One of the great pioneers of the 9/11 Truth Movement, David Ray Griffin, passed away on November 25, 2022. He was 83 years old.
Following David’s passing, we at Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth invited members of the community to send their thoughts on David’s seminal contributions to the cause of 9/11 Truth and to their own personal journeys. Below are the dozens of messages we received.
Thank you so much to all of you who shared your reflections on this extraordinary human being, who was one of the true leaders of our time.
Please be advised that these statements are those of the commenters alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of AE911Truth.
My name is John B. Cobb, Jr. I was David Griffin’s teacher and for many years colleague and partner. He studied, and we later worked together, at the Claremont School of Theology. Fifty years ago we organized the Center for Process Studies that undertook to help scholars in many fields of study to understand that shifting from mechanistic to organic theory in the way Alfred North Whitehead had developed would benefit their work. The scientific evidence is that the world is made up of interrelated events (or processes) rather than tiny bits of separate static matter.
We wish scientists would re-think their models in light of the evidence they have uncovered. It would also make for a coherent, integrated vision of the sciences and humanities and guide our response to the global crisis.
Although we worked with many scientists and humanists in fruitful ways, universities have organized themselves to block any such efforts, telling faculty that they should “save the world” on their own time. Their job, academics say, is to provide factual (“value-free”) information to whoever will pay for it and use it for whatever they wish. If that hastens human suicide, so be it. Academics have other tasks.
In contrast, as process theologians, we think our job is to deal from a Christian perspective with whatever is important for the well-being of the Earth. Our first responsibility is to Truth.
I have never known anyone more committed to truth than David Griffin. He took stands that were not popular either in the church or in the secular world. He sought no reward. He adopted Whitehead’s philosophy because it rings true, although both church and university opposed it.
When 9/11 occurred, David appreciated that it was an important event with drastic consequences. He saw that it was being described falsely and used for destructive purposes. To announce the truth about it was harmful to his career and even to the process movement. But for him, such considerations were no determinative. Finding and sharing the truth was his calling as a Christian theologian.
I trusted him completely and found his account convincing. Although his absorption in this topic was not helpful to the process movement, I admired his choice and have identified myself as a “conspiracy theorist” to add to my own marginalization. The mainstream is destroying life on this planet, and neither David nor I had any desire to be successful in that context.
Eventually, he had done what he could to advance the quest for 9/11 truth and returned to promoting process thought explicitly in its relevance to many topics. He continued publishing to the day of his death.
I could write with enthusiasm about his recent books. However, although the churches and the theological community have distanced themselves from him, I consider his work on 9/11 his greatest theological accomplishment. Perhaps when the public knows the truth, questions will be raised about the imperial foreign policy the neo-conservatives imposed on our nation in the aftermath.
John B. Cobb Jr.
For me, David Ray Griffin was the main person to give me the confidence to pursue my own investigation of 9/11. A sane and balanced scholar, he couldn’t be accused of being just another conspiracy maven. And, in a truther movement inevitably riven by so many disagreements, he was able to cut through the noise and present the essentials in a way that any fair reader or hearer would find hard to dispute.
As a footnote, I was delighted to find his The New Pearl Harbor on the shelf in my local library, though I’ve never been completely certain the librarians had looked beyond the title and knew what was inside.
Robert Foley
During a time in history when the truth in general is being either attacked or ignored, David Ray Griffin had the courage to not only stand up for it, but fight for it. He will not be forgotten.
John J. Tobak
Saddened to hear. I got my wife to watch when he was on C-SPAN for one of his books regarding 9/11, and his appearance finally broke through her cognitive dissonance. It was precise and informative, leaving no doubt the official story was and remains a bad joke. RIP, Mr. Griffin.
