American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us

by Jesse Ventura, Dick Russell, George K. Wilson (Narrator)

In this explosive account of wrongful acts and ongoing cover-ups, Jesse Ventura takes a systematic look at the wide gap between what the American government knows and what it reveals to the American people. For too long, we the people have sat by and let politicians and bureaucrats from both parties obfuscate and lie. And according to this former Navy SEAL, former pro wrestler, and former Minnesota governor, the media is complicit in these acts of deception. For too long, the mainstream press has refused to consider alternate possibilities and to ask the tough questions. Here, Ventura looks closely at the theories that have been presented over the years and separates the fact from the fiction.

In Ventura's eyes, the murder of Abraham Lincoln and the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King all need to be reexamined. Was Watergate presented honestly, or was the CIA involved? Did the Republican Party set out to purposefully steal two elections on behalf of George W. Bush? Has all the evidence been presented about the 9/11 attacks, or is there another angle that the media is afraid to explore? And finally, is the collapse of today's financial order and the bailout plan by the Federal Reserve the widest-reaching conspiracy ever perpetrated?

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Conspiracy Theories, True Crime, Government, Crime

MP3 CD

First published March 8, 2010

About the author

Jesse Ventura is an American politician, actor, author, veteran, and former professional wrestler who served as the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003.

Ventura served as a U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team member during the Vietnam War. He had a long tenure in the World Wrestling Federation, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

In 1951, James George Janos, later known as Jesse "The Body" Ventura, was born in Minneapolis to George and Bernice Janos. Janos joined the U.S. Navy and spent time in the Vietnam War. He was briefly a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones. Janos developed a rigorous workout routine, and his newly muscular physique attracted the attention of famous Midwest wrestling promoter Bob Geigel. He began wrestling professionally in the mid-1970s and changed his name to the one that made him famous, Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He continued wrestling in the national spotlight until 1984, when emergency hospitalization due to blood clots in his lungs made him miss a title match against Hulk Hogan, and ended his professional wrestling career. He spent the next five years as a wrestling commentator for various television and radio programs. He acted in a handful of films, including several Arnold Schwarzenegger movies: "Predator" (1987), "The Running Man" (1987) and "Batman & Robin" (1997). In 1990, Ventura ran against and defeated the 18-year incumbent mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minn., serving until 1995. He campaigned for governor as a third-party candidate, and was one of the pioneering politicians who reached out to new voters via the Internet. He was elected as Minnesota governor in 1998, and proved to be a progressive politician, strongly backing gay rights, abortion rights, funding higher education, third-party politics, mass transit, property tax reform and opening trade relations with Cuba. Ventura Decided not to run for reelection because he wanted his family to regain their privacy.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation awarded the former governor the 1999 "Emperor Has No Clothes Award" for his "plain speaking" on religion and, as governor, for rejecting proposals to entangle state and church, including refusing to proclaim for Minnesota a "Day of Prayer." As governor, Ventura vetoed a bill that would have required students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. Ventura, on refusing to sign a National Day of Prayer in 1999, said: "I believe in the separation of church and state. We all have our own religious beliefs. There are people out there who are atheists, who don't believe at all. They are all citizens of Minnesota and I have to respect that" (Minnesota Independent, "Despite court decision, National Day of Prayer will endure in Minnesota," by Andy Birkey, April 20, 2010). In his 2009 book Don't Start the Revolution Without Me! (co-authored with Dick Russell), Ventura writes: "I was the only governor of all fifty who would not declare a National Day of Prayer. I took a lot of heat for that, and my response was very simple: Why do people need the government to tell them to pray? Pray all you want! Pray fifty times a day if you desire, it's not my business! . . . If I declare National Day of Prayer, then I've got to declare National No-Prayer Day for the atheists. They are American citizens too" (p. 58). "For me, the lines between church and state seem to become more blurred by the day. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, thought — and religion. Nowhere is it mandated that we're the Christian States of America. . . . That's made us, I think, a stronger and more democratic nation. . . . It's abundantly clear that our Founding Fathers wanted to prevent our government from establishing a 'national church'" (p. 59).

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Ve...

