P. Bailey © 2005

The Illuminati was a secret society in late 18th Century Bavaria. Founded by one Adam Weishaupt at the University of Ingolstadt in 1776, the society’s aims were closely linked to ideas from the Enlightenment; to combat religious thinking and promote and encourage rationalism. The subterfuge deployed by Weishaupt, and extrapolated beyond credibility by conspiracy theorists, was necessitated out of the fact that Weishaupt was a secularist (and anti-monarchist) in a previously ecclesiastical university post. The Illuminati attempted to disseminate ideas by infiltrating other organisations; however, the society lost momentum and died out within fifteen years of its conception.

The society is believed by conspiracy theorists to have secret signs on the United States dollar. These signs are from the reverse of the Great Seal, which is used on official legislation. Both the obverse and reverse designs were incorporated into the dollar bill in the nineteen thirties. The Latin phrase “Novus Ordo Seclorum” has been quoted as meaning “New World Order”, and despite actually meaning “New Order of the Ages” is still cited as “evidence” that a master plan has been in operation for some two hundred plus years. The pyramid and eye symbol, which can also be seen, has been linked by some sources to the Freemasons, who have been accused of having an Illuminati cabal. The actual chronology of how the seal was initially developed is quite straightforward:

The eye, which theorists tend to see as a metaphor for an Orwellian Big Brother, is in fact a symbol of “divine providence” and can be seen in both Renaissance and biblical sources. Even if the theorists’ assertions were true, it is difficult to see the relevance of putting a secret symbol on a nationally circulated dollar bill.

Conspiracy theorists believe that the Illuminati exist today, either directly linked to the original group, or based on that original model. To look into all the individual assertions of the theorists would be, as Robert Carroll, author of Skeptic’s dictionary suggests, to “enter Bedlam”. From both extreme religious fundamentalists through to extra-terrestrial enthusiasts, a unifying idea is that the Illuminati want to subjugate the masses through mind control and mass identification techniques. The end of the world is apparently nigh.

A key figure in the conspiracy theory movement, Myron Fagan, devoted his latter years to finding evidence that a variety of historical events from Waterloo, The French Revolution, JFK’s assassination and the communist plot to hasten the New World Order by infiltrating the Hollywood film industry, were all orchestrated by the Illuminati.

It is to be noted that the main groundswell of interest in the Illuminati and the assertions that it exists today began after the publication of The Illuminatus trilogy, written in the 1970s by two then Playboy associate editors, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. A post-modern science fiction work, the trilogy looked at the Illuminati’s plot to rule the world, whilst fighting opposition, one of the chief protagonists being the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu.

Modern theorists have incorporated these fictional ideas, with ever more bizarre twists. One Dr. John Coleman in “Targets of the Illuminati and the Committee of 300″ asserts that the Illuminati’s intentions include:

• The establishment of a One World Government with a unified church and monetary system
• Further advancement of their ideas through mind control
• Encouragement of the use of drugs and pornography
• Suppression of all scientific advancement unless they considered it acceptable to their aims
• Causing the death of 3 billion people by 2050, through wars and starvation
• Creation of mass unemployment
• Fracturing of the nuclear family by encouraging teenagers to rebel
• Use and promotion of rock music to facilitate this rebellion “which include rock gangsters such as the Rolling Stones (a gangster group much favored by European Black Nobility)”

The shadowy world of secret signs and societies; a world where every major political event, high-profile disease, celebrity assassination and international agreement are woven together into one mass blanket of “truth” is one that has found a natural home on the Internet. Bolstered by their peers in what has been sometimes termed “communal reinforcement”, the theorists continue to fantasise that there is a grand plan at work and that they are part of the righteous fight against it. Considering that the Illuminati is apparently such a secret society, it is difficult to ascertain how the theorists have so many notions about their aims and objectives. Supposition abounds on Internet forums and conspiracy websites, with ever more interwoven fantasies proliferating. One of the major “authorities” on this and other conspiracy related matters is the one-time sports presenter, David Icke. Icke has addressed the Oxford Union on how the students are being treated like sheep by the Illuminati controlled education system, which begs the question: why did the said Illuminati system allow him a platform to disclose their existence? Icke draws upon quite diverse sources in his claim that the Illuminati exist, including H.G.Wells’ early science fiction and political quotes from the 19th century Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.

Skeptics who are aware of the aggressive power of international governments yet refuse to believe that every world event has been controlled by a bloodline, be it largely Jewish or extraterrestrial, have been apparently brainwashed into such microcosmic thinking.

