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G. Edward Griffin

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G. Edward Griffin
Born (1931-11-07) November 7, 1931 (age 93)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Michigan
BA
Occupation(s)Author, lecturer, and filmmaker
Known forConspiracy theories
SpousePatricia Irving Griffin
Websitewww.freedomforceinternational.org


G. Edward Griffin (born November 7, 1931) is an American author, documentary filmmaker and lecturer. His writings focus on a diverse range of controversial topics such as alternative medicine, politics, foreign policy and banking. Griffin began his media career as a child actor, and later became an assistant announcer for the NPR station WUOM located at the University of Michigan where he graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree. His career as an author began with his first book Fearful Master which was published in 1964. The book focuses on the United Nations (UN) and what Griffin theorizes as the structure of the UN and how it functions. He also started producing documentary-style video adaptations about the same controversial topics he covered in his books, such as the structure of the Federal Reserve System, the Supreme Court of the United States, amygdalin (B17) wherein he advocates an individual's freedom to choose, the historicity of Noah's Ark, terrorism, subversion, and foreign policy.

Griffin has since published several books but his most notable is The Creature From Jekyll Island (1994), a business best-seller. The book explores the Federal Reserve System which has long been embroiled in controversy because of its influence on the American economy. Prior to writing the book, Griffin attended the College for Financial Planning in Denver, Colorado, and in 1989 received designation as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Griffin has been interviewed on several radio programs, internet pod casts, and television news programs. In March 2011, he was interviewed on Fox News by Glenn Beck who recommended Griffin's book The Creature from Jekyll Island calling it a "fascinating read." Sean Easter of Media Matters For America wrote a critical review of that interview stating, "Griffin has an extensive history of promoting wild conspiracy theories."

In the 1970s, Griffin authored World Without Cancer (1974), a book he wrote after the "persistent hammering away on the significance of vitamin therapy" by his friend John A. Richardson, a physician from San Francisco, CA. The book is about the drug Laetrile, a chemically modified form of amygdalin (Vitamin B17) which was once used in combination with other alternative therapies in the treatment of cancer but subsequently banned in the US as it is scientifically unsupported and not approved by the FDA. Griffin includes a disclaimer in his book that states "This story is not approved by orthodox medicine. The FDA, the AMA, and The American Cancer Society have labeled it fraud and quackery."

Early life, education and career

Griffin was born in Detroit, Michigan, on November 7, 1931, and became a child voice actor on local radio from 1942 to 1947. He later emceed at WJR (CBS), and continued as an assistant announcer at the public radio station WUOM. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1953, majoring in speech and communications. In 1954, he served in the United States Army, and in 1956 was discharged as a sergeant. Griffin worked as a writer for Curtis LeMay, vice presidential running mate for George Wallace during his 1968 presidential campaign. Shortly thereafter, he began writing and producing documentary-style videos about the same controversial topics covered in his books, such as cancer, the historicity of Noah's Ark, the Federal Reserve System, the Supreme Court of the United States, terrorism, subversion, and foreign policy.

Advocacy

Griffin has been a member and officer of the John Birch Society (JBS) for much of his life and a contributing editor to its magazine, The New American. Since the 1960s, Griffin has spoken and written about the Society's theory of history involving "communist and capitalist conspiracies" over banking systems (including the Federal Reserve System), American foreign policy, the Supreme Court of the United States, and the United Nations. In 1975, he wrote a biography of JBS founder Robert W. Welch.

In 2002, Griffin founded Freedom Force International, whose members state that they value individual freedom above government power. The organization's position that the exclusive role of government is to protect people's rights and property, not to provide services like welfare, reflects Griffin's view that collectivism and freedom "are mortal enemies." One of the organization's stated goals is to elect people with such views to government offices and onto the boards of nonprofit organizations – true to its motto, "Don't fight city hall when you can be city hall."

Griffin served on the board of directors for the National Health Federation, a lobbying group that promotes alternative medicine, and The International Association of Cancer Victors and Friends. He is founder and president of The Coalition for Visible Ballots and The Cancer Cure Foundation which was established "in December of 1976 as a non-profit organization dedicated to research and education in alternative cancer therapies." The foundation expanded its mission in March, 2002 to include disseminating information about other medical conditions, and changed its name to The Cure Research Foundation.

Literary work and video adaptations

Griffin is the president of American Media, a publishing and video production company located in Southern California. His 1969 video lecture, More Deadly Than War: The Communist Revolution in America, was printed in both English and Dutch. According to the February 2015 statistics on Goodreads.com, a free internet library, 16 distinct works of G. Edward Griffin received an average rating of 4.26 out of 2,137 ratings, 305 reviews, and were shelved 5,537 times.