Jim Stucke
I am saddened by David Ray Griffin’s death and celebrate his amazing life! He was known to me as a leading Process Theologian long before he joined the 9/11 Truth Movement. I’m an avid fan of Process Theology. Griffin exuded grace, warmth, and humility when I met him at one of the Grand Lake Theatre 9/11 showings. I told him I thoroughly enjoyed his book Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11— A Call to Reflection and Action. He told me that it was one of his favorites. I have a number of his other 9/11 books and collaborations. Needless to say, he was thorough, well-researched and lucid in his contributions to the brilliant others in your movement. I am eternally grateful for having met him ever so briefly in our brief time on this precious earth.
Cornel Barnett
David’s The New Pearl Harbor is the definitive explanation of the events on 9/11. Scholarly work. Deserved a Nobel Prize for journalism. Very saddened that he is gone. Always one of us; a truth seeker. RIP, dear friend. Bless you.
Seth Hirsh
I remember hearing Professor Griffin speak at St. Mark’s Church in Manhattan very early in the aftermath of that day. I was astonished at his courage based on careful research and willingness to express views at odds with the official account. My own questions arose rooted in common sense—for example, how were the alleged perpetrators identified within hours? I hope his books remain in print for years to come.
Anita Ruhling
Thank you, David, you are a brave man and a true Hero. In a just world there would be a statue in your honor!!!!!!!
Jason Savas
Very saddened to hear this news. David and others of 9/11 Truth have enlightened me and I’m sure countless others so much. So many things are wrong today, and yet the majority of people still seem to be clueless. Organizations like AE911Truth at least are making an effort to reveal the nefarious acts of power.
Steve Close
DAVID RAY GRIFFIN IS SLEEPING IN JESUS.
IT WON’T BE LONG BEFORE HE’S AWAKE AGAIN.
HOPEFULLY HE WILL BE CALLED TO JUDGE THE WICKED.
GOD KNOWS DAVID KNOWS THE KNOWN DEMONS THAT CAUSED 9/11.
HIGH TREASON MASS MURDER.
HIS RIGHTEOUS STAND ON EARTH FOR THE TRUTH WILL NOT BE IN VAIN.
I SALUTE YOU, SIR.
GOD BLESS YOUR STAND.
PETER EDWARD SYMONS
I am simply devastated by the loss of this great devoted and dedicated truth-teller.
As we all know, we would have been severely set back without his valuable contributions to our movement.
Patricia Gracian, member, 9/11 Truth, San Diego
It was my father who introduced me to the writings of David Ray Griffin. I was visiting him in the summer of 2005 and noticed several DRG books in his library. My dad had been a commanding officer in several fire brigades, one at an international airport, and felt there was a massive deception created by the official narratives about 9/11 and about how the buildings of the WTC collapsed. Reading Griffin’s well-researched books certainly woke me up to the extent of the cover-up and to how the public was so quickly programmed to believe a ready-made false mythology about the events of that day. As an architect/builder, I joined AE911Truth soon after.
Since my father was also deeply involved in Canadian politics with access to Members of Parliament, he may have had an influence in keeping Canada out of the debacle of the illegal war on Iraq, but less so in Afghanistan. My father is also gone now, and I have inherited his library and the analytical ability to think for myself. I am so grateful to AE911Truth for persisting in the quest for truth long after many have given up.
David Shipway
David’s The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions was the book that set me free from the propaganda. As a Christian academic, he approached the subject as though he hoped the conclusion could be different than it was. He was not an Alex Jones, profiting off of tragedy, but a real hero who used the evidence in the public record to expose the nakedness of the emperor and the evil of empire. Along with the initial work of Pilots for 9/11 Truth, he proved that the conventional wisdom was being used to justify despicable behavior. He will always be my hero. Thanks for all you do.
Tom Crofton
What a hero he was! Ever since I read his books about 9/11, I have had a broader understanding about the marriage of our government and the war industry and ultimately about the willy nilly sacrificing of innocent civilians for profit and authoritarian control. I have thought of David Ray Griffin many times because he opened my eyes to see the unthinkable! I am grieved to hear of his loss. My heart goes out to his loved ones. Thank you, David Ray! Rest in peace.