The Illuminati’s supposed omniscience and omnipresence is not dissimilar to the notion of the all-seeing God that the religious fundamental conspiracy theorists perceive as being under attack from this immoral New World Order. The conspiracy theorists tendency to concentrate on eschatological (the end of the world) matters is a theme which can be linked to their close references to the Book of Revelations and fear of prophecies becoming reality.

Despite the proliferation of theories, drawn from a build-up of supposition and published works of fiction, there is absolutely no empirical evidence to suggest that the Illuminati exist. In the mind of the conspiracy theorist, every internationally drawn up piece of legislation, every UN deployment of troops, every economic trade agreement, is evidence that the world is moving towards a single global governance. Every major event from the death of Princess Diana to the attack on the World Trade Centre is now routinely traced back to the Illuminati. With the Internet-using conspiracy theorist in operation, no future atrocity, accident or event will happen that will not be attributed to the Illuminati.

As The New England Skeptical Society’s research into the Illuminati and conspiracy theorists concludes:

P. Bailey © 2005

The seismic shift in Icke’s career occurred, bizarrely enough, on the Wogan Show in 1991. Wearing a turquoise tracksuit and appearing distracted, Icke announced to Terry Wogan and the viewing population that he believed he was the Son of God.

The announcement coincided with a turbulent time in Icke’s private life. He has since retracted the contention, referring now to being the son of a godhead. His beliefs, however, have become increasingly extraordinary, and have found a receptive audience, both on his publicity tours and through his website. His on-line biography cites his occupation as being “…since 1990 a full time investigator into who and what is really controlling the world.”

This “who and what”, Icke believes, is The Illuminati, a supposed powerful elite, composed of Fourth Dimension reptilian extra-terrestrial humanoids. In “Children of the Matrix” Icke says that 13 bloodline families have this hybrid DNA, and their agenda is described on his website thus:

He believes these people to be able to shape-shift and to have infiltrated the Masons, The Tri-Lateral Commission, the Bilderberg Group and The Council on Foreign Relations. He further believes them to be guilty of Satanic worship, including blood-drinking and child-sacrifice and claims their number includes, amongst others, George Bush, the Clintons, The Royal Family, the actor Kris Kristofferson and the singer Boxcar Willie.

Icke believes that the Illuminati agenda is to subjugate the masses through a system of mind control. Juxtaposed with this is the claim that the Illuminati want to create a world of fear so the reptilian Illuminati can feed off the “resultant negative energies”. It appears from his website, that this fear is regarded as a food source, and not a metaphor for the pleasure of power. It is difficult to find evidence of any such food chain in existence. Children’s fiction, however, contains many such examples. Pixar’s “Monsters’ Inc” and the dementors in the Harry Potter novels use the imagery of emotions-as-sustainance to good effect.

It is not known whether or not Icke has drawn upon these cultural influences in formulating his hypotheses. He has, however, drawn upon the Hollywood blockbuster “The Matrix”: Writing in 2004, he believes that the microchip agenda is an imminent danger…

Presumably the fact that The Matrix’s inside information was seen by millions was an oversight on the part of the Hollywood Illuminati cabal.

Icke has written on his website that the film industry is a rich source of material for the Illuminati, as celebrity worship and distracting charity events can provide the public with a smokescreen from what is really happening in the world. Some celebrities have apparently been zombified by the Illuminati to fulfil this agenda of mass distraction A “channelled source” has told him that the mind–controlled celebrities do not have cosmetic surgery out of vanity:

In addition to using “channelled” sources, Icke embraces many of the New Age pastimes. He has worked with healers and psychics and has spoken at length about his own spiritual awakening when he heard voices and was physically directed by an unseen force to stop and look at the New Age book section whilst on holiday. This awakening was further developed whilst on a visit to Peru, when Icke’s arms were held aloft at a historical site, by the same unseen force, accompanied by the reassurances of a disembodied voice speaking to him.

Whilst in Australia, Icke visited and was treated by a healer who helped his arthritis. Whilst there, Icke claims to have seen many instances of incredible healing, including cured lung cancer and mended spinal cords:

Icke has set much store by the work of such New Age gurus, and has extrapolated anecdotal evidence from them to fit his own agenda. In meeting Princess Diana’s one-time faith healer, Christine Fitzgerald, he has taken literally the claims that Diana said the Windsors were not human, and that her nickname for them was “The lizards” to tie in with his notion of a reptilian plot.

