President’s Book of Secrets – Conspiracy Theory
This theory was used in the film National Treasure 2: President Book of Secrets, and claims that the Presidents of the United States have passed down a book from Washington to Obama, in which some or all have added facts and histories earth-shattering in scope and implications, and that this books location is only known to the President, and the National Librarian of Congress. Thus, if the President is assassinated, the Librarian informs the next President of the book. After each President leaves office, the location is changed.
This book is rumored to contain the truth about the alien landings at Roswell, NM and Rendlesham Air Base, UK, and many other UFO events; the truth about the JFK and RFK assassinations; the location of the Holy Grail (tying in with the Fort Knox conspiracy theory); the fates of various high-ranking Nazis following WWII (and the facts concerning the U. S. governments assistance of them); even the identity of the Antichrist. Assuming there is a book, and assuming it identifies the Antichrist, we are led to wonder if he and the President are on the same side, are one and the same, or whether the President fears for Earths immediate future. Even more insidious, in terms of realism, is the claim that the book told of the attacks of September 11, 2001 before they took place, and also tells of the imminent coup detat of Russia, followed by a Russo-North Korean invasion of South Korea, initiating WWIII.
This weekend President Obama got a little down time with his family in Maine, he also took the time to bring some interesting reading material. Supposedly, according to White House officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, the president removed from a secret compartment inside a White House Abraham Lincoln statute the rumored “President’s Book of Secrets.” Many historians and conspiracy theorists would be surprised to find out that the secret book featured in the movie “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” actually does exist. The top ten secrets believed to be in the book are listed below:
1. The Lincoln Memorial is really made out of solid gold painted white. Should the deficit hit $400 trillion dollars then it will be melted down to pay off debts.
2. Should the Supreme Court even become deadlocked, perhaps by a 4-4 vote with one justice abstaining, then the President can take down the Great Seal of the White House, which is four feet in diameter, and flip it while the vice president calls heads or tails to decide the case.
3. The missing 8 minutes on the Watergate tapes reveals then President Nixon talking about what to do with aliens being held at a secret military base in Iowa.
4. The book also describes a secret deal between the United States and Canada where participants in the witness protection program, and a certain celebrities gone bad such as Lindsay Lohan, can live anonymously in Quebec as long as a promise to speak French.
5. Hidden inside the Hoover Dam is the nation’s secret stockpile of Spam, which is stored at -236 degrees, which would be used only in the event of World War 3.
6. Secret documents show that for the past two decades, British royalty such as Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth’s have been held in secret at Gitmo while clones of them perform their official duties.
7. Photographs of a mysterious device discovered on the Moon during the 1970s Apollo program has been reanalyzed lately, and scientists are shocked to discover that it appears to be a fourth generation iPhone.
8. A summary of underwater video footage taken by a navy submarine of the BP oil leak reveals that the bottom of the ocean is inhabited by “Mer-people” and King Triton. Apparently, they worship oil rigs floating in the Gulf of Mexico, and believe that the oil leak is a sign that one of their gods has become hurt.
9. White House documents are also stored in the book which reveal that due to Bill Clinton’s drinking habit, Hillary Clinton had to serve as the De Facto President of the United States for a total of 102 days during his two terms in office.
10. The book of secrets also reveals that, contrary to popular opinion, America does have a royal family which secretly influence is politics behind the scenes. Furthermore, should Congress or the White House has ever come to a constitutional impasse the American monarchy, either through the king or queen, could take control of the country. Currently, it is rumored that the monarch in exile is the comedian Julia Louise Dreyfus, who starred as “Elaine” on Seinfeld.
In 1865 after the Civil War, Thomas Gates and his son Charles Carroll Gates are approached by John Wilkes Booth and Michael O’Laughlen, both of them Knights of the Golden Circle. They ask Thomas, a skilled puzzle-solver, to decode a playfair cipher written in Booth’s diary. O’Laughlen stays with Thomas as Booth leaves to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Just as Thomas discovers the message is a map to Cíbola, the fabled City of Gold, pandemonium arises in the streets from the President’s assassination. Thomas realizes that Booth and O’Laughlen are still loyal to the South, tears the pages from the diary, and tosses them into a fire before O’Laughlen can shoot him. O’Laughlen only manages to save a partial page from the fireplace before escaping, while Thomas’ dying words to Charles are “the debt that all men pay”.
The film then shifts to modern day (140 years later), where Benjamin Gates, Thomas’s great-great-grandson, is retelling Thomas’ story at a Civilian Heroes conference. He and his father Patrick Gates are publicly accosted by Mitch Wilkinson, a black market dealer who has come into possession of the diary page, which appears to link Thomas to Booth and Lincoln’s assassination. Ben determines to solve the puzzle on the page to restore Thomas’ legacy.
