(WC): You are listening to the Hour of the Time and I'm William Cooper. Ladies and gentlemen tonight is going to be one of those special treats. So make sure you have your pen and paper by your side and that you have whatever you need to wet your whistle, a glass of water, or a glass of milk, or whatever it is that you need to keep you in that chair for an hour. Eat you a bag of pretzels, because you are not going to miss — you are not going to want to miss, I hope you don't miss — one single word of this broadcast. Essentially you could add it on to the Mystery Babylon series, so those of you who have that series it might be a good idea to take this broadcast. Consider it part of your continuing education into how we got here, and who's bringing it about, and what does it all mean. Tonight is not gonna solve that; it is gonna present you with the Mystery but nevertheless this Mystery is crucial to what it is happening today and I believe that when it's ultimately solved, what will be presented to the world will be a deception of a great magnitude. And could in fact literally destroy a Christian church. So if you are Christian, you should especially listen.

Cover of Behold a Pale Horse by William Milton Cooper, 1990

Ladies and gentlemen, President Wilson Woodrow said this, "There is a power so organized, so subtle, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it." — President Wilson Woodrow

History is replete with whispers of secret societies. Accounts of elders or priests who guarded the forbidden knowledge of ancient peoples. Prominent men, meeting in secret, who directed the course of civilization are recorded in the writings of all people.

The oldest [(WC): on record] is [(WC): know as] the Brotherhood of the Snake, also called the Brotherhood of the Dragon, and it still exists under many different names. The Brotherhood of the Snake is devoted to guarding the "secrets of the ages" and to the recognition of Lucifer and the one and only true God. If you do not believe in God, Lucifer, or Satan, you must understand [(WC): ladies and gentlemen] that there are great masses of people who do. I do not believe in racism but millions do and their believes and actions based upon those believes will affect me [(WC): regardless of my belief.] It is clear that religion has always played a significant role in the course of these organizations. Communication with a higher source, often divine, is a familiar claim in all but a few.

The secrets of these groups are thought to be so profound that only a chosen, well-educated few are able to understand and use them. These men use their special knowledge for the benefit of all mankind [(WC): or so they say; and we know that some actually do]. At least that is what they claim. How are we to know, since their knowledge and actions have been [(WC): kept] secret? [(WC): Well, ladies and gentlemen, for those who are diligent and who search it is all there.] Fortunately, some of it has become public knowledge. [(WC): The greatest percentage is hidden in esoteric writings concealed by a language of symbology.]

I found it intriguing that in most, if not all, primitive tribal societies all of the adults are members [(WC): everyone of them]. They are usually separated into male and female groups. The male usually dominates the culture. Surprisingly, this exactly resembles many civilized secret societies [(WC): today]. This can only mean that the society is working not against established authority [(WC): if all the adults belong to it], but for it [in these ancient civilizations, our primitive tribal societies]. In fact, it could be said to actually be the established authority [(WC): in that particular situation]. This would tend to remove the validity of any argument that all secret associations are dedicated to the "destruction of properly constituted authority." This can only apply, of course, where the secret society makes up the majority or entirety of any people which it affects. [(WC): I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, [laughs] that today] [only a] very few fall into this category.

Secret societies in fact mirror many facets of ordinary life. There is always an exclusivity of membership, with the resultant importance attached to being or becoming a member. This is found in all human endeavors, even those which are not secret, such as football teams or country clubs. This exclusivity of membership is actually one of the secret societies' most powerful weapons. There is the use of signs, passwords and other tools. These have always performed valuable functions in man's organizations everywhere. The stated reason, almost always different from the real reason, for the societies' existence is important. It can be anything but it is usually fraternal [(WC): and is said to be existing for the good of the community] and it is found in all pressure groups wherever human beings congregate.

The comradeship is especially important. Sharing hardships or secrets has always been a special thrill to man. No one who has ever undergone the rigors of boot camp is ever likely to forget the special feeling of belonging and comradeship that was shared between the victims of the drill sergeant or company commander. [(WC): And yes, I meant victims, for that is exactly what they are. Their world is shattered, destroyed and a new one built which they become a part of.] It is an emotion born of initiation. [(WC): A rebirth if you will; that's why all this born-again stuff is very dangerous. You see; you're either a Christian or you're not. You've accepted Christ or you haven't it; you've been baptized or you have not and you can be born-again every day for 365 days each year for every year for the rest of your life, it will not change a thing. And that goes for every other religion and every secret society.] The most potent tool of any secret society is the ritual and myth surrounding initiation. [(WC): You see,]  These special binding ceremonies have very deep meaning for the participants.

Initiation [(WC): ladies and gentlemen] performs several functions which make up the heart and soul of any true secret society. [(WC): You can form a secret society if you wish but [not] without some kind of special initiation that separates that person from the rest of the world and gives them literally in their mind an emotional rebirth, a new chance with a brotherhood or a sisterhood who had pledged everlasting allegiance to that person.] Like boot camp, the initiation into the armed forces, important aspects of human thought that are universally compelling, are merged to train and maintain the efforts of a group of people to operate in a certain direction. Initiation bonds the members together in mysticism.

Neophytes gain knowledge of a secret, giving them special status. The ancient meaning of neophyte is "planted anew or reborn." A higher initiation is in reality a promotion inspiring loyalty and the desire to move up to the next rung. The goals of the society are reinforced, causing the initiated to act toward those goals in everyday life. [(WC): Most never ever realize what they are doing but] That brings about a change in the political and social action of the member. The change is always in the best interest of the goals of the leaders of the secret society.

The leaders are called adepts [(WC): priests, the illumined ones, a thousand points of light; the stars of the firmament of the heaven. [giggle] I can go on]. This can best be illustrated by the soldier trained to follow orders without thinking. The result is often the wounding or death of the soldier for the realization of the commander's goal which may or may not be good for the overall community [(WC): and certainly was not good for the soldier and maybe now you can understand why the wrath of the military came down around specialist Michael New's shoulders when he refused to wear the United Nation uniform].

Initiation is a means of rewarding ambitious men who can be trusted. You will notice that the higher the degree of initiation the fewer the members who possess the degree. This is not because the other members are not ambitious but because a process [(WC): a process!] of very careful selection is being conducted. A point is reached where no effort is good enough without a pull up by the higher members. Most members never proceed beyond this point and never learn the real, secret purpose of the group. The frozen member from that point on serves only as a part of the political power base as indeed he has always done. [(WC): He provides a political consensus that leads the body politic any direction away from which it would have gone if this group had not existed in their midst.] You may have guessed by now that initiation is a way to determine who can and cannot be trusted [(WC): who believes in the mystery God and who does not.]

A method of deciding exactly who is to become an adept may be decided during initiation by asking the candidate to [(WC): literally] spit upon the Christian cross. If the candidate refuses, the members congratulate him and tell him, "You have made the right choice, as a true adept would never do such a terrible thing." The newly initiated might find it disconcerting, however that he/she never advances any higher [(WC): no matter how hard they work, study, participate, or bet]. If instead, the candidate spits upon the cross, he/she has demonstrated a knowledge of one of the mysteries and soon will find him/herself a candidate for the next higher level.

The mystery [(WC): literally] is that religion is but a tool to control the masses. Knowledge (or wisdom) is their only god, through which man himself will become god. [(WC): Wisdom is represented and has been represented throughout the history of the world as the serpent, the snake, Satan, Lucifer.] The snake and the dragon are both symbols of wisdom. Lucifer is the personification of the symbol. It was Lucifer who tempted Eve to entice Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge [(WC): tree of knowledge, tree of knowledge and nothing to do, ladies and gentlemen, with any apple] and thus free man from the bonds of ignorance. The worship  (a lot different from study) of knowledge, science, or technology is Satanism in its purest form and its god is Lucifer, its secret symbol is the all-seeing eye in the pyramid.

