BuzzFlash Reviews

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS

"The one hundred conspiracy theories of all time-from Harold Wilson as a Soviet agent to Princess Diana's death, from the attacks on 9/11 in the U.S. and on 7/7 in London. This volume presents research and plausible cover-up theories for the reader to judge."

From the publisher:

"Everything 'they' don't want you to know -- and were afraid you might ask. Who really assassinated JFK? Was Princess Diana murdered by MI5 despite the denials? Do the Illuminati covertly rule the world? Historian Jon E. Lewis explores the 100 most far-reaching cover-ups of all time, from the invention of Jesus's divinity to President Bush and Prime Minister Blair's real agenda for invading Iraq. Each case is clearly and closely documented, and Lewis assigns each cover-up a plausibility rating. Uncover why the Titanic sank; ponder the sinister Vatican/ Mafia network that plotted the assassination of liberal John Paul I; find out why NASA 'lost' its files on Mars; read why no-one enters Area 51; and consider why medical supplies were already on site at Edgware Road before the 7/7 bombs detonated. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to find that something smells fishy in these eye-opening accounts -- just someone who doesn't believe everything he's told."

From BuzzFlash: The "top 100" conspiracy possiblities are arranged in this alphabetically organized book by Jon E. Lewis, who does a great job of getting to the essence of the pro- and con- side of each conspiracy theory. He has set up an "alert scale" that goes from not believable at 0 (the "Holocaust was a fake" and "Elvis lives") to a whopping 9 that British WMD whistle-blower David Kelly was murdered -- and a 7 that TWA Flight 800 was shot down by friendly fire.

As for 9/11 and the Kennedy Assassination, we'll let you read Lewis's synopsis of the conspiracy theories and his "alert ratings."

Obviously, you will agree with some of Lewis's ratings, and adamantly disagree with others, but for a good overview of some of the most notable conspiracy theories this book hits the spot.

Lewis tends to side on the possibility of conspiracies when there is enough evidence or conflicting accounts. He states his opinion, but then leaves a skosh more room for the possibility of a conspiracy in his rating. In short, absence evidence to the contrary, he allows for the possibility of the specific conspiracy to be true, but lets common sense adjust the ratings downward if so necessitated. Remember, he is just rating for the possibility of a conspiracy, not that he is certain one has occurred, particularly at the lower numbers.

It should be noted that Lewis gives the Iran-Contra conspiracy a rare rating of 10, the top of the scale.

Lewis notes that "the task, surely, is to disentangle the mad and bad conspiracies from those that illuminate the darkened, secret corners of power."

We found the book full of fascinating information. And with 100 conspiracy theories to cover, you can look at each one at your leisure.

(Hint: As for the Kennedy Assasination, there are several different conspiracy theories that are individually discussed and rated.)

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS