On September 11, 2001, almost 3,000 Americans were killed on U.S soil in a single morning (“9/11 Attacks.” 1). This day was when terrorists hijacked planes and crashed them on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 9/11 raised many questions of how did that many Americans die from just a few terrorists. It’s possible that the government did not tell us the truth of what truly happened. We will explore the events of 9/11, is the government telling us the truth, and explore different theories of this horrific event.
One intelligent conspiracy theorist, David Ray Griffin, is skeptical and says that the government is not telling us the truth of what happened on 9/11(David Ray Griffin 1). David Ray Griffin has made great educational milestones, as it is stated in a biography of David Griffin in “Americans Who Tell the Truth”, “… obtaining his master's degree in counseling from the University of Oregon in 1963”. According to the achievements listed in the Biography, we can conclude that he has great insight into psychology and can provide great theories. So, he can generate different views of the tragic event of 9/11 and tell us how the government is not telling the truth.
With David’s intelligence, he went on to achieve more educational feats in his life. David went on to chase after his master’s degree in counseling shortly after getting his master's in counseling (David Ray Griffin 1). In 1968, he achieved to get his Ph.D., as it is stated in his biography, “… attended the Claremont Graduate University in California, where, in 1968, he was awarded a Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Religion and Theology” David having studied theology for so long makes him knowledgeable on religions. He has a great understanding of the Islamic religion of the terrorists and he can use that to find other motives for the attack of 9/11.
David Ray Griffin can be described as a man who is serious with his theories. In his biography, it tells us about his perspective on his theories and work. It is stated in his biography, “David Ray Griffin has dedicated his life to exploring the truth, in theology and philosophy and in society.” (David Ray Griffin 1). This shows that David holds great integrity in his work and holds a serious stance on world issues. We can conclude that David is taking a firm stance on his theory that the government is involved in the horrific events of 9/11.
David also shows more signs that he is serious with his work. He is asked about his theories and work on 9/11 for his biography. David responds about his work by saying, “Most of my work", he explains, “is on issues that I think are of central importance in a worldview capable of sustaining a sense of the meaning and importance of life” (David Ray Griffin 1). David says that only those who know the meaning and importance of life will understand his work. This tells us that he shows serious thought on how his work will be interpreted by the world.
David is also very thoughtful on how his stance on his theories can impact the world. He stated in his biography, “…and an ethical stance adequate to the needs of the present and future situation of the world.” (David Ray Griffin 1). He thinks about how his theories can affect the present and the future situation of the world. David is considerate enough to think about how his work will affect the present and future of the world. He also explained that an ethical stance is adequate to convey that is firm about his work. We can infer that David gives thought to his work on 9/11 because he thinks of how his theories will influence the world in the present and future.
David Ray Griffin is a passionate person with his work, especially in his theory of exposing the truth of 9/11. David led a movement to seek the truth of the event of 9/11. As it is stated in his biography, “… David Ray Griffin and the 9/11 Truth Movement were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 and 2009” (David Ray Griffin 1). David’s 9/11 truth movement led to his work being globally recognized. Being driven enough to lead such a massive movement shows how truly passionate he is with his theory of 9/11.
Leading a movement, making art, or even writing a book, are ways people show passion for the ideas they believe in. David shows more signs that he is passionate because he wrote a book about the truth of 9/11. The book is about how the Bush administration was involved in 9/11, as it is stated, “In several books, the most well-known being The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11” (David Ray Griffin 1). Writing a book to say that the Bush Administration was associated with the terrorist attack of 9/11 shows passion. It is truly amazing that he has the desire to accuse the U.S government of being involved in 9/11.
Next, we will explore the events of 9/11 and if the government is telling us the truth or just trying to cover up the truth. Although there is no concrete evidence that the government isn’t telling the truth, many still believe they were involved in 9/11. There are multiple conspiracy theories of how the government was involved in 9/11 and how they covered it up as a terrorist attack. We will take a look at various theories of how the government is involved in this horrific event.
Multiple theories are known for the government being affiliated with the attacks of 9/11. The first conspiracy theory is that the government knew that it was going to happen because it scripted lines for news channels. On the day of 9/11, BBC News reported that the World Trade Center had collapsed when it was clearly standing behind her, as it is stated, “World Trade Center was announced in a live report by BBC News correspondent Jane Stanley - while it was still visibly standing behind her” (Sardarizadeh 1). How could the BBC news have known that the tower was going to collapse before it happened? The government has had to plan scripts for the news for when it happened. This makes people believe that the government had to have some connection to 9/11.
