Area 51 by DustinPowell

Is Area 51 real? Located in Lincoln county, Nevada, within the Edwards Air Force Base, you will find the resting place of Area 51. Even though Area 51 is unseen on all U.S. government maps, we know it’s there. For years, people have wondered what goes on at this secret Air Force Base. Most Americans believe Area 51 was built to interact with Extraterrestrials. There are many conspiracies of UFO sightings and even an alleged crashed spaceship in 1947. Because of these strange claims, Area 51 remains a very popular unknown mystery still to this day. 

  

Bob Lazar is a former government scientist who publicly exposed Area 51 and claims he has worked on Extraterrestrial space-crafts. Some people believe Lazar was assigned by the government to spread lies about Area 51, and what really goes on there. Lazar is a unique individual, who has degrees from the “Massachusetts Institute of Technology and from the California Institute of Technology, along with a PhD in Physics” (“Bob Lazar”). Lazar worked as a reverse Engineer at S-4 a hidden hangar complex south of Groom Lake on the base of Area 51. Reverse Engineering is when you make a reproduction of something exactly the same as the original product. At “S-4 Lazar claims to have seen 9 space-crafts. He analyzed each craft and could not believe how advanced the technology was. Each Crafts main power source, known as element 115, does not naturally occur on earth” (1).

Lazar is a very strange character because he comes off as blunt. He seems to have no emotion when he talks about his work as if it is not exciting or interesting. Lazar also has a sense of humor sometimes. For example, in an interview Lazar says, “I don’t answer UFO emails anymore, so if anyone is thinking of emailing me, I don’t care if you were abducted; I am sorry to hear about it” (“Bob Lazar: The Man Behind Area 51”). Lazar does not get mad or act out when people claim his stories are fake. He thinks people should think whatever they want to believe.  Lazar says, “given the same information, I am not sure I would believe the story either. There is a lot I cannot prove; It is what I observed and what happened to me” (1).

Lazar is a stereotypical scientist not only due to his looks, but his thought process and his intelligence. His next level thinking and all of these traits combined make him the perfect stereotypical scientist. Living a secret life and hiding the truth from his own wife were internal conflicts Lazar had to deal with. External conflicts would be being ridiculed by the media and others for trying to explain his own experiences at Area 51. Because of Lazars conspiracies of Extraterrestrial space-crafts, Area 51 has become famous. People all over the United States want to know was Lazar telling the truth. Lazar’s actions were unwise and in a way rebellious. He went against his own job and put his own reputation at risk. Lazar could have not said anything, but because he was motivated to tell the truth, he went against everyone just to warn the American people about what really goes on at Area 51. Because of these brave actions, Lazar is telling the truth. Why would he go through all this trouble just to spread lies about Area 51?

        

          Area 51 is famous for being one of the biggest mysteries in U.S. History. The Government has kept Area 51 highly classified since it was built in the 1950’s. This small detachment of Edwards Air Force Base has made people wonder what is really going on there? What is the government trying to hide from us and why does Area 51 have to be top secret? One conspiracy most Americans believe is, Area 51 was built to interact with Extraterrestrials. Another conspiracy is Area 51 was built to cover up a crashed spaceship, in 1947 also known as the “Roswell Incident”. The polled question confirmed that 29 out of 30 people do believe the conspiracies about Area 51. This did not surprise me, I’m glad others are curious as well.

The Roswell Incident occurred, “one morning around Independence Day 1947, about 75 miles from the town of Roswell, New Mexico” (Roswell). A local rancher named Mac Brazel came across something unusual in his sheep pasture. Brazel found “a mess of metallic sticks held together with tape; chunks of plastic and foil reflectors; and scraps of a heavy, glossy, paper-like material” (1). Brazel could not identify the strange subjects and called the local police department. The local police contacted the nearby Roswell Air Force Base after having no luck identifying the strange objects either. Once the local soldiers arrived, they began searching Brazel’s field, gathering the strange objects and hauling them away in armored trucks. This caused the local newspapers to get involved. The story of a crashed UFO in Roswell became very popular and spread across the United States. On July 9th, an Air Force Official tried to end the newspapers claim by saying. “The alleged flying saucer was only a crashed weather balloon” (1). Even with this claim local news and people who were present at the crash site, did not believe it was just a crashed weather balloon.

After the Roswell Incident UFOS became a national phenomenon, people from all over started claiming to have seen UFOS. This caused the government to take action by creating Project Blue Book. With the number of UFO sightings reaching record highs, Project Blue Book became one of the longest living inquiries on UFOS, Blue Book solved “reports of more than 12,000 sightings, each of which was ultimately classified as identified” (History of UFOs). Because of agencies like Project Blue Book people began to think, Area 51 was built just to interact with Extraterrestrials. This conspiracy was caused after the statement of J. Allen. “J. Allen Hynek, an Astronomer at Northwestern University in Evanston, who had been involved with Project Blue Book, concluded that a small fraction of the most- reliable UFO reports gave definite indications for the presence of Extraterrestrial visitors” (1). This proves that the government has been covering up the Roswell Incident of 1947 and the existence of Extraterrestrials. 

Area 51 still to this day is one the biggest unsolved mysteries in U.S. history. The conspiracy of Area 51 interacting with Extraterrestrials, still remains classified and kept a secret by the government. Along with the cover up of the Roswell Incident of 1947, people still want to know exactly what the government is hiding. Something strange is going on at Area 51, but we are close to finding the truth.

 

Works Cited

“Bob Lazar.” Bob Lazar, JFI & Bob Lazar.com, 1990, www.boblazar.com/. Accessed 19 July, 2017.

 “Bob Lazar: The Man Behind Area 51.” LASVEGASNOW, LASVEGASNOW, 23 May 2005, www.lasvegasnow.com/news/bob-lazar-the-man-behind-area-51/80762763. Accessed 19 July, 2017.

"History of UFOs." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 26 July 2017.

 "Roswell." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 26 July 2017.

"What Goes on at Area 51?" History.com. A&E Television Networks, 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 July, 2017.

Who Killed John F. Kennedy? By: Emilee Wilson

Do you know what happened on November 22, 1963(“Conspiracy Theories”)? When some people hear, November 22, 1963, their hearts and minds go back to where they were or what they were doing when they heard the heart wrenching news. Many people would argue that John F. Kennedy was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald. Do we really know that, considering that Oswald was killed before he could be questioned? There are several conspiracy theories about John F Kennedy’s assassination and who was responsible. Let’s take a deeper look into these conspiracy theories. Many believe the government/CIA is responsible, some believe Oswald was involved but think there was possibly another shooter, or that a KGB secret agent is responsible.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (J.F.K), was the 35^th president of The United States of America, and to this day is one of the most loved and talked about presidents. JFK was the youngest to be elected and first Roman Catholic president, and gave off a radiance. His personality captured so many Americans hearts. Along with having a courageous military background including earning a medal for heroism during the time he served. Kennedy had eight siblings, and lost his older brother Joe Jr. Kennedy, during the war when his airplane was blown up by Germany (“John F. Kennedy”, 1). His brothers last words to him were that it was his duty to become the first Catholic President. When Kennedy left the navy he originally was going to be a journalist, but due to his brother’s impact, he abandoned that and ran for Congress in 1946 (1). JFK had made his way up the ladder and had a position in Senate by 1952 (1). He married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in 1953, and started his beautiful family with the births of Caroline and John Jr. between 1957 and 1960 (1).

Kennedy was not only loved for his idyllic reputation, but also for the things he accomplished while being president. He promoted the pursuit of progress also eliminating poverty, no matter what class you belonged to Kennedy had your heart. A famous quote from JFK is “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” (Cold Case: JFK). In the early 1960’s, in an effort to overthrow the Communist leader, Fidel Castro, Kennedy backed 1,400 CIA trained Cubans (“John F. Kennedy,1). This was known as the “Bay of Pigs”. The plan backfired and resulted in the Soviet Union, run by Khrushchev the communist leader, to install nuclear weapons on the Island of Cuba (1). This in turn worried Kennedy causing him to announce a Naval Blockade of Cuba. Even though, their stand-off lasted about two weeks, it led to Kennedy’s first foreign affairs victory when Khrushchev and Britain’s Prime Minister signed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1). During this time, the American people continued to praise in Kennedy just as much as they still do today. Two of Kennedy’s goals while being president were income tax cuts, and a Civil Rights Bill, even though he couldn’t achieve both of those, he did oversee the start of Peace Corps, which is still huge decades later (1). Later down the road, JFK’s numerous infidelities and personal associations with members of Organized Crime would change the way some of America would look at John F. Kennedy.

JFK was a very idolized man in America among men and women, but when rumors of his “womanizing” becomes public people start to wonder who JFK was? Robert Dallek describes Kennedy as a “compulsive womanizer”, and he believed it rooted from several personal/childhood issues (Kiger 1). Many believed it was a generational trait, or maybe was caused by his difficult relationship with his mother. JFK suffered from a rare endocrine disorder called Addison’s Disease, he once admitted that his “issues involving sex with multiple women was his way of easing his tensions” (Kiger 1). Many supposed affairs came out after his assassination, but we are going to look at just three. Marilyn Monroe is by far the most famous affair of the Kennedy affairs; she was the sex icon of this time. The assumptions of an affair started when Miss Monroe did a Sexy Happy Birthday Tribute at Madison Square Garden for JFK. Marilyn allegedly would not take no for an answer when Robert Kennedy told her that the affair needed to end, she had some insecurity issues of her own which could be the reason she clung to the affair (Kiger 1). Next, was a college intern for the White House, Mimi Alford. She released her affair on NBC, stating that JFK “deflowered” her in Jackie Kennedy’s bed. She claimed that after the first encounter, the lovers continued their affair both at the White House and when the president travelled. Even after returning to college, she would frequently visit Kennedy and was even there on the night before the Cuban missile crisis was resolved. (“He actually cared about me”). In 1975, Judith Exner’s affair came to light during an investigation of the “Bay of Pigs”, Exner claimed during her final encounter with JFK resulted in her becoming pregnant and later aborting the child. All of Kennedy’s alleged affairs still couldn’t change the minds of the American people as a whole, they still till this day believe he is the best president we have had (Pace,1).

