Are The Elite Using Hollywood to Communicate Discreet Messages About Future Events and Activities?

Some may find the idea that secret messages and hidden predictions are embedded into blockbuster movies and popular television shows preposterous. While we should certainly take these claims with a sizeable pinch of salt, they are thought-provoking and enticingly intriguing nonetheless, and they involve something called Predictive Programming.

In an article titled Predictive Programming by Dahria Beaver of Ohio State University, it is written that:

“Predictive Programming is the theory that the government or other higher-ups are using fictional movies or books as a mass mind control tool to make the population more accepting of planned future events.”

Researcher Alan Watt, arguably the first person to highlight Predictive Programming, described it as:

“…a subtle form of psychological conditioning provided by the media to acquaint the public with planned societal changes to be implemented by our leaders. If and when these changes are put through, the public will already be familiarized with them and will accept them as natural progressions, thus lessening possible public resistance and commotion”.  

Movies and television shows have long been recognized as powerful tools for shaping public opinion and influencing cultural norms. With their wide reach and ability to evoke emotional responses, they provide an ideal platform for disseminating messages – whether overt or covert.

In the context of predictive programming, filmmakers and showrunners may incorporate elements that reflect emerging societal trends, technological advancements, or geopolitical developments. By presenting these ideas in a fictional context, they can gauge audience reactions, plant seeds of thought, or even acclimatize viewers to certain scenarios.

Of course, as we might imagine, the notion of Predictive Programming is very much a subject of debate, with as much opposition to it as there are believers. It is, though, fascinating and concerning in equal measure—the idea that our perception of the world around us could be being shaped without us even realizing it.

A great place to start would be with the 1999 movie Eyes Wide Shut, which is awash with Masonic symbolism and appears to lay bare the workings of the so-called Illuminati. And when we consider that the film’s director, the great Stanley Kubrick, passed away just after the first screening of the film in what, to some, were slightly suspicious circumstances, then the film’s symbolism and subject matter should perhaps be examined a little more closely.

Perhaps the best place to start would be with the film’s director, Stanley Kubrick, or more specifically, his sudden death only days after the first viewing of the film. Officially, Kubrick died from a sudden heart attack, but many people believed his death was more than coincidental, especially when rumors began to circulate of scenes being cut from the film in the weeks that followed his demise.

It was said by some that many of the people in attendance at that viewing belonged to “the elite” and that after viewing the offering from Kubrick, they immediately went on a “damage limitation” mission.  It was further put forward that they knew Kubrick would not be cooperative in terms of cutting scenes away from the film, and so, ultimately, he was murdered, with his death made to look like a heart attack.

It is worth noting here, as bizarre as it sounds, that the idea of murdering a person and having it appear to be a heart attack is not that much of a stretch of the imagination. During the 1975 court hearings brought against the CIA following an investigation by the New York Times, one of the secrets of the agency, among many that were laid bare, was a weapon labeled the “heart attack” gun. This weapon fired a pin-sized shard of ice with a highly poisonous substance encased inside. When fired, the pin-sized shard of ice entered a person’s body and then immediately melted, releasing the poison and so causing a heart attack. Not only would it be highly unlikely that a mark would even be found on the body, even if it was, but there would also be no trace of the poison left to detect.

Whether it is correct to be suspicious of Kubrick’s death or not remains a matter of debate, at least to some, although it should be said, even though it wouldn’t be impossible, it is unlikely. And officially, while some changes were made in the months following his death, they were said to be more editing and cosmetic changes as opposed to the removal of scenes. As we might imagine, not everyone was convinced. We should also note that Kubrick was known to work on his films right up until the very last minute, even after public screenings, so it is not that much of a surprise that some cosmetic changes were still required.

That said, however, there are many other reasons that such ominous conspiracies surround the film, and that its purpose was to expose the underbelly of society’s elite. Indeed, the Illuminati and the conspiracies that have surrounded them, whether purely for entertainment or to shine a light on their chilling activities, run throughout the film right from the start.

The movie revolves around the main protagonist, Dr. Bill, played by Tom Cruise, who, through his job, mixes with several “high-ranking” members of society. We immediately see references to Freemasonry and suggestions of conspiracies connected to the Illuminati. For example, in the opening scenes of the film, we see Dr. Bill’s wife, Alice (played by Nicole Kidman), getting dressed, something she does while standing between two large stone pillars, which are said to represent the Masonic pillars, Boaz and Jachin. The Star of Ishtar is also seen at various times during the film.

As the film progresses, through a chance encounter with an old friend, Dr. Bill learns of a secret party for members of the elite, and manages to bluff his way inside to what is quickly revealed to be some kind of Illuminati-style sex party. He is quickly discovered during some kind of ritual, threatened, and thrown out. During this scene, where Dr. Bill is eventually uncovered as being an uninvited guest, there are multiple Masonic symbols on view. The leader of the ritual, for example, sits upon a throne that contains a double-headed eagle with a crown resting between their heads. While it could be a coincidence, the 33-degree Scottish Rite Freemasons use an almost identical double-headed eagle in their emblem.

