Book Challenges the Official Conspiracy Theory of 9/11

by Ronda Hauben

It is “the biggest unsolved murder case in history,” writes Mathias Broeckers (http://www.broeckers.com) describing the atrocities in the U.S. on September 11, 2001 in his book, “Conspiracies, Conspiracy Theories and the Secrets of 9/11.” The book, originally published in German in September 2002, sold 100,000 copies. This English version which has recently been published by Progress Press now makes the book available to an English speaking audience.

Broeckers is a freelance journalist who writes for a number of newspapers in Germany. Yet when he began writing articles about the events of 9/11, only one publication, the online news magazine Telepolis, ( http://www.heise.de/tp) was willing to publish his articles. Also readers of Telepolis had wide ranging discussions in response to the articles.
In the mainstream German and U.S. media, however, Broeckers describes how many articles and journalists blindly accepted the official explanation and helped to disseminate it to the public without raising any of the serious questions that the public would want answered.

Broeckers begins the book by advocating that readers be open minded about what are conspiracies and what are cover-ups. Those challenging the official account of who planned September 11, 2001, are often dismissed as “conspiracy theorists”. Broeckers proposes, to the contrary, that it is the official explanation that identified Osama Bin Laden as the mastermind behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, that is the actual conspiracy theory.

The many questions that the book raises about the official explanation of 9/11 include: Why did no official agency or government official have any warning that 9/11 was to happen, yet immediately afterward it was said with certainty that Bin Laden was to blame? Why was no credible evidence presented about Bin Laden’s part in planning and carrying out 9/11? Why were 7 of the 19 supposed hijackers shown to have the identities of people who were still alive, and yet there was no effort to track down who the actual 7 were? Why did the air force squadrons remain on the ground on September 11 and allow an aircraft to “steer straight onto the Pentagon without a qualm?” Who had a motive to benefit from the catastrophe of 9-11?
Writing in 2002, Broeckers observed, “Even eight months after the atrocity, no evidence that would hold up in a court of law has emerged to corroborate Bin Laden’s guilt.” The question who is actually responsible, Broeckers proposes, is an important question that has been raised by independent thinkers who want to uncover the actual conspiracy that resulted in 9/11.
The book is divided into three parts. The first section is an introduction challenging the official government explanation of who is responsible for 9/11. The second section is a set of articles, published in Telepolis, in the six month period following the tragedy and commenting on the various explanations given of the cause of 9/11. The third section discusses the failure of the mainstream news media to investigate the events of 9/11.
The book describes the important role the Internet played for researchers challenging the official 9/11 story. Not only did the Internet make it possible for researchers to do their investigations, it also made it possible for those doing similar research to share their findings with each other.
“Conspiracties, Conspiracy theories and the Secrets of 9/11” sheds light on an important event and raises thought-provoking questions that encourages readers to think through the different explanations in order to make up their own minds.
"Conspiracies, Conspiracy theories, and the Secrets of 9/11"
Mathias Broeckers
Progress Press
June 2006
286 pages
$14.95