The assassination of JFK has been a very conversional topic since 1963, and has rose several conspiracy theories.  When people say that they believe that the CIA was involved or made a cover up story, they are most of the time referring to John McCone, the director of the CIA at the time. He hid information from the Warren Commission when he was questioned in 1964.  McCone once said, “he intended to keep the commission focused on what the agency believed at the time was the best truth, that Lee Harvey Oswald for as yet determined motives, had acted alone in the killing of John Kennedy” (Shenon 1). There is a lot of information that was withheld from the Commission during the investigation, including that when JFK was meeting with the officials during the “Bay of Pigs”, that he was so “high on vitamin shots” given by Doctor Feel Good, Max Jacobson, that the CIA agents that were with him could not control him. Also, there was a trip to Mexico that Oswald made relatively close to when the assassination happened, which the CIA also knew about. David Robarge, CIA Historian, believes that the most important information withheld from the Commission was that, “in the plan to assassinate Castro it led to the CIA and Kennedy being in cahoots with the Mafia” (1). Since McCone didn’t tell anyone in the commission, they never even knew to ask the question of whether Oswald had accomplices in Cuba or elsewhere, or who wanted Kennedy dead in retaliation for the “Bay of Pigs”, in Cuba. Did McCone hide information regarding Cuba, and possibly a relationship with the alleged assassin?  Many believe he did, whether it’s because the CIA was trying to cover up an inside job or because they didn’t want secrets about Kennedy being involved with Organized Crime getting out. Either way, the CIA broke the law by withholding information.  When we sit down and think of all these reasons why the CIA may have been involved or created a cover up story about the assassination, you have to stop and think, but why would the CIA want to kill or cover up the killing of our most loved president?

            Only a few hours after the president was killed in front of thousands of people, the police had Lee Harvey Oswald in custody for the assassination of JFK. So many people immediately felt he was the one that had to of done it. The Warren Commission had a lot of essential evidence against Oswald, first off all the shooting came from the South East side of the Texas School Depository where Oswald was employed and on the clock that day. Oswald was seen carrying a unique rifle to work and was found on the Sixth floor of the depository right after the shooting. After the president’s body was analyzed, doctors stated that it was possible that a lone gunman could have caused the injuries that JFK had at the time of his death. Now, with all that being said, of course the public believed that Oswald was the killer, but when transporting Oswald to another location he was assassinated by a club owner named Jack Ruby (“Did Oswald Kill President Kennedy” 1). After Oswald was killed questions began to arise; if he was a lone gunman in the assassination why would someone want to keep him quiet? When the information about Kennedy’s head injuries surfaced, many people started to question how the kill shot would of came from the depository. The nature of his head wound would point towards it being caused by a soft- nose bullet, which was different from the metal jacketed bullets that they believed caused all the other injuries Kennedy and Connolly had (1). As all this new evidence began to unravel, the evidence against Oswald began to crumble. Some say there was no one on the sixth floor of the Depository; others say they saw Oswald empty handed while walking to work that morning (1). All the commission had to go on was the evidence that was found at the scene of the crime and the testimony of the distraught witnesses that were there during this jaw dropping tragedy. Many people still believe it was Oswald, but how do we prove that Oswald was the gunmen when the police never even got to question him fully before he was killed. You cannot convict someone of a murder before they go before a judge or jury.

            The Oswald theory would not hold up in court because of no actual statement from him, due to his death. There is some evidence that Oswald was possibly working with the KGB agents, and possibly was helping them build a plot to assassinate JFK.  As stated, Oswald was in Mexico relatively close to the assassination of JFK, and spent a significant amount of time in Russia. During the wake of Cuba, Khrushchev and JFK were able to come to a compromise that led to the world “calming down”. There was a group of KGB agents that did not want compromise, they wanted revenge. They believed that Khrushchev should have fired atomic weapons and were devastated when he caved to JFK’s proposal. This would of gave the KGB perfect motive to assassinate JFK. Robert Holmes, a former British diplomat, believes that a rogue element in the KGB is more plausible than the Mafia- CIA- Military theory (Tweedie 1). He states that it is possible that Oswald may have shot JFK, but he believes his motives were influenced by the KGB. On Oswald’s get away to Mexico, he was involved in a meeting with three senior diplomats; Holmes states there is no reason they would be meeting with him if he was a person of no importance (1). Oswald applied for his visa to come back to the U.S for the next four months, and after doing so the three stayed behind to talk to Oswald for up to two hours. Once again for this to happen he would have had to have some kind of importance (1). Holmes told a reporter, “Immediately after Oswald received his Visa, a classified telegram was sent to Moscow”, and later said that “you don’t do that for someone who walks in for a visa there was something special going on there” (1). Many other people believe the KGB theory or that Oswald could have even been replaced with a Russian KFB agent who looked just like him to assassinate Kennedy. When you sit down and think about all of this information about the KGB, you have to wonder how they would have known everything going on during an American Presidential speech. How would someone from another country have so much information about when and where and how the president would be on that fateful day?

            The assassination of JFK has always caught people’s attention because of everything that happened, and how he was killed in front of thousands of people, even with all the security that surrounded him on a consistent basis. It makes Americans wonder how one person could have constructed a plan to kill the President of the United States, especially with no inside knowledge.  When we sit down and think about Lee Oswald being a lone gunman, you have to argue that he couldn’t do it alone. In order for anyone to accomplish an assassination in front of thousands of people, they would have had to have some kind of timeline of when and where the president would be at any given moment. The conspiracy theory that seems most plausible after doing the research would be that Lee Harvey Oswald may have been the gunman, but he did not act alone. Seventy- Four years later, 52% of people surveyed at College of the Mainland believe that the CIA was involved in some way in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

        It has almost eighty years since the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and his murder still continues to baffle people. Since we were never able to close the case of who killed him, people continue to believe one of the several conspiracy theories created throughout the years.