The second conspiracy theory is that the collapse of the World Trade Center was caused by the government. They were many testimonies that said that they heard explosion being heard from the towers, as it is stated, “form of witness testimonies, citing reports of explosions being heard before the Towers collapsed” (“5 Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories”,1). The United States government say that the collapse of the World Trade Center was caused by the burning of jet fuel. Many theorists argue that it is impossible that burning jet fuel can be hot enough to melt steel beams (1). To melt the structural steel beams of the World Trade Center the jet fuel has to reach 2500°F (Questions and Answers - What’s the Melting Point of Steel). Jet fuel can only heat up to 800-1,500 degrees Fahrenheit (“5 Times Scientists Tackled Conspiracy Theories, and Won”) . The government denies the accusations and insists that the beams were melted by the burning jet fuel (“The Biggest 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Debunked.”).
The third conspiracy is that the government could have prevented the attacks. Some Americans say that the government knew about the attacks, as it is stated, “Bush administration had advance notice of the Sept. 11 attacks, but refused to stop them because of their desire to launch a war in Iraq” (Byler 1). One in six Americans believe that they let the terrorists attack the Twin Towers. They allowed it so that the Bush government could wage war in the Middle East (1). The Middle East is known for having a vast amount of oil reservations. It is likely that the United States used the attacks of 9/11 as a reason to have a war against the Middle East and take their oil. For many years the Middle East has been the center of many world issues because of its oil. That is why so many Americans believe in this conspiracy that the government let the attacks of 9/11 happen.
The fourth conspiracy theory is that the government used guided missiles to attack the Pentagon. There was a small precise entry hole on the side wall of the pentagon, as it is stated, “the plane that smashed into the Pentagon left an entry hole just 16ft across and an exit hole of just 12ft wide” (“The Biggest 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Debunked.”). There is no way a large plane will make such small precise of a hole in the Pentagon (1). Theorists say that the hole was made by a satellite-guided missile used by the government. According to an article, it states that it was caused by the landing gear of the plane, “most likely caused by the aircraft’s much sturdier landing gear punching its way through the building” (1). Theorists argue that it is impossible that the landing gear of the plane caused that precise damage to the Pentagon (1).
The government denies all accusations, but theorists still believe that they were involved in the attacks of 9/11. While the theories make sense that the government is related to the attacks but the found evidence is not enough. All the previously stated theories show that the government was related to the attacks. It is possible that the government let it happen to wage war in the Middle East. There are many people continuing to search for evidence of the government knowing about the attacks beforehand.
Trust is when you place confidence on someone or something. On September 11, 2001, we were tested on who to trust. Almost 3,000 Americans were killed on U. S soil—in one single morning (“9/11 Attacks.”1). We didn’t know who to trust or who to believe on that day, we were in just complete chaos and confusion. It is still hard to believe that how a few terrorists were able to launch an attack right under the government's noses. Do we really trust the government that they were not in on the attacks? Did the government tell us the truth of what really happened on that day? There are many questions unanswered but the solution for this theory relies on what the government's true role was on this horrific day.
Works Cited
“5 Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories.” Sky HISTORY TV Channel, https://www.history.co.uk/shows/road-to-911/5-compelling-9-11-conspiracy-theories. Accessed 2 Nov. 2021
“5 Times Scientists Tackled Conspiracy Theories, and Won.” Discover Magazine, https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/5-times-scientists-tackled-conspiracy-theories-and-won. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.
“9/11 Attacks.” HISTORY, https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks. Accessed 16 Sept. 2021.
Byler, David, and Kate Woodsome. “Opinion | False, Toxic Sept. 11 Conspiracy Theories Are Still Widespread Today.” Washington Post, 10 Sept. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/10/false-toxic-sept-11-conspiracy-theories-are-still-widespread-today/.
David Ray Griffin | Americans Who Tell the Truth. https://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/david-ray-griffin#main-content. Accessed 23 Sept. 2021.
Questions and Answers - What’s the Melting Point of Steel? https://education.jlab.org/qa/meltingpoint_01.html. Accessed 2 Nov. 2021
Sardarizadeh, Shayan. “11 September 2001: The Conspiracy Theories Still Spreading after 20 Years.” BBC News, 10 Sept. 2021. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/58469600
“The Biggest 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Debunked.” Sky HISTORY TV Channel, https://www.history.co.uk/article/the-biggest-911-conspiracy-theories-debunked. Accessed 4 Nov. 2021