How to Talk to People About 9/11 Truth

Questions posed by me. Answers by "Jack Riddler"/Nicholas Levis, a founding member of 911truth.org.

Q: what way do you recommend talking to neighbors or even strangers about 9/11? How does one start such a conversation? I personally find this incredibly daunting.

A: So do a lot of people. So did I, until I'd done it a thousand times (and each one was different). This is the perennial question and there are many approaches. The most important thing surely is to take your interlocutor seriously and on their own level, and to listen as well as speak. Try not to play "Crossfire," even if that's fun.

I have taken the opportunity of ANY political discussion to simply announce what I thought about 9/11. While many people then say they think the same thing, most people generally start off into one of the pre-set responses about "conspiracy theory" (e.g., "too many people would have to be involved," "where are the whistleblowers," "can they really be that evil," "the idea depresses me," "this is crazy/deluded," "you just want a simple explanation for the world.") So have some quick rejoinders ready and then shoot out the facts. Point out that the official story is a conspiracy theory, and that the worst conspiracy theory was Cheney's claim that Saddam did 9/11.

I have also approached it circuitously, sounding out how people feel about things before "going there." Some people are more tightly wound with the dominant propaganda and all you're going to do at best is get them to question a few things.

One thing to do is to just wear a button that says "Stop the 9/11 Cover-up", "Expose the Deception" or "9/11 Was an Inside Job." Or to give people deception dollars. That will get people started.

In New York we put up signs in visibility actions and all these people will come up to us with their "yeas" and "nays" and long conversations can ensue.

I've gone to many political events with the intent of posing "the 9/11 question" (which generally has to be different in each context). I've thrown it at Michael Moore, Richard Clarke, Dennis Kucinich, the 9/11 Commission itself, etc. etc. This will often get people coming to you afterwards to find out what you mean.

Always be ready with a website that you think is the right entry-level item, and with a book or video recommendation. Point out that it ain't a simple topic and it needs more than a few soundbites.

Nowadays people have the trauma behind them and are ready to talk rationally. Also, most seem to have been exposed to the idea. They might respond, "oh you're one of those people who think there was no plane at the Pentagon." If you get that one, no matter what you think about the Pentagon, odds are your interlocutor already has a strong opinion. Therefore you should be ready to immediately divert the discussion to other items that they may not know about, like the evidence for foreknowledge, fore-planning, the chain of command, etc. etc. I believe in painting the broadest possible canvas so that the details begin to look plausible and connected. If you get too deep into Mohamed Atta's personal life or some technicality of the timeline, many people will glaze over. Just be ready with references and try to motivate them to read on their own.

Irony is great fun but basically it only works with people who already agree with each other. Those who don't either don't get it or take it as disrespect, and there's little point in alienating them.

On the other hand, in contexts where the topic will NEVER be brought up, it's sometimes okay to FORCE it with a brief speech so that the yahoos and undecideds remain aware that there are people out there who don't agree with the official story.

Often all you can do is plant the seed of doubt for the first time; it can take months before people have digested the idea of complicity and are ready to examine it dispassionately, but I guarantee you that the seed-planting later bears fruit in at least half the people you approach.

Q: what film is best to show if one wanted to have a screening about 9/11?

A: A question that inspires passions among the skeptics. Some will swear by films that I consider very sloppy and full of disinfo, i.e. the ones that claim to reveal everything you need to know in a few dramatic visuals.

These same people will tend to consider my choices wimpy, but I think it best to give people time and space to develop the idea of inside job (which so many people initially resist). So I like the combination of "Hijacking Catastrophe" and "The Great Conspiracy." The former makes no claim that the U.S. govt was complicit in 9/11. Rather, it introduces PNAC's plan for world domination and concept of a "new Pearl Harbor" and goes into the post-9/11 actions of the regime, establishing the motive and "who benefits." Then in TGC, Barrie Zwicker sums up some of the best arguments on air defense stand down, 9/11 cover-up commission, Pakistani connection, foreknowledge, historical precedents, and WTC 7. I think it's the most professionally done and accurate of the videos.

Another one I really like is the original "Truth and Lies of 9/11" by Ruppert, from Nov. 2001. This one is a giant, 3-hour history lesson on oil, banking, drugs, CIA and the secret government, and a rather complete case for "Bush Knew".

Look up SGTV - Shadow Government Television - for 3 half-hour segments that cover the stolen election and 9/11. These are very intelligent and have youth appeal.

I think "In Plane Site" and "Loose Change" are embarrassing disasters, easily taken down by the "debunkers." Alex Jones's work is more politically astute (i.e., it has a coherent world-view sort of based on logic by comparison) but really goes over the top; not the right intro for middle class people.

My site, summeroftruth.org, is one gigantic compendium of resource links - many of the earliest and most definitive 9/11 research source articles in the papers, the books, the videos, the films all on one page.