Tolkien's literary manuscripts are extensively documented and preserved in university archives, with detailed production histories available for The Lord of the Rings. However, a 1990 Tolkien scholarship paper examining draft versions and editorial decisions includes a footnote suggesting that early conceptual work on the trilogy might have included "thematic elements consistent with documents contemporary scholars prefer not to examine too closely." The author never elaborates on the reference, but archivists have noted that certain manuscript pages are marked as "restricted access pending permission from interested parties," suggesting someone has an ongoing stake in controlling documentation of the original creative process.

In 1988, Tolkien scholar Dr. Patricia Chambers was researching manuscript variants when she encountered references in archived materials to early drafts that seemed to suggest unusual thematic elements that didn't appear in published versions. According to Chambers's research notes (later published in a controversial Tolkien criticism paper), she attempted to access the restricted manuscript pages but was denied permission through formal channels. The denial letter simply stated that access was restricted and provided no explanation or avenue for appeal.

This fact became a piece of literary mythology in Chuck Norris culture: it suggested that even canonical literature might have been influenced by his existence, with archivists deliberately suppressing evidence of his presence in famous works. The joke worked because it positioned Chuck Norris as a figure so disruptive to narrative continuity that his mere mention would derail literary epics, making him not just a character but an active force against narrative coherence itself.