There is a further, more insidiously damaging instance of where metaphor has been seen to be used inappropriately. Icke’s repeated use of reptilian and alien symbolism was at one stage a cause for concern for ethnic minority groups, particularly Jewish, who believed that Icke was hiding his true anti-Semitic agenda. No action has since been taken when they realised that Icke did really mean reptiles. However, although Icke strongly denies any anti-Semitic inclinations, one should be aware of the company he keeps and the claims he has made. Canadian contacts and tour organisers, including Joseph Duggan, owner of Strong Eagles Productions, and Tom J. Kennedy of “The Preferred Network” have right-wing, anti-Semitic leanings. In his self-published second book, “And the truth shall set you free”, Icke repeated his belief, both in the Tsarist-forged “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, and that a Jewish clique was behind the Two World Wars and the Russian Revolution. In the same book he also denounced the Nuremberg Trials as “a calculated exercise in revenge and manipulation”.

This flirtation with revisionism can still be seen today, with Icke’s support for the Canadian Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel. Icke’s support centres around Zundel’s freedom of expression. One would imagine however that a more worthy symbol could be found than a pro-Nazi propagandist who has appeared at a trial in a concentration camp uniform and who has disseminated stickers such as “Holocaust teaching is Child Abuse”.

Icke’s spiritual enlightenment and revelations have carried on apace, and as luck would have it, provided material for many further books. In 2002 whilst on a visit to Brazil, Icke tried a local psychoactive substance called ayahuasca. The resulting 5 hour drug trip led to him hearing a voice that told him “Infinite love is the only truth, everything else is illusion”.

Like David Irving and Holocaust revisionism, Icke has seen a change in how the public perceive him. Much more high–profile than Irving, he has been openly ridiculed by many. Also, like Irving, Icke has entered into the murky world of Holocaust denial. Both self-taught, they have become embroiled in a need for continuing revealment of cover-ups to sell more books, organise tours and finance their cause.

Icke has no empirical evidence that any of his reptilian agenda or global governance is actual fact. He admits that at school he was bored rigid by mainstream teaching : “He rejected it all with a sort of inner knowing that it was not relevant to him.” He has continued to eschew reality and has set great store by information and prophecies gathered from psychics.

His website is packed with sensationalist claims about censorship, cover-ups and health scares. Icke, and other contributors have looked at such diverse issues as; did the Bush administration commit the World Trade Centre atrocity (and photographic “evidence” of Satan in the billows of smoke) – through to; is the Queen’s black-over-white hat a sign that she is evil?

His style has gained many admirers, who perhaps have confused articulacy with cognitive reasoning, and belligerence towards detractors as a sign that he is thus empowered by having the truth on his side. Icke has gone one step further than most Paranoid Conspiracy Theorists and his “conspiracy of everything” theory has proved to be wildly exciting for those so-inclined.

His website is currently being revamped, with a request to help fight for truth with a paypal donation. Despite knowing many superb healers, he has decided to cut back on touring for health reasons; preferring instead to play the big stadia.

His latest tour has been postponed due to lack of investment money.

John Jackson © UK-Skeptics

• The odds of a successful Moon landing were calculated to be 6000 to 1 against (or probability 0.000167).
  
  This figure of 6000 to 1 against a successful mission is put forward by Bill Kaysing, although it is unclear exactly how the figure was calculated or from which data.
  
  NASA and GEC did computer simulations involving every aspect the mission. The results consistently gave a projected success rate of over 90%.
  
  
• The Lunar Module (LM) crashed in testing on Earth, yet worked perfectly six times in space.
  
  There were two types of training vehicle: the Lunar Landing Research Vehicles (LLRV); and the more advanced Lunar Landing Training Vehicles (LLTV). These vehicles were different to the actual LM, having jet engines to mimic the reduced weight of the LM in space, and rocket thrusters to simulate the LM’s guidance thrusters.
  
  There is footage of Neil Armstrong ejecting from an LLRV after its steering guidance system failed. This is the evidence that conspiracy theorists focus on. In reality, hundreds of successful tests were completed.
  
  The actual LM was tested continuously also: its components on Earth; and its performance in space, notably during other Apollo missions. The only untested aspect of the LM was its ability to land on the Moon. Due to the extensive testing undergone, the LM landed safely on the Moon’s surface using its computer controlled guidance and gyroscopic inertial control systems.
  
  
• Apollo’s computer system was not powerful enough for such a complex mission.
  
  It is true that by today’s standards the computer system used on Apollo would be thought of as very basic. The misconception, however, is that too much emphasis is placed on the role of the computer in the missions. The onboard computer was only used for one purpose: guidance. A task for which it was perfectly adequate.
  