Sue Shoffiett
Sad news, a pioneer of truth for AE911Truth has left us. Our organization must carry on in every way possible to keep up the fight for what is right and just. I am a monthly contributor to your organization because I feel it is a true cause and can never be abandoned. My condolences to his family and friends.
Larry Riach
David Ray Griffin was the absolute BEST personality to present 9/11 Truth to the masses, as he was cool, calm, and collected as well as well-educated and informed on the subject and a perfect speaker who didn’t seem as though he’d ever become angry. A true scholar. He is possibly 9/11 Truth’s greatest possible loss and the greatest writer of its literature. His books are brilliantly put together with solid sourcing.
Matthew Mosley
Thank you very much for sending me the notice of the sad passing of one of my
true heroes, Dr. David Ray Griffin. I first learned about the real truth of 9/11 from this gentleman and scholar. May he rest in peace. I will be donating to the 9/11 lawyers and AE911Truth in his name.
All My Best,
Frances Scarcille
If Gutzum Borglum were alive today, he would have added David Ray Griffin to Mt. Rushmore.
Gary Yeagley
I am sure David Ray Griffin will carry on his outstanding work in the afterlife.
My older daughter attended Claremont, and when I saw his book The New Pearl Harbor I decided to read it to see what kind of professors my daughter was exposed to. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, so I re-read the book and then started to check out his footnotes. The one where the Department of State said they were able to identify all but one of the passengers from their DNA in the plane that hit the Pentagon let me know that the government was lying to us. If we follow their logic that the 757 or 767 was destroyed, how were they able to resurrect DNA from supposed victims? And in the early pictures, the windows above the supposed crash were not even broken. And where was the damage from the two engines?
It took the credibility of the architects and engineers to convince any reasonable person that controlled demolition brought down all three WTC towers. David was able to translate the earlier work into a credible and reasonable form for the general public, and life in the U.S. has not been the same since he wrote all of his books. Someone else will have to speak about his theological work.
Dave Nelson
A pivotal “station of the cross” in my 9/11 learning journey was watching a compelling video David Ray Griffin made about the FBI finally admitting that not one of the claimed telephone calls from the planes that day, which supposedly told us the story of terrorists with box knives, ever existed — except one that had a duration of zero minutes. I can still see him holding his fingers in a circle to demonstrate and underline graphically the arresting fact of that zero admission.
Tony Tengs
I am eternally grateful to both David Griffin and Elizabeth Woodworth for the book 9/11 Unmasked, which I have on my bookshelf just a handful of feet away and whose veracity will remain and shine for me and all other holders of that book — now and in the future. David’s (and Elizabeth’s) work is an integral part of the truthfulness that is in the hearts of all those involved in the Truth Movement now and forever. The truth in that book of yours will not burn in the fire. Thank you, David!
Mikko Vuorinen
David was a great man and a great orator of his investigative findings. He presented his findings in an easy-to-read format and made clear the truth of not just what happened on 9/11 but how it happened. He will be sorely missed. But his work will continue to educate the general public.
Dougee Gould
My name is C. J. Date. David Ray Griffin had a major influence on my political thinking. What follows is a lightly edited version of a piece I wrote a few years back explaining how I got involved in the 9/11 Truth Movement.
On September 11th, 2001, my wife and I were on vacation in England. We got on the road at around 2:00 pm, or in other words about 9:00 am New York time, and within a couple of minutes got a puncture on our rental car. Fortunately it turned out we weren’t far from a repair shop—and it was while we were getting the tire fixed that we heard the first garbled reports coming over the radio of what was happening in New York at that same time. However, I don’t think we fully took it on board, and it wasn’t until we got to our hotel that we really began to understand. First of all, there was a slightly crazed and elderly lady wandering about the hotel lobby saying “It’s World War III, it’s World War III.” She told us that somebody had crashed a small plane into the World Trade Center—or was it the White House? She didn’t seem very sure, and I remember thinking the White House was more likely if the World War III prediction was right. Then we got into our room, and of course there was a TV, and so we got to see the Twin Towers come down. And again. And again. And over and over and over again.