Following this, his life begins to unravel somewhat. Furthermore, he begins to notice strange behavior and symbols all around him that he had previously been blind to. By the end of the movie, it is all but confirmed to him that elite secret societies exist and that they control the police, politicians, and even the media.

For example, one of the “sex slaves” in the film is seemingly murdered, but her death is reported in the newspaper as a “drug overdose”. This is exactly what many conspiracy writers have claimed happens to “mind-controlled sex slaves” after they have fallen out of favor with their elite masters. Even the constant references to rainbows (which we will return to shortly) are said to be a symbol of the MK-Ultra mind control techniques that some say continue secretly today.

It is further intriguing that the building where this bizarre party takes place appears to be a depiction of an infamous ball held by the Rothschild family, specifically, a ball held by Baron Guy and Baroness Marie-Helene de Rothschild at their mansion, the Chateau de Ferriers, just outside of Paris in France in 1972. We know about the surreal affair due to photographs that have since been leaked online with the arrival of the Internet. And these pictures are a combination of bizarre and morose imagery. Attendees, for example, are wearing bizarre masks ranging from chilling animal heads to pretend cages. There are also many broken children’s toys – including dismembered dolls – scattered around the many long tables, with some of these tables featuring naked mannequins upon which food is presented. The mansion was also bathed in an artificial red glow in the real-life gathering in 1972 in order to depict it being in flames. What’s more, the secretive nature of the party in the film was very real in real life, with the invites for the Rothschild party not only written in code, but written backwards so they could only be read and understood by viewing them in a mirror.

If we return to when Bill first tricks his way inside the party, we can see more references to mind control and the use of “sex slaves”. For example, he is almost immediately greeted by two “Monarch Presidential” models, which, according to some, are references to mind-control subjects who have been “trained” through mind-control techniques to be subconscious “high-level sex slaves” who also act as carriers of information between the world’s elite. It is during this scene that one of many references to rainbows is used (another apparent indicator of mind-control programming), where Bill asks one of the girls where they are going, she replies, “where the rainbow ends”, before the second girl asks, “Don’t you want to see where the rainbow ends?” There is also, incidentally, an apparent overuse of mirrors throughout the movie, said by some researchers to be yet another suggestion of mind-control.

If we stay with the notion of sex slaves a moment longer, there are a number of “scarlet women” who are involved with Dr. Bill throughout the movie. As well as the “sex slave” who is eventually murdered (or overdosed) and has noticeable scarlet hair, Dr. Bill’s wife, Alice, and their daughter both do. Another particularly eye-opening scene occurs towards the end of the film, following the discovery of one of the women at the secret party – a prostitute whom Dr. Bill had become friendly with beforehand – is discovered dead, an apparent drug overdose. Although it isn’t outright said, it is heavily implied that the woman was murdered and her death was simply made to look like an overdose, and her death was reported as such in the media. A friend of Dr. Bill’s – himself a member of the elite in question and in attendance at the party – claims that the high-ranking members of these secret societies control the police, politicians, the media – essentially, all aspects of modern life. In short, if the powers that be – the elite – wanted to have someone murdered and have their death look like an overdose, a suicide, or even a tragic accident, they could do so easily. While this might sound a little outlandish, we should perhaps not underestimate the notion that a person’s murder – if such control was extended over almost every facet of society at one level or another – could be made to appear accidental or even from natural causes, which is not at all that much of a stretch of the imagination.

Was Eyes Wide Shut a warning to society as a whole of an “elite” force all but ruling over us? One that remains almost untouchable through their discreet control of all aspects of modern life? Or was it purely entertainment from the wild and productive mind of Stanley Kubrick? Incidentally, Eyes Wide Shut is far from the only Stanley Kubrick film to have featured heavy Masonic symbolism. In fact, most of his movies feature some kind of symbolism buried in certain scenes, from The Shining to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

It certainly might make us think that we are not always watching what we think we are watching.

There are many other thought-provoking claims regarding hidden messages buried within blockbuster movies. Although there were no apparent predictions made, it is worth our time briefly exploring the 1982 blockbuster movie ET: The Extraterrestrial, or more specifically, a remark made by (then) President Ronald Reagan following a private screening of the film in the White House, a remark that was corroborated by the film’s director, Steven Spielberg, who the comment was made to. Reagan was said to lean over to Spielberg and offer “how surprised” people would be if they realized “how true all of this is”, nodding to the screen.

Years later, during promotional work for his film Super 8, Spielberg was asked about the comment. Not only did he confirm that it was true, but that what the president had said to him was, “there are a number of people in this room who know that everything on that screen is absolutely true”. Spielberg caveated his response by saying that he took President Reagan to be “having a joke” with him. However, we might imagine, especially given some of Reagan’s other remarks about UFOs, including his own encounters, that he was entirely serious.

It has been claimed that ET is based loosely on the Roswell crash. If this is the case, what is interesting is that rumors have swirled for years in UFO circles that not only were several alien entities recovered from the crash at Roswell in the summer of 1947, but that at least one of these entities was alive and survived for several years before being returned home as part of some kind of cosmic exchange.

