Everyone loves a good conspiracy. From the Jonestown massacre and the Philadelphia experiment to Nazi gold and the moon landing, there are umpteen conspiracy theories that even the least sceptical of us can recall and discuss at length. Entire libraries have been furnished and internet forums filled with this cultural phenomenon in which complex threads are weaved together to explain seismic events in our recent history. Indeed, there are few things more captivating than a well-research, convincing argument that flies in the face of perceived knowledge. So follow Jon E. Lewis down the rabbit hole and look at our political system from a different perspective. Controversies include: - Bar Codes - Can it really be that these codes apparently indicate 666; the mark of the devil and his coming cashless economy? - The Bilderberg Group - An annual polite discussion on current affairs or a forum in which policy with worldwide implications is shaped? - Bohemian Grove - To some, this is a private camping site dubbed 'the greatest men's party on earth', while other's regard it as opportunity to win friends in high places and to secure jobs or contracts. What really goes on at Bohemian Grove when the elite gather? - Bush-Bin Laden Connection - Is it possible that George W. Bush made errors of judgement pre 9/11 because of his family's ties to the Bin Laden's? Is it possible that 9/11 could have been prevented? - Cancer - Is there a cancer cure which is being suppressed by pharmaceutical companies and the medical establishments to keep their multibillion-dollar industry thriving? - Club of Rome - Is it true that the Club of Rome wish to use war, disease and famine as the main ways to eliminate "useless eaters"? - Jonestown - Was this a mass suicide, or was it mass murder intended to cover-up mind-control experiments? - 1969 Moon Landing Hoax - Were all the Apollo landings an astronomical hoax? - Nazi Gold - Did US authorities turn a blind eye to $3 million stolen by its own troops? - Philadelphia Experiment - Did the US Navy cover up invisibility experiments which went hideously wrong? - Ronald Reagan - Did George Bush seek to assassinate Ronald Reagan? - The Royal Institute of International Affairs- To what extent do they influence world agendas? - Star Gate - What is the truth behind the CIA's psi-operations in the 1970s?

7/7 Is the government covering up evidence of bungling by the intelligence services before the 7/7 bombings in London? 9/11 Did George Bush stage the 9/11 attack, or at least purposefully allow for it to occur so he could generate support to invade Afghanistan for reasons linked to the oil industry? And was Flight 93 shot down on the order of the White House before it could reach its target? Or was it really al-Qaeda acting alone? HAARP It is said that HAARP camouflages the most destructive weapon ever created. Is it really possible that this is what this 33-acre site is concealing? The Lockerbie Bombing Initially it was assumed that Libya had a clear motive for the Lockerbie bombing, revenge for the 1986 US Air Force raid on the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. But the truth is inevitably far more complex. The Madrid Train Bombings What is the truth behind this atrocity in Spain? Oklahoma City Bombings Is the fact that the FBI failed to investigate McVeigh's connections with the Militias, and the fact that they held back 3,000 pages of documents enough to prove the Oklahoma City bombing was orchestrated by them? Pearl Harbor Did President Franklin D. Roosevelt conspire to bring about the attack on US forces at Pearl Harbour? The Port Chicago Explosion What was the real cause of this explosion? The Rainbow Warrior French DGSE agents alleged to have sunk this Greenpeace ship. How much of this is true, and if it is, why did they do it? Roberto Calvi In 1982 "God's banker" was found dead, swinging from Blackfriars Bridge in London. As Calvi had been under enormous pressure it was assumed he had killed himself. But twenty years on, the case was reopened and revaluated, producing somewhat different findings. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta Does the Order moonlight as an intelligence broker? TWA Flight 800 Why did this plane explode over the Atlantic?

Alien Abduction Some 2,740 US citizens claim to have been abducted by aliens each day. That's an incredible 2% of a population of 300 million. Surely statistically some of these cases must bear truths? Area 51 It is rumoured that Area 51 houses the UFO disc found at Roswell, as well as other crashed alien spaceships. What is the truth? The Babylonian Brotherhood Twelve-foot lizards from the planet Draco have colonized Earth and seek world domination. Crop Circles Made by intelligent beings from elsewhere, or earth-bound pranksters? Face on Mars Was the image of a humanoid face 1.5 miles long by 1 mile wide purposefully constructed or is it simply an accidental resemblance? Hollow Earth The Earth is hollow and houses a surreptitious advanced civilisation. Majestic 12 Evidence found about a group of military officials, scientists and intelligence officials set up in 1962 to study alien technology. Legitimate or bogus? Men in Black Mysterious figures who seek to conceal UFO identity. They appear at a witness's house after a sighting and remove all physical evidence before threatening the witness to remain silent. Are they really government agents? Nazi Moon Base During the Second World War the Germans sent a successful mission to the moon, made a lunar station and built an underground base in Antarctica for space exploration research. Project Bluebook Since December 1969 there has been no official US government body actively investigating UFO sightings. But what about unofficially? Rendlesham Forest Did an alien spacecraft land at Rendlesham Forest in 1980? Roswell In 1947 an extra-terrestrial spacecraft with alien occupants landed in New Mexico. Allegedly, this event was covered up by the US military, but why? Shag Harbour In October 1967 an unidentified flying object was seen floating on the waters of Shag Harbour. Even following thorough investigation, no explanation has ever been given for this.

This mammoth book brings together some of the modern world's most head-scratching deaths and disappearances, from the murder of rap royalty Tupac Shakur to Princess Diana's car crash in Paris, via the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko and JFK's assassination. Is it possible that prisoners of war remain left behind in Vietnam? Could the most famous musician in the world stage his own death and recede into an ordinary life? Investigating these quesitons and more, this book is an A-Z of unsolved mysteries, cover-ups, conspiracies and bizarre crimes, bringing together famous names as disparate as Tupac, Elvis, Dr David Kelly, Malcolm X and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Black Helicopters Black helicopters are believed by some to be used for the surveillance of patriotic groups opposed to the takeover of the United States by foreign powers. Those sinister, silent, Black Hawk Down-style copters are hard to miss, but what exactly is their role? The British Royal Family According to Lyndon LaRouche, the British royal family are imperial masters of the planet. Is it possible that Satan lives in Buckingham Palace? The Illuminati So powerful are the Illuminati that they are said to mastermind events and completely control world affairs, but how much do we actually know about them? Le Cercle A transnational, clandestine cabal of influential individuals, the group prides itself on complete anonymity. Only a handful of articles are known to have been written about the group, so what do we really know about them? MK-ULTRA What went on under MK-ULTRA? And did anybody ever receive reasonable compensation? New World Order How powerful is this group that seek to enable a one-world government? Omega Agency The Omega Agency and its allies, the aliens, are devising a plan to restore the planet's environment after the OA take over New World Order dictatorship. P2 (Propaganda Due) Did P2 set out a plan for a fascist coup in which unions would be banned and the media would be placed under state control? Skull and Bones "It's so secret we can't talk about it," George W. Bush said on the membership of Skull & Bones. Does this organisation control the US?