This is an amazing documentary about Wolf Messing. Unfortunately (for those who don't speak it) it's in Russian.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3803689031990252481
Born to a Jewish family, Messing fled from Germany to the USSR before World War II. His abilities came to the attention of Joseph Stalin.
Stalin became interested in the case of Wolf Messing, and was
determined to check the authenticity of his supposed abilities. In one
experiment, Messing walked into a bank, presented the teller with a
“note”, and requested 100,000 rubles.
The “note” was actually a blank piece of paper. The cashier handed over
the money, and Messing packed the banknotes into his briefcase and left
the bank. Messing then re-entered the bank with two observers who had
witnessed the transaction, and handed back the money. The cashier
collapsed with a heart attack when he realized what he had done.
A second test set by Stalin was to enter his house — surrounded by
armed guards — without a pass. Later, as Stalin was working in his
office, Messing walked in. Messing explained that he had broadcasted a
mental suggestion that he was the feared head of the secret police Lavrenti Beria, and that the guards had seen Beria, not Messing.