1.      That the CIA was involved in the shooting/created a cover up story to protect themselves.

2.      That Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone gunman, and assonated Kennedy for unknown reasons.

3.      A KGB agent was sent to kill Kennedy in retaliation for “Bay of Pigs”.

Since this is still a cold case, it’s extremely possible that the new information will help investigators connect the pieces and finally give us an answer to who killed John F. Kennedy on November 22,1963. 

Works Cited

“Conspiracy Theories” Time, Time Inc.20       Nov.2008,content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1860871_1860876_1861003,00.html. Accessed 17 July 2017

Pace, Eric. “Judith Exner Is Dead at 65; Claimed Affair With Kennedy.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Sept. 1999, www.nytimes.com/1999/09/27/us/judith-exner-is-dead-at-65-claimed-affair-with-kennedy.html. Accessed 24 July 2017.

“Cold Case JFK.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/cold-case-jfk.html. Accessed 24 July 2017.

“John F. Kennedy.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy. Accessed 24 July 2017.

Kieger. National Geographic Channel, 23 Oct. 2013, channel.nationalgeographic.com/killing-kennedy/articles/the-sex-life-of-jfk/. Accessed 24 July 2017.

Shenon, Philip. “Yes, the CIA Director Was Part of the JFK Assassination Cover-Up.”POLITICO Magazine, 6 Oct. 2015, www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/jfk-assassination-john-mccone-warren-commission-cia-213197. Accessed 25 July 2017.

“Did Oswald Kill President Kennedy?” JFK Assassination: Basic Facts, 22november1963.org.uk/did-lee-harvey-oswald-kill-president-kennedy.

Tweedie, Neil. “The Assassination of President John F Kennedy: the Finger Points to the KGB.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 24 Oct. 2012, www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9628028/The-assassination-of-President-John-F-Kennedy-the-finger-points-to-the-KGB.html.

The King by Michael Thiel

August 16, 1977, 3:32pm – NEWS FLASH – Elvis Presley, the King of Rock & Roll, has died from an apparent heart attack. And so begins the years of innuendoes, rumors, and conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Elvis Presley. Was it his lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock & roll or was it the FBI staging his death in order to protect their high-profile Mob family informant. Comments made by Presley’s personal aides to the first responders of a possible drug overdose; plus, the fact that Elvis’ personal physician was the infamous Dr. Nichopoulos well known for freely dispensing copious amounts of narcotics, would certainly point to lifestyle choices (Williamson 1).  Yet, very quickly those closest to Elvis conspired to present an untarnished image of "The King" by taking elaborate steps to further the death by heart attack announcement. 

Character analysis

Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll”, was a “lady’s man”.  He was a good looking, charismatic, generous-to-a-fault, iconic movie star and singer, who could talk anyone, particularly women, into anything (Leafe).  As Elvis’ fame grew, he embarked on relationships with an endless parade of beauty queens and starlets – which his manager ruthlessly exploited for maximum press coverage. Ann-Margret, his co-star in the 1964 “Viva Las Vegas” movie, was one of those Hollywood starlets he wooed for more than a year, even while engaged to Priscilla.  In a Feb, 1994 interview with Joy Horowitz, reporter for the New York Times, Ann-Margret describes Elvis as “her mirror image”, and their relationship one that “would become a force we couldn’t control” (Horowitz). She speaks of “his wish was that we could stay together; how they talked all night; mourned President John F. Kennedy’s death together”; yet there was “no mention of whether or when their relationship was consummated; … never even mentions a kiss” (1).

The King didn’t let his marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967 interfere with his conquest of the ladies.  “Elvis loved 14 and 15-year-old girls, “reveals author Alanna Nash; “He was insecure about his sexual prowess and wanted virgins so they wouldn’t have anyone to compare him to as a lover.  Adult women scared him.  He wanted to mold them and mentor them, and they adored him.  He didn’t seem to worry that a fling with a child could land him in jail” (Sheridan).

Elvis Presley had a dark side, too: a drug addiction that began during his years in the Army. Red West was one of his closest friends stated: “I went to Germany with him after I got out of the Marine Corps. He was on guard duty on the Russian front, and if you went to sleep and got caught asleep, you’re in trouble. So this sergeant said, “Take these little things here. They’ll keep you up.” And, wow, man, it started feeling good and that’s how it began” (West). From that point on, Elvis started to take prescribed drugs on a regular basis. When he returned home, Elvis faced a punishing work schedule set up by his manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, Presley began to use "uppers" to get him going in the morning and "downers" to help him relax and sleep at night  (Fontenot). By the early Seventies, Elvis had come to rely on these pills as necessary equipment for his hectic career, especially since Parker's schedule now had him working like a dog: an average of one show every other day from 1969 until June 1977 and a three-album-a-year schedule for RCA (1).

Elvis Presley was an emotionally immature person, often attributed to his dysfunctional childhood and unnaturally close relationship with his mother.  Earl Greenwood, in his book The Boy Who Would Be King, details Elvis’ interview with a reporter from The Memphis Press Scimitar in which the reporter “poked fun at Elvis’ closeness to his mama.  She was the number-one girl in his life, and he was dedicating his career to her” (Greenwood 155).  Gladys and Elvis often communicated through baby talk, and had pet names for each other, long after a time that one would have considered to be normal behavior between mother and son.  Elaine Dundy says 'Impetuosity and impulsiveness played a large part in Gladys make up. She knew nothing of half measures, nor was there anything half-hearted or self-protective about her. Elvis would inherit from Gladys his unpredictable impulses. Presley even shared his mother’s bed up until Elvis was a young teen” (Dandy 71). Gladys’ smothering overprotectiveness” left Presley a man-boy who looked to others to take care of him until the day he died, he was insecure when it came to adult matters” (Leafe). Her death in 1958 would shatter him.  For months after he was inconsolable and depressed. Family and friends summed it up “He didn’t seem like Elvis ever again”. (Colonel Thomas Parker in a letter to his secretary, August 25, 1958) Elvis’ answer to his distress was to increase his drug use, throw himself into his career, and seek out a new even-younger girlfriend.

