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Strange Tales of the Parapolitical: Postwar Nazis, Mercenaries, and Other Secret History
Strange Tales of the Parapolitical is a terrifying journey into the black heart of the national security state and beyond. S. William Snider of the famed VISUP parapolitical blog, and Frank Zero (one-half of ZeroKnight and co-author of CONTACT: Them or Us), the co-hosts of cult hit www.TheFarmPodcast.com, team up once again to bring you this series of essays. Readers will learn how one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the United States has molded both the counterculture and the Christian right for decades. The will discover the most infamous Nazi colony in South America, to say nothing of the arch criminal who ran it. Track the secret history of private military industry and its shocking connection to the Trump presidency. The terrifying implications of the RFID chip round out this volume. Drawing equal inspiration from synchromysticism and the scholarly political research of Peter Dale Scott and Jeffrey Bale, Snider and Zero deliver a surreal and haunting road-map of how we collectively arrived in a Trump era, and where we might go from here.
392 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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February 13, 2025Basically a summary of a great wealth of solid and well-researched para- or deep politics writings, weaving together information about the postwar Fascist International, CIA Cold War strategies, and the modern consequences in the form of private military companies and the triumph of the neoliberal world order… unfortunately, it is so riddled with typos and poor writing that it’s hard to recommend as a kind of introductory source to the “real” conspiracies behind modern politics, despite it having the potential to be that. The book is self published but boasts a separate credit for an editor, which makes its final form all the more cringeworthy. Riddled with typos and first-draft level writing. An incessant feature is the author’s desire to make an acronym out of everything for the sake of convenience, for example GWOT for the global war on terror and CBW for chemical and biological weapons, making it all the more difficult to keep track of the endless useful acronyms, like those of the tons of military intelligence agencies referenced throughout. The last two chapters are missing their footnote marks entirely— the footnotes are there in the back, they’re just not marked in the actual chapters lol.
Still, it’s a good wealth of knowledge if you can look past all these surface-level issues (that do admittedly call into question the legitimacy of the author— however, the VISUP blog is meticulously researched and the author very well-read if not the best articulator of that knowledge).
Still, it’s a good wealth of knowledge if you can look past all these surface-level issues (that do admittedly call into question the legitimacy of the author— however, the VISUP blog is meticulously researched and the author very well-read if not the best articulator of that knowledge).
June 13, 2020
Fascinating collection of essays, my one criticism being it really needs a proof reader.
March 8, 2021
A good overview of elite fascist initiatives like Colonia Dignidad, the Brabant Killings, the cadres of la guerre revolutionnaire, and the competing interests of private armies and security forces.
March 1, 2026
Excellent overview of very strange, as author mentions, trauma-inducing politics with the goal of keeping people on the edge, and with time desensitized, but kept under control through oppression (overt or covert) through horrendous activities executed either abroad or even within the state itself.
It is very disturbing to read about, for all means and purposes, live experiments in third world countries that slowly started to move towards the core states. Inclusion of various and always present people and movements, acting under various acronyms (Gladio, Bloodstone - latter one was interesting especially considering the role of Skorzeny and SS in Ukraine) but always with very same goal- internal strife (I had to laugh out loud at "spontaneous" march-of-empty-pots organized in Chile before Pinochet came to power), crisis and bringing to power ever more harder and militarized/security-oriented government. Same thing, repeating over and over again. And in the background rise of very disturbing philosophies, ways of life and control (Chilean Colony is stuff of nightmares) and element with intention to divert peoples attention from main events (UFO movement and who started it - oh my).
To make things worse, neither political alignment (traditionally left and right) is immune - same powerhouses work on both and use them to create oppositions and tension (those chapters on counter-culture and drugs ...... it was "spontaneous" as everything else). Final chapter is on privatization of security forces - intelligence and action oriented - through various mergers of radical elements from all sides (Skorzeny's Paladin Group but also cynically incorporated Aginter Press), evolving intto corporations covering all angles from the shadows (EO's parent company and its role was a revelation to me, showing that even this, pretty core and [at first sight] not politicized force also acted for hidden goals and served hidden agenda).
Unholy marriage of social sciences and technology that started in early 20th century and then evolved through sickening chemical and social engineering during the 20th century is now giving birth to total dystopian future of what just might be called constant war, machine run by few using the majority as firewood.