In light of his alleged comments to Spielberg, it is worth staying with the legendary filmmaker a little while longer, and specifically, his 1977 blockbuster, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. According to some, the movie hints at the truths of an alleged secret meeting between (then) President Eisenhower at an air base in California in 1954 (at a time when he was officially undergoing emergency dental surgery) – a meeting that resulted in a human/alien exchange program, said to have existed in real-life under the name Project Serpo. Indeed, we might ask, as speculative as it might be, if there is any truth to the reality of the events depicted in ET, could this be the same for Close Encounters of the Third Kind?

It is also worth mentioning 1994’s Stargate, which leans heavily on the ancient astronaut theory, specifically, in this case, that there was some kind of extraterrestrial intervention with the ancient Egyptian civilization. While this is a purely fictional account, the idea of such alien intervention in the distant past is one that has gained widespread traction among the world’s population since the 1970s. Again, while it is pure speculation, is Stargate hinting at the accuracy of such theories? We should also note that very similar themes of alien intervention in the distant past are explored at length in the film Prometheus, the Alien franchise prequel movie released in 2012.

While the Disney franchise is harmless enough to many, conspiracies about hidden messages in its films and television shows have swirled for years. Everything from hidden sexual imagery to messages hidden in plain sight has been discussed in conspiracy circles. And while we should treat such claims with caution, it is easy to see why they would gain traction.

If we take the logo of the Disney corporation, for example, we can see, according to some people, the number “666” with the curves of the logo’s writing - one in the “W”, one in the “I-dot”, and one at the top of the “Y”.

Perhaps one of the most well-known conspiracies of symbolism and hidden messages in Disney films and shows can be found in an episode of Duck Tales. The scene takes place in a doctor’s room, where an eye-chart can be clearly seen in the background – so clearly, in fact, that in a triangular formation, the letters spell out the phrase, “ASK ABOUT ILLUMINATI”. As well as the direct message itself, the fact that the letters are in a triangle (or pyramid) shape, as well as that they are on an eye-chart (a reference to the all-seeing eye), is a great example of how such messages and symbolic meanings can be hidden in plain sight.

There are also other discreetly hidden words, pictures, and even audible phrases. Many adults have always picked up on the innuendos and double-entendres to be found in the scripts, and many others have spotted suspiciously shaped items in the background of many otherwise innocent scenes. There are some, though, that stand out.

For example, in the 1994 film The Lion King, during one scene, the main character, Simba, collapses on the ledge of a mountain. As he does so, dust flies into the air. As it disperses into the night sky, the word “SEX” is clearly spelled out. It is there with no context, and it is arguably astronomically low that the word would have been spelled out by chance. We have to ask, other than for the creator’s own amusement, why this was included.

A similar, although altogether more graphic image can be seen in The Rescuers from 1977. In one scene, in the background, a topless woman can be seen in one of the windows of the overlooking buildings. While this was likely missed by almost everyone, even the children, subliminally, the image would have registered. Incidentally, following the image becoming widespread knowledge, the Disney company attempted to recall around four million copies of it, eventually releasing the movie again in 1992, this time without the topless lady present.

While those examples might make us scratch our heads a little, the third example is a little more concerning. In the 1992 film Aladdin, during a scene where Aladdin is fending off an attack from Jasmine’s tiger, Raja, he goads the beast by saying, “Come on, good kitty….take off and go”. However, some viewers began to hear something else, and when the scene was analyzed, another, muffled voice was heard to say, “Good teenagers, take off your clothes”. As we might imagine, many people were more than worried about this allegedly hidden message, with some beginning to question just why these hidden images, references to sex, and even subliminal sexual instructions were being placed in such movies, much less movies aimed predominantly at children.

The rumors of Masonic, Illuminati, and even Satanic connections to Disney only increased when, in 2019, the former Vice President, Michael Laney, was sentenced to six years in prison for sexual offenses against a 7-year-old girl. Following the conviction, another potential victim came forward with similar accusations, but there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed with charges.

Only the previous year, in 2018, Disney actor Stormy Westmoreland was arrested on suspicion of similar crimes involving a minor. Not only did he send inappropriate photographs to what he thought was a 13-year-old boy (who was, in fact, police detectives posing as such), but he also attempted to lure the youngster to his hotel room. He was eventually sentenced to two years in prison after he entered into a plea deal. In March 2022, four Disney employees were arrested on human trafficking charges as part of an undercover sting operation in Florida, at least one of whom was involved in sending inappropriate photographs to a teenage girl.

While these crimes have been carried out by individuals and not by the corporation itself, it certainly doesn’t help when considered alongside the conspiracies of such things surrounding their name, especially when many of those images, symbols, and apparent innuendos are of their own making.  