Undesirable effects of secret societies and their aura of mystery has sometimes given them the reputation for being abnormal associations or, at the very least, strange groups of people. Whenever their beliefs are those of the majority they are no longer considered antisocial. A good example is the Christian church, which was at one time a secret society under the Roman Empire. [(WC): They were a minority persecuted.] In fact, the "Open Friendly Secret Society" (the Vatican) actually ruled most, if not all, of the known world at one time [(WC): after, when the Roman empire became literally the Vatican and the Emperor became the Pope.]

Most secret societies are generally considered to be antisocial; they are believed to contain elements that are not liked or are outright harmful to the community in general. This is exactly the case in some instances. Communism and fascism are secret societies in many countries where they are prohibited by law. In this country [i.e. the USA] the Nazi party and the Ku Klux Klan are secret societies due mostly to the fact that the general public is disgusted by them. Their activities are sometimes illegal, thus the secrecy of their membership. The early Christians were a secret society because Roman authorities considered them from the start to be dangerous to imperial rule. The same was true of the followers of Islam. At least some of these true believers working in secret accomplished what would turn out to be for the eventual good of society. The Druseed and Yezidis in Syria and Iraq consider the Arabs a dangerous secret society dedicated to the takeover of the world. The Arabs today think the same of the Jews. Catholics and Freemasons used to have precisely the same ideas about each other. [(WC): Now, at the highest levels, they are one organization documented in a book entitled "The Broken Cross" by Piers Compton.]

In many primitive or backward societies initiation into the highest degrees of the group involved subjection to trials which not infrequently resulted in death or insanity for the candidate. It can be seen that social right and wrong is not the yardstick in estimating the value of a secret society. [(WC): Usually with these people the end justifies the means.] In Borneo [(WC): a tribal society], initiates of hunting societies, consider it meritorious and compulsory to hunt heads. In Polynesia, infanticide and debauch were considered essential for initiation into their societies, where the tribal code needed members who indulged in these things, as pillars of society.

[(WC): You see] Since the beginning of recorded history, governmental bodies of every nation have been involved with maintaining the status quo to defend the establishment against minority groups that sought to function [(WC): literally] as states within states or to oust the constituted authority and take over in its place [(WC): either by subterfuge, coup d'etat or open revolution].

Many of these attempts [(WC): as we all know if we read history] have succeeded but have not always lasted. Man's desire to be one of the elect is something that no power on earth has been able to lessen, let alone destroy. It is one of the "secrets" of secret societies. It is what gives them a political base and lots [(WC): and lots] of clout. Members often vote the same and give each other preference in daily business, legal, and social activities. It is the deepest desire of many to be able to say, "I belong to the elect" [(WC): I am better than all of these other people and know a secret. After all, haven't I been chosen to this elite organization of fraternal brothers who control the community? I am special.]

Houses of worship and sacrifice existed in [(WC): all of] the ancient cities. They were in fact temples built in honor of the many gods. These buildings [(WC): ladies and gentlemen] functioned often as meeting places for philosophers and mystics who were [(WC): in fact the priests and the leaders of those cities. They were] believed to possess the secrets of nature. These men usually banded together in seclusive philosophic and religious schools [known as the Mysteries. Those who did not belong were known as the profane.].

The most important of all of these ancient groups is the Brotherhood of the Snake, or Dragon [(WC): as I revealed to you earlier], and was simply known as the Mysteries. The snake and dragon are symbols that represent wisdom. [(WC): You can see in the ancient hieroglyphics and paintings upon the walls of the tombs in Egypt that the elect the priests, the leaders, the Pharaohs wore the symbol of the snake upon their forehead. They were members of the Mysteries. They had to be to rule for if they did not know the secrets of ruling, the secrets of nature, they could not control the mass of the profane or, as some others call them, cattle or sheep.] The father of wisdom [(WC): ladies and gentlemen] is Lucifer, also called the Light Bearer. The focus of worship for the Mysteries was Osiris, [(WC): in Egypt] another name of Lucifer. Osiris was the name of a bright star that the ancients believed had been cast down onto the earth. The literal meaning of Lucifer is "bringer of light" or "the morning star." Many people have it all wrong; they look to the sky to find the morning star and they point to Venus and they are wrong. The star that rises in the morning, ladies and gentlemen, is the Sun — the Sun. The star is bright. The truth is light. After Osiris was gone from the sky, the ancients saw the Sun as the representation of Osiris [(WC): or more correctly, Lucifer].