The Fearful Master

In 1964, Griffin wrote his first book, The Fearful Master, on the United Nations, a topic that recurs throughout his writings. During the 1968 United States Presidential election, Griffin was a writer for George Wallace's running mate, Curtis LeMay. Starting 1969, Griffin began producing films for American Media of Los Angeles. While he describes his work as the output of "a plain vanilla researcher", Griffin also agrees with the Los Angeles Daily News' characterization of him as a "Crusader Rabbit".

The Creature from Jekyll Island

Griffin's 1994 book, The Creature from Jekyll Island, draws parallels between the Federal Reserve and a bird of prey.

Griffin presented his views on the U.S. money system in his 1993 movie and 1994 book on the Federal Reserve System, The Creature from Jekyll Island. The book was a business-topic bestseller. The book also influenced Ron Paul when he wrote a chapter on money and the Federal Reserve in his New York Times bestseller, The Revolution: A Manifesto.

Edward Flaherty, an academic economist writing for Political Research Associates, characterized Griffin's description of the secret meeting on Jekyll Island as "conspiratorial", "amateurish", and "suspect". Griffin's response was "here is nothing about my work that merits being classified as a conspiracy theory...." and "until specifics are brought to my attention, I stand on everything I have written."

World Without Cancer

In 1974, Griffin wrote and published the book World Without Cancer and also released it as a video adaptation. In the book and video, Griffin includes case histories provided by medical professionals, and explains why he believes politics, not science, is the reason amygdalin has not undergone further research as a treatment for cancer in the US. He contends that "eliminating cancer through a nondrug therapy has not been accepted because of the hidden economic and power agendas of those who dominate the medical establishment" and he wrote, "at the very top of the world's economic and political pyramid of power there is a grouping of financial, political, and industrial interests that, by the very nature of their goals, are the natural enemies of the nutritional approaches to health". Since the 1970s, the use of laetrile to treat cancer has been described in scientific literature as a canonical example of quackery and has not been shown to be effective in the treatment or prevention of cancer. Emanuel Landau, then a Project Director for the APHA, wrote a book review for the American Journal of Public Health, which noted that Griffin "accepts the 'conspiracy' theory ... that policy-makers in the medical, pharmaceutical, research and fund-raising organizations deliberately or unconsciously strive not to prevent or cure cancer in order to perpetuate their functions". Landau concludes that although World Without Cancer "is an emotional plea for the unrestricted use of the Laetrile as an anti-tumor agent, the scientific evidence to justify such a policy does not appear within it".

The Discovery of Noah's Ark

In 1992 Griffin wrote and narrated The Discovery of Noah's Ark, based on David Fasold's 1988 book, The Ark of Noah. Griffin's film said that the original Noah's Ark continued to exist in fossil form at the Durupınar site, about 17 miles (27 km) from Mount Ararat in Turkey, based on photographic, radar and metal detector evidence. Griffin also said that towns in the area had names that resembled terms from the Biblical story of the flood. He presented a viewpoint that the flood might have been the action of massive tides caused by a gravitational interaction between Earth and a large celestial body coming close to it.

Bibliography

  • The Fearful Master: A Second Look at the United Nations. Boston, MA: Western Islands Publishers. 1964. ISBN 0-88279-102-8. OCLC 414277.
  • The Grand Design: A Lecture on U.S. Foreign Policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Grand Design. 1968. OCLC 6207421.
  • The Great Prison Break: The Supreme Court Leads the Way. Boston, MA: Western Islands Publishers. 1968. OCLC 220369.
  • A Memorandum on Supreme Court Decisions: Summaries of Key Decisions of the United States Supreme Court as Related to the Impeachment of the Chief Justice. Belmont, MA. 1968. OCLC 432181.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • More Deadly Than War: The Communist Revolution in America. American Media. 1969. OCLC 71304108. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
  • This is the John Birch Society: An Invitation to Membership (1st ed., 2d ed. 1972, 3d ed. 1981 Western Islands ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: American Media. 1970. OCLC 83825. {{cite book}}: External link in |edition= (help)
  • The Capitalist Conspiracy: An Inside View of International Banking (1st ed., 2d ed. 1982 Huntington Beach Patriots ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: American Media. 1971. OCLC 3263688. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help); External link in |edition= (help)
  • World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17 (1st ed., reprinted 1976, 1977, 2d ed. 1997, reprinted 2001, 2006 ed.). American Media. 1974. ISBN 0-912986-09-3. {{cite book}}: External link in |edition= (help)
  • The Life and Words of Robert Welch, Founder of the John Birch Society. E. Merrill Root (introduction). Thousand Oaks, CA: American Media. 1975. ISBN 978-0-912986-07-4. OCLC 1530499.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  • The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve (1st ed., 2d ed. 1995, 3d ed. 1998 American Media, 4th ed. 2002, now in 6th ed.). Appleton, WI: American Opinion Publishing. 1994. ISBN 0-912986-16-6. OCLC 31354943. {{cite book}}: External link in |edition= (help)