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Reviews

[J.G. Keely · Rating 1 out of 5]

I met Jesse Ventura as a high school senior, when he was governor of my state. My class was invited to meet with him and ask questions while sitting on the sumptuous carpets of his office in the capital. By this point, he was nearing the end of his term, and the frustration was clear in his voice. He spent most of the time complaining about how school budgets go up every year, with the clear indication that he couldn't understand why. The following Q&A with a group of advanced standing Government students didn't do much to improve his case.

So, when an acquaintance handed me this book and intimated that if I read a single chapter, it would 'blow my mind', I was skeptical, and with good reason. I read the chapter on voter fraud and it was disappointingly simplistic. It wasn't merely that it only showed one side of the debate, but that it did not even show all of that side. Any person with a passing interest in the issue who has followed articles and stories on it already knows more about it than Ventura gives us, even with his secret, 'insider' sources.

But then, Ventura never was an insider. Even as governor, he was an outsider looking in, a frustrated, ranting man who didn't understand law or governance and who found the whole system too complex and nuanced to ever play the game.

In that, he is like many people: frustrated with the government, but unable to articulate why. We all feel that way, sometimes, and feel a desire to act out, but acting out naively is a pointless waste of time. But that won't stop people from doing it, or from writing books about it, or from reading them.

This book is too simplistic and poorly-researched to qualify even as a primer to the nature of power dynamics. Perhaps the most telling lesson from this book is that Ventura paints the hidden conspirators as brilliant and powerful, despite the fact that the government is made up of people just as confused and ineffective as he was.

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I'm reading this book I am constantly reminded of the immensely flawed "God of the Gaps" theory. It goes like this: If you can't scientifically explain an issue regarding nature, evolution, how the universe began, etc, then the only other answer is "God did it." Jesse Ventura has his own version. If there are still unanswered questions regarding events like assassinations, 9/11, etc, his answer is "The CIA did it."

Jesse Ventura never met a conspiracy theory he didn't like. He takes on fourteen conspiracy theories, or I should say skims them, from Lincoln's assassination to The National Security Act (takes away our civil rights, which it does).The problem is some of these are not theories or cover-ups. The fact that Booth was not a lone nut is covered in most history books or was. I first read about the fact that others were implicated in Lincoln's death in my fifth grade history book! Perhaps it isn't a cover-up as much as a problem with the currently lousy textbooks.

Some of his choices are certified fringe material. Jim Jones was a CIA plant and the CIA killed everybody in Jonestown. The 9/11 truthers BS. Nixon was set up by the CIA as if he wasn't enough of a megalomaniac to screw up by himself (Jesse thinks Nixon got too close to finding out who really killed Kennedy). Most of the author's research is a pick and choose method and liberal use of the "CIA of the gap" argument. For example he touts a lot of discounted information about The King assassination claiming that Ray was a patsy for another killer but either ignores or discounts all the evidence that Ray did act alone. If interested, you should read the excellent
Hellhound On His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin for the real story.

But if you throw enough chocolate, as Gallagher would say, some of it will stick. Yes, Bush probably stole Both elections, Iran/Contra was a travesty and Reagan used the Iran hostages as pawns to win the election, the Wall Street and our government did conspire to make many rich people richer at the expense of taxpayers resulting in the crash of 2008. But all this material is covered better in other places. If you really want to know what caused the economy crash in 2008, see the documentary Inside Job.

Mr, Ventura makes a lot of great points. Yes, we need more openness in government and we must do what we can to prevent our politicians from screwing us over again. But I'd rather he simply articulate this in a way that doesn't make him come across as just another conspiracy nut.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really nice surprise. I'm not a huge fan of conspiracies nor am I a fan of Jesse Ventura. However, after seeing an interview with Jesse on Larry King I thought I would read the book, the interview piqued my interest.

The book is filled with some very interesting, and lesser known, facts. Facts that I think should be more widely known. Even though the book failed to convince me of all the conspiracies it did make me stop and think, which is never a bad thing for people to do. One of the biggest surprises was that the same "groups" kept coming up throughout the book from trying to overthrow FDR to the wall street mess and beyond.

Since everyone knows that power corrupts, why do we believe those in power so easily?

Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. And Three cheers for Smedley Darlington Butler!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first clapped eyes on Jesse Ventura back in the early eighties I believe he was clad in purple tights accessorized with a pink feather boa and a huge set of shades. You would never have convinced me that the man would ever write something that I would read; I just couldn't imagine ever taking the man seriously. Since then, Ventura has seen a number of unlikely career changes, eventually landing the position of Governor of the state of Minnesota. Probably no one was more surprised at this turn of events than Mr Ventura, who proceeded to serve his term honestly and as capably as one could when one found oneself in over one's head. If memory serves, he did not seek a second term. Let's face it: those suited for politics are schooled for many years in the ways of subterfuge, back-biting and deception, and our man Jesse was too blunt and honest to thrive in that environment.

In writing (or co-authoring) this book, Mr Ventura has taken on a bit too much. In the course of just over 200 pages he attempts to cover every government cover-up from the Lincoln assassination to JFK to the future war against American dissent. It's not that I doubt what he says; the topic is just too broad for such a slim volume. I believe that he is correct when he claims that the American public has been snowed by their own government right from the start - I just don't believe that he has proven it in his book. There are minor inaccuracies: for instance, he credits Smedley Butler with winning the Congressional Medal of Honor three times, but I can only find mention of his winning it twice in other sources. A small point, but one must look after the small points.

I think that this is a reasonably readable book written by an honest man. It is a warning to American patriots and should be read as a start to deeper research into ways to make the government answer to the people.

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good old Jesse "The Body" Ventura, one-time professional wrestler, one-time governor, came out with this book about the same time as his TV series on conspiracies. Jesse chooses about 14 different conspiracies to cover in US history beginning with the Lincoln Assassination, and brings pretty good conspiracy theory research to many of these. Due to his time in the Navy Seals, Jesse has made a lot of military friends and knows a lot about secret military planning and research. It is in those chapters that he shines. On others, not so much. But it is an entertaining trip down his memory lane. We have the plot to overthrow FDR (which few know about) to what he calls the conspiracy to steal Presidential elections. Some of his best work and research is with the Jonestown Massacre in which he really points out details and facts that were never revealed. He does JFK and RFK but his work on those are just OK. Also enjoyed his September 11 work, in which he really takes to task the alleged plane that crashed into the Pentagon and flight 93 that crashed in PA. Again, this is a conspiracy book and so you must be a person who is open to those viewpoints to appreciate the conspiracies he allegedly helps publicize. Hey, I loved Jesse as a wrestler and wrestling announcer, but as an author he is just OK. Certain chapters will definitely be revealing but others come up a bit more politically biased.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know that as a lot of people are expecting me to rip this book to shreds and call Ventura a total whack job. The thing is that I'm a thinker and pride myself on thinking outside the box. Those are who follow me on Facebook probably know that I get most of my news from UK sources and I do believe in a variety of conspiracy theories. I guess that too makes me a nut. The thing is that Ventura's book is an interesting read. It's one that urges you to think for yourself and that's what scares people. The very idea that we should think for ourselves leads to a variety of issues. You can wave your American flag pom poms all you what while singing the Star Spangled Banner all you want but here's the truth. You're being lied to. The government is not your friend and will sell you out with out feeling any guilt whatsoever.

American Conspiracies is a great start to those who want to delve into the conspiracies involving 9/11, the Kennedy assassination and many others, but Ventura isn't forcing you to believe what he's telling you. There are a lot of footnotes that back up what he's saying but if you choose to believe it or delve deeper into the source material there's plenty of directions to go. A lot of what he says makes sense, As you read it you begin to see that sometimes two plus two doesn't always equal four. I've read a lot of bad reviews on this book and I think that most people are too afraid to move beyond what their government tells them. When someone suggests something that conflicts what we've been told those people are crazy. Ventura's book allows us to step outside of our comfort zones and say; “What if?” That's a scary concept and one that most people are afraid to ask.

This is a book for those who are free thinkers. It's a book for those that aren't afraid to take risks and look beyond what they told you happened. You don't have to believe any of it. Ventura himself tells us that in the epilogue. What he wants to do is present us with plausible scenarios. The key to enjoying this book is that you have to have an open mind. If you can look at this book objectively you may actually learn something. I have been wanting to review a book like this for a long time, but I was always leery because let's face it, after 9/11 it wasn't exactly hip to question the government, or say anything bad about America for fear that you would be labeled a terrorist. I'm not concerned anymore. People are going to say what they want regardless even if it makes them look like puppets. They spout the same rhetoric that the government taught them and they never bat an eye.