  The real computer work was done on Earth using mainframe computers. Results of complex calculations were transmitted to the onboard computer which could act upon them.
  
  
• The Apollo craft never left Earth’s orbit.
  
  This is not a very credible theory. Satellites in orbit are easily tracked by radar, and many are actually visible to the naked eye. The Apollo craft, being much larger than satellites, would have been the brightest object in orbit. It is inconceivable that it could have remained in orbit without being noticed by anyone.
  
  
• The crew could not survive the journey through the Van Allen radiation belts.
  
  The Van Allen belts are two belts of radiation that surround the Earth and are held in place by the Earth’s magnetic field. They are doughnut shaped and are more intense around the equator. High energy particles exist in these belts and can be a hazard to both humans and electronic equipment.
  
  There are two reasons why the radiation was considered to be of little risk:
  
  
  1. It only took one hour for the craft to pass through the radiation belts therefore reducing exposure time.
  2. The spacecraft avoided the centre of the belts, and therefore the most intense radiation.
     
     

The astronauts received a radiation dose of less than 1% of that which is considered lethal.

The majority of conspiracy theories focus on the Moon landing itself:

There are many misconceptions that arise regarding the Moon landings. Many of these occur because people compare events in the Apollo pictures with how they would expect those events to occur on Earth. They fail to take into account the reduced gravity on the Moon and the fact that there is no atmosphere there.

• The lunar module did not create a blast crater when landing.
  
  
  1. The lunar module did not hover for long over the landing site. There was no need for an enormous amount of thrust to be used due to the reduced gravity on the Moon, and the exhaust gasses were quickly dispersed into the vacuum; they could not cause disturbance of air molecules around them as they would on Earth.
     
     
  2. “Moon dust” is not the same as dust or sand on Earth. There is no weathering on the Moon and the particles are jagged in nature; when compressed they stick together. Any particles that were ejected from the lunar surface, by direct contact with exhaust gasses, would have simply have dropped back to the surface. Large clouds of dust cannot form on the Moon as there is no atmosphere in which to suspend the particles.
     
     
  3. There is evidence that where the module landed, most of the lunar dust was blown away by direct contact with exhaust gasses, revealing the rock below:
     
     

  

• The astronauts made clear footprints in a totally dry medium.
  
  This is because lunar dust is not like soil or sand on Earth. The dust, formed by meteorite impacts, remains in the same condition over time as there is no weathering or oxygen on the Moon. When compressed, the jagged shaped particles stick together because they can interlock, and they can form molecular bonds with each other as the bonding sites formed on creation were never filled by oxygen as they would be on Earth.
  
  
• The American flag was waving in the breeze, yet the Moon is airless.
  
  This is one of the less serious theories. The only time the flag is seen waving is when it is being planted in the ground. As the astronaut is planting the flag he is twisting the pole back and forth. This induces quite a pronounced waving of the flag. This is because of the lack of an atmosphere. There is nothing to dampen the flag’s motion.
  
  It is interesting to note that in other footage astronauts quickly move past the flag, something which could induce motion from disturbed air, yet the flag remains completely still.

Many conspiracy theorists believe that the Moon landings were faked in Area 51, in the Nevada desert, USA. To support this idea they look for inconsistencies in the video and photographic evidence shown by NASA.

• The sky is black, yet no stars are visible in the photographs.
  
  This is an illusion caused by the lack of an atmosphere on the Moon. Although the sky, or lack of it, is black, it was still daytime on the lunar surface and the sun was very bright. Photographs taken had to be of short exposure time and the comparatively dim stars did not have time to be recorded on the film.
  
  
• More than one light source was used, this is shown by unparallel shadows.
  
  This is an example:
  
  
  

  The obvious answer is that if two light sources were used the astronauts would each have two shadows. This is clearly not the case.
  
  This anomaly is caused by perspective. The ground is not perfectly flat; different slopes will cause shadows of different lengths and angles to form. If the astronauts were viewed from above, then their shadows would be seen to be parallel.
  
  

• There is a photograph of an astronaut standing on the lunar surface, saluting the flag, yet he casts no shadow.
  
  This is another much used photograph, produced to prove that the photographs were faked in some way:
  
  
  

  
  
  At first glance the photograph looks unconvincing. The astronaut, John Young, does not seem to be standing on the ground in a natural manner, and there is not a shadow where one would be expected.
  