Conspiracy Theories

          Numerous conspiracy theories surround the death of Elvis Presley. Two that will be discussed here are:  (1) his death by heart attack as reported, repeatedly, through various media versus what may have actually occurred – death by drug overdose; and (2) his participation in an FBI operation to catch a con man heavily involved with the Mafia that may have resulted in the FBI “faking” Elvis’ death to assure protection for himself and his family.

        Drugs had long been a part of Elvis’ daily routine.  Three times each day, on a strictly adhered to schedule, one of Presley’s staff members would administer to him a combination of doctor-prescribed pills and/or shots comprised of Valium, Nembutal, Demerol, Quaalude, Dilaudid, Percodan, and Seconal (Dunleavy).  Elvis called this cocktail of drugs his “attacks” and demanded that he receive the drugs, at specific times in certain mixtures, every day (Dunleavy). In a 1981 trial in which he was charged with overprescribing drugs for Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and seven other patients, Dr. George Nichopoulos testified that Presley alone had been prescribed more than 5000 narcotic pills, capsules, and shots in the seven months prior to Elvis’ death (Sanderson et al.).  The very morning of his death, Elvis had sent one of his personal aides to Dr. “Nick” for an additional dose of barbiturates to get him fit to perform in Portland, Maine, the following day.  Shortly after receiving the shots, Elvis went in to his bedroom “to rest”.  His fiancé, Ginger Alden, a 20-year old Elvis had met through her sister, Terry, the reigning Miss Tennessee, became concerned that he hadn’t awakened and went in to check on him (Connelly).  She found him on the floor of his bathroom, slumped over, cold to the touch.  Thinking he had just fainted, she called for help from his aides.

            Joe Esposito, Elvis’ old Army buddy, was the first one in and immediately began to try to resuscitate him.  A staff member called for an ambulance, telling the dispatcher “someone at 3754 Elvis Presley Boulevard was having difficulty breathing” (Sheffield, Matthew, et al.). First Responders, Charles Crosby and Ulysses Jones, from Memphis Fire Station No. 29 were dispatched and recognized the address right away. When they arrived at Graceland they were met at the door by one of Elvis’ bodyguards who said: “We think he’s OD’d”; a statement that would be repeated several times while they were in the room with Elvis’ prostrate body (Sanderson et al.).  The paramedics found no discernible pulse and moved Elvis onto the stretcher to take him down to the ambulance and on to the hospital.  Having been told repeatedly of a possible overdose, Crosby and Jones asked for the bottles of all prescribed medications to take with them; yet, not one was ever produced (Williamson and Shaw). 

        Vernon, Elvis’ dad, and Dr. “Nick” met the ambulance at Baptist Memorial Hospital.  Within thirty minutes of arrival, Elvis was pronounced dead from “a heart attack” (Williamson and Shaw).   Vernon moved quickly to stop any hint of drug overdose rumors from spreading by insisting he be the one to announce Elvis’ death by heart attack.  An autopsy was ordered since Presley’s death had not been a doctor-attended death.  Once again, Vernon called on high-ranking hospital and county officials to continue the “death by heart attack” as cause of death.  Within a few days of the autopsy report being completed, Vernon received legal right to have the autopsy sealed until 2027 (1).  There have been many rumors and gossip-magazine reports of drug abuse/overdose as the rightful cause of Elvis’ death; but no official, certified record has been made public to this date to support that statement. The 50th-year anniversary of Elvis’ death may be the death of the “death-by-drug overdose” conspiracy theory that Vernon fought so diligently to squelch to protect his son’s reputation; or it may not be.  Regardless, Elvis fans have only ten more years to continue the debate.

The final theory to examine here is that the FBI staged Presley’s death to protect his undercover role as their high-profile Mob-family informant. Elvis had many reasons to fake his death; primarily, his own life was in danger due to a sting operation he had become involved in orchestrated by the FBI in 1976 (Moran 34). Vernon, Elvis’ father, needed to raise some extra cash because the private jet Elvis leased had become a major drain on their finances. While searching for new sources of revenue, Vernon discovered Fredrick Pro, the leader of a California based organization called the “Fraternity”.  Unknown to Vernon, the “Fraternity” was intertwined in many Mafia businesses and activities (James). Fredrick offered to show Vernon how to refinance the plane, sub-lease it to Fredrick, and gain an additional $10,000 a month income while continuing to use the plane. Vernon quickly complied with the agreement; only to watch as checks promised by Fredrick either weren’t received or were found to be “non-sufficient funds available” when finally arriving (1).  Naïve Vernon was slow to understand he had been scammed.  After incurring an additional $3,000,000 of debt rather than income, Vernon and Elvis finally contacted the FBI (1). 

         Fredrick was well known to the FBI as Alfredo Pro, president of the Trident Consortium in New York, and under investigation for racketeering, fraud and other Mafia-related interests (James). The FBI had been monitoring Pro and his other Mafia associates since the mid 1960's. The FBI assigned two of their best agents to undercover positions in Elvis's entourage in an attempt to infiltrate the mob activities (1). Vernon and Elvis were briefed on their roles in the ongoing investigation.  Excited, yet fearful of the consequences of working against the Mafia, there is much speculation that Elvis agreed to expose the crime ring in exchange for guaranteed future protection for himself. 