Ventura's book is a way to open up intelligent discussions without feeling as if we've lost the plot. Not all of us are completely nuts. We just have a few questions that will probably never be answered. This is a book that shows us we're not alone, and there are more people out there who are just like us. I'm glad I read this book and found it interesting and it's one that you should read too. It's a chance to look at the world around you and question what's really going on. I promise you we don't wear tinfoil hats or have a secret handshake. We do want you to speak freely and come at us with intelligence and an open mind.

[Fangirl Musings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Positively astounding! - That was literally my initial, continued, and final reaction to the revelatory perspectives and facts presented in this book.

I truly found myself enraptured with not just the conspiratorial evidence noted in this compilation of American injustices, but with the actual structure of the book, as well. Ventura and his co-author, Dick Russell, did a phenomenal job in organizing and relating the historic conspiracy accounts, and evidence thereof, in a way that was both entertaining and enlightening.

Frankly, whether or not one chooses to believe all the facts and opinions noted in this work is beside the point - listening to what such has to say, however, is vital. The idea that our government is above corruption and secrecy is absolutely ludicrous. The government is an institution comprised of people and nothing more. As such, knowing the baseness of human nature, how on earth did the idea originate that governmental individuals and agencies are somehow above sin?

I, for one, feel almost as though a pair of blinders have been removed. While I always knew that President Kennedy was not merely assassinated by the "lone-nut" Lee Harvey Oswald, much to the credit of my mother's interest in history and Oliver Stone's "JFK," sadly I had no concept whatsoever of the vast dirty tricks our government has played before and since November 22, 1963.

My favorite aspect to this book, though, is the fact that Ventura sought to include a Further Reading section. My curiosity and intelligence about the various conspiracies noted herein will no doubt be fed in the coming months!

[Lawrence (mclovin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really exciting and amazing and gave me a type of knowledge adrenalin rush. What I mean is that it made me felt like I actually knew that, that is what happened, even though some of it may have sounded bogus. Really the only thing that kept me into this book was that there was not one conspiracy theory, but different conspiracy theories for each historical event. For some the characters in the story is what keeps them into the book because it has all of that intense drama, well in this book there wasn’t any characters, because it was an informative book. The only characters were the actual historical figures. What was most interesting to me was the sentence “and are the most important numbers in history according to the occult. To me, I think that the author wrote this book to share his thought on why some things happen when they did and why they did. This book had so much information it hit me with amazement. When you see a famous actor, as Jesse Ventura himself, you think that he must be trying to passing as something that he shouldn’t be. When it came to this book though he blew himself away, he wrote as one of those nerdy type people that when they speak blow your mind away, because of all the information overload. Not only was he an amazing actor, but he became a great author as well. As you can probably see by my rating that I wasn’t too much of a fan of the book, it isn’t because the book was horrible or anything, but I just did not agree with most of the conspiracies that were discussed in this book. American Conspiracy Theories was written so well and reflects how a book should be wriiten.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one just got so boring toward the end...it was interesting to read but all the interesting parts were sandwiched between pages and pages of crap. Ventura definitely gives more than a little bit of convincing evidence, though some credibility is taken away by several statements that make him seem paranoid. Overall, it does what it's supposed to do: present evidence of conspiracy theories and let you decide for yourself.

[E.J. Cullen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even with a co-writer, this big Hoss still needs a writer. I started skimming right after the part where he intimates that the "government" actually brought down the two towers of the World Trade Center. There ARE real conspiracies out there, but Jesse, the ex-wrestler and governor, can't find them. Somebody, put him in a headlock and give him a gentle noogie.

[Garrett Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response: I thought this book was pretty good. I would say I liked it because it kept me intrigued the whole time I was reading. The only part I did not like would be how some of the chapters carried on for a while. Overall, I thought this was a good book and I would read this book again.

