9/11 Truth Campaign Report Part 3

9/11 Truth Campaign (Britain & Ireland)

A Report Originally Compiled

 For the 

Rt. Hon. Michael Meacher, MP

and any other

Interested Readers

October 28th 2006

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

Part 5

Full  PDF Version Here

5.1       Talks, Presentations and Events. 15

5.2       Media Appearances/Mentions. 17

6       Campaign Initiatives. 18

6.1       Mailings. 18

6.2       Conferences. 19

6.3       Leaflets and Materials. 19

6.4       Other Items. 20

6.5       DVD Copying and Distribution.. 22

6.6       E-mail / Web Campaigns. 22

6.7       Other Organisations Contacted.. 22

6.8       UK Green Party.. 23

6.9       Music.. 23

6.10     An example of a Media “Hit Piece” and a Reply

5         Key Public Events

This list is by no means complete or comprehensive, but it serves to illustrate (quite well) the growth of the campaign.

5.1          Talks, Presentations and Events

Date

Place

Description

27.06.2005

London

Jimmy Walter 9/11 Truth Roadshow – Jimmy Walter showed video material and presented Eric Hufschmid, Chris Bollyn, Thierry Meyssan and other speakers. (Introduced by Ian Henshall)

03.06.2005

Manchester

Jimmy Walter 9/11 Truth Roadshow – Jimmy Walter showed video material and presentations were made by Eric Hufschmid, Chris Bollyn, Thierry Meyssan and other speakers.

10.09.2005

OXFORD

9/11 TRUTH WEEK – various events throughout the week.

11.09.2005

Bristol

An evening of CONSPIRACY FACTS NOT THEORIES. An enquiry and analysis into the official 911 story. This event will show well-documented visual evidence with an opportunity for Q&A open debate, plus a chance to win £1000 CASH in the HUNT THE BOEING competition (see flyer for details).

04.10.2005

London

Film Night including In Plane Site at the Foundry

01.12.2005

Glastonbury

David Shayler and Annie Machon at the Assembly Rooms centre of town.

10.12.2005

Derby

David Shayler and Annie Machon addressed a crowd of about 100 people with a showing of Loose Change

14.12.2005

Leeds

David Shayler spoke about 9/11 and 7/7 following a showing of a film called “Prisoners of the West”

23.01.2006

Oxford

Oxford Union Society: "Was 911 a Conspiracy" – David Shayler and Annie Machon and Ian Henshall spoke in the debate

19.02.2006

London

Why the Official Story about 9/11 and the ‘War on Terror’ is a Lie – How Muslims Should Respond to the New Imperialism. Talk by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed

26.02.2006

London (Curzon Cinema Soho)

A band LIARS presented Loose Change 2.

09.03.2006

London

9/11 and 7/7 – Talk By Ian Crane

12.03.2006

Totnes

Screening of Loose Change 2 at Totnes Civic Hall

16.03.2006

University of London Union

Liars Gig – Talk by Annie Machon

18.03.2006

London

Stop the War March – Parliament Square – Trafalgar Square

27.03.2006

London

Institute of Civil Engineers Conference Delegates presented with copies of  Prof Steve Jones Why did the Twin Towers Collapse? paper, and his talk on DVD. Followed up by post.

30.03.2006

Oxford Brookes University

Loose Change 2, and a talk by David Shayler and Annie Machon.

31.03.2006

Manchester

Protest against Condoleeza Rice’s visit to UK.

04.04.2006

London

Protest against BBC non-coverage of anti-war demo – BBC broadcasting house

06.04.2006

Totnes

“Face the Facts” 9/11 and 7/7 Film

11.04.2006

Kendall

9/11 Truth Campaigners asked questions at Milan Rai’s Book Promotion

16.04.2006

Dorchester

Ian Crane talked about 9/11 at Dorchester Conference

18.04.2006

London

Loose Change 2, and a talk by David Shayler and Annie Machon – Kings Cross

19.04.2006

London

David Shayler, Annie Machon and Belinda McKenzie question Malcolm Rifkind re the truth about War on Terror at a panel event about “War on Terror: Winning Hearts and Minds”

19.04.2006

Derby

Loose Change 2 and talk to small group in Derby

24.04.2006

Hebden Bridge

9/11 Truth Campaigners asked questions at Milan Rai’s Book Promotion

29.04.2006

London

Fashion Show by Brian and Chi Coleman on a theme of Peace/9/11 Truth.