As we know, there are a plethora of conspiracies surrounding the 9/11 attacks in September 2001, so it should perhaps not surprise us that there is also an abundance of claims of predictions of the atrocities within blockbuster movies and even television shows. What makes these fascinating conspiracies even more nuanced are alleged Masonic references and symbols often also found, sometimes in the artwork associated with the respective film or sometimes within the films themselves. One thing is clear, coincidence or not, there are apparent references to the 9/11 attacks in multiple films and have been for decades.

In the 1988 20th Century Fox film Die Hard, for example, the film’s opening lines appear to reference 9/11 when Bruce Willis’ character, John McClane – traveling by airplane at the time, incidentally - speaks with another passenger about his fear of flying, with each then discussing how they cope with such fears. The passenger states he has used his particular method for nine years, while McClane (Willis) states he has been using his for 11 years. While it might be tentative, to some, this reference to 9 and 11 in association with flying on an airplane is a clear reference to the upcoming attacks.

These claims are seemingly taken up a notch when it is pointed out that McClane fights with terrorists in a tower in the first film (the fictional Nakatomi Plaza) before battling terrorists at an airport in the second movie. And if that wasn’t enough, some people have pointed out alleged Masonic symbolism on the promotional artwork and cover for the original Die Hard video release, which shows one of McClane’s eyes covered over, leaving the other to represent the all-seeing eye.

Two years later, the sequel to the blockbuster Gremlins was released, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, by Warner Bros. During a scene in the movie, following the shutting down of a tower, no less, due to the “new batch” of gremlins escaping and causing havoc, two reporters speak to a police spokesperson outside the building. The numbers on their microphones are none other than 9 and 11.

Another intriguing connection to the 9/11 attacks, with a particularly harrowing backstory, can be found in the 1990 comedy released by Universal, Problem Child.  The film follows the antics of the Healy family, who live at number 911. As a backstory to this – and one we should treat with extreme caution – one of the main actors in Problem Child was John Ritter. Ritter died suddenly in 2003 on September 11th, which is most likely nothing but a coincidence, but is certainly a little eyebrow-raising.

The following year, in 1991, one of the biggest movies of the year, Terminator 2, was released. During one of the scenes featuring the young John Connor and his protector from the future (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) being chased through Los Angeles, the pair approach a bridge. As they pass under it, a sign reads: “CAUTION 9’-11”. Of course, this is the maximum height of the vehicles able to pass beneath the bridge. The fact that this just happened to be 9/11, though, was too much of a coincidence to some.

Two years later, in 1993, the Super Mario Bros movie was released, and a scene at the end of the film appears, at least to some, to be a direct warning of the events to come. This scene comes towards the movie's end and shows the merging of two dimensions. At the start of this merging, the Twin Towers are clearly visible in the background. However, as the dimensions merge, the towers fall to the ground. Furthermore, as this happens, a plane is seen flying past where the towers would have been.

Another blockbuster movie—Independence Day, released in 1996—also discreetly references 9/11. During a countdown sequence, the screen shows the clock, which just happens to be at 09:11:01. To some, this is not only another reference to 9/11 but even shows the year 2001 in the seconds column. The following year, in 1997, the film The Peacemaker, starring George Clooney, was released. In one scene, Clooney can be seen standing in the middle of two platform signs—one being 9 and the other 11. The same year, an episode of The Simpsons sees the family travel to New York, with one scene showing Lisa Simpson holding up a magazine that reads, “NEW YORK, $9” – part of the background of the magazine features the silhouette of the Twin Towers, which when factored into the cover, makes it read, according to some: “NEW YORK ($)9-11”. It is interesting to note that The Simpsons have also had several other scenes in various episodes that appear to have accurately predicted future events, an entire article of which could be dedicated to.

The disaster movie Armageddon was undoubtedly one of the biggest blockbuster films of 1998, and it too had an apparent reference to 9/11. Towards the end of the film, there is a countdown scene (similar to Independence Day). At the exact moment, we see the clock on the screen, it is displaying 9 minutes and 11 seconds (9:11). In the film Enemy of the State – also released in 1998 – we see the details of one of the characters on the screen, Thomas Brian Reynolds, whose date of birth is clearly displayed as 9-11-40. In 1998’s Godzilla, there is a scene featuring a character looking at his watch. Although the time is 8:55, the little hand of the watch is on the 9 while the big hand rests on the 11.

A similar display of 9/11 can be found in The Thirteenth Floor, released the following year in 1999. During one scene, a clock on the wall can be seen set at 11:45. This time, the big hand is on the 9 while the little hand is on the 11. Yet another reference can be found in The Bone Collector, released in the same year, where the protagonist, played by Denzel Washington, is seen looking at a piece of paper that is from page 119. What’s more, the date is shown as 11/9. While these alleged references are seemingly backward (119 instead of 911), some researchers offer that many Masonic and Illuminati symbols are to be read backward, and so assert their connection to 9/11, in this instance, is perfectly valid. Also released in 1999 was the blockbuster movie The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves. During a scene in the film, the main protagonist, Neo’s (played by Reeves) passport is shown. The date it expires is clearly seen to be September 11th, 2001. Like many of these apparent references to 9/11, this could be purely a coincidence, but it is certainly interesting that this, of all dates, was decided upon.