Plot: American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us by Jesse Ventura was about some conspiracies and conspiracy theories in the United States an. This book had 14 different incidents that happened in US history. The first incident was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This book came to the conclusion that people inside of Lincoln’s cabinet helped plan Lincoln’s assassination. The second incident was titans of Wall Street attempting to overthrow FDR and turn the US into a fascist country in 1934. The third and fourth incidents were the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Malcolm X. According to Ventura, the CIA had something to do with both JFK and Malcolm X’s deaths. The fifth incident was the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Mr. Ventura came to the conclusion that the Mob and the military were the actual people behind his death. The sixth incident was the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Mr. Ventura’s conclusion was that Sirhan Sirhan, the man who killed RFK, was brainwashed by the CIA to kill him. The seventh incident was the Watergate scandal. Mr. Ventura came the the conclusion that Nixon and the CIA were in a power struggle, so the CIA had double agents get intentionally caught to make sure Nixon’s reputation was ruined. The eighth incident was the Jonestown Massacre. Mr. Ventura came to the conclusion that Jim Jones had help from the CIA to help brainwash people. Jim Jones was the leader of a cult called the Peoples Temple. The ninth incident was Iran released American hostages the same day Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president. Mr. Ventura thought Reagan and his people made a deal with Iran to keep the hostages beyond the election, so Reagan could win the election. The tenth incident was the Iran-Contra scandal, in which members of the Reagan administration sold weapons to Iran. Mr. Ventura thought Congress was hiding information in which those members were also selling drugs to Iran. The eleventh incident was the 2000 and 2004 elections. Mr. Ventura came to the conclusion that the elections were stolen by Republicans that manipulated electronic voting machines in deciding states. The twelfth incident was the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Mr. Ventura came to the conclusion that the government either knew about the plan and let it happen or the government helped plan it. The thirteenth incident was the economic crisis that happened in the fall of 2008. Mr. Ventura came to the conclusion that the government helped keep some of the big corporations in business and these corporations basically run the government. The fourteenth and final incident was a bunch of acts and laws that were passed after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Mr. Ventura came to the conclusion that the government used those attacks as a reason to force martial law onto American citizens.

Characterization: Richard Nixon changed from a man trying to figure out what really happened during Kennedy’s Assassination to a criminal because of Watergate. The CIA changed from being an innocent organization to being quite a sketchy organization. I am saying that because, apparently, the CIA held information about JFK’s assassination from President Nixon, even though the President asked for that information.

Setting: This book takes place mostly in America. This is where most of the conspiracies happen. This book also takes place in Jonestown, Guyana. This is where the Jonestown Massacre happened.This book takes place from 1865 to 2008. 1865 is when the Lincoln was assassinated and 2008 is when the economic crisis happened.

Recommendation: I recommend this book to both males and females at the age level 16 and up. The reason for that age group would be there were some parts in this book that were disturbing, so I would not want younger people to read about that. This book’s reading level is on the easier side, but there is some disturbing details in this book. I would also recommend this book to anyone who likes conspiracies because that is what this book is all about.

[John Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the definition of the classic saying "don't judge a book by its cover" as to most people looking at a cover that says "American Conspiracies" almost instantly turns them away. From my perspective reading this book was extremely interesting and almost enlightening. As a conspiracist myself obviously I carry some bias when speaking on behalf of a conspiracy novel, but all theory's aside the credible information that can be pulled from this book can be vital to the education of the average American citizen. The book is written professionally and from a very famous whistle blower who has governmental experience. I highly recommend this book because even with a closed mind this book can get you to start rethinking what the media and government has told you about major events like 9/11 and the JFK assassination. This almost 300 page book goes into depth about all types of events that don't normally cross the average American's mind. Ventura cites more information then I have ever seen in a book previously. This information ranges from declassified information to leaked messages between large government figures. The information reveals head spinning truths about the CIA the Bush family and many other figures throughout the world. He speaks about the many violations and secret actions taken by the United States government to go into to other countries. To people who would judge the book by its cover the books intent is to scare the American people. The real intent when reading however reveals itself to be informative and almost asks people of the U.S. to take action and question our government so they can not get a way with the crimes they have previously committed. While on the topic of intent, Ventura goes over the intent of the United States government throughout the years of which differs from what the government would tell you. All in all this is a well put together book whether your a fan of conspiracies or not the book is not only fun to read, but fun to think about. I would once again highly recommend this book to anyone who takes interest in world politics partisan or not as it raises great points that challenge both sides.

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5, B

Like any book that is made up of loosely connected topics rather than one story line, its hard to give a fair rating.