Special Agent Sadusky of the FBI finds it suspicious that a black market dealer like Mitch would suddenly come forward with a rare Civil War artifact. Bens technology-savvy friend Riley Poole just had his Ferrari impounded when he was giving out his government conspiracy books then later meet up with Ben.
Ben and Riley discover the cipher on the diary page that says Laboulaye Lady, which points to a hidden inscription on the scale model of the Statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes in Paris, thanks to Thomas’ last words. The inscription points to the two Resolute desks, one of which is in the Queen’s chambers in Buckingham Palace, the other in the Oval Office of the White House. Ben is unaware that Mitch is following in his footsteps, using a clone of Patrick’s cell phone to intercept messages. In London, Ben discovers that Patrick has sent Ben’s ex-girlfriend Abigail Chase to help. They are able to sneak into the Queen’s quarters and find that the Resolute desk acts as a puzzle box, revealing a hidden compartment with a centuries-old plank of wood with indecipherable hieroglyphics on it. Ben then manages to photograph it before Mitch and his men steal it after a car chase through London. Patrick indicates the plank leads to Cíbola, the City of Gold.
History says that in 1527 explorers came to the New World to search for Cíbola after its first discovery, but never could find it. Ben convinces Patrick to help them arrange a meeting with Dr Emily Appleton, Ben’s mother and Patrick’s ex-wife. Emily is able to translate part of the plank but states that the message is incomplete. Abigail uses her current boyfriend Conner, a member of the White House staff, to allow Ben to sneak into the Oval Office, but Ben finds the Resolute desk compartment empty, save for a symbol (an eagle with a scroll) representing the supposed “Book of Secrets”. Riley asserts that the Book is real, having himself just written a book on its existence, and claims that it contains the truth behind many conspiracy theories such as the missing 18½ minutes of the Watergate tapes, Area 51 coup d’état, Apollo program, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. However, traditionally the only person to know the whereabouts of the Book of Secrets is the current President himself, since it’s for Presidents’ eyes only.
Ben and his team manipulate events to assure that the President’s birthday celebration occur at Mount Vernon, allowing Ben to sneak in and lure the President alone to a set of disused tunnels. Ben then blocks off the entrance, trapping the President alone with him so that they can talk about the Book of Secrets. Though the President warns Ben that he will be charged with kidnapping the President, he is sympathetic to Ben’s cause and provides him with the Book’s location at the Library of Congress. Ben, Abigail, and Riley locate the Book as the FBI, including Sadusky, surround the building. In the Book they find that President Calvin Coolidge had found the other half of the plank in 1924 and destroyed it, after taking a photo (which is still in the Book). He also ordered Gutzon Borglum to carve Mount Rushmore into a hill to erase the landmark indicated on the plank, in order to protect Cíbola. As Ben and his team elude the FBI, he sends an image of the plank to Patrick to give to Emily to decode, unaware that Mitch has intercepted this and is waiting for Patrick. Emily is forced to lie to Patrick about the inscription’s meaning, but is able to give him a non-verbal cue of this falsehood.
Ben, Patrick, Abigail and Riley arrive at Mount Rushmore, prepared to deal with Mitch, but find that Mitch has brought Emily along, using her as a hostage to ensure Ben follows the final clues on an old letter sent from Queen Victoria to Confederate general Albert Pike. Ben is able to find the secret entrance, and the group avoids several traps before arriving at the underground site of Cíbola, the City of Gold. As they explore, they accidentally cause the cave to flood with water from a lake above. The only means of escape is through a drainage door that must be held open on one side to allow the rest to escape and closed afterwards, trapping the one controlling the door. Mitch initially forces Ben to sacrifice himself, but after a surge of water, Mitch finds himself holding the door open. He apologizes to Ben for doubting his family, and requests that part of this discovery be in his name. Ben and the others escape safely.
Ben and his friends are met by Sadusky and taken to a nearby military base. Ben is cleared of kidnapping by the President himself, who claims that Ben rescued him after the tunnel closed accidentally. Sometime later, Cíbola’s discovery is announced, with Ben, his team, and Mitch given credit for its discovery. Thomas Gates’ name is cleared and he is called a hero of the Civil War. Patrick and Emily, happily working together, eagerly take to the task of analyzing Cíbola once it is drained of water. Ben and Abigail rekindle their broken relationship at Mount Rushmore, while Riley is given his Ferrari back by the President, “tax free”. The only mystery remaining is what the President asks Ben to decipher on Page 47 in the closing scene.