There are several films from 2000 that also appear to make reference to the September 11th attacks. In the movie Traffic, for example, a scene shows a delivery of boxes – all of which have the number 911 stamped upon them. There is also a scene in The 6th Day starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, during one particular scene, checks his schedule – the only times visible on the screen to the viewer are 9:00 and 11:00. Yet another 2000 film with apparent references to 9/11 is The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson. The opening scenes of the film feature Gibson’s character weighing a chair, during which he says: “Nine pounds, 11 ounces. That’s perfect. Perfect!” Perhaps most intriguing of all, however, is an episode of The Lone Gunmen that aired on FOX in March 2001 – only six months before the terrorist attacks. The plot of the episode follows the events of September 11th, 2001, almost entirely, featuring the hijacking of an airplane by terrorists who then crashed it into the World Trade Center.

It is also worth mentioning several intriguing points about the first two Back To The Future movies, released in 1985 and 1989, respectively, both of which appear to have suggestions of the eventual harrowing events of September 11th, 2001, as well as what appears to be several outright warnings.

In the first movie, for example, towards the climax of the film, where the main protagonist, Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox), is preparing to time-travel back to 1985 from 1955, he calls out to his friend, Doc Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd), that he has to “warn him about the future”. As he utters this line, the hands of the town clock are locked on the 9 and 11 positions. Furthermore, when lightning strikes the clock tower – the power of which the pair are going to use to kickstart their DeLorean, or time machine – the time is 9:59. Although it is a little bit of a reach for some, others point out that the first World Trade Center tower collapsed at 9:59 (although it did so in the morning not at night, as per the time in the film).

There are also other apparent warnings, ones that rely on the “reverse symbolism” of many secret societies. Perhaps the best example would be earlier in the movie, right before Marty McFly travels back in time for the first time. He and Doc Brown are at Twin Pines Mall, a location referred to repeatedly throughout the film, and which, to some, is a reference to the Twin Towers. During this scene, Doc Brown is gunned down by “terrorists” due to his “ripping them off” for the plutonium he required to power the DeLorean. The exact time Doc. Brown was shot – which again is referenced several times throughout the movie – was 1:16 am, which, to some people, when using reverse symbolism, is a reference to 9/11 (when viewed upside down or back to front).

Even stranger, if we subscribe to these theories for a moment, is that when Marty returns to the mall at the end of the movie following his arrival back from 1955, the area is now mysteriously called the Lone Pine Mall. Although this is due to one of the two pines referenced at the start of the film having been destroyed by Marty’s actions when he traveled back in time, to some people, it was a reference to the destruction of the Twin Towers and their replacement with the One World Trade Center in their place.  

The second movie also features another apparent warning of the Twin Tower attacks. This time, Marty and Doc Brown travel forward 30 years to 2015, with Marty eventually finding himself in the home of his future self. During this part of the film, we can see that the blinds on the McFlys’ windows show the world scenery instead of simply being blank. One of these scenes shows a bright, sunny day in New York, with the typical New York skyline – including the Twin Towers – being clearly in view. As part of the story, the blinds are faulty and constantly flicker out of view. According to some people, though, this represents the Twin Towers falling to the ground, particularly when viewed upside down (reverse symbolism once more). What’s more, they claim we, the audience, are alerted to this by the fact that the future version of Marty McFly views these blinds while upside down in some kind of futuristic medical device (due to having hurt his back).

Whether or not these references and symbolism are nothing more than coincidence remains open to debate, at least to some. The many tentative references to the Twin Towers, though, are certainly worth pondering.

Arguably, one of the earliest films to allegedly reference the September 11th attacks on the Twin Towers was released just short of 20 years earlier, the Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd comedy, Trading Places. And these references appear right from the opening credits of the film. During the movie's opening minutes, we see a shot of a homeless man who has newspapers blowing around him on the cold Philadelphia streets. We see enough of these newspapers to see the numbers 9 and 11 in one of the headlines.

Without a doubt, however, it is as the film reaches its climax that the two protagonists – Billy Ray Valentine (played by Eddie Murphy) and Louis Winthorpe III (played by Dan Ackroyd) – approach the stock exchange in the Twin Towers to wreak their revenge on the Duke Brothers. As they step out of the taxi outside the building, the apparent phone number of the firm has a combination of 0s, 9s, and 1s. Given that 0s are generally not recognized in such symbolism, the only numbers left are 9s and 1s – or 9, 11.

Even more thought-provoking is a line spoken by Winthorpe moments later as the two men set out towards the building, when he states to Valentine:

“Nothing you have ever experienced can prepare you for the unbridled carnage you are about to witness…In this building, it’s either kill, or be killed!”

In the context of the film, Winthorpe is referring to the cut-throat nature of the stock exchange and the trading of commodities. However, some researchers question whether this line might have a secretive, double meaning. Only moments later in the film, as the stockbrokers wait for trading to begin, we can see a clock on the wall with its hands firmly set towards the 9 and the 11.