Now, it didn’t occur to me at the time that there might be anything at all fishy about what was going on, but I did understand something of politics and how the world works, even then, and I could foresee at least some of the things that were going to happen—massive increases in surveillance, and travel hassles, and loss of civil liberties, and so on. Well, I was certainly right about all of those things. But at the time we mostly just watched, aghast, and listened to the condolences pouring into the U.S. from all around the world. (As at least one U.K. headline had it, “We’re all Americans now.”) And I remember thinking, “Well, at least at this point America has the moral high ground; I just hope it’s up to behaving accordingly.” But of course it wasn’t. Well, George W. Bush certainly wasn’t, at any rate. I had no idea at the time of the forces that had been and still were at work; nor do I know to this day whether George W. was in the loop or out of it;[1] but I do remember his speech a day or two later (“Either you’re with us or you’re against us”) and thinking “OK, that’s it, America doesn’t have the moral high ground anymore.”
This isn’t the place to go into a detailed discussion of what I think 9/11 was really all about. Suffice it to say that I began to get a little suspicious of the official story some little while later (maybe six months later), when I reflected on the fact that 9/11 was actually a crime—a huge crime—and yet it hadn’t been treated as one. For one thing, much of the physical evidence was removed and destroyed within 24 hours! Isn’t it illegal to tamper with a crime scene? What’s more, such an immense clean-up activity requires very careful planning (it certainly can’t be put in place overnight); so someone had advance knowledge of what was going to happen. And then what about Building 7, which was never hit by a plane but came down anyway? And so on. But it wasn’t until I read the first edition of David Ray Griffin’s crucial and important book The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the Bush Administration and 9/11—which I did in 2004, some two-and-a-half years after 9/11 itself—that it all began to come together for me. And everything I’ve seen since that time has made me more convinced than ever that the official story not only can’t possibly be true, but is in fact a deliberate lie.
Chris Date
Thank you, David, for everything you did in pursuit of the Truth.
Philip Richard Mockridge
David Ray Griffin was the first person to pierce the veil of 9/11. I read his first book on that subject and was amazed at his depth of knowledge. I subsequently went to see him in person in Dublin, Ireland, when he gave a wonderful talk on 9/11. I asked him was he not afraid of being “SUICIDED.” He was such a noble man. He was not afraid to speak out. R.I.P., David. Glad to have met you.
Frank Doyle
Twenty years ago, I was among the first 500 engineers to join AE911Truth. I can still recall the fear I experienced applying for membership in Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. In those early days, we had to prove our identity as a qualified engineer. Years later, I read David Ray Griffin’s brave and uncompromising analysis of 9/11. Afterwards I felt proud to have risked my professional reputation in pursuit of the truth. It is gratifying to see how many more are joining the movement since David opened the door.
Frank Quill
David Ray Griffin’s work was foundational and fundamental to the success of the 9/11 Truth Movement. He broke the ground in academic circles with The New Pearl Harbor and followed up to solidify the case for a new, real investigation into 9/11 with The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions. It was one of his later books, though, Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action, that transmitted what I felt was his most powerful message, which was the importance of not being “indifferent” to injustice, because that’s the fundamental prerequisite for crimes like 9/11 in the first place. This is echoed by Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement that “Silence is betrayal,” also again in the eternal quote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” by Edmund Burke.
For 9/11 to have occurred, there must have been a giant series of failures over decades where otherwise good men failed to act and sound the alarm, like General Smedley Butler did (during the “Fascist Coup” attempt against FDR during WW2). Whether it be because of bribery, threats, or just passive, uninquiring indifference, there must have been good men who essentially turned a blind eye while a treasonous agenda was being built. To prevent such crimes from ever taking place in the future, David Ray Griffin not only provided a solid case for a court of law to proceed with, he also identified the key principle of having the courage to reject the temptation of being “indifferent to injustice” as early as possible.
