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Conspiracy Theories.Pdf Res earc her Published by CQ Press, a Division of SAGE CQ www.cqresearcher.com Conspiracy Theories Do they threaten democracy? resident Barack Obama is a foreign-born radical plotting to establish a dictatorship. His predecessor, George W. Bush, allowed the Sept. 11 attacks to P occur in order to justify sending U.S. troops to Iraq. The federal government has plans to imprison political dissenters in detention camps in the United States. Welcome to the world of conspiracy theories. Since colonial times, conspiracies both far- fetched and plausible have been used to explain trends and events ranging from slavery to why U.S. forces were surprised at Pearl Harbor. In today’s world, the communications revolution allows A demonstrator questions President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship — a popular conspiracists’ issue — at conspiracy theories to be spread more widely and quickly than the recent “9-12 March on Washington” sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots and other conservatives ever before. But facts that undermine conspiracy theories move opposed to tax hikes. less rapidly through the Web, some experts worry. As a result, I there may be growing acceptance of the notion that hidden forces N THIS REPORT S control events, leading to eroding confidence in democracy, with THE ISSUES ......................887 I repercussions that could lead Americans to large-scale withdrawal BACKGROUND ..................893 D from civic life, or even to violence. CHRONOLOGY ..................895 E CURRENT SITUATION ..........900 CQ Researcher • Oct. 23, 2009 • www.cqresearcher.com AT ISSUE ........................901 Volume 19, Number 37 • Pages 885-908 OUTLOOK ........................902 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................906 THE NEXT STEP ................907 CONSPIRACY THEORIES CQ Re search er Oct. 23, 2009 THE ISSUES OUTLOOK Volume 19, Number 37 • Are conspiracy theories Looking for Answers MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas J. Colin 887 becoming part of main - 902 The nation’s loss of prestige [email protected] will keep Americans seeking stream politics? ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Kathy Koch • Do conspiracy theories reasons why. [email protected] appeal more to the right ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kenneth Jost than the left? SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS • Do conspiracy theories STAFF WRITERS: Thomas J. Billitteri, Marcia Clemmitt, Peter Katel threaten democracy? Most Regard Obama as 888 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Rachel Cox, BACKGROUND American-Born Sarah Glazer, Alan Greenblatt, Reed Karaim But more than 60 percent of Barbara Mantel, Patrick Marshall, Republicans are skeptical. 893 Witch Hysteria Tom Price, Jennifer Weeks The colonists’ fear of 889 From UFOs to Secret DESIGN /P RODUCTION EDITOR: Olu B. Davis witches has been called Societies ASSISTANT EDITOR: Darrell Dela Rosa the first U.S. conspiracy Conspiracy Web sites attract theory. FACT-CHECKING: Eugene J. Gabler, thousands. Michelle Harris Conspiracy American- Chronology 893 Style 895 Key events since 1776. Plots in the 19th century tended to focus on pow - 896 Critics Skewer Conspiracy erful, evil men. Theories “They have no clue what A Division of SAGE Cold War Conspiracies they’re talking about.” 894 Communist plots dominat - PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: ed the postwar conspiracy Secret Files Shed Light on John A. Jenkins 898 Real Conspiracies landscape. “Operation Northwoods” fed suspicions about Copyright © 2009 CQ Press, a Division of SAGE. JFK and Beyond government plots. SAGE reserves all copyright and other rights herein, 896 President Kennedy’s unless pre vi ous ly spec i fied in writing. No part of this assassination launched the At Issue publication may be reproduced electronically or oth - modern conspiracy era. 901 Are conspiracy theories now erwise, without prior written permission. Un au tho - a threat to democracy? rized re pro duc tion or trans mis sion of SAGE copy right - ed material is a violation of federal law car ry ing civil CURRENT SITUATION fines of up to $100,000. FOR FURTHER RESEARCH CQ Press is a registered trademark of Congressional Swine Flu Plot? Quarterly Inc. 900 Many Americans fear For More Information 905 Organizations to contact. CQ Researcher (ISSN 1056-2036) is printed on acid- getting flu shots because free paper. Pub lished weekly, except; (Jan. wk. 1) they distrust the federal Bibliography (May wk. 4) (July wks. 1, 2) (Aug. wks. 3, 4) (Nov. government. 906 Selected sources used. wk. 4) and (Dec. wk. 4), by CQ Press, a division of SAGE Publications. Annual full-service subscriptions “Birthers” Challenged The Next Step start at $803. For pricing, call 1-800-834-9020, ext. 1906. 