The Introduction, Jonestown Massacre, 9/11, and The Secret Plans to end American Democracy were the most interesting chapters to me. The last chapter of this book is well worth reading for a few insights into the last 10 years of politics, wars, financial machinations of the powerful and corrupt in the United States and beyond.

Some time ago I watched two different Canadian documentaries that painted a pretty grim picture of the corruption of parts of the American government. One was concerning the long history of shady, illegal, abusive and inhumane practices of the CIA. The other was about some of the dirty operations that were going on in the middle east; crimes perpetrated by either American military forces or 'private' soldiers working for American companies. It made a lot of the information presented in Ventura's book sound more believable.

There are books listed for further reading if a person wants to pursue and of the topics covered in the book. I would recommend reading The Creature from Jekyll Island, a History of the Federal Reserve for some good information on how money, power, corruption, and government go hand in hand. The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve

[Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

I grew tired of the book rather quickly. It seems that highly educated researchers are looked upon as elitists and scorned, and that those that can "entertain" with shouts and outrage are more believable because they're more like the common man. I thought the book contained a series of allegations, many unsubstantiated, but nonetheless were entertaining. I believe that there were truths in the book, but many of those offered as "new" have previously been published by well respected researchers. For example, the fellow conspirators of John Wilkes Booth isn't such a secret, but discussed in Swanson' book "Manhunt". And Ventura's nagging question about how and why James Earl Ray left incriminating evidence behind after assassinating Martin Luther King is discussed quite clearly in Hampton Sides book "Hellhound on His Trail". So I never got the impression Ventura was really trying to educate, but more attempting to tease us with interesting questions and to have us buy into his conspiracy theories. Real research is difficult and time consuming, offering conspiracy theories based on loose facts is a lot easier. I think Ventura is something akin to Glen Beck and capitalizing on the popularity of that style, e.g., two high school educated media stars offering conspiracy theories in what they see, just from the opposite political spectrum.

[Dan Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Jesse clearly isn't an accomplished writer,and his script comes off a bit simplistic and homely. That, coupled with the fact that he's not real thorough with the references and minutia that would bring all his theories to life, tends to take some of the wind out of the book's sails. That said, he has a multitude of ideas, and a few little know facts. Combined with the well documented history of lies and deception our government engages in, it all lends credence to some of his more well grounded ideas.
I've read a multitude of more well written and researched work by the likes of Jared Leto and James Loewen. Complex and well elucidated, their work is still controversial, so the mixed opinions about Jesse's ideas are hardly proof of their invalidity. It has also proven to be the case that people on to something that aren't currently popular with the mainstream tend to be ridiculed. Even when their "crazy ideas" eventually prove to be correct. Some of Jesse's outlandish conspiracies are well worth a second look, and some have already proven to be way more persuasive than the majority of American people would like to accept. In fact, his ideas on 9/11 are for the most part taken as fact by the majority of Europeans. If nothing else, this book is a quick read, so it's well worth the look.

[Nikhil Mahadea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Conspiracies are called conspiracies for the fact that they lack major evidence. In fact, they have zero evidence. They work off of "It must of course be....!" or "It can only be.....!"

No, it's mustn't of course be X and it musn't only be X. To say, for example, that: "Kennedy must have been assasinated by his own goverment" is not a statement. I.e, it's wrong. And it's wrong because of this: we confuse an idea (or a hypothesis) with a conclusion. Let me explain:

When we say, "The CIA must have killed Kennedy", that's not a conclusion. It's only an idea, a hypothesis. And as all hypotheses, we need to go find evidence to prove it. Once proven, then we can make a conclusion.

But if we have no evidence, then the idea/hypothesis is wrong.

Conspiracies are in a way, like pseudo-science because they lack massive evidence. Yet, people massively believe in them.

Not recommended. And even if we did prove the CIA killed Kennedy. Now what? Let's get rid of Kennedy's admin? His admin is already out. Let's get rid of those in the CIA? Those that were in it are probably gone or dead.

We don't need the Kennedy assassination or any other conspiracies to point to some lack of responsibility from the U.S. government. Guantanamo Bay, secret prisons, privatized militaries are evidence enough that we need a more reform in the U..S government.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I certainly don't subscribe to everything that was said in this book, I believe it is the reader's job to take everything with a grain of salt and use their own critical thinking skills to analyze the statements made and decide for themselves what information to accept or reject.

