Today’s Books, April, 2003
"Exceptional!!!!"


Today’s Books, April, 2003
"Exceptional!!!!"


Book Description
The book claims 9/11 was a conspiracy rather than a terrorist attack.


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French


From the Back Cover
An attentive observer of international affairs, T. Meyssan was intrigued by the anomalies in the first photographs released of the attack on the Pentagon, then by confusion and contradictions in the final statements, including those about the events at the World Trade Center.He thus carried out his own investigation, which led him from surprise to surprise, each more astonishing and terrifying than the last. This book is based exclusively on documents published by the White House and the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as statements by American Civilian and military leaders to the international press. All of the information it contains are duly referenced and can thus be verified by readers.


About the Author
After completing studies in political science, Thierry Meyssan worked for an international association defending civil liberties, before taking up investigative journalism. During the course of his career, he has been an expert on human rights issues advising the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (C.S.C.E.), as well as editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine Maintenant.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

After completing studies in political science, Thierry Meyssan worked for an international association defending civil liberties, before taking up investigative journalism.

During the course of his career, he has been an expert on human rights issues advising the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (C.S.C.E.), as well as editor-in chief of the monthly magazine Maintenant.

An attentive observer of international affairs, T. Meyssan was intrigued by the anomalies in the first photographs released of the attack on the Pentagon, then by the confusion and contradictions in official statements, including those about events at the World Trade Center. He thus carried out his own investigation, which led him from surprise to surprise, each more astonishing and terrifying than the last.

SYNOPSIS

When it was first published in France, L￯﾿ﾽEffroyable Mensonge was severely criticized by the French press.  Nevertheless, it went on France￯﾿ﾽs bestseller list in its second week and became the highest-grossing book in a single week in Europe￯﾿ﾽs history.  As Alan Riding noted in the European edition of The New York Times, it is a book that ￯﾿ﾽhas taken on a life of its own.￯﾿ﾽ

With the U.S. publication of 9/11: The Big Lie, readers in America and other English-speaking countries can now learn the details of the conspiracy theory that provoked so much controversy. Author Thierry Meyssan￯﾿ﾽs thesis is complex.  He disputes such basic elements of the tragic day as to whether the planes that attacked the World Trade Center on September 11 were actually flown by associates of Osama bin Laden.

The official version, Meyssan contends, is ￯﾿ﾽa loony fable patched together by the White House and the Defense Department.￯﾿ﾽ  They mask, he believes, a conspiracy organized by elements inside the U.S. government who were planning a coup unless President Bush agreed to increase military spending and go to war against Afghanistan and Iraq to promote the conspirators' oil interests. In pursuit of these goals, his theory continues, blame was put on Osama bin Laden and later broadened to include Iraq and the "axis of evil.￯﾿ﾽ In his version, the planes involved in the World Trade Center disaster were directed from the ground by remote control. 

Meyssan￯﾿ﾽs argument is developed mainly by piecing together excerpts from speeches and articles by other journalists. He also relies heavily on visual evidence, citing such anomalies as a shortage of film footage, a lack of photos showing debris typical of an airplane crash, and the relatively small area of the Pentagon that was destroyed.The result is 9/11: The Big Lie -- a provocative re-interpretation of the events that occurred on the fateful day, September 11, 2001.

As a former student of theology as well as of political science, M. Meyssan brings to his work a sincere desire to provide an explanation of the tragedy in the context of his left-of-center philosophy.  His books are focused primarily on what he believes are serious inconsistencies between observations of the damage to the Pentagon and the official explanation of what happened there.  In 9/11: The Big Lie, he also discusses similar discrepancies surrounding the destruction of the World Trade Center towers.The evidence that supports the author￯﾿ﾽs arguments includes eyewitness accounts and commentary by a military authority on explosives.  However, most of the narrative consists of the author￯﾿ﾽs own analyses of the reports by politicians and journalists as well as of film footage of the sites.  Photos are included in both books.

According to the author, interest in these books in the U.S. is already very strong.  Speaking as head of a think tank called the Voltaire Network, he notes, ￯﾿ﾽTwo-thirds of the hits on our Web site come from the United States.￯﾿ﾽ For students of history and political science, as well as all concerned citizens, these are important books to be aware of.  While some may be offended by the author￯﾿ﾽs conclusions, his beliefs clearly hold an appeal for many outside the United States.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times