In addition, Elvis was a prisoner of his own fame. He had other reasons to leave his life behind. Because of his incredible popularity, he and his family had been the recipients of several death threats, a fact that constantly concerned him for the safety of his wife and daughter, almost to the point of paranoia.  Critics of Elvis’ music and lifestyle believed he was nearing the end of his career due to his obesity, graying hair, and intermittent memory loss several times while performing onstage (Unterberger). Always vain about his appearance and obsessed with perfection in his performances, some closest to him feared these frightening changes spelled disaster in his future.

A recent survey of twenty five people conducted on the campus of College of the Mainland in Texas City, Texas, revealed 56% of those polled, believe Elvis did not fake his death, and is buried at Graceland near his mother. Countless reporters, thousands of fans, and merely curious onlookers lined Elvis Presley Boulevard in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Elvis’ casket as Presley’s funeral procession made its way through the gates of Graceland to his final resting place. The stalwart eleven, convinced that he did fake his death, wait patiently for the “King’s” Ultimate Comeback Performance.

Conclusion

On August 16, 1977, 3:32pm, Elvis Presley was pronounced dead by the doctors at Baptist Memorial Hospital. The death of the forty-two year old “King of Rock & Roll” Elvis Presley gives rise to two conspiracy theories: Was it his lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock & roll or was it the FBI staging his death in order to protect their high-profile Mob family informant? Even today, almost forty years after his death, there is still doubt in the minds of fans, family, and friends as to the actual cause of the King’s death, and if it is actually his body that lies in the grave under the headstone inscribed “Elvis Aron Presley”. Perhaps the unsealing of Presley’s death certificate in 2027 will lay to rest all those doubts and unanswered questions.

 Works Cited:

Connelly, Sherryl. “Elvis Presley’s Fiancée Ginger Alden Details the King’s Bad Temper, Secluded Life in New Memoir.” NY Daily News, 16 Aug. 2014, 10:49 PM, www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/elvis-presley-fiancee-ginger-alden-details-king-bad-temper-secluded-life-new-memoir-article-1.1906104.

Dundy, Elaine. Elvis and Gladys. Jackson, University Press of Mississippi, 2004. Page 71

Dunleavy, Steve. Elvis, What Happened? Ballantine Books, 1977.

Fontenot, Robert. “What Was Elvis Presley's Relationship with Drugs?” ThoughtCo, 28 Feb. 2017, www.thoughtco.com/elvis-presleys-relationship-with-drugs-2522425. Accessed 24 July 2017.

Greenwood, Earl, and Kathleen Tracy. The Boy Who Would Be King. New York, Dutton, 1990. Page 155

Horowitz, Joy. “AT HOME WITH: Ann-Margret; The Lady in Pink Remembers Elvis.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Feb. 1994, www.nytimes.com/1994/02/03/garden/at-home-with-ann-margret-the-lady-in-pink-remembers-elvis.html?pagewanted=1. Accessed 25 July 2017.

James, Preston. “Death of Elvis Faked?” Veterans Today, 5 Dec. 2013, www.veteranstoday.com/2013/12/05/death-of-elvis-faked/.

Leafe, David. “The King's Troubling Obsession: Elvis Could Have Any Woman. So Why Was He Only Able to Form Relationships with Virginal Girls?” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 29 Mar. 2010, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1261082/The-Kings-troubling-obsession-Elvis-woman-So-able-form-relationships-virginal-girls.html. Accessed 24 July 2017.

Moran, Mickey. “The Elvis Conspiracy Encyclopedia.” The Presley Assignment, 2000, www.thepresleyassignment.com/.

Sanderson, Jane, et al. “Cover Story: How Did Elvis Die? – Vol. 13 No. 4.” PEOPLE.com, Time Inc, 28 Jan. 1980, people.com/archive/cover-story-how-did-elvis-die-vol-13-no-4/.

Sheffield, Matthew, et al. “The Elvis Presley Coverup: What America Didn’t Hear about the Death of the King.” Saloncom RSS, 16 Nov. 2014, 9:59 AM, www.salon.com/2014/11/16/the_elvis_presley_coverup_what_america_didnt_hear_about_the_death_of_the_king/.

Sheridan, Peter. “Elvis and His Girls.” Express.co.uk, 2 Apr. 2010, www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/166926/Elvis-and-his-girls. Accessed 24 July 2017.

Unterberger, Richie. “Elvis Presley | Biography & History.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/elvis-presley-mn0000180228/biography.

West, Red. “Elvis Presley.” Unsolved Mysteries, unsolved.com/gallery/elvis-presley/. Accessed 24 July 2017.

Williamson, Joel, and Donald Lewis Shaw. Elvis Presley a Southern Life. Oxford Univ. Press, 2015.

Williamson, Joel. “The Elvis Presley Coverup: What America Didn’t Hear about the Death of the King.” Salon, 16 Nov. 2014, 9:59pm, www.salon.com/2014/11/16/the_elvis_presley_coverup_what_america_didnt_hear_about_the_death_of_the_king/. Accessed 18 July 2017.