I agree this is not the most intellectually challenging book, but in my opinion there is beauty in it's simplicity. This book covers a lot of topics, but doesn't go into great depth of any of them. Jesse Ventura asks important questions from a perspective a lot of people may not agree with or even considered previously.

It would be I'll advised to either blindly accept Ventura's statements as absolute truth, but I it would be equally foolish to write everything off as "crazy conspiracy theories" without taking the time to perform the due diligence of researching the ideas possible validity.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a lot of flak when people found out I was reading this book by this author. Given that Jesse Ventura was a very colorful wrestler for the WWF years back, he is instantly discounted as being credible and most definitely 'crazy'. However, that being said I found this book quite interesting and if it's true then there's a lot to be concerned about.
I have heard about some of the conspiracies and found it interesting to read more about them and found many of the coincidences interesting. A little to convenient in many cases. I don't believe after reading this book, and not being overly trusting of Governments anyways, that the Government is on the up and up. Based on that, what Jesse Ventura is saying has a strong possibility of being more in line with what is really happening.
Read for yourself and make your own opinions.

[Ellen Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don't agree with everything Jesse Ventura has ever said or done, nor do I agree with every statement made in American Conspiracies, I did find this book to be fascinating. While I was aware of most of the topics that he discussed, from a plot to overthrow FDR to the assasination of JFK to the October Surprise to the most recent catastrophe of Too Big To Fail, I was not aware of all of the details Ventura included in his work. Therefore, I was glad I read American Conspiracies, as I do like to be in the know as much as possible.

I would recommend everyone read this book, even though many would find some of the details hard to believe. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why America is in such decline and turmoil. No one wants to believe the truth when it's awful.

[Shawn Scarano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book, well put together. I believe that every american should read this book, if for no other reason, just to get them thinking and aware of how precious our constitution is and how we need to be careful to not let it it become any less important no matter what the event or whom is trying to change it. Make you really want to take inventory on alot of events that have occored within the last 40-50 years and how they have affected our freedoms to this date and perhaps beyond. Check it out and make your own conclusions to the facts presented to you. An interesting read and quite scary at times.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

American Conspiracies is a book that should be read by everyone. American Conspiracies is an in your face accounting of History, and not the History taught us from the History books of omission. The information contained in American Conspiracies is a concise different point-of-view accounting. I encourage everyone to stretch beyond their comfort zones and read American Conspiracies from beginning to end before coming to a conclusion.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to on CD. It was ok. I have read a lot on the various conspiracies that he talks about and a lot of his evidence is conjecture and some of it has been completely discredited. There is nothing new here. His political biases come thru very strongly. If you are new to researching conspiracies, this may be a starting place but read it objectively and you will see his subjective opinion very clearly.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I didn't agree with every point raised, Ventura makes a good case for examining inconsistencies (and the myriad coincidences) of the "official stories" of the JFK assassination, etc. Last couple of chapters on bank bailouts and national security (Patriot Act, etc.) were rather grim going. Good audio narration.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love conspiracy theories, so when a friend urged me to read this I figured that I would give it a try, Jesse Ventura aside. It turns out that Ventura is an even bigger jack ass than I originally took him for. I simply couldn't get through this book.It's like something that a fifth grader wrote...

[Brian]

Should be titled "American Conspiracy Theories: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies That I Parroted from Others". His "documentary" series is the most banal expression of human crackpottery ever to be featured on television, going even so far as to exceed John Edward and The History Channel in fatuousness.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much stuff out there that you think you know, but you don't. What's impressive about Jessie's book is that he not only presents his case for what might have really happened, he backs up everything with an extensive list of primary documentation in the footnotes.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read all of the chapters in Jesse Ventura's novel American Conspiracies, since some didn't interest me. I really liked how each chapter spoke of a different American conspiracy. The chapters are very high level and don't answer too many questions, but it was still a compelling read.

[Captain_Howdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good overview of the most popular conspiracies. All of the important facts are presented in an easily understood writing style. Thumbs up!

[Aspasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse Ventura looks at the tragic events that have shaped our country's history and turns accepted theories about each event upside down. Lots of research went into this book.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book...makes you think what else the government is hiding from us.