The first conspiracy theories about September 11 began to emerge while the wreckage was still smoldering. Today, nearly five years later, hundreds of books and thousands of Web pages are devoted to the idea that the U.S. government encouraged, permitted, or actually carried out the attacks. These theories claim to be based on hard evidence.
Popular Mechanics began researching the facts behind 9/11 conspiracy theories in late 2004 and published a cover story on the topic in March 2005. (That story is available here.) The response to that piece was so overwhelming the editors decided to continue the project and to publish a book-length version of our results. We expanded our team of researchers and broadened the scope of our investigation to include a wider range of popular theories. The fascinating and in-depth findings come from leading experts in all the relevant fields, including aviation, air defense, air traffic control, civil engineering, firefighting, metallurgy, and geology
Among the issues examined:
- Claims that air traffic control violated standard operating procedures by not immediately intercepting the stricken jets;
- That the fire caused by the crashes wasn't actually hot enough to melt steel and cause structural damage in the World Trade Center;
- That the holes in the Pentagon were too small to have been made by a Boeing 757;
- That Flight 93 was actually shot down by an Air Force plane.
For more on how Debunking 9/11 Myths came to be, read the introduction here. To arrange for media interviews, email us.
In the coming weeks, PM's editors will be posting regularly on the Debunking 9/11 Myths blog. Check back for updates.