Only downside to this book is editing. Missing letters, parts of the sentences, can be disconcerting and it is more than obvious that effect would be much better with the better editing in place, thereforeone star down. But even with this I did not have issues reading the book.
I once laughed at things like these described in this book, but after reading more detailed histories and with life experience, I will never ever laugh at anyone who has, what might to majority seem to be, strange ideas about the world. If last 7 years have proven anything, then it is that whatever is called conspiracy-theory in pejorative way, is nothing more than spoiler warning for events in next 6 months to a year. Horror.
Highly recommended.
It is very disturbing to read about, for all means and purposes, live experiments in third world countries that slowly started to move towards the core states. Inclusion of various and always present people and movements, acting under various acronyms (Gladio, Bloodstone - latter one was interesting especially considering the role of Skorzeny and SS in Ukraine) but always with very same goal- internal strife (I had to laugh out loud at "spontaneous" march-of-empty-pots organized in Chile before Pinochet came to power), crisis and bringing to power ever more harder and militarized/security-oriented government. Same thing, repeating over and over again. And in the background rise of very disturbing philosophies, ways of life and control (Chilean Colony is stuff of nightmares) and element with intention to divert peoples attention from main events (UFO movement and who started it - oh my).
To make things worse, neither political alignment (traditionally left and right) is immune - same powerhouses work on both and use them to create oppositions and tension (those chapters on counter-culture and drugs ...... it was "spontaneous" as everything else). Final chapter is on privatization of security forces - intelligence and action oriented - through various mergers of radical elements from all sides (Skorzeny's Paladin Group but also cynically incorporated Aginter Press), evolving intto corporations covering all angles from the shadows (EO's parent company and its role was a revelation to me, showing that even this, pretty core and [at first sight] not politicized force also acted for hidden goals and served hidden agenda).
Unholy marriage of social sciences and technology that started in early 20th century and then evolved through sickening chemical and social engineering during the 20th century is now giving birth to total dystopian future of what just might be called constant war, machine run by few using the majority as firewood.
Only downside to this book is editing. Missing letters, parts of the sentences, can be disconcerting and it is more than obvious that effect would be much better with the better editing in place, thereforeone star down. But even with this I did not have issues reading the book.
I once laughed at things like these described in this book, but after reading more detailed histories and with life experience, I will never ever laugh at anyone who has, what might to majority seem to be, strange ideas about the world. If last 7 years have proven anything, then it is that whatever is called conspiracy-theory in pejorative way, is nothing more than spoiler warning for events in next 6 months to a year. Horror.
Highly recommended.
July 8, 2021
This book really needs an editor. So many misspellings (are they talking about Nasser when they write Nasir, do they mean Colombia when they write Columbia) which make a supercomplex history even harder to understand. Hopefully they'll release a new edition with the mistakes corrected because the research and content is otherwise great and meaningfully complicates the narrative of the CIA as sole originator of all the evils committed by the Western neo-colonial powers
July 20, 2021
The printing job and editing was pretty poor, a few chapters with missing endnotes, lots of typos, and a rougher draft feel.
However, it was dope and Snider always brings the goods. This book would do well with a second edition to fix the many problems with the book itself, and to touch up on some of the theses and information.
Fun and informative read.
However, it was dope and Snider always brings the goods. This book would do well with a second edition to fix the many problems with the book itself, and to touch up on some of the theses and information.
Fun and informative read.
September 16, 2022
A wealth of interesting information and tons of great sources. But it can be a little dry and at times scattered. The coincidences and connections can get overwhelming and the point gets lost. And they absolutely need a better editor. I'm not the best grammarian/speller and I was picking out stuff every couple of pages. Overall a solid read so I'm hoping their next effort is more polished.
January 26, 2021
Some interesting stuff, lots of loose connections, but I’ll bite for at least entertainment. An editor would have been a great assistance, and if small spelling/grammar errors bother you, this one won’t be for you.
November 23, 2024
Poorly written, like a fourth grade book report. I did like some of the content, there were some fun details and conspiracies, but they were overshadowed by the presentation.
February 19, 2025
If you can look past all of which could have been addressed with a proper editorial review, this book was mercilessly informative.
November 23, 2025
interesting content and good research but the prose is rough
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews