Posted on 07/13/2006 3:02:34 PM PDT by Hal1950
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Bolstered by eyewitness accounts and the Internet, the explosion of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of New York 10 years ago spawned a slew of sinister conspiracy theories, most notably the belief that a missile from a U.S. Navy ship was responsible.
So prevalent were these theories that the term "Pierre Salinger Syndrome" - the belief that everything on the Internet is true - entered the lexicon.
For investigators, the conspiracy theories wasted time and diverted valuable resources. Investigators ultimately determined that Flight 800 was the victim of a center fuel tank explosion, most likely caused by a spark in its vapor-filled center tank. Terrorism was ruled out, as was the notion of a friendly fire missile.
Then came Pierre Salinger
"It's a document I got about five weeks ago -- came from France -- from an intelligence agent of France. He had been given this document from an American Secret Service agent based in France," Salinger said at the time. "He had been doing an inquiry and had some contacts with the U.S. Navy."
It turned out to be a discredited document that had been floating around the Internet for weeks. Salinger took to the news airwaves, including CNN, touting his theory. But as baseless as it sounded, Salinger could not be ignored. His accusations gave conspiracy theorists a voice of distinction and credibility.
"He was an idiot," said Bob Francis, the former vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "He didn't know what he was talking about, and he was totally irresponsible."
As for Salinger, after years of suffering from dementia, he died of heart failure in 2004, but his syndrome lives on.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I don't believe in Pierre Salinger Syndrome. It's a conspiracy.
Nothing to see here folks, move along.
Just a little revisionism clean-up operation here, so move along.
You know there has been an alternative theory that a small private plane may have fired the missle at the aircraft. I.E. a terrorist attack. But that's probably just my Salinger Syndrome getting to me again, BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
I don't believe (in) CNN. It's a conspiracy.
Can you tell me when and where that was?
I don't believe in you. You're only a figment of the internet's imagination.
Last week, I wanted
to know which Tolkien book had
"On Fairy Stories."
I looked it up at
Wikipedia and got
the correct answer!
Genie, get BACK in that bottle!
Either a bomb or a missile brought that plane down according to eye-witness reports. And it wasn't friendly fire.
An administration who told us in another incident that a deeply depressed Egyptian pilot flew a airliner into the drink must think all americans are total morons.
"Then came Pierre Salinger." Oh, no, not true. Before Pierre Salinger came a dozen eyewitnesses on Long Island who saw something quite different from what we are now expected to believe!
Absolute B.S.
But play along, Clinton's cronies are watching!
Everyone knows it was a missile, but it was easier for Bubba to blink and turn tail to get re-elected, by pretending it wasn't anything but an accident.
History will out the lying traitor - it always does.
I don't disagree with you.
I am glad you cleared the TWA-800 up for me. I never believed the 125 witnesses that saw the missile leave the deck and hit the plane. Clearly this was a center fuel tank problem.
Oh please, tell us more about these prior accidents? I would love to hear about them.
Thank you
*I hear Crickets*
One very publicized incident involved a French Cargo Airliner that exploded in the same manner and it was determined was the same cause. I really don't have to list all incidents because I am not really refuting anyones claim that it may have been something else other than what the NTSB says it was. I don't entirely believe, given much of the eyewitness testimony (that apparently wasn't included in the official report) the NTSB's version anyway.
I mean, one of the most absurd parts of their whole report is the fact that one of the fuel tanks was empty, or almost empty. On an International flight, that is simply not going to be the case. That in and of itself rings loud and alarming bells for me.
Which flight was that? I had forgotten about that lie.
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