Videos and adaptations

  • The Grand Design: A Lecture on U.S. Foreign Policy. 1969. OCLC 5549063.
  • More Deadly Than War: The Communist Revolution in America. American Media. 1969. OCLC 5549058. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
  • World Without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B17 (Visual material). American Media. 1974. OCLC 5604983.
  • Bezmenov, Yuri; Griffin, G. Edward (1984). Soviet Subversion of the Free Press: A Conversation with Yuri Bezmenov (Videotape). Westlake Village, CA: American Media. OCLC 45810551.
  • Griffin, G. Edward; Solis, Willy (1985). The Red Reality in Central America (Videotape). Westlake Village, CA: American Media. OCLC 37023488.
  • The Discovery of Noah's Ark: The Whole Story (Videotape). Westlake Village, CA: American Media. 1992. OCLC 29511807.
  • Griffin, G. Edward; Shurtleff, Howard (1994). The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve (Videotape). John Birch Society. OCLC 36245861.
  • Hidden Agenda: Real Conspiracies that Affect our Lives Today. Venice, CA: Knowledge 20/20. 2001. OCLC 49289908. {{cite AV media}}: |format= requires |url= (help)
    • Vol. 1 (1971). The Capitalist Conspiracy: An Inside View of International Banking (Documentary). American Media. OCLC 5558340.
    • Vol. 2 (1983). The Subversion Factor: A History of Treason in Modern America (Part 1: Moles in High Places, Part 2: Open Gates of Troy) (Videotape). Westlake Village, CA: American Media. OCLC 36968013.
    • Vol. 3 (1968). The Truth About Communism: Only the Brave are Free (Videotape).
    • Vol. 4 (1966). Anarchy U.S.A.: In the Name of Civil Rights (DVD). John Birch Society.
    • Vol. 5 (1962). Katanga: The Untold Story (Videotape).
    • Vol. 6. WBTV (1982). No Place to Hide: The Strategy and Tactics of Terrorism (Videotape). Alexandria, VA: Western Goals Foundation. OCLC 10744020. Also OCLC 19993388.
  • Griffin, G. Edward (executive producer); Dill, David; Gazecki, William; Harris, Bev; Mercuri, Rebecca; Rubin, Aviel D (2004). Invisible Ballots: A Temptation for Electronic Vote Fraud (Videotape, DVD). Westlake Village, CA: American Media and Reality Zone. ISBN 978-0-912986-43-2. OCLC 65199460. Also OCLC 56844390.
  • Jaeger, James; Baehr, Theodore; Griffin, G. Edward; Paul, Ron; Vieira, Edwin (2007). Fiat Empire: Why the Federal Reserve Violates the U.S. Constitution (DVD). Beverly Hills, CA: Cornerstone-Matrixx Entertainment. OCLC 192133806.
  • What in the World Are They Spraying? Produced by G. Edward Griffin, Michael Murphy, and Paul Wittenberger. (2010). OCLC 682713571

