in the nude.

According to an article in the February 1970 edition of The Los Angeles Advocate, the magazine was planning to shoot a series of n^ked portraits but abandoned the idea due to legal concerns.

However, there is no record of Esquire’s plans, except for the article in The Los Angeles Advocate.

When asked about the story, Gerald Clarke, Truman Capote’s biographer, said he had no knowledge of it.

Upon checking Capote’s correspondence at the New York Public Library, there was no record of him being asked to pose n^de by Esquire.

The same was true for the other “worthies” who were reportedly involved.

None of the available papers or biographies referred to Esquire’s plans.

Ned Rorem, a musician who was quoted in The Los Angeles Advocate article about the photo shoot, said he had no memory of it.

However, he vehemently criticized Esquire in the article, saying, “I’m against anything that exploits people, and this smacks of exploitation.”

Despite Rorem’s on-the-record confirmation, it is difficult to prove the story’s validity as it has been almost 50 years since the alleged event.

The story could be a prank or a flight of fancy, without any basis in reality.

Author Elon Green, who researched the story, wrote to George Lois, who designed only covers for Esquire at the time, about the transgressive plans.

Lois replied, “I can’t believe Harold Hayes would be part of a ridiculous suggestion.”

“It sounds like Ned Rorem was fantasizing.”

However, Lois did note that he had photographed Jack Nicholson nude, wearing a sailor hat by his poolside.

It is not clear why Esquire would have wanted to photograph distinguished men and women in the nude, or who the other participants might have been.

The only individual named in The Los Angeles Advocate article was Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian philosopher.

Green said he would like to think that someone would remember such a scandalous event, but it is difficult to prove a negative after 50 years, especially when so many of the individuals involved are now deceased.

The story of the phantom photo shoot remains a mystery, and it is unknown if the plans were ever truly in motion or if it was just a rumor.

However, the story lives on as a tantalizing piece of Esquire’s history.