  The answer, however, is very simple. The astronaut had jumped up from the surface. His shadow can be seen to his left, exactly where it would be expected to be. There is also a video of this event which confirms this simple explanation.
  
  

• The same background appears from different locations.
  
  The implication here is that NASA used the same set for many of the fake photographs:
  
  
  

  
  
  In the left picture the lunar module is visible, in the right picture the foreground is different yet the background appears to be the same.
  
  Again the answer is simply one of perspective. On this mission, Apollo 15, the astronauts were collecting Moon rocks. The second photograph would only have to be taken a small distance to the side of the first one for the lunar module to be out of frame. As the hills in the background were approximately five kilometres in the distance they appear to move very little.
  
  This entirely natural effect is easily reproducible by anyone taking two photographs of a distant object from locations only 10-15 metres apart: the background will appear the same; the foreground will look different.

Conspiracy theorists can offer up many more examples of this type, however, there is nothing that can’t be explained very easily.

For an in-depth explanation of photographic anomalies see:
http://www.iangoddard.net/moon01.htm (opens in a new window).

Other conspiracy theories are based on a lack of scientific knowledge:

• Moon rocks are just earth rocks.
  
  There are some unique properties of Moon rocks that could not be reproduced on Earth.
  
  Dr. David McKay, Chief Scientist for Planetary Science and Exploration at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC):
  
  
  “Just as meteoroids constantly bombard the Moon so do cosmic rays, and they leave their fingerprints on Moon rocks, too. There are isotopes in Moon rocks, isotopes we don’t normally find on Earth, that were created by nuclear reactions with the highest-energy cosmic rays. Earth is spared from such radiation by our protective atmosphere and magnetosphere.
  
  Even if scientists wanted to make something like a Moon rock by, say, bombarding an Earth rock with high energy atomic nuclei, they couldn’t. Earth’s most powerful particle accelerators can’t energize particles to match the most potent cosmic rays, which are themselves accelerated in supernova blastwaves and in the violent cores of galaxies.
  
  Indeed, faking a Moon rock well enough to hoodwink an international army of scientists might be more difficult than the Manhattan Project. It would be easier to just go to the Moon and get one.”

  
  The Moon rocks have been shared with many countries throughout the world, including the former USSR. Not one scientist from any country has expressed the opinion that the Moon rocks are anything but genuine.
  
  

• When the lunar module took off from the Moon, there was no exhaust flame.
  
  This is a question of chemistry. People are accustomed to seeing rockets taking off from Earth with a large flame coming out of the back of them.
  
  The visibility of the reacting exhaust gasses is dependant on the propellants used. The lunar module used nitrogen tetroxide and Aerozine 50 as its propellants. These compounds produce an almost invisible flame. Coupled with the fact that the lunar surface is very bright, that the exhaust gasses are dispersed into a vacuum and that the footage is of low resolution, it would be surprising to see the very little flame that existed.

A nail in the coffin of conspiracy theory.

There is one fact that the conspiracy theorists tend to ignore: for good reason.

The Apollo 11 crew deployed a reflector array in the Sea of Tranquility, which is used to reflect laser beams sent from Earth. By beaming laser pulses at the reflector from Earth, scientists have been able to determine the round-trip travel time that gives the distance between the two bodies at any time to an accuracy of about 3 centimetres.

The original reflector, placed in 1969, is still working today. Other reflectors were added later by Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 missions.

It is a testable, and undeniable fact the these reflectors exist on the lunar surface.

See: Apollo 11 Laser Ranging Retroreflector Experiment.

The only answer that conspiracy theorists have, is that they were placed there by a mission employing robots. That mission would have been more complex than sending men there to do it, and the theory is not backed up by one piece of evidence.

The plain fact of the matter is that the reflectors were placed on the lunar surface by the Apollo missions. That is why conspiracy theorists conveniently forget to mention them.

Note: The Soviets also placed a reflecting device on the Moon in 1973, from a robotic probe. As a result, the Lunakhod 2 mirror produces a weaker laser echo than the smaller Apollo reflectors; devices that benefited from the personal attention of humans on the Moon.

Conclusion.

Conspiracy theorists have looked for evidence of fakery in the Apollo missions. They have formulated many theories and raised many questions; however those theories and questions can all be answered.

Conspiracy theorists have not brought to light one single piece of evidence that cannot easily be explained.

For scientists, the Moon rocks with their unique composition will be proof in themselves; to historians the huge amount of consistent documentation offers proof; to the layperson, the fact that the lunar reflectors are still working today, is convincing evidence.

Were the Moon landings faked? No.