See also

References and notes

  1. Griffin stated, "The end result is that there now is a crisis much more serious and real than all the others put together. It is a crisis of personal freedom.
  2. Quoted from Griffin's Note of Appreciation and Gratitude in the Dedication
  1. ^ Who's Who in America 1994 (48th ed.). Marquis Who's Who. December 1993.
  2. G. Edward Griffin (June 1964). Fearful Master. Western Islands Publishers. ISBN 978-0882791029. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  3. ^ G. Edward Griffin (April 2001). "World Without Cancer, The Story of Vitamin B17" (PDF). American Media. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  4. Gavin, Robert (2004-11-28). "The man who shaped the Federal Reserve". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  5. "Bestselling business books". Calgary Herald. 2006-07-04. p. F5.
  6. "Best-selling business books, April 14". Rocky Mountain News. 2007-04-14. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  7. Jane W. D'Arista (1994). The Evolution of U.S. Finance: Restructuring Institutions and Markets. M.E. Sharpe. p. 253. ISBN 9781563242311.
  8. Chris Waltzek (June 6, 2010). "G. Edward Griffin, Author of The Creature From Jekyll Island". Radio Interview With G. Edward Griffin. Gold Seek LLC. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  9. Raven Cabough (March 26, 2011). "Beck Interviews Griffin, Exposes Fed". The New American. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  10. Sean Easter (March 26, 2011). "Who Is G. Edward Griffin, Beck's Expert On The Federal Reserve?". Media Matters for America. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  11. "Laetrile". Complementary and Alternative Medicine — Pharmacological and Biological Treatment — Laetrile. American Cancer Society. December 11, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  12. G. Edward Griffin (April 2001). "World Without Cancer, The Story of Vitamin B17" (PDF). American Media. p. 8. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  13. G. Edward Griffin. "World Without Cancer". American Media. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  14. Aune, James Arnt (2001). Selling the Free Market: The Rhetoric of Economic Correctness. Guilford Press. pp. 140–1. ISBN 1-57230-757-9.
  15. Steele, Karen Dorn; Morlin, Bill (2000-09-02). "Get-rich pitch 'bogus': Seven states have determined Global Prosperity is an illegal pyramid scheme". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved 2008-03-05.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. Sayre, Nora (1996). Sixties Going on Seventies. Rutgers University Press. p. 98. ISBN 0-8135-2193-9.
  17. Stone, Barbara S. (February 1974). "The John Birch Society: A Profile". The Journal of Politics. 36 (1): 184–197. doi:10.2307/2129115. JSTOR 2129115.
  18. Bourgoin, Suzanne Michele; Byers, Paula K. (1998). Encyclopedia of World Biography. Gale. ISBN 0-7876-2556-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. Thornton, James (1993-12-13). "Remembering Robert Welch". John Birch Society. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  20. ^ "About". Freedom Force International. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  21. "Fiat Empire: Why the Federal Reserve Violates the U.S. Constitution". Matrixx Productions. 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  22. "About". The Cancer Cure Foundation. March 2002. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  23. "G. Edward Griffin". Goodreads Inc. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  24. ^ "T.O.'s Griffin All Booked Up With Writing, Film Projects". Daily News of Los Angeles. 1995-05-22. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  25. The title refers to a 1910 meeting at Jekyll Island, Georgia, of six bankers and economic policymakers. The meeting was recounted by Forbes founder B. C. Forbes in 1916, (see: Forbes, B. C. (1916-10-19). "Men Who Are Making America". Leslie's Weekly. p. 423. I am giving to the world, for the first time, the real story of how the famous Aldrich currency report, the foundation of our new currency system, was written.) and recalled by participant Frank Vanderlip as "the actual conception of what eventually became the Federal Reserve System". (See:Vanderlip, Frank A. (1933-02-09). "From Farm Boy to Financier". Saturday Evening Post. pp. 25, 70. Also, Vanderlip, Frank A. (1935). From Farm Boy to Financier. New York City, New York: Appleton-Century Company. pp. 210–219. In Gurumurthy, S. (2007-12-28). "US Fed: an enigma wrapped in mystery". Business Line. Retrieved 2008-09-02.)
  26. USA Daily Staff (2007-08-22). "Paul Out to Slay The Creature from Jekyll Island". USA Daily. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-02. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. "Bestselling business books". Calgary Herald. 2006-07-04. p. F5.
  28. "Best-selling business books, April 14". Rocky Mountain News. 2007-04-14. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  29. Paul listed Griffin's book on his "Reading List for a Free and Prosperous America". See: Paul, Ron (2007-04-30). The Revolution: A Manifesto. New York City, NY: Grand Central Publishing. pp. 169–70. ISBN 0-446-53751-9.
  30. Flaherty, Edward. "Debunking the Federal Reserve Conspiracy Theories: Myth #1: The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 was crafted by Wall Street bankers and a few senators in a secret meeting". Somerville, MA: Political Research Associates. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  31. Griffin, G. Edward (2004). "Meet Edward Flaherty, Conspiracy Poo-Pooist". Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  32. Lagnado, Lucette (2000-03-22). "Laetrile Makes a Comeback Selling to Patients Online". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  33. "Controversial Cancer Drug Laetrile Enters Political Realms". Middlesboro Daily News. 1977-08-10. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  34. "New Library Books". Books. Grand Forks Herald. 2003-07-13. p. 4. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  35. Kenadjian, Berdj, Ph.D. (2006). From Darkness to Light. Zakarian, Martin, illus. (2d ed.). Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-933538-24-2. Retrieved 2009-03-17.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  36. Nightingale SL (1984). "Laetrile: the regulatory challenge of an unproven remedy". Public Health Rep. 99 (4): 333–8. PMC 1424606. PMID 6431478.
  37. Landau, Emanuel, Ph.D. (July 1976). "World without Cancer; the Story of Vitamin B17" (PDF). American Journal of Public Health. 66 (7): 696. doi:10.2105/AJPH.66.7.696-a. ISSN 0090-0036. Retrieved 2008-03-05.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. "The Discovery of Noah's Ark". Reality Zone. Retrieved 2008-03-06.

Further reading

External links

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