Douglas Brown
Winter of ’07 I read Dr. Griffin’s The New Pearl Harbor and realized the official story could not be true. I also saw clearly the tremendous motive for profit involved in letting 9/11 happen for a nefarious part of our society. I read all his 9/11 books and heard him speak about three times in Boston. He was a lion of courage and truth and integrity among men, women and sheep . . . and among the cowards who know the truth but shut up, probably to keep their jobs/careers.
After reading his first several books, I realized one only needs the scientific/experimental method (first taught in junior high school science) and basic high school physics to know the three skyscrapers were brought down with explosives. While evil and greed run rampant in our world, thank goodness there are still beautiful, brave people of high character like Dr. Griffin.
I emailed him a couple months ago thanking him. He kindly said, “I wish I had gotten to know you!” I do, too! He will be missed but he lives on in his over ten 9/11 Truth books. Godspeed, sir. Godspeed.
Vladimir Lewis
I receive email notices from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and so I was informed yesterday that a very great man had passed away on November 25. David Ray Griffin left us at last. David Ray Griffin was a professor of theology eminent in his field when this century dawned. His was one of the finest minds I have ever encountered. The sharpness and rigour of his detective’s intellect was combined with a mastery of the English language that few people could command. He spent the last twenty years of his life cutting and thrusting against the great lie that opened this century, that the crimes done on September 11, 2001, were done by outside Muslim terrorists when, in fact, over 3,000 innocent civilians — the people who were in the World Trade Center towers in New York City and in the Pentagon Building in Washington and the passengers in four airliners — were murdered by agents of an inside conspiracy within the government of the United States.
Professor Griffin laid down his sharp sword and divested himself of the gleaming armour of truth just one week ago. All of us must sooner or later return what God lends us, our soul lent for the purpose of risking it in the arena of combat, which is our mortal time. David Ray Griffin returned the coinage God lent him polished all the brighter.
Maybe it might seem paradoxical that a theologian would also be an advocate of the establishment of true facts by evidence and not unsupported belief. But David’s goal was always truth, and so the greatest lie of our time, the lie of Official 9/11, was his enemy. He was a Christian warrior, and his enemy was Satan, the Father of Lies. He died with the sword of truth in hand and clothed in the armour of God still gleaming. May flights of angels, dear David, sing you to your rest.
James Bernard Shepard
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of David Ray Griffin.
I never had the pleasure to meet him, but I will say living in Oakland, California, two blocks from the Grand Lake Theatre, I was incredibly blessed to have been able to easily partake in the annual 9/11 film festival, which continues to this day, an event that I anticipated and felt incredibly grateful to be able to partake in.
I got to watch movies where he spoke, and I believe he spoke on stage one time at the theater when I was there, although my memory fails me at this point. I was also blessed to see and hear others who spoke on stage, watched their movies, bought books, and had incredibly intriguing and eye-opening conversations with people in the lobby.
The immense work of the architects and engineers and other experts who explored the happenings around 9/11 was and is credible. It was a rich experience for me and so groundbreaking in the complete transformation of my perception of what I thought was reality here on planet earth and especially in the United States of America. To really, truly understand what it means to be “We The People,” to put our leaders on watch, and to do our due diligence and understand everything going on around us instead of passively waiting to be told what it is or what to do. His work and the work of others has since made it possible for me to see the truth of what’s been going on the last two years. I am profoundly grateful. It saved my life and those around me.
I’m sure David Ray Griffin was well aware of the tyrannical situation of events that 9/11 did lay the groundwork for. I am so grateful that I was able to see the truth these last two years, and it’s because of people like David Ray Griffin I was able to do so, to realize that most of the time our so-called leaders have other agendas going on and will work to no end to deceive us. David Ray Griffin indeed laid the groundwork for a rippling effect of truth that will continue on, a lasting legacy.
Thank you,
Kristin H.
Not sure if this is the prescribed way to provide personal anecdotal feedback to the David Ray Griffin obituary, but I will leave it here, for what it’s worth.
I only met David Ray Griffin once, at a lecture he gave in Olympia, Washington, around 2010. Jumping back, I knew “something was fishy” on September 11, 2001, when I received a call from a colleague while driving to work on the Olympic Peninsula. It all seemed completely implausible, as I watched the video of the first airliner-into-Trade Center crash and pulled over at a roadside restaurant to get some further news. Not just surreal, but practically impossible under national air defense realities, it just had to be some sort of inside job, but of what sort, I left open without much further conjecture for some months.
Time went by, the crashing wave of history and histrionics made for murky waters indeed. The dust and facts settled, and skyscraper-sized questions remained and arose from the dust and ash. But I had other things to attend to personally, as did most of the rest of America. We were all sort of glazed over, many by first- and second-hand grief, others of us trying to contain an arising outrage: Where was the press to be heard in asking obvious questions? WTF was going on here?
Later, I saw a poster about an appearance and lecture by the author of the book The New Pearl Harbor. I went to hear the author, one David Ray Griffin, at the community-owned theater in downtown Olympia. By then, I had begun doing my own homework. I was surprised and delighted at the calm, balanced, and obviously well-studied gentleman at the podium, explaining, as any rational and scientifically minded person might, how he had asked and followed questions deeper and deeper into the anomalies . . . and lies . . . being soft-sold to the American people. A new Pearl Harbor indeed; the term false flag really stuck with me for the first time. It was a full house, and members of the public from a spectrum of disbelief to outrage had come there to listen to a calm, intelligent, academic gentleman lay it out unmistakably: Something horrific had happened that could not feasibly be an accident or the lame cover story presented by the Bush government and the compliant mainstream media. Griffin stood before us and spoke clearly with the calm assurance of what Gandhi called satyagraha, or truth power.
I approached him after his talk to thank him for his curiosity and courage, and he said: “We all have a job to do to bring this crime to light. Do whatever you can.” In that, I used the book The New Pearl Harbor and others by Griffin to encourage folks to dig in at their own pace, knowing that this was deep and personal paradigm-shifting material. One friend, a Mormon judge and all-American true-believer from Salt Lake City, reluctantly took the book home with him, read and prayed over it, and came back to me, his mouth trembling. “It’s true, isn’t it? We have been deceived and betrayed at the highest levels.” “Yes, Jerry,” I replied, “and what each of us does with this knowledge is a personal challenge and opportunity to bring light to the case.”
David Ray Griffin was a human lighthouse, full of courage and curiosity, compassion in the face of looking directly into the countenance of evil. Alfred North Whitehead would indeed be proud of his latter-day colleague.
Michael Maki
David and I were friends for more than 50 years, and I miss him greatly. He was my mentor in the Process Philosophy and the Philosophy of Living! That’s what made us “brothers.”
I remember, sometime in the early part the 2000s (perhaps 2002–2003), David and a group of us were having a snack in the lower-level café of the Hayden Center at the Claremont School of Theology, where David taught. We started talking about politics, and ultimately 9/11.
When I mentioned to David about the third building that collapsed at the speed-of-gravity (free fall) into its own footprint on that fateful day, he was surprised and asked for more details. Since I’m a commercial building contractor, I explained what I knew and what I sensed at the time. He then started what I call the “Griffin Research Method” about 9/11. He was relentless, revealing, uncompromising. He will always be my hero for resisting the ruling elite’s version of reality and seeking facts instead.
We will miss David even more as the years pass and documents become unclassified.
Warmly,
Hank Keeton
I will remember him for his work, intellect and, like so many others in the 9/11 Truth Movement, his bravery to speak truth to power. RIP.
