Presidents know best?

As much as conspiracy theorists are demonized, often enough because their contentions don’t hold up on closer scrutiny, we Americans still love to speculate. Those who quickly discount the idea that wealthy and powerful people conspire, even to direct national policy, should consider the words of the following Presidents:


“It is not my intention to doubt that the doctrine of the Illuminati and the principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more satisfied of this fact than I am.” George Washington – 1798

“I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…” John Quincy Adams - 1796

“I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country.” Thomas Jefferson Letter To George Logan in 1816

“Many of our rich men have not been content with equal protection and equal benefits, but have sought to make themselves richer by act of Congress.”
Andrew Jackson - Bank Veto message - 1832

“I am more than ever convinced of the dangers to which the free and unbiased exercise of political opinion - the only sure foundation and safeguard of republican government - would be exposed by any further increase of the already overgrown influence of corporate authorities.” Martin Van Buren - First annual message to Congress - December, 1837

“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country...corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”1.
Abraham Lincoln -
November 1864 - (letter to Col. William F. Elkins)
Ref: The Lincoln Encyclopedia, Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY)
This quote is disputed as not being provable. First appeared on a bag of flour sold in Illinois circa 1870s.

“This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people no longer. It is a government of corporations, by corporations, and for corporations.”
Rutherford B. Hayes

“As we view the achievements of aggregated capital, we discover the existence of trusts, combinations and monopolies, while the citizen is struggling far in the rear or is trampled to death beneath an iron heel. Corporations, which should be the carefully restrained creatures of the law and the servants of the people, are fast becoming the people’s masters.” Grover Cleveland - Annual address to Congress - December, 1888

"Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce." James A. Garfield

“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government, to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of today.” Theodore Roosevelt April, 1906

“Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive., that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.” Woodrow Wilson

“The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government of the U.S. since the days of Andrew Jackson.”
Franklin Roosevelt – Letter to Mr. E.M. House

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex…
the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.”

Dwight Eisenhower - Farewell speech

“The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society, and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings.” John F. Kennedy


“In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside of this world. And yet I ask – is not an alien force already among us?”
Ronald Reagan – To the U.N. 9/21/87

“If the people knew what we had done, they would chase us down the street and lynch us.” George H.W. Bush – to Sarah McClendon – Journalist – June 1992

"Well Jordan, you're not going to believe what state I was in when I heard about the terrorist attack. I was in Florida. And my chief of staff, Andy Card -- actually, I was in a classroom talking about a reading program that works. And I was sitting outside the classroom waiting to go in, and I saw an airplane hit the tower--the TV. was obviously on, and I use to fly myself, and I said, 'There's one terrible pilot.' And I said, 'It must have been a terrible accident.’” George W. Bush – Response to question of how he felt on the morning of 9/11 when he realized what was going on. Town Meeting in Orlando, Florida 12/4/01 Repeated again one month later in Ontario, California. Choked on a pretzel a few days after that. I hate when that happens!