29.04.2006

London

New Civilisation Meeting At Friends House – Talk given by Noel Glynn on 9/11 and Phil Dunn on 7/7

01.05.2006

London

Showing of “Short Changed” – 30 minute edit of Loose Change 2 – David Shayler

06.05.2006

Bristol

9/11 Truth event supported by Annie Machon & David Shayler

09.05.2006

Southport

“Not The Whole Truth 9/11 – And Unanswered Questions – Daniel Garner M.A.”

12.05.2006

Leeds

Loose Change 2 shown at “Raise the Roof” Festival

15.05.2006

London

9/11 Truth Campaigners attend gathering at time of Hugo Chavez visit.

18.05.2006

London

Rick Siegel presented his film 9/11 Eyewitness

21.05.2006

Ulverston

9/11 Truth Materials distributed at Peace Festival

25.05.2006

Birmingham

Loose Change 2 shown at Cafe One, in Five Ways.

27.05.2006

28.05.2006

Totnes

“Reclaiming Our Future” Ian Crane hosted 2 days of 9/11 and 7/7 Related Workshops

14.06.2006

London

9/11 Truth Materials distributed at STW Annual Conference

25.06.2006

Totnes

“Exposing The Lies And Reclaiming Our Democracy” David Shayler, Annie Machon and Ian Crane presented.

02.07.2006

Sheffield

Various Political Films including “9/11 Revisited” shown as part of Sheffield Indymedia’s Summer of Truth

06.07.2006

London

9/11 Truth Materials distributed at Islam Expo

06.07.2006

London

9/11 Truth Materials distributed at “Peace Not War” gig

06.07.2006

Totnes

Mind the Gap – Adrian Connock and David Shayler’s film premieres.

07.07.2006

Nottingham

Attempt to Raise 9/11 Truth Issues at a meeting called Defining Terrorism in Nottingham. (See separate report in section 6.2.2)

08.07.2006

Oxford

Talk on lead up to 9/11 by Calum Douglas

12.07.2006

London

9/11 Truth questions asked at an event called “Before & After 7/7: Interrogating British ‘Security’ Policies” by campaigners

29.07.2006

Leeds

9/11 Truth Materials distributed at Coalition Against The War Demonstration

02.08.2006

Somerset

Big Green Gathering – 9/11 Truth Marquis distributed over 1000 DVD’s (over several days)

05.08.2006

London

9/11 Truth Materials distributed at Save Lebanon March

16.08.2006

London

Campaigners asked Questions at a meeting “7/7: The Inside Story of the London Bombings”

05.09.2006

Lewes

“9/11 The Truth?” – Presentation by Ian Crane

09.09.2006

London

David Ray Griffin “Should 9/11 Truth be Concealed or Revealed”? Attendance – 600 people

10.09.2006

London – Brixton Mass

Day of Workshops and Gig in the evening. Approx attendance 50-100 people

11.09.2006

London

Protest outside US Embassy and BBC (White City) re concealment of 9/11 Truth

20.09.2006

Leeds

“Unspinning the Truth” – Film Showing and Talk by David Shayler and Annie Machon

29.09.2006

Bristol Area

3 day “Truthfest” featuring several 9/11 talks, discussion groups and film showings.

17.10.2006

Leeds

“Unspinning the Truth” – Film Showing and Talk by David Shayler and Annie Machon

19.10.2006

Skipton in Craven

“Unspinning the Truth” – Film Showing and Talk by David Shayler and Annie Machon

20.10.2006

Oxford

Talk on 9/11 Research by Calum Douglas

 

The London group now holds regular (currently fortnightly) meetings and monthly public events.


 

5.2          Media Appearances/Mentions

 

Date

Station

Description

22.09.05

BBC 1

David Boyle raised questions about 9/11 Truth on BBC Question Time and Panellists were presented with DVD’s. (Video available on YouTube )

22.02.06

Radio 5 Live

Scholars for 9/11 Truth mentioned (and more or less dismissed) on Simon Mayo’s Programme segment about Conspiracies

08.08.06

Islam Channel

David Shayler talked about his court case and 9/11

17.08.06

Radio Derby

Brief slot with Andrew Johnson talking about Fake Terror plot and issues related to the Guardian Article by Duncan Gardham

31.08.06

TalkSport

Alex Jones and David Shayler on James Whale Show

10.09.06

BBC One

Heaven and Earth Show – Ed Sturton interviewed Prof David Ray Griffin re Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11. Follow up with Gloria Hunniford, David Shayler and Peter Hitchens.

