Enemies within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America

There is a hunger for conspiracy news in America. Hundreds of Internet websites, magazines, newsletters, even entire publishing houses, disseminate information on invisible enemies and their secret activities, subversions, and coverups. Those who suspect conspiracies behind events in the news, such as the crash of TWA Flight 800 or the death of Marilyn Monroe, join generations of Americans, from the colonial period to the present day, who have entertained visions of vast plots. In this enthralling book Robert Goldberg focuses on five major conspiracy theories of the past half-century, examining how they became widely popular in the United States and why they have remained so. In the post-World War II decades conspiracy theories have become more numerous, more commonly believed, and more deeply embedded in our culture, Goldberg contends. He investigates conspiracy theories regarding the Roswell UFO incident, the Communist threat, the rise of the Antichrist, the assassination of President John Kennedy, and the Jewish plot against black America, in each case taking historical, social, and political environments into account. Conspiracy theories are not merely the products of a lunatic fringe, the author shows. Rather, paranoid rhetoric and thinking are disturbingly central in America today. With media validation and dissemination of conspiracy ideas, and federal government behaviour that damages public confidence and faith, the ground is fertile for conspiracy thinking.

About the Author :
Robert Alan Goldberg is professor of history at the University of Utah. He is the author of Barry Goldwater (ISBN 0 300 07257 0, pb. 12.95), published by Yale University Press.

Review :
"Enemies Within is an extraordinarily well-written and carefully analysed study of alleged conspiracies in our midst since the end of World War II. I have never read a book about conspiracies that is as thoughtful or as balanced as this one." Leonard Dinnerstein, University of Arizona "Delusion and paranoia are usually the domain of psychiatrists, but historian Robert Goldberg brilliantly analyses these creative disorders in the richly textured Enemies Within. He explores the popular origins of conspiracy theories from the Puritans to Watergate with intellectual verve and insight. A truly important new book." Douglas Brinkley, director, Eisenhower Center for American Studies "From esoteric theologies through political scandals to blockbuster movies, Goldberg skillfully guides us through the foremost conspiracy theories in contemporary America." Leo P. Ribuffo, George Washington University