What makes these apparent references to 9/11 even more intriguing, and indeed unsettling, is an interview given by the film’s director, Aaron Russo, 24 years after the release of Trading Places in 2007 (and only several months before his death from bladder cancer on August 24th, 2007).

We should note that the interview in question was given to Alex Jones – an undoubtedly divisive character and one whom many people, even in conspiracy circles, simply don’t trust (largely as a result of recent court battles and seemingly baseless statements). We might also note, though, that it could be argued that during the earlier part of his career in conspiracies, Alex Jones is seen as being considerably more credible than he might be viewed in more recent years.

In the interview, Russo claimed that he had prior knowledge of the September 11th attacks following a conversation with Nick Rockefeller 11 months before the atrocities took place. Essentially, Russo claimed that the 9/11 attacks were planned, and the reason for doing so was to create such fear and anger in the American public that they would eagerly back war in oil-rich lands in the Middle East and Asia. Perhaps most chilling of all, this would be an “endless war” that would see the military “looking in caves for people” who simply weren’t there and against “no real enemy”.

Although Russo was specifically told the Twin Towers were the target, he was told that “an event” would happen in less than a year that would result in the American military invading Afghanistan and then turning their attention to Iraq in order to “take over the oil fields and establish a base in the Middle East” – a base, incidentally, that sits next to another long-term foe of the United States, Iran.

It is also interesting to note here one of the first official projects following the American occupation of Afghanistan, following the 9/11 attacks, the Afghan Oil Pipeline.

In truth, the pipeline had been proposed by the company Unocal since at least 1997. The plans would see a pipeline stretch from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to the Arabian Sea. Training forces were even dispatched to the region to train workers for the project. However, the deal was forcibly called off due to intense pressure from women’s rights activists who opposed any deals involving the Taliban regime. Once the US military machine turned its attention to Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, the deal quietly went ahead as part of the “rebuilding” projects.

What is perhaps of most interest about Unocal is the connections the company has to Dick Cheney. Coincidentally or not, Cheney would serve on the administration of Bush Jr when work on the pipeline finally began. Who benefits? The same rich businessmen are connected to an organization named The Carlyle Group. And to understand the significance of this and why Russo’s claims are so interesting, we need to go back to the late 1970s.

During this time, George Bush Sr was in charge of the CIA. His son, meanwhile, George Bush Jr., was venturing into the oil business. He would set up Arbusto Energy. This would attract several wealthy Saudi businessmen through a mutual associate, Jim Bath, whom we will look at shortly. One of these Saudi businessmen was Salem bin Laden, brother of the now infamous Osama bin Laden.

Jim Bath had been an associate of Bush Jr. since their time at the Texas Air National Guard. This placement may be questionable in itself to some, but it would keep both men safe from the draft and out of the Vietnam War. Bath would go on to develop connections in many areas, including the CIA, which would see him as an “asset”. He would also act on behalf of wealthy Middle Eastern families and be their representative as far as business interests in the United States. One of these was the bin Ladens.

Arbusto would eventually become bankrupt and would be taken over by Harken Energy in the late 1980s. This takeover would eventually lead to one of the biggest financial scandals in American history. It also came at a time when Bush Sr. was about to become President of the United States. The underwriting of the takeover of Arbusto by Harken Energy (of $25 million) was performed by the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). The move raised an eyebrow or two, as many people connected to BCCI were the exact same people connected to Arbusto Energy. Many of these same investors, according to details in the book The Terror Conspiracy by Jim Marrs, including George Bush and other members of the Bush family, as well as the bin Laden family, were also members of a private equity company, The Carlyle Group.

By 1991, the BCCI was under investigation for money laundering activities and was ultimately shut down and prevented from trading. The connections to the (then) President of the United States, George Bush, albeit indirectly via The Carlyle Group, to a business that was called by investigators, “the most corrupt financial institution in history,” was hardly a ringing endorsement. Whether it was connected or not, a little over eighteen months later, Bush would lose the presidency to Bill Clinton.

And Bill Clinton is another person of interest here, not least because of an interview he gave to James Kilpatrick in August 1994, in which he stated his awareness of a “permanent shadow government” comprised of “bankers and government officials” that shape the political agenda. He also went on to say he realized he would have to “gain access to this inner circle” if he was going to help “shape the world!” Further still, in 1991, he received an invitation to the secretive Bilderberg meeting. The invite would come courtesy of David Rockefeller. Coincidentally or not, Bill Clinton won the 1992 US election the following year. Despite being on the other side of the left/right paradigm, there are some intriguing connections between the Clintons, specifically Bill, and the Bush family, perhaps most notably during Clinton’s time as Governor of Arkansas.

The person who would donate the most funds to Bill Clinton was Jackson Stevens. What is perhaps interesting here is that Stevens was one of the main financial investors in the aforementioned BCCI, as well as being a close friend of the Bush family. It would appear, however, that financial backing was just a front. Aside from claims of drug smuggling, which we will look at shortly, there were claims of money laundering. This would, it is claimed, take place through the Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA) at a time when Bill Clinton was governor of Arkansas.