11.09.06

Islam Channel

Annie Machon, Justin Walker, Calum Douglas spoke with Yvonne Ridley

11.09.06

TalkSport

Approx 2-hour appearance with Prof David Ray Griffin and Tim Sparke on James Whale Show

13.10.06

BBC Radio Oxford

Calum Douglas on BBC Radio Oxford

6         Campaign Initiatives

6.1          Mailings

6.1.1   MPs Mailing – Mid 2005

In approximately mid 2005, James Stewart mailed a letter and DVD to all UK MPs.

6.1.2   National Press Mailings – July 2005

James Stewart mailed a letter and DVD to 660 UK National Journalists. It is understood that members of the National Union of Jouranlists have been sent information separately by other campaigners.

6.1.3   NUS Mailings – Dec 2005

James Stewart mailed a letter and DVD to all UK Student Unions.

6.1.4   January 2006 – Police Force Mailing

Following the formation of the ST911 group, Andrew Johnson mailed all 52 UK Police Chief Constables with a DVD of either Loose Change 2 or Confronting the Evidence and a letter outlining the evidence of the 9/11 and 7/7 Cover-ups. More information can be found in Appendix A.

6.1.5   April 2006

A Totnes Philanthropist financed the sending of a 5-page leaflet to the following people:

 


·        The Queen, Prince Charles

·        All MPs

·        All Members of the Upper House (previously known as The House of Lords)

·        All UK based Ambassadors of foreign nations

·        Leading members of the Clergy

·        The Media

·        Heads of State; European, Middle Eastern, Commonwealth Countries

·        UN


 

See here www.911truthtotnes.c… for a copy of the leaflet.

6.1.6   October 2006 – Police Force Mailing

Following the introduction of additional measures and laws that effectively limit certain civil liberties, and the release of a new film (called Ludicrous Diversion) about flaws in the official account of the 7/7 Bombings, another Police Mailing was undertaken. This time addressed to Press and PR Officers, rather than Police Chief constables and a letter was included containing updated information about the state of the 9/11 Truth Campaign. (To date, no responses have been received).

6.2          Conferences

6.2.1   Institute of Civil Engineers Conference March 27th Conference 2006

This conference was due to focus on one or more of the NIST reports about the fires at the WTC. Therefore, an attempt was made by Ian Neal and Annie Machon to distribute copies of Prof Jones’ Paper Why Indeed Did the WTC Towers Collapse? Unfortunately, organisational difficulties meant only a few copies were delivered by hand, although an additional number were distributed by post by Ian Neal, and another campaigner, following the event.

 

6.2.2   “Defining Terrorism” Event – Nottingham, 7th July 2006 – Deposition

This was a week of public consultations forums (fora?) chaired by Lord Carlile. One of these was held in the Albert Hall, Nottingham on Friday 7th July (2pm – 4:30pm). The event was “sponsored” by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB – details here: www.mcb.org.uk/featu…  )

 

Andrew Johnson tried to deliver a "deposition" (see Appendix A) to read out. He managed to read out about half a page, before he was interrupted by Lord Carlile and then asked what definition of terrorism he was referring to. Andrew replied "State sponsored terrorism". He was then asked to let someone else speak, with the suggestion that my points would be returned to at the end "if there was time". Though he was very keen to get to end of his list, he reluctantly complied with his request. However, the next person who spoke did so in support of what Andrew had managed to say. Andrew was not given another opportunity (nor was he invited) to finish his original list. It was presumed the meeting was scheduled to run 2-4pm as most other people seemed to have finished making points and Lord Carlile wrapped the meeting up at 4. Andrew did not, therefore, seek another opportunity to “finish the list” at the end of the meeting.  It was later discovered that the scheduled running time was until 4:30.

 

However, Lord Carlile was presented with a pack of information, including an audio CD, 2 DVD’s and copies of our UK 9/11 Truth petition and the Scholars for 9/11 Truth Petition (printed out on about 80 sheets of paper) totalling over 11,000 signatures. Also a copy of an earlier ST911 press release was included.

 

Each panel member was given a DVD. After the event, all panellists were e-mailed with a full list of points (as shown in the appendix).

 

So, here for the record, let it be known that Lord Carlile was publicly presented with evidence of the 9/11 cover up and the list of questions and points, and that he did not allow Andrew Johnson to read to the end of the list of questions and points.

6.3          Leaflets and Materials

A number of campaigners have paid for duplication of thousands of leaflets – notably members of the London Group, Keith Mothersson and members of the Totnes Group. Another campaigner paid £400 for the production of 20,000 glossy A5 leaflets – to be distributed to any interested people – just before the David Ray Griffin event in September 2006.