"Osiris was first represented by the Sun."
— Albert Pike

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer..."
— the Bible, Isaiah Chapter 14 verse 12

"...it is claimed that, after Lucifer fell from Heaven, he brought with him the power of thinking as a gift for mankind."
— Fred Gettings, Symbolism in Occult Art

Most of the greatest minds that ever lived were initiated into the society of Mysteries by secret and dangerous rites, some of which were very cruel. Some of the most famous were known as Osiris, Isis, Sabazius, Cybele and Eleusis. Plato was one of these initiates and he describes some of the mysteries [(WC): and his own initiation] in his writings. [Break music: The Rose, by Amanda McBroom]

Plato's initiation encompassed three days of entombment in the Great Pyramid, during which time he died (symbolically), was reborn, and was given secrets that he was to preserve. Plato's writings are full of information on the Mysteries. Manly P. Hall stated in his book, The Secret Teachings of All Ages that, "...the illumined of antiquity...entered its portals as men; they came forth as gods" [(WC): and he was talking about the Great Pyramid of Giza.] The ancient Egyptian word for pyramid was khuti, which [(WC): literally] meant "glorious light." Mr. Hall says also, "The pyramids, the great Egyptian temples of initiation..." [(WC): You see, ladies and gentlemen, they were never ever tombs for anyone; they were temples of initiation. How does that grab you?]

According to many, the great pyramids were built to commemorate and observe a supernova explosion that occurred in the year 4000 B.C. Dr. Antony Hewish, 1974 Nobel Prize winner in physics, discovered a rhythmic series of radio pulses which he proved were emissions from a star that had exploded around 4000 B.C. The Freemasons begin their calendar from A.L., [(WC): which means] "In the Year of Light," found by adding 4000 to the modern year. Thus 1990 + 4000 = 5990 A.L. [(WC): which is Annus Luminous or the Year of Light. Go to any Masonic Temple or any building in Washington DC that was laid — that the cornerstone was laid, in a Mason ceremony, at least one of which was laid by George Washington himself — and you will see the date inscribed as Annus Luminous.] George Michanowsky wrote in The Once and Future Star that "The ancient Sumerian cuneiform [...] described a giant star exploding within a triangle formed by [...] Zeta Puppis, Gamma Velorum, and Lambda Velorum [...] located in the southern sky [...]. [An] accurate star catalogue now stated that the blazing star that had exploded within the triangle would again be seen by man in 6000 years." According to the Freemasons' calendar it will occur in the year 2000, and [(WC): [giggle] ladies and gentlemen], it just may very well do that.

I predicted that they would find passageway beneath the Sphinx and they have within the last couple of years actually discovered the passageway that I had predicted. They do not know where it leads yet. The return of Lucifer, represented by this great light in the sky, also described by Malachi Martin in his book "The Keys of This Blood" written with the blessings of the Pope described that the Pope is now waiting for a great light which will appear in the heavens signaling the greatest return of humanity to the church in the history of the world. Malachi Martin describes this event as a fission event. A fission event, ladies and gentlemen, is an atomic explosion. Could this have something to do with the plutonium on board the spacecraft known as Galileo, which according to NASA's own figures will go into a decaying orbit and plunge into the center of Jupiter sometime around December of the year 2000. Galileo is carrying over 47 pounds of plutonium.

[The following part is in the book but it was not read on the radio show.]