One of the loudest voices regarding the matter was that of Larry Nichols. In the 1994 documentary, The Clinton Chronicles, Nichols appeared to lay bare these illegal activities while serving as the Marketing Director of ADFA. He would claim to be “sitting in the middle of Bill Clinton’s political machine”, witnessing “payoffs” and “repaid favors!” Any monies applied for also had to go through the Rose Law Firm and Hilary Clinton, for a fee of $50,000. It was when he discovered that no repayments were coming back in for the loans that he claimed he discovered money laundering activities.

Much of the money, according to Nichols, was from cocaine sales, which would be siphoned off to BCCI, which was connected to The Carlyle Group, and in turn, George Bush. Perhaps the biggest connection between the Bush family and the Clintons, however, can be found in the story of Barry Seals.

The recent movie, American Made, was based loosely on Seal’s experience. It would appear, however, that Seals’ real-life exploits are more fascinating. Seal’s most profitable and busy times in drug smuggling were in the 1980s, when he moved his operation to Mena airstrip in Arkansas – at the same time, remember, when Bill Clinton was governor of the state. There, he had specially made planes at his disposal, featuring very specifically designed nose cones that were used to smuggle drugs (cocaine).

Coincidentally, Seals, according to several court testimonies, was also used by George Bush Sr. (when he was Vice-President) as a pilot during the Iran-Contra operations that saw (then) President Reagan at the center of one of several scandals during his presidency. Many of those flights left from Mena airstrip with Bill Clinton, if you believe the claims, being fully aware and even (privately) supportive of them. Perhaps the best piece of writing (at the time) covering these exploits was an article set to be titled The Crimes of Mena. After having cleared all legal barriers for publication, the article was pulled without explanation, and is dubbed “The Greatest Story Never Told!” Arguably, the lines referring to Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton sum it up: “What did they know about Mena? When did they know it? Why didn’t they do anything to stop it?”

Why indeed?

Incidentally, Barry Seals was murdered in February 1987, coincidentally or not, shortly after he began speaking publicly of the Mena airstrip activities.

So where does Osama Bin Laden fit into all of this? The first time most of the world knew the name Osama bin Laden was following the September 11th attacks. However, he had been known to the CIA since the early 1980s. Given George Bush Sr.’s CIA connections, and the connections both he and his son have to the bin Laden family, and what we have just discussed, perhaps that is not too much of a surprise. During the Soviet-Afghan conflict in the 1980s, bin Laden was on the payroll of the CIA, leading the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union. The money that arrived with him traveled through such institutes as the BCCI and came from profits from weapons and drug sales. The same weapons and drugs that went through Mena airstrip.

By the time Bill Clinton was in the White House, Osama bin Laden had “officially” gone rogue. According to intelligence reports, he had grown tired of the United States and its influence in the Middle East. Many US embassy bombings were blamed on bin Laden during this time. Some conspiracy theorists are suspicious at best about this, with claims existing that bin Laden very much remained on the CIA’s payroll.

Whatever the truth of the situation, by the morning of September 11th, 2001, with George Bush Jr. eighteen months into his first term in the White House, the bin Laden name was about to become infamous.  

While the conspiracies and questions regarding September 11th have been explored in depth, some of the basics of them are worth looking at here, if only to highlight the “coincidences” on offer again. For example, on the morning of September 11th, literally as the attacks were happening, George Bush Sr. sat in a meeting of The Carlyle Group, also attended by one of Osama bin Laden’s brothers. Considering the number of business ties already existing between the two families, some found this strange. The fact that members of the bin Laden family were not only allowed to leave the United States following the 9/11 attacks but were positively given safe passage by the US military is perhaps also of interest. This order would have presumably come from high up the ranks of the US government, given that every aircraft was grounded following the tragic events. Even though so many construction contracts were given to the bin Laden family businesses for US military bases in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, the bin Laden family’s home country was questioned.

Perhaps this last point is even more interesting, considering bin Laden and, according to the official report, fifteen of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi Arabian, that the United States would not turn its military might to Saudi Arabia (where they have interests) instead of Afghanistan (where the Afghans have oil and heroin). Make of that what you will.

Of the many different angles and claims regarding the September 11th attacks, the one thing that all who question the official story largely agree on is that they were, even if opportunistically and after the fact, used to justify the military action that would unfold in the years that followed.

It wasn’t just apparent veiled warnings of the September 11th attacks and the war that followed it, however, that Rockefeller spoke to Russo about during his conversation in late 2000. According to Russo, as well as sharing many “thoughts and ideas”, the entrepreneur presented several “business opportunities” to the filmmaker.

One of these, at least according to Russo, was a position with the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) – an invitation, incidentally, that he declined. It was during this conversation that Russo claimed the subject of population control was brought up, and the apparent desire of the CFR to reduce the planet’s population by 50 percent. Russo also claimed he was told that many people who work for the CFR (and similar organizations) are often oblivious to the real agenda of those at the very top.