6.4          Other Items

6.4.1   United 93 Movie – Cinema Mailing/Leafleting Campaign

Paul Greengrass’s Docudrama  United 93 was heavily campaigned against by 9/11 Truth groups (so much so that Universal Pictures had to remove their internet forum for the Movie, as too many people were posting information and facts about things like the demolition of the WTC buildings, which utterly refuted the basis on which this propaganda film was based). Loose Change DVD’s and letters were sent to the managers of all UK Showcase and UCI/Odeon multiplex cinemas to advise them of the unanswered questions surrounding the (apparent) destruction of Flight 93. No responses or replies were received.

 

Some campaigners distributed a few disks and leaflets following local showings of the film.

 

6.4.2   “Meeting” with Archbishop of York

This was initiated by Justin Walker. See separate report in section 7.2.

 

6.4.3   Press Release for David Ray Griffin’s Event on 9th September 2006

This was released through PRWEB about 1 week before and 3 weeks before the event e.g. (www.emediawire.com/r… )


 

Was 9/11 an inside job?

 

The 911 Truth Campaign (Britain & Ireland) will be hosting a presentation by David Ray Griffin, a retired Professor of Theology, which addresses the question “Was 9/11 an inside job?”. Now for the first time in the UK, David Ray Griffin will present his case for the urgent need to re-open the investigation into the events of 11th September 2001.

 

The presentation will be held on 7.30pm – Saturday 9th September 2006, at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. (Nearest station is Holborn – Central and Piccadilly lines – approx 3 min walk. Also within reasonable walking distance are Chancery Lane and Russell Square. See www.conwayhall.org.u… for venue information.) Doors will be opened at 6.45pm. Tickets can be purchased on the door for  £12.50 (Concessions £10.00). Some advance tickets may still be available – the Ticket Hotline number is 0845 108 1736, and Online Booking can be made through www.911truthtotnes.c…, or by e-mailing tickets@911truthtotn…

 

According to what was reported on September 11th 2001, terrorists hijacked aircraft and crashed them into World Trade Centre buildings in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC. A fourth hijacked plane is alleged to have crashed in Pennsylvania, following a struggle between passengers and the hijackers.

 

It seems strange to some people that anyone should question any of the essential elements of this story, which has been repeated many times over – in print and in other News Media, and is now widely recognized as the beginning of the “War on Terror”. This war on terror is now a basis on which many significant elements of foreign policy, and even domestic laws, have been based.

 

Even at the time of the attacks, a small group of people openly questioned the story that the media presented to the public. Few people took this skeptical group seriously, perhaps in part because of the shocking nature of the attacks and the significant loss of life that they caused.

 

In the 5 years since the attacks, however, many issues have been re-examined by a number of people and serious questions have arisen, many of which were raised by 9/11 victims’ families. These questions were not addressed by the 9/11 (Kean) Commission. Despite this, the Commission Report is regarded by many people, including the British Government, to be the most accurate description and explanation of the events immediately before and on 9/11.

 

The Kean Commission Report has some extremely significant omissions – the main one being the lack of a discussion or analysis of the Collapse of World Trade Centre (WTC) Building 7. This building, supposedly damaged by small fires (which burned for about 10 hours) and, on one side, by debris ejected from WTC 1 and/or 2, collapsed symmetrically, to the ground in 6.6 seconds at about 5:20 pm on Sept 11th.

 

It is often said that those who want to investigate the unexplained collapse of WTC 7 are “conspiracy theorists” and it seems that it is this very labelling has deterred a great many people from looking at the facts related not only to the collapse of WTC 7, but those related to the collapse of WTC buildings 1 and 2.

 

Professor David Ray Griffin is one of a small number of people with significant academic credentials who has looked into these disturbing questions. An author of over 20 books on Religion and Theology, Professor Griffin stated in an LA Times article (28Aug 2005), he “believed the official account for about 18 months” – considering it to be a “blowback theory” – the attacks were simply a result of US foreign policy.  Then, when he had analysed a timeline of 9/11 events, which referenced mainstream sources, he became suspicious that the official story was false, in key respects, so he began to research further for himself. In 2004, he published the results of this research in The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the Bush Administration and 9/11. In this book (which has a foreword by Michael Meacher, MP) he also posed some questions about the motive for the 9/11 attacks in the context of a document called Rebuilding America’s Defences. This document, which was published by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), states that PNAC is a project "to promote American global leadership" and it later refers to the threat of a “surprise” attack on America “like a New Pearl Harbour”, which could then afford an opportunity to “transform” America’s defences. Professor Griffin also points out that the official account of the 9/11 attack is itself a conspiracy theory.