[The spacecraft called Galileo is on its way to Jupiter, a baby star with a gaseous makeup exactly the same as our sun, with a load of 49.7 pounds of plutonium, supposedly being used as batteries to power the craft. When its final orbit decays in December 1999, Galileo will deliver its payload into the center of Jupiter. The unbelievable pressure that will be encountered will cause a reaction exactly as occurs when an atomic bomb is exploded by an implosion detonator. The plutonium will explode in an atomic reaction, lighting the hydrogen and helium atmosphere of Jupiter and resulting in the birth of the star that has already been named Lucifer. The world will interpret it as a sign of tremendous religious significance. It will fulfill prophecy. In reality it is only a demonstration of the insane application of technology by the JASON Society which may or may not even work. They have practiced overkill to ensure success, however, as the documents that I read while in Naval Intelligence stated that Project GALILEO required only five pounds of plutonium to ignite Jupiter and possibly stave off the coming ice age. Global warming is a hoax. It is easier for the public to deal with and will give the ruling elite more time before panic and anarchy replace government. The reality is that overall global temperatures are becoming lower. Storms are becoming more violent and less predictable. The icecaps at the poles are growing larger. The temperate zones where food can be grown are shrinking. Desertification is increasing in the tropics. An ice age is on its way, and it will occur suddenly.]

[(WC): And in the year 2000] simultaneously [(WC): supposedly, from what I have been told and from what I have learned from my research] a vault containing the ancient records of the earth will be opened in Egypt. The return of Lucifer in the opening of the vault will usher in the millennium. A great celebration has already been planned by [(WC): a society known as] the Millennium Society to take place at the [(WC): very] pyramids in Egypt. [(WC): This] According to the January 3, 1989 edition of the Arizona Daily Star, "President-elect Bush is spending this New Year's holiday at Camp David, Maryland, but in 10 years he may be in Egypt. Organizers of the Millennium Society say he's already committed to ushering in the next century at the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Giza."

On his birthday, ladies and gentlemen, during his administration he was photographed, and this photograph was published widely, lying in bed holding a model of the pyramid in his hand.

[US President George Herbert Bush holding a model of pyramid, 1987. Zoom-in to see details.]

The first secret that one must know to even begin to understand the Mysteries is that their members believe that there are but few truly mature minds in the world [(WC): and I never believed that until I started dealing with the sheeple and now I'm not so certain that they're wrong]. They believe that those minds belong exclusively to them [(WC): that I still disagree with because I'm not one of them and I think I've got a pretty good mind and I know some other people who are not part of them and I think they have some pretty good mind also]. The philosophy that follow is the classic secret-society view of humanity. When a person of strong intellect is confronted with a problem which calls for the use of reasoning faculties, they keep their poise and attempt to reach a solution by garnering facts bearing upon the question. On the other hand, those who are immature, when confronted by the same problem, are overwhelmed. While the former may be said to be qualified to solve the mystery of their own destiny, the latter must be led like a bunch of animals and taught in the simplest language. Like sheep they are totally dependent upon the shepherd. The able intellect is taught the Mysteries and the esoteric spiritual truths. The masses are taught the literal, exoteric interpretations. While the masses worship the five senses, the select few observe, recognizing in the gulf between them the symbolic concretions of great abstract truths.

"The initiated elect communicate directly to Gods [aliens?] who communicate back to them. The masses sacrifice their lambs on an altar facing, a stone idol that can neither hear or speak. The elect are given knowledge of the Mysteries and are illumined and are thus known as The Illuminati or the Illuminated Ones, the guardians of the 'Secrets of the Ages.'"

Three early secret societies that can be directly connected to a modern descendant are the cults of Roshaniya, Mithras and their counterpart, the Builders. They have many things in common with the Freemasons of today as well as with many other branches of the Illuminati. For instance, common to the Brotherhood are the symbolic rebirth into a new life without going through the portal of death during initiation; reference to the "Lion" and "the Grip of the Lion's Paw" in the Master Mason's degree; the three degrees, which is the same as the ancient Masonic rites before the many other degrees were added; the ladder of seven rungs; men only; and [(WC): of course] the "all-seeing eye."