Alex Jones and the FEMA Conspiracies. By: Sumher Vela

FEMA Camps are known as, Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA is an organization that the government set up to help and protect the citizens. FEMA Camps are located throughout the United States. In the article the author wrote, “FEMA’s 911 Concentration Camps”, he stated, “What can FEMA do? FEMA can suspend laws, make you move from your area of living, they can arrest you and detain you without a warrant” (“FEMA's 911 Concentration Camps.”). FEMA can even suspend the Constitution for the United States. Granted FEMA is supposed to help us in a time in need, but why do they have all this power? Let’s figure out what FEMA conspiracy is really about by looking into the camp sites, investigating the Wal-Mart closures for FEMA, and what the FEMA coffins are all about.

Alex Jones is an entertainer, and he entertains based on conspiracy theories. He is considered an entertainer because of how fast his popularity is growing by the minute. According to, “Five Fun Factoids”, “The show draws 2 million listeners per week!” (Bercovici 1). In the article it also states that, “His other sites, attract a monthly unique audience of 4 million. Jones YouTube channel has 350,000 subscribers, which has received more than 260 million views” (1). He has millions of views daily; reason being because people have wondering minds, and he could bring your wondering mind to a stop. Also, Alex Jones has millions of people call him on live T.V. and speak how they feel, and nine times out of ten he believes what they are speaking on. You cannot possibly believe every call that comes in, but he does because if not that is one less view and one less dollar.

Alex Jones is a greedy person. He sends out false messages for more views and more money. Although, some people believe he overreacts and is fake! He shows us concerning issues of what is going on in the world: “Jones was taking in revenues of about $1.5 million per year in 2010, and enable him to buy an $800,000 house and 7,600 square foot studio!” (Bercovici 1). We as a society are making him rich.

  “Alex Jones is not stable”, exclaims the article by Bercovici (Bercovici 1). We as a nation are promoting a man who is not stable, who does not even believe the own things coming out of his mouth. For example, “Jones doesn’t live in reality which risk validating him, disseminating his bullshit”, indicated, “NBC’S Megyn Kelly’s” (Belluz 1). People like us are entertaining his conspiracies, and he is not even sure if he really believes. He contradicts what he is saying, and only talks about things that have already come up. How can you contradict what you’re saying, and expect everyone to follow you, and believe your opinion? According to, “Who Is Alex Jones?”, Quigley stated, “Comments from Jones’s own defense team questions whether he actually believes the conspiracies he is peddling” (Quigley 1). He is making millions of dollars off people like us who are gullible. In many conspiracies, he just has information and or pictures that the public already knows about: “Alex Jones has spent years trying to convince people” about his conspiracies (Belluz 1).  He likes to change the view points on what you could see; rather than what the news has already come out with.

Alex Jones “Has never met a conspiracy theory he didn’t like” (Quigley 1).  He seems to strongly believe in every conspiracy he is doing, but why would not he when we are making him rich! Of course, there is not a conspiracy he did not like because that is what is paying his bills. “Some of his theories are patently unfalsifiable—any proof of their falsity is just part of a cover-up – but some aren’t” expressed Bercovici (Bercovici 1). Some of his conspiracies are false. How is it that a man who just makes things up is so famous, rich, and a popular trend? In the article, “NBC’S Megyn Kelly’s”, Belluz stated, “Jones has a history of spreading dangerous misinformation” (Belluz 1). “His lies have also had real consequences”, exclaimed, “NBC’S Megyn Kelly’s” (1). Even though his information entertains us, he is spreading false news all over the place, which gets people in a disarray.

The poll question of who believed FEMA was out to get us was not as expected. The results were 14 yes, and 11 no answers, which became shocking. Doesn’t everyone know about the FEMA conspiracies? When studying the research about the FEMA camp conspiracies, there shows that there are multiple different conspiracies.

            The first conspiracy is the outlet mall set up. Looking at the architecture of how the outlet malls are set up, you can see that they look similar to the Nazi camp towers. The author stated, “Architecture has changes on commercial, and public buildings” (Hodges 1). We have changed the way malls are being built. They are placing guard towers in the corners of each mall, which is similar to the building structure of Nazi guard towers. Hodges stated, “Guard tower buildings are being added to newer malls, and schools; which even has architects concerned as well” (1). If they had a purpose, it would be understandable. Hodges explained, “There is no justification for addition of guard towers on malls and no legitimate purpose: they are costly to build, and serve no purpose in relation to the structure it is attached to” (1). So, why build them? They are expensive, and serve no reason.

Also, Hodges explained, “These unusual guard towers are FEMA camp facilities, and Americans should be concerned” (Hodges 1). FEMA has plans for us that no one is fully aware of at the moment. Hodges told us, “I attended many pre-planning and construction meeting, I discovered that representatives of the “clients” wanted the guard tower structures even though there was never a legitimate explanation offered” (1). When Hodges asked why, he was told to, “Drop the subject” (1). Why would someone tell him to drop the subject when he questioned it? Maybe there is a bigger reason behind the cause. Hodges also stated, “The biggest owner in the North America malls made a deal with the DHS to house people during an emergency at the mall” (1). We are housing people in malls for emergency purposes. Malls that have guard towers to look out of and essentially watch us. When Hodges questioned that he was, “Firmly told to drop the subject” (1). What is it that these people are hiding from us? Why will they not answer simple questions that we all have. There has to be more details about these guard towers than they are leading on to us.