 

Professor Griffin published his second book on 9/11 a few months later. In The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions, Professor Griffin argues that "omissions and distortions" in the report amount to a cover-up by government officials and he concludes that the available evidence suggests that the Bush administration was complicit in the 9/11. This is also strongly indicated by the fact that the Official Account of the collapse of the WTC buildings is not consistent with the Laws of Physics.

 

In his latest book, Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action  (supported by the US Presbyterian Church), Griffin describes how the United States is the world’s “chief embodiment of demonic power” and asserts that events such as those on 9/11 are a part of a long history of ‘false-flag attacks’ – orchestrated by governments against their own people to garner popular support for military action.

6.5          DVD Copying and Distribution

Many 9/11 films and materials are copyright free and, as such, have been copied and distributed by Campaign Members – sometimes at cost price, or simply by being given away. Jimmy Walter has distributed over 600,000  DVD’s worldwide. It is difficult to estimate the number that UK Campaigners have distributed, but it is likely to be in the region of between 10,000 and 30,000 (as of Oct 2006). Some campaigners have bought DVD duplication equipment specially for this purpose.

6.6          E-mail / Web Campaigns

6.6.1   Journalist/Media Mass-E-mailing

Following the publication of the fake terror plot, in which no credible evidence of any real terrorist plot was ever presented to the public, an e-mailing campaign was undertaken, which resulted in certain campaigners being mentioned in an article entitled It’s all a Government Plot say Internet ‘truth activists’ which was published in The Daily Telegraph – See Appendix C.

6.6.2   Occasional e-mailing of Significant Articles

One or more campaigners have repeatedly e-mailed a selection of BBC and other contacts (such as the Jeremy Vine current affairs programme) whenever significant stories have broken in the USA – such as Charlie Sheen speaking out, or, for example, when comments were made publicly by Prof Morgan Reynolds. All of these have been completely ignored (even when audio and video links have been provided)

6.6.3   Engineers/Architects e-mailing

In October 2006, Ian Neal e-mailed a group of engineers/architects inviting them to review Improbable Collapse – a video which re-analyses the official story of the destruction of the WTC Buildings.

6.6.4   Physics Forum “Challenge”

In September 2005, Andrew Johnson posted a “challenge” to a Physics Forum for interested people to explain the freefall nature of the collapse of WTC 1 & 2.

 

(See forum.physorg.com/in…)

 

This thread ran for 9 months and attracted 14,000 responses. Other people then started separate threads on Science related 9/11 Truth issues. It was interesting to compare some of the style of posting and debating to that on our own UK forum (see section 8.2).

6.7          Other Organisations Contacted

This is not a complete list, but includes those organisations that might be assumed to be very sympathetic to the 9/11 Truth Campaign (being as it is both a “peace” issue and a Human Rights Issue).

 

·        Stop the War

·        Liberty

·        NO2ID

·        Socialist Worker

·        Amnesty International (USA and UK)

 

Several Campaigners have ties with the Stop the War Group in London, but the leadership refuses to engage fully with the evidence (though a number of members have engaged with it).

 

As far as the author of this report is aware, out of the others listed, only NO2ID bothered to respond at all.

 

One campaigner emailed NO2ID a couple of times asking for their opinion on 9/11 and their reply was that they didn’t have one. The campaigner tried to point out that the 9/11 issue would blow a hole in the governments plans for ID cards and the National Identity Register but to no avail. The replies received made no mention of 9/11 by name and even the original message was edited down so that 9/11 wasn’t mentioned.

6.8          UK Green Party

Martin Deane, UK Green Party Candidate for Hull at the last general election, has been actively campaigning in his area and trying, as has Justin Walker, to get a UK resolution to support the US Green Party’s call for a new investigation into 9/11. Several more senior green party members are now aware of the issues. The last vote on a resolution failed to pass by 2 votes.

6.9          Music

A measure of the increasing political importance of an issue can often be seen by its expression in Pop Music Culture. Independent Artists such as Immortal Technique, Starstika (www.starstika.com/be… ), Chris Videll, Tijuana (www.bbc.co.uk/somers… ) have all composed and performed songs stating, in one way or another, that 9/11 Was an Inside Job.

6.10     An example of a Media “Hit Piece” and a Reply

It probably isn’t a coincidence that this was published on the 5th Anniversary and probably was an attempt to “torpedo” key campaigners.

 

David Shayler, Annie Machon and Belinda McKenzie have approached the press complaints commission following the publication of this article. Brendan O’Neill was welcomed into Belinda’s home and presented with evidence in the form of books and DVD’s. His article ignored just about all of this evidence and used – very selectively – comments made by David Shayler to paint the issues in a bad light.