Of even further intrigue, Russo offered that Rockefeller informed him that the end goal of this elite group – one whose members are wealthy beyond imagination – was to have the entire population of the world “chipped”, which would, essentially, allow them to control every aspect of society.

As to why Rockefeller should entrust such information to Russo in the first place, the filmmaker offered that they believed he was a “mover and a shaker” who they wished would “stop his political activities and join them”.

As we know, eight months after this interview, Russo was dead. And as we might imagine, there were some who weren’t fully convinced of the official cause of death, or at least, the cause of the cause of death.

Once more, while we should treat the claims with a sizeable pinch of salt, Alex Jones claimed on his show several months after his death, that Russo had confided in him off-air. He claimed that Russo had told him that his life had been “threatened” and that he believed the cancer he was suffering from (which eventually killed him) was caused by some kind of “Direct Energy Weapon” being used against him.

We should also note that Russo’s girlfriend, Heidi Gregg, stated only days after Russo’s death on August 29th, 2007 – once more on the Alex Jones show – that such claims of weapons causing Russo’s cancer were “nonsense” and that illness was caused by nothing more than “his lifestyle”.

While it is certainly reasonable to believe that Rockefeller did indeed tell Russo of planned “endless war” and false flag attacks, this information was passed to him less than a year before the September 11th attacks in late 2000, 17 years after Trading Places was released, we might ask, if the references to 9/11 in the film are accurate, then where did Russo get his information from? Did he have access to such information decades before it happened, or was he perhaps putting these references in the movie unwittingly?

At this point, it is worth noting a possible connection to the intelligence services. While we should stress that much of this is pure speculation on our part, the fact is, the intelligence agencies – including military intelligence – have more of an active role in how films and television shows are put across, particularly so with military, historical, and, interestingly or not, science-fiction. Indeed, this involvement could be the subject of discussion in its own right.

For example, if a blockbuster movie about a historical conflict was being filmed – whether it be the Second World War, Vietnam, or the Gulf conflicts – then military intelligence, as well as the intelligence agencies themselves, perhaps particularly so with the CIA, would be involved with the filmmakers in a “consultancy” capacity. This is to, officially, at least, ensure accuracy, although it almost also certainly ensures that the story is not “anti-American” or doesn’t damage the reputation of the United States. In return, filmmakers often find themselves able to shoot on location and have access to accurate replicas – ultimately, the making of their respective films is a lot smoother.

While consultancy on military films might be understandable, we might ask why science fiction films come under the same intelligence scrutiny? And we might also ask, what other “advice” these military intelligence departments might offer?  

For the purposes of our contemplation here, we might also ask ourselves whether, directly from the intelligence agencies, or from other, unknown (to the public) individuals who just might be a part of some of the elite organizations we have discussed here, could apply such influence. Could it be that the respective directors of some of the films we mentioned that have featured references to 9/11, for example, whether fleeting references or more substantial ones, such as those by Aaron Russo in Trading Places or the examples offered in the Back to the Future films, were somehow influenced into inserting such imagery and use of the numbers 9, and 11?

Indeed, many could have done so without their knowledge as to what the reference might mean or without giving little thought as to why they were asked to include such references in the first place. We might imagine, for the sake of argument and to play Devil’s Advocate for a moment, that a potential producer (essentially, a person with money to finance the project) who makes such a seemingly random and innocent request to have a close up of a clock with the hands set at 9 and 11 – done in such a way that it would not interfere with the story or the director’s vision – would have met little if any resistance.  

While the idea of hidden messages and predictions of future events in blockbuster movies is perhaps unlikely, it is not that much of a stretch of the imagination that there is more to such a notion than many people might think.

It is no secret that the world of Hollywood and the big guns that inhabit it is a world quite different from the one that most of us reside in. It is a world where some people have more influence than most could imagine, and with that influence, or perhaps even as a result of it, is access to information reserved for only a very select few.

Perhaps there is a good reason that many people over many years have stated that such groups as the Illuminati treat Hollywood as their playground, where they use the medium of the silver screen to not just tell stories and entertain, but to sway the will of the public themselves. They essentially have their audience under a self-imposed, subconscious form of mind control.

Jim Morrison’s famous quote of “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” should perhaps be taken a little more seriously than a flippant, throw-away line.

Morrison, himself studying to be a filmmaker leading up to the success of The Doors, was certainly a perceptive person. Given that the 1960s also witnessed the beginnings of television becoming a “must-have” item in most homes in the Western world, Morrison was perhaps well placed to make his claim, and no doubt saw first-hand the effects of such a device, and indeed his own fame as a result of it, on the general public.

Indeed, the next time you settle down to watch the latest blockbuster or episode of your favorite television show, ask yourself what are you really being shown? And just might subconscious messages be taken in by the brain?

In an age where information and entertainment intersect in unprecedented ways, decoding the hidden messages within movies and television shows invites us to question, analyze, and interpret the narratives that shape our understanding of the world. As we navigate the complexities of an increasingly interconnected society, the line between fiction and reality continues to blur, leaving us to ponder the mysteries of predictive programming and its implications for the future.