9/11 - the big lie [Paperback]

Thierry Meyssan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Although widely criticized when it first appeared in March of this year, Thierry Meyssan’s 11 Septembre: L’Effroyable Imposture, nevertheless went on France’s bestseller list in its second week and became the highest-grossing book in a single week in Europe ever. As Alan Riding noted in the European edition of The New York Times, it is a book that has taken on a life of its own. Now, American readers have their own opportunity to evaluate the merit of the author’s arguments. Just published by USA Books are the English-language editions of the original title and a companion volume, Pentagate. As a former student of theology as well as of political science, M. Meyssan brings to his work a sincere desire to provide an explanation of the tragedy in the context of his left-of-center philosophy. His books are focused primarily on what he believes are serious inconsistencies between observations of the damage to the Pentagon and the official explanation of what happened there. In September 11: The Big Lie, he also discusses similar discrepancies surrounding the destruction of the World Trade Center towers. The evidence that supports the author’s arguments includes eyewitness accounts and commentary by a military authority on explosives. However, most of the narrative consists of the author’s own analyses of the reports by politicians and journalists as well as of film footage of the sites. Photos are included. According to the author, interest in these books in the U.S. is already very strong.Speaking as head of a think tank called the Voltaire Network, he notes, Two-thirds of the hits on our Web site come from the United States. For students of history and political science, as well as all concerned citizens, these are important books to be aware of. While some may be offended by the author’s conclusions, his beliefs clearly hold an appeal for many outside the United States.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Exceptional!!!!" -- Today’s Books, April, 2003 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Carnot Editions; illustrated edition edition (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2912362733
• ISBN-13: 978-2912362735
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE FIRST "REVISIONIST" BOOKS ON 9/11, BY A FRENCH JOURNALIST June 7, 2012

By Steven H. Propp TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Thierry Meyssan (born 1957) is a French journalist and political activist, who has investigated the extreme right-wing, as well as into the Catholic Church (e.g., Opus Dei). He has also written the book Pentagate, arguing that a missile, not American Airlines Flight 77, caused the destruction at the Pentagon.

He states in the Introduction to this 2002 book, "this official version does not stand up to critical analysis. We will demonstrate that it is nothing more than a cover-up. In some instances... our questions remain for the moment unanswered, but this is no reason to go on believing the lies put forward by officials."

He asserts that "only a missile of the United States armed forces transmitting a friendly code could enter the Pentagon's airspace without provoking a counter-missile barrage. This attack could only be committed by United States military personnel against other U.S. military personnel." (Pg. 28) He draws a parallel between 9/11 and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when "a large portion of the civil servants were given a half-day off work so that the car bomb explosion only killed 168 persons. This was an attack we now know was carried out by military personnel belonging to an extreme right-wing organization which itself had been infiltrated by the FBI." (Pg. 37)

He suggests that the creation of the Office of Homeland Security is leading to "a takeover of civilian life by the military and the intelligence agencies." (Pg. 92) His ultimate conclusion is that "the attacks of September 11 were masterminded from inside the American state apparatus." (Pg. 139)

Meyssan's book influenced David Ray Griffin, whose own books on 9/11 (e.g., The New Pearl Harbor Revisited: 9/11, the Cover-Up, and the Exposé, The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions, Debunking 9/11 Debunking: An Answer to Popular Mechanics and Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy Theory, The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Why the Final Official Report About 9/11 Is Unscientific and False, etc.) now far surpass Meyssen's in detail; but Meyssan's book contained the earliest statement of some positions later adopted by many 9/11 "Truthers."

356 of 502 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the US is angry with the wrong people. September 9, 2002

By Juan Carlos Uribe

Format:Paperback

The book indeed shocks you for many reasons. The author does not claim that the victims of the American Airlines Flight 77 who took off from Dulles Airport are false, or that we shall not join the grief and anger that the events of 9/11 brought to US citizens.

What the author argues is that departing from the physical evidence gathered at the Pentagon as well as from the graphic documentation of the crash, indeed a huge explosion occurred at the Pentagon. The problem is, that such evidence proves beyond reasonable doubt that such damage could no be caused by a Boeing 757 travelling at a speed of no less that 250 mph.

Indeed, looking at the reasoning of Mr. Meyssan and the evidence he places before you the reader feels at loss to explain how the crash of the Pentagon would be the only case in the history of aviation when after the collision not a single piece of the plane is recovered because all the plane is melted in an explosion, which oddly enough does not affect the green grass on the field right in front of the building. Or how a plane of that size and with such a wide wing span makes a crack on the building which is al least 50% smaller that the size of the plane. In other words how is it possible that the wings and the motors did not touch the building? Or how a plane of that size and characteristics gets into the most heavily guarded air space of the USA and no single civil or military radar cares to wonder what is it doing there.

Mr Meyssan feels that such lack of coherence of the official version with the stark reality of the facts only proves that the US government is knowingly lying to its citizens in order to hide that what really happen on 9/11, including the destruction of the twin towers was a coup d' etat by the industrial military sectors of the US, covered up as a Muslim conspiracy against the US, in order to gain sufficient support from its citizens to attack Afghanistan and Irak and make a [heck] of a profit with the blood of honest, kind, patriotic but misguided Americans, while simultaneously gaining absolute control of the petroleum of the region.

If he is right or not I do not know, but indeed the absence of a single piece plane debris, together with the photos that the damage suffered by the Pentagon do not have the scale that should occurred if a real Boeing 757 had fallen against it makes you uneasy about how right Mr. Thierry might be.

136 of 197 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Intresting Read October 13, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The events of 9/11 were devestating, this book doesn't try to refute those facts. This book does, however, bring forth several ideas backed with enough logical evidence that makes a person think twice about what was really going on that day and how the government used the event as leverage to forge war. A few of the ideas mentioned in this book are; the 767 hitting the pentagon, yet no piece of the plane was ever recovered (the first time in history there's been no recovery of ANY piece of a plane after crashing on american soil), the mysterious stock-dumping of the airline companies affected on 9/11, and a very intresting piece on the heroin trade in afghanistan as being the main reason to forge war. As an American, I'd stand behind this book 100% with what's presented, it's obvious there's more going on than meets the eye.