The second conspiracy is the random Wal-Mart closures due to plumbing problems. This conspiracy is the most logical, and this is why. Hodges stated, “The Wal-Mart in the Midland is not normal, and doesn’t look like it is in the best interests for the people who live in the country, and there is work going on 24/7 in the building” (Hodges 1). This Wal-Mart is closed yet there are people working inside it all day, and night. Not to mention they cannot, “Take any personal items in the Wal- Mart for “security” reasons” (1). There has to be something that they do not want the general public knowing about. They have to be hiding something! Hodges’ article states, “In each corner of the Wal-Mart they are constructing four guard tower” (1). Remember as stated before the Nazi camp sites have guard towers! FEMA is inside of these Wal-Mart’s. What is FEMA doing inside the Wal-Mart’s that are eventually supposed to re-open after the plumbing issues? Hodges exclaimed, “All the display counters, and shelves from the Midland Walmart have been taken out of the store; and in the middle of the store you can see mini platforms that look like bunk beds if you place a mattress on them have now been installed” (1). After closing the Wal-Mart, they want to install new items and towers inside, but for what is the question that remains unanswered.

However, Hodges stated, “There is a vehicle parked outside the Wal-Mart and on the tailgate it reads “Central Defense” (Hodges 1). After doing more research of what the Central Defense is this is what came up. The Central Defense Security, “Has provided over 100 securities for different companies, including the government… None of the companies they have worked for are on their website, which doesn’t show much validity for their services” (1). They admit working for the government, but if you go searching on other security sites you will see who they have helped for validation. Central Defense has nothing, but the government website raising many red flags! Hodges has, “Reached out by phone calls to Central Defense corporations headquarters about the Midland Wal-Mart; and what their nature is regarding their work there, but their phone call went unreturned” (1). With no return email or call, it is impossible to determine the Central Defense Security’s plans.

            The third and final conspiracy is the FEMA coffins located all over the world. Kathryn Purcell stated, “Sources have started to link the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to the rows and rows of black, plastic coffins, currently being stored outside in many fields” (Purcell 1). Many people do not believe that these are coffins. But, indeed, they are, “These are cheap coffins, hundreds of them, about half a million of them” (1). Why do we have millions of coffins on our hands that are cheap, at that? Well, according to Purcell, “These Standard Air Seal coffins in black, are the least expensive model and the most in demand, in order to cater to the funeral industry” (1). Funeral industry, least expensive, half a million of them… hate to say it but, “Usually you would not buy half a million coffins just in case something happens, you buy them when you know something is going to happen” (1). There is something the government does not want anyone to know is going on. These coffins are, “Tightly sealed containers” (1). Having half a million of these tightly sealed coffins yet no one knows what they are used for just doesn’t make any sense. Yes, these coffins have been around since around 2008, and they haven’t been used yet, but why would they have them unless they plan on using them sometime? These coffins are going to be used as “evil uses” (1). The coffins being used in an evil way could only mean they are for the human society. Humans are the only species in the world who get proper burial sites and services - just think about that!

            FEMA has been around for years, along with all the conspiracies that follow. Some of these concerning conspiracies are the camp sites set ups, the random Wal-Mart closures, and the FEMA coffins. Although no one will ever know what FEMA’s plans are, it is evident that the Wal-Mart closures are very suspicious.

Works Cited

Belluz, Julia. “NBC's Megyn Kelly's Interview Wih Alex Jones Is Shaping up to Be a Disaster.” NBC'S Megyn Kelly's Interview with Alex Jones Is Shaping up to Be a Disaster, 13 June 2017, www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/6/12/15782342/megyn-kelly-alex-jones-interview-nbc-saturday-night. Accessed 20 July 2017.

Bercovici, Jeff. “Who Is Alex Jones, Anyways? Five Fun Factoids.” Who Is Alex Jones, Anyways? Five Fun Factoids, 9 Jan. 2013, www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2013/01/09/who-is-alex-jones-anyway-five-fun-factoids/#ca683e1c3d97. Accessed 20 July 2017.

“FEMA's 911 Concentration Camps.” FEMA Concentration and Internment Camps, 26 Sept. 2016,www.freedomfiles.org/war/fema.htm. Accessed 17 July 2017.

Hodges, Dave. “Architects Confirm Shopping Malls Will Become FEMA Camps.” Dave Hodges The Common Sense Show Freeing America One Enslaved Mind At A Time, The Common Sense Show, 14 Aug. 2015, www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2015/08/14/architects-confirm-shopping-malls-will-become-fema-camps/. Accessed 27 July 2017.

Hodges, Dave. “Evidence Suggesting That Closed Walmarts Are Staging Centers for FEMA Camps.” Dave Hodges The Common Sense Show Freeing America One Enslaved Mind At A Time, The Common Sense Show, 2 June 2015, www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2015/06/02/evidence-suggesting-that-walmarts-are-staging-centers-for-fema-camps/. Accessed 27 July 2017.

Purcell, Kathryn. “Theories Surface around Vaults Stored in Madison.” Debunked: FEMA Coffins, Waindigo Ltd. , 11 Aug. 2008, www.metabunk.org/debunked-fema-coffins-plastic-grave-liners.t904/.

Quigley, Aidan. “Who Is Alex Jones? His Top Five Conspiracy Theories Ahead of NBC'S Megyn Kelly Interview.” Who Is Alex Jones? His Top Five Conspiracy Theories Ahead of NBC'S Megyn Kelly Interview, 16 June 2017, www.newsweek.com/who-alex-jones-his-top-five-conspiracy-theories-ahead-nbc-megyn-kelly-626633. Accessed 20 July 2017.