Bill Stashak
The New Pearl Harbor changed my life. I happened upon it in May of 2008 while strolling through a bookstore. I had absolutely no idea that people were questioning the official story of 9/11 and thought that it would be a fun and entertaining read, something akin to reading about Bigfoot or aliens. I will never forget the feeling that overtook me after reading about three pages. I was completely shocked, not by what I had presumed would be a ridiculous supposition, but by the reasonable and measured case presented. David Ray Griffin completely altered my view of the world, and for that I am eternally grateful.
James Ragghiant
David’s books opened my eyes to the false official story of 9/11. I hope his family is very proud of the tireless commitment he gave to getting the truth out there. His quest for truth continues on his next journey.
Thank you, David.
Michael Bland
I, Stephen Egede Glahn, of Denmark, can’t express how grateful I am to David Ray Griffin! Reading his first book, The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11, changed my life.
David has given me courage to say in my lectures what he wrote in 9/11 Ten Years Later: When State Crimes Against Democracy Succeed, “Those Americans, including military leaders, who engineered this operation are guilty of murder and treason.”
David was a hero, and his life gives hope for the United States of America and the rest of the world. God bless you, David!
With love from
Stephen Egede Glahn
David Ray Griffin is an unforgettable person. His numerous books regarding the 9/11 attacks stand forever as excellent examples of scholarly research as well as clarity of thought and writing. My favorite is The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Why the Final Official Report about 9/11 is Unscientific and False, and my signed copy is a treasure. I have no doubt David’s amazing spirit is alive and well, because:
“It is the lip of truth that will be firmly established forever, but the tongue of falsehood will be only as long as a moment.” — Proverbs 12:19
Sincerely,
Ron Brookman
Like just about everyone else, I kind of took 9/11 at face value at first. It wasn’t until 2006 that I ran across (at about the same time) Maria
Gillardin’s 9/11 Mysteries documentary and Steven Jones’s Utah Valley State College presentation. It didn't take any serious persuasion beyond these to flip me into this rabbit hole.
However, it wasn’t until I encountered The New Pearl Harbor that I felt completely comfortable with being there. DRG seemed to me to have blazed a new path in the world of popular “conspiracy theory” by moving into that world the academic use of footnotes — numerous and at times voluminous — documenting or elaborating on what he was saying in his main text. It is a pattern now familiar in the use of hypertext links in the blogosphere and in books like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s The Real Anthony Fauci, but was (if I recall correctly) not so common at the time.
I couldn’t get enough of it, and when Debunking 9/11 Debunking and The Mysterious Collapse of WTC 7 came out, I felt fully armed to be public about the issue. Thanks to DRG, I taught two well-received eight-week public courses for our Acadia Senior College here in Maine and did a detailed presentation on WTC 7 at one of their discussion meetings. I can’t speak to DRG’s theological work, having (regrettably) barely skimmed it, but he is really the sole reason I’m where I am when it comes to 9/11.
Dick Atlee
I was in Seoul, Korea, on 9/11. From the very beginning, there was something fishy about how the WTC buildings fell — and especially how Building 7 fell late in the afternoon. I suspected an “inside job” by Cheney and Halliburton’s KBR, the only company capable of demolishing such tall buildings at the time. But it wasn’t until 2011 or so that I came across others who thought the same way. When I read David Ray Griffin’s masterful book The New Pearl Harbor, I instantly recognized truth.
It’s also interesting that we both consider God much bigger than the universe. In our universe, natural laws are obeyed, but I think that’s because God is hiding from us. God wants love, which requires faith. The universe can’t compel us to believe in God; we have to reach that conclusion on our own.
I never met Professor Griffin, but if you know a person’s mind by what he writes, then I can truly say he mentored me, and I remain infinitely grateful.