 

Meet the No Planers

Brendan O’Neill

Monday 11th September 2006

The New Statesman

www.newstatesman.com…

They believe there weren’t any planes on 9/11, just missiles wrapped in holograms – and there weren’t any London terrorists on 7/7 either. The new-wave conspiracy theorists aren’t green-ink types: they’re educated; they have secret service connections; they live in Highgate. By Brendan O’Neill

At first sight, David Shayler and Annie Machon’s home in Highgate – the leafiest of London’s leafy suburbs – looks like a picture of middle-class respectability. There are Japanese landscape paintings on the living-room walls. Shelves groan under the weight of hardback novels and books on politics. An Alsatian with a well-kept, glossy coat looks on curiously as Belinda McKenzie – the grandmotherly landlady of the house – serves tea in china cups with a plate of delicious shortbread biscuits. "Enjoy," she says in a soft, plummy English accent.

Then you notice the curiosities. On the table sits a document about the "controlled demolition" of the twin towers. The shelves hold books titled The 9/11 Commission Report: omissions and distortions and The New Pearl Harbor: disturbing questions about the Bush administration and 9/11. There’s a stack of colourful leaflets advertising a club night called Truth 9/11, to take place in Brixton in a week’s time, the "11" in "9/11" represented by two tall stereo speakers. DVD’s litter a work desk. One is called 7/7: mind the gap. The cover of another, titled Loose Change, asks: "What if 9/11 were an inside job rather than the work of al-Qaeda . . . ?"

This cluttered house in the heart of respectable, latte-drinking Highgate doubles as the hub of the British and Irish 9/11 Truth Campaign. It’s a loose group, founded in January 2004, which suspects precisely that 9/11 was an "inside job", organised and executed by a "shadowy elite" made up of individuals from the FBI, the CIA, the arms industry and politics. Shayler and Machon – the boyfriend-and-girlfriend former spies who famously left MI5 in 1996 after becoming disgruntled – are its leading lights. They’ve gone from being the Posh and Becks of the whistle-blowing world to something very like the Richard and Judy of the 9/11 conspiracy-theory set.

Sitting on the comfy couch, their cups of tea in hand, they try to convince me that the 11 September 2001 attacks were executed by elements in the west who wanted to launch wars and "make billions upon trillions of dollars".

"We know for certain that the official story of 9/11 isn’t true," says Shayler. "The twin towers did not collapse because of planes and fire; they were brought down in a controlled demolition. The Pentagon was most likely hit by an American missile, not an aeroplane." Machon nods. In black trousers and black top, this sophisticated blonde in her late thirties comes across more like a schoolmarm than a 9/11 anorak. "The Pentagon’s anti-missile defence system would definitely have picked up and dealt with a commercial airliner. We can only assume that whatever hit the Pentagon was sending a friendly signal. A missile fired by a US military plane would have sent a friendly signal." She says this in a kind of Anna Ford-style newsreader’s voice, as if she were speaking the truth and nothing but the truth. She takes another sip of tea.

Say the phrase "conspiracy theorist" (but don’t say it to Shayler and Machon if you can help it, because they angrily deny being conspiracy theorists) and most people will think of those nutty militiamen in redneck areas of America who hate Big Government, or of taxi drivers with possibly anti-Semitic leanings in some hot, dusty backwater of the Middle East who revel in telling western clients in particular: "America and the Jew did 9/11." Yet, here in Highgate, I am talking to a man and woman who have worked in the British secret services and who, together with their landlady Belinda, a professional linguist, truly believe that American elements facilitated 9/11 in order to "justify their adventurism in oil-rich countries in the Middle East", in Shayler’s words. Here we have a new kind of conspiracy theorist: the chattering conspiracist, respectable, well-read, articulate, but, I regret to report, no less cranky than those rednecks and misguided Kabul cabbies.

The 9/11 Truth Campaign tries to distance itself from the green-ink loons who have been spreading rumours about 9/11 ever since the first plane slammed into the World Trade Centre. "In London we meet socially on the first Monday of every month, and for a discussion on the third Monday of every month," says the ever-chirpy Machon, as if describing a Women’s Institute get-together to discuss knitting, rather than a meeting of individuals who think a dark cabal of nutters controls the world. Its activists – many of whom are fairly well-to-do, and who include lecturers, film-makers and other whistle-blowers – pore over footage and photos of the events of 9/11, furiously debate them online, and argue that, scientifically, the official version of events doesn’t add up. For Belinda – who describes herself as the "tea-maker and dishwasher of the movement" and allows activists from outside London to stay at her home – this is about "getting to the historical truth of what happened".