(WC): You might ask after hearing this broadcast, here we are in America; why is there a pyramid on the back of the one dollar bill with an all-seeing eye floating above it in a smaller pyramid surrounded by rays of light?

Of special interest is the powerful society in Afghanistan in ancient times called the Roshaniya — [(WC): or the] illuminated ones. There are actually references to this [(WC): very] mystical cult going back through history to the House of Wisdom at Cairo. [(WC): At one time, Arabia, ladies and gentlemen, was the seat of all of the knowledge in the world. In fact, they had the only universities in the entire world.] The major tenets of this cult were: the abolition of private property; the elimination of religion; the elimination of nation states; the belief that illumination emanated from the Supreme Being who desired a class of perfect men and women to carry out the organization and direction of the world; belief in a plan to reshape the social system of the world by first taking control of individual countries one by one, and the belief that after reaching the fourth degree one could communicate directly with the unknown supervisors who had imparted knowledge to initiates throughout the ages. Wise men will again recognize the Brotherhood.

Can you hear the echo of the Nazi party, the Communist party, the extreme right and the extreme left?

The important fact to remember is that the leaders of both the right and the left are a small, hard core of men who have been and still are Illuminists or members of the Brotherhood. They may have been or may be members of the Christian or Jewish religions [(WC): or atheists or Buddhists], but that is only to further their own ends. [(WC): Remember: the end justifies the means.] They are and always have been Luciferian and internationalist. They give allegiance to no particular nation, although they have used, on occasion, nationalism to further their causes. Their only concern is to gain greater economic and political power. The ultimate objective of the leaders of both groups is identical. [(WC): That is why it doesn't make any difference whether you elect democrat or republican, the result has always been the same and we go closer and closer to one world totalitarian socialist government. After all, wasn't George [Herbert] Bush, a so-called right-wing conservative Republican, who first used the term New World Order.?] They are determined to win for themselves undisputed control of the wealth, natural resources, and manpower of the entire planet. They intend to turn the world into their conception of a Luciferian totalitarian socialist state. In the process they will eliminate all Christians, Jews, and atheists. [(WC): And that's why you'd better stop picking on the Jews. The Jews who are involved in this, who call themselves Jews are not Jews at all and doesn't the Bible tell you something about that? Those Jews who really are Jews will be eliminated, along with fundamentalist Muslims.] You have just learned one, but only one, of the great mysteries [(WC): of what is coming in the future].

The Roshaniya also called themselves the Order. Initiates took an oath that absolved them of all allegiance except to the Order and stated, "I bind myself to perpetual silence and unshaken loyalty and submission to the Order [...]. All humanity which cannot identify itself by our secret sign is our lawful prey." The oath remains essentially the same to this day. The secret sign was to pass a hand over the forehead, palm inward; the countersign, to hold the ear with the fingers and support the elbow in the cupped other hand. Does that sound familiar? [(WC): Have you seen people exchange these signs right before your nose and you knew not what was happening? There are many other signs, handshakes, and many others, such as the Five Points of Fellowship, ...] The Order [(WC): at the highest level is known as] the Order of the Quest [(WC): or the Jason Society]. The cult preached that there was no heaven, no hell, only a spirit state completely different from life as we know it. The spirit could continue to be powerful on earth through a member of the Order, but only if the spirit had been itself a member of the Order before its death. Thus members of the Order gained power from the spirits of the dead members.

The Roshaniya took in travelers as initiates and then sent them on their way to found new chapters of the Order. It is believed by some that the Assassins were a branch of the Roshaniya. Branches of the Roshaniya or "the illuminated ones" or the Illuminati existed and still exist everywhere. One of the rules was not to use the same name and never mention "the Illuminati." That rule is still in effect today. I believe that it is the breaking of this rule that resulted in Adam Weishaupt's downfall.