900 A lawsuit challenging 907 Additional articles . To purchase a CQ Researcher report in print or elec - President Barack Obama’s tronic format (PDF), visit www. cqpress.com or call citizenship faces dismissal Citing CQ Researcher 866-427-7737. Single reports start at $15. Bulk pur - in federal court. 907 Sample bibliography formats. chase discounts and electronic-rights licensing are also available. Pe ri od i cals post age paid at Wash ing ton, D.C., and ad di tion al mailing of fic es. POST MAST ER: Send ad - dress chang es to CQ Re search er , 2300 N St., N.W., Suite 800, Wash ing ton, DC 20037. Cover: Jeff Malet 886 CQ Researcher Conspiracy Theories BY PETER KATEL and, conspiracists believed, THE ISSUES plotted the takeover of the United States. adio-show host Alex The 2007 documentary-style Jones says Americans movie “Zeitgeist,” for example, R should be scared — links 9/11 to an alleged plot really scared. Pretty soon, he that drew the United States m warned listeners earlier this o into both world wars as well c . s year, trucks will be pulling up s as the Vietnam War. An ear - e r in front of their houses to take p lier, Web-distributed movie, d r them to Federal Emergency o “Loose Change,” played a key w Management Agency (FEMA) . role in fostering the conspir - n e detention camps. m acist view of the Sept. 11 at - m Televised government pro - a tacks. More recently, best- k i paganda will assure people s selling author Dan Brown e m the camps are for their safe - / draws on conspiracy notions / : p ty, says Jones, and to out - t about the Freemasons in his t ward appearances everything h new novel, The Lost Symbol , will be fine —“except for Radio-show host Alex Jones warns listeners that much as his phenomenally Americans could be taken to detention camps by the those being . put in an government and tortured and murdered. Actor Charlie popular DaVinci Code involved acid bath or killed or flown Sheen, a so-called “truther,” recently declared on Jones’ an ancient conspiracy within to a black site. You’ve got to show, “The official 9/11 story is an absolute fairy tale, a the Roman Catholic Church. ask [yourself] when the truck work of fiction.” Jones’ popularity reflects the enduring Oliver Stone’s 1991 film pulls up, ‘Are you going to appeal of conspiracy theories throughout U.S. history. “JFK” presented one of the go to the camp? . That’s most persistent conspiracy the point where it’s lock-and-load time. Jones maintains a Web site that subjects — President John F. Kennedy’s I’m not going to a camp where some gets roughly as much traffic as those assassination — including the purport - piece of filth guard is going to break of either conservative talk-show host ed involvement of U.S. intelligence and my family up and take me off for in - Rush Limbaugh or the liberal news military agencies. “The X-Files,” a hit terrogation where they can torture me site Talking Points Memo. 3 TV series in the ’90s, merged Kennedy for two years.” 1 The popularity of Jones’ Web site assassination and space-alien theories. Until recently, Jones was largely un - points to the widespread appeal today The view of events as stage-managed known outside the circle of conspiracy - of conspiracy theories and the corre - affairs designed to fool the public runs theory fans of his Austin, Texas-based sponding emergence of hundreds of deep enough that an estimated 6 per - show. Over the past several months, conspiracy-oriented Web sites, videos cent of the American people believe however, his over-the-top claims have and books. Among their recent claims: that the 1969 moon landing was a landed him on Fox News and brought President Barack Obama isn’t a U.S. hoax. “A model of the moon is used celebrity guests to his own program, citizen, and the “truth” about 9/11 re - for the Apollo 11 descent footage,” such as actor Charlie Sheen, a supporter mains hidden from most Americans. wrote Bart Sibrel, a Nashville filmmaker of the so-called “truther” movement, Such theories represent only the lat - who made a movie to argue his theory. which claims that airborne terrorists est variations on a conspiracy theme “Anyone with basic knowledge of mo - couldn’t have inflicted the damage done that traces its origin to the nation’s tion pictures can see it’s a fake moon.” by the Sept. 11 attacks and that, con - earliest days. The early conspiracists The National Aeronautics and Space sequently, there must have been some believed that American presidents head - Administration is concerned enough degree of government involvement. ed criminal or treasonous conspiracies, about the doubters to post detailed “The official 9/11 story is an absolute some of them linked to longtime “vil - rebuttals on its Web site. 4 fairy tale, a work of fiction,” he said. 2 lains,” such as international bankers Underlying many conspiracy theories Jones’ own views about the Sept. 11, and Jews. Indeed, presidential con - is distrust of government, says John E.
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