Yet, for all their forensic pretensions, their views remain crankily conspiratorial and unfounded. Take the claim that a plane did not hit the Pentagon, which has been doing the rounds since the French journalist Thierry Meyssan published 9/11: the big lie in 2002. "Just look at the news footage," says Shayler. "You won’t see any plane debris on the Pentagon lawn."

Truth-seekers on a mission

True, but there was plenty of plane debris inside the Pentagon, where Flight 77 entered and exploded. There are numerous photographs of the blackened belly of the Pentagon crash site, taken by officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other rescue workers, which clearly show airliner wheel hubs, landing gear, part of a nose cone and bits of fuselage in the smouldering rubble (I hate to have to do this, but if you don’t believe me take a look here: [http://www.rense.com/general32/phot.htm]). What kind of warrior for historical truth doesn’t pay attention to basic photographic evidence?

Or consider the claim that the twin towers were brought down in a controlled demolition (which would have involved sinister individuals planting tonnes of dynamite in the weeks prior to 9/11 without being spotted by any of the good citizens of New York). The US National Institute of Standards and Technology investigated the cause of the collapse – during which "some 200 technical experts reviewed tens of thousands of documents, interviewed more than 1,000 people, reviewed 7,000 segments of video footage and 7,000 photographs [and] analysed 236 pieces of steel" – and it found "no corroborating evidence" that the towers had been toppled by dynamite. There is a lot of scientific evidence there, yet it is ignored or discounted by the apparently scientifically minded truth-seekers of this campaign.

At times, the line between these middle-class campaigners’ apparently "scientific investigations" and old-fashioned conspiracy-mongering seems uncomfortably thin. One of their leaflets has a web address for David Icke, the former sports presenter-turned-"Son of God" who thinks the world is run by a race of reptilian humanoids. Shayler says: "There is a Zionist conspiracy; that’s a fact. And they were behind 9/11." Machon intervenes diplomatically: "Not everyone in the campaign shares that view."

Then things really go off the rails. I ask Shayler if it’s true he has become a "no planer" – that is, someone who believes that no planes at all were involved in the 9/11 atrocity. Machon looks uncomfortable. "Oh, fuck it, I’m just going to say this," he tells her. "Yes, I believe no planes were involved in 9/11." But we all saw with our own eyes the two planes crash into the WTC. "The only explanation is that they were missiles surrounded by holograms made to look like planes," he says. "Watch the footage frame by frame and you will see a cigar-shaped missile hitting the World Trade Centre." He must notice that my jaw has dropped. "I know it sounds weird, but this is what I believe."

The 7/7 photo "forgery"

What about 7/7? Some in the 9/11 Truth Campaign aren’t "really into 7/7", in Belinda’s words. But Shayler is. He recently finished making 7/7: mind the gap, a film in which he suggests that, given the late running of trains on that fateful day last year, the four bombers could not have blown themselves up in London at the times claimed. He also believes that the closed-circuit TV image of the four men entering Luton Station is a "Photoshop job – a forgery, and a bad one at that". He goes so far as to argue that those who forged the photo did it badly in order to send a signal to the rest of us. "This could be elements in the New World Order saying, ‘Look, we’re sick of lying. We’ve had enough.’"

So have I. The thought of behind-the-scenes suits being cajoled by their evil paymasters to create an image of four rucksack-wearing terrorists in order to cover up their own bombing of London is just too ludicrous. These 9/11 truth campaigners merely add a supposedly scientific gloss to already existing conspiracy theories, trying to make the ridiculous seem respectable. In the process, they actually do a disservice to "historical truth". History gets reduced to a mysterious force beyond our control, and politics – real politics – is imagined to be the preserve of unknown, faceless puppet-masters whom we can never hope to influence. And the rest of us are reduced to the status of helpless spectators, searching amid the rubble of 9/11 and the aftermath of 7/7 for signs of truth and meaning.

This article first appeared in the New Statesman.

For the latest in current and cultural affairs take out a print or online subscription.


6.10.1    REPLY TO NEW STATESMAN “HIT PIECE”

 

Andrew Johnson sent the following response (and several other campaigners also sent responses).

 

Sent to: sue@newstatesman.co….

Cc: brendan@newstatesman…

Re: "Meet the No Planers"

www.newstatesman.com…

Dear Madam/Sirs

 

I read this article with some interest, being as it was about the 9/11 Truth Movement. Many have been watching the media’s attempts to give balanced coverage of this most fundamentally disturbing and profound issue.

