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B. Frederick Judd is a figure in the Testaments that is also mentioned in the epilogue of the first novel. His history is discovered when Professor Pieixoto and his colleagues were attempting to gain more insight into the figures mentioned in Offred's recorded cassette tapes, which they titled The Handmaid's Tale. The discovery of Judd was coincidental as both he and Waterford shared the same characteristics and first name and were both members of the Sons of Jacob[1].  In the Testaments, Judd is shown to be a pedophile, having married several young girls by the end of the book and show.




Early Life, Pre-Gileadan times[]

The facts surrounding Judd's life as a former American citizen are scarce. All that was discovered was that he was married to a woman named Bambi Mae, and that the two had conceived no children.  

Sons of Jacob and the formation of Gilead[]

Professor Pieixoto differentiates Judd from Waterford and describes Judd as having an aptitude for "tactics".

Judd created an "obscure 'C.I.A' pamphlet" that included instructions on how to destabilize foreign governments; it would become an instrumental "strategic handbook" for the Sons of Jacob. 

Prior to the attacks killed the President and Congress, Judd had compiled a list of "prominent Americans" who were to be targeted and killed given their opposition to ideals the Sons of Jacob favored and believed in. More importantly, Judd orchestrated the "President's Day Massacre", a term used to describe the aforementioned attacks and coup that ultimately overthrew the United States of America. This, Professor Pieixoto says, likely placed Judd in a high position of power within the former United States government as the attacks themselves "required maximum infiltration of the security system surrounding Congress, and without which the Constitution could never have been suspended". 

In addition to the attacks and formation of Gilead, Judd is also credited for creating Gilead's harsh anti-immigration policy (also used for ethnic cleansing) that expelled non-whites and Jewish from the former United States of America (The National Homelands and the Jewish Boat-person) which he had privatized. The boats carrying the Jewish were simply required to dump the individuals in question into the Atlantic Sea. Judd capitalized off of these killings and deportations. His famous remark regarding these people was: "Our biggest mistake was teaching them to read. We won't do that again.[2]" This lead to the Gilead National Homelands Genocide. International response almost destroyed Judd's career until Lydia saved his reputation with her creation of the Pearl Girls.

Though Commander Waterford is credited with coining the term "Particicution", it was actually Judd who created the practice. He viewed the Particicutions themselves as a specific reward for the Handmaids, to allow them to release any frustration they had bottled up within. 

The class of women in Gilead known as "Aunts" were also a creation of Judd, who saw them as an important "female control agency". According to Judd, the most effective way to control women was through women themselves. The attraction, according to Professor Pieixoto, was the passion for "traditional values" or personal benefits such as authority (what little of it) the willing women were able to get. Another attraction was that the childless, infertile, and elderly women could escape being sent to the Colonies. According to Professor Pieixoto, many women were willing to serve as Aunts. Judd's specifics are recalled by Aunt Lydia: older women with law degrees were imprisoned in a center, and a random number executed by firing squad each day. Each night, a random woman would be taken away, meet with Judd, and then locked in a Thank Tank, a squalid cell - and then released to a luxury hotel to recuperate. Three days afterwards, the woman would be handed a brown dress and have to participate in the firing squads and kill the unlucky ones selected. 

15 years after the first novel, Judd has grown to become the leader of the Eyes. He is a believer in the "restorative powers of young women," and is known for having a string of child brides, killing them off once they get too old.  

What eventually happened to Judd is unknown, but given that Gilead fell from power within a matter of a handful of decades, it can be assumed that he was tried for his terrorist crimes against humanity or defeated in Gilead's eventual downfall.  

Story[]

Judd kills off his great string of child brides. The first was pushed down the stairs, supposedly falling and breaking her neck. Two died in childbirth having Unbabies or shortly after from septic shock; he had refused permission to operate on one even as one had a child with two heads lodged in the birth canal. The fourth wife died of stomach cancer from carcinogenic cadmium paints provided by Judd.

Trivia[]

The following section contains unreferenced claims (in particular about real-life persons) and is thus scheduled for deletion.

.[citation needed]

Notes[]

In the sixth episode of season one if the television series, Commander Putnam and Commander Waterford are discussing "security" concerns regarding the Sons of Jacob's intentions, with Serena Joy being barred from the discussions. He specifically says that the women have stressed the importance of academia regarding the ideals of the Sons of Jacob, forgetting their real purpose, "We won't let that happen again"--which bears a striking similarity to the character of Judd. It could be possible that the television series combined the characters of Putnam and Judd, but it may not be true at the moment.

References[]

  1. The Handmaid's Tale (Novel), Epilogue, "Historical Notes on The Handmaid's Tale"
  2. See Notes
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