 

I have never read a full issue of your magazine, therefore I read the "About" section of your Website, from which I gleaned that the original magazine had

 

"the aim of permeating the educated and influential classes with socialist ideas. "

 

Also, there is a quotation from Clifford Sharp

 

"We did not merely profess to have no political affiliations, we had none. We were soon to discover, however, that a great many people who profess to admire independent political thought are apt to be both puzzled and shocked when they come across it."

 

It therefore would seem a promising platform from which 9/11 Truth may be discussed in a sober, analytical manner and with a balanced perspective, taking into account well-researched and diverse evidence. This type of approach would seem, to me, to be a pre-requisite for articles which had the goal of "permeating the educated and influential classes."

 

I was therefore expecting a reasoned mention of:

·          The very near free-fall speed of collapse of WTC 1 and 2 which, if we accept the Government’s Conspiracy theory, breaks the Laws of Physics. (Here’s a brief analysis I put together almost 1 year ago.)

·          The free-fall speed of collapse of WTC 7, which was not hit by a plane.

·          The utter destruction of WTC 1 & 2 into fine pulverised dust.

·          The toxic air, with a pH of about 14 – something similar to caustic soda.

·          The spread of wreckage in Shanksville – over and 8-mile wide area, from a plane which supposedly crashed into the ground.

·          The formation of a group of academics (of which I am a member) called Scholars for 9/11 Truth – whose published articles, research and peer reviewed papers de-construct the Official Conspiracy Theory and expose many of the essential elements as being impossible or as being based on faulty, non-existent or fabricated evidence.

Unfortunately, your article omitted all of these facts and, because of the number of "domestic details" it included  was rather more reminiscent of an article from "Hello" magazine. At this point, it is interesting to note your "high brow" publication being significantly "outdone" in terms of journalistic quality and integrity by an article in a "lower brow" publication – the Daily Mail.

 

www.dailymail.co.uk/…

 

Even better, their article is FREE to look at – yours, on the Website, is not. Your failure to investigate the voluminous facts and evidence which are the basis of what I have said above is clear. The immutable Law of Gravity and the facts of the Physics/Chemistry of burning kerosene/melting steel are blithely swept aside with some casual assumptions about photos of something at the Pentagon and the supposedly unanswerable question of "how could the demolition explosives have been planted".

 

It is quite tiresome to read articles where our names are mentioned in close proximity to phrases like "green-ink loons" and "crankily conspiratorial". However, it isn’t as tiresome as it could be, because the simple evidence of the freefall of the WTC proves that the official story is false, and such references in articles can therefore be shown to be "psychological decoys" designed to deflect the reader from looking at the evidence themselves. Those who support the Official Conspiracy Theory of 9/11 must reject the law of gravity as a "conspiracy theory". Perhaps if they continue to do so, they will all float away into space, with a look of utter confusion on their faces.

 

Those of us who know basic the truth about 9/11 (that it was an Inside Job which had little if anything to do with Al Qaida) are, once the irritation has died down, encouraged by the mainstream media’s attempts to ridicule us (as I was ridiculed in the UK Daily Telegraph some weeks ago). It means we are "making progress".

 

I therefore say the same to you and Brendan O’Neill as I did to Susan Harris of The Independent – perhaps it is now time to "stand up and be counted" – the mainstream media is now at a juncture where people may reject you, and what you are standing for, as your establishments, either through your action or inaction, now fail us in the same way as those politicians, that you are often so fond of vilifying, do. Make no mistake – this issue should be on the front pages of ALL the newspapers, but the fact that it is not strongly indicates that the media are gatekeepers of the truth about the real crimes of 9/11. To test this if my analysis is correct, I also make you the same offer  I made to the Guardian Newspaper – I will write an article for you, free, for you to publish in whatever medium you choose – and it will be copyright free. Give me a word count. Funny, no one’s yet taken me up on this offer.

 

If you wish to hear a Professor of Theology speak with authority on the 9/11 Cover-up, its history and what it might mean for future global geo-politics, you could do worse than send a representative to our event, details of which are described in the Press Release below. He hasn’t got a "plum English accent" though (I don’t know why I even mentioned that actually, as it has no relevance to any real issues).

 

As a closing comment, I myself am not influential, nor do I want to be – but I do consider myself to be educated (and hope that I have presented ample evidence here to back up this statement – or "claim" in journospeak), and it is one of my goals in life to offer information to others in that they may become educated too.

 

Yours Sincerely,

 

Andrew Johnson

British 9/11 Truth Campaign (www.nineeleven.co.uk)

Scholars for 9/11 Truth (www.st911.org)

 

22 Mear Drive

Borrowash

Derbyshire

DE72 3QW

tel: 01332 674271

 

 

(No response was received to this letter/e-mail)

 

5       Key Public Events. 15

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