David Moskowitz
We were very saddened by the loss of DRG, a brave intellectual with uncompromising ethics. He was the forerunner of the 9/11 Truth Movement who made many of us architects and engineers reevaluate the events of 9/11. He also exposed the neocons’ “Project for a New American Century” foreign policy doctrine that needed a “catastrophic and catalyzing” event like a “new Pearl Harbor” to implement. They got their well-orchestrated “new Pearl Harbor” on 9/11/2001. That “new Pearl Harbor” activated the Patriot Act and these never-ending wars
of terror. Early on, Dr. Griffin delved into the official false narrative of 9/11 and made us aware that many of our trusted institutions and elected officials were ready and willing to compromise their ethics and promote impossible physics and engineering theories. We are very grateful to have known him.
William Rice, P.E. Ret.
What a loss. DRG is nothing less than a hero. His efforts to suss out truth in a world full of lies are priceless, and I am so grateful for his contributions. He had authority, dignity, humour, and such knowledge. I saw many of his lectures on YouTube a few years ago. I cannot find any now. That is sad and disheartening.
God bless David Ray. His family must be so proud.
Eric Helgesen
David Griffin was my dissertation advisor at Claremont. So I got the benefit of his razor-sharp mind on every page. The version of my diss rewritten for the general reader, published by Lantern Books as The Uttermost Deep: The Challenge of Near-Death Experiences, reflects his expertise.
Because I knew what he had to offer, when I saw that he had written a new book entitled The New Pearl Harbor, I wasted no time in reading it, thereby introducing myself to the field of 9/11 studies. Needless to say, I owe him an immense debt.
David was convinced that human consciousness survives the death of the body. When he took off a year (as I recall) to inform himself about what parapsychology has to say on the subject of survival, his summary response was, “I was bowled over by the evidence.” Since I have spent a great deal of time on this same topic, I am in complete agreement. So I am convinced that, although we have lost him, he goes on Elsewhere.
Gracia Fay Ellwood
My thoughts and prayers are with David’s family at this very difficult time. No words will ever heal the pain of a lost loved one, but they should stand proud in knowing what a great man and much admired man he was.
David’s dedication to the truth about 9/11 has been inspirational and will continue to be so, not just in the USA, but all over the world. His memory will never be forgotten. David, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for everything you have done, and may you rest in peace.
Richard McConnell
I’m deeply saddened to hear of David Ray Griffin’s passing. He was a driving force that brought legitimacy to the 9/11 Truth Movement, moving us beyond the “conspiracy theorist” stigma often employed to obfuscate people rather than enlighten them. His integrity and level of professionalism brought the voice and presence the movement needed. I was initially very suspicious of the government’s “official” narrative but didn’t give it much thought until around 2003 or 2004, following a deep conversation with a family member regarding their concerns. I began investigating, reading everything I could find on the topic. I read Mr. Griffin’s The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11 and listened to many of his presentations. I’ve since read his other books on the subject and am grateful for his bravery and dedication to the cause! Paul Craig Roberts says it best, “David has served truth to the hilt. He is a hero of our time.” Yes, indeed, and we must not allow his work to have been in vain.
Mitch Gurney
In the very confusing years after 9/11, it seemed an eternity before people began to question, and the most reassuring and thoughtful of the voices available then and up to his most recent interviews, was David Ray Griffin. I believe I will take time to revisit his work. So much of it, so thankfully prolific.
Gratitude always,
Ken Daves
Dear David, almost the whole world denied and still denies the truth about 9/11. Not you! You were the one who gave the wake-up call for the truth. Your message changed the minds of a million people all over the world. Your belief in Truth overwhelmed us and convinced us that a better world indeed exists. Thank you for that divine gift.
Marius C. Torenvlied
I salute David Ray Griffin for his courage and perseverance in publishing 50 books on theology, process philosophy, the climate catastrophe, and 9/11. The ones I have studied on 9/11 were carefully researched and convincingly presented. I had the pleasure of bringing David from Vassar to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he lectured at South Church Unitarian and stayed at our home overnight. We had a crowd of about a hundred. The Seacoast 9/11 Questions Group hosted. Its leader, Dr. David Diamond, joins me in this testimony to Dr. Griffin’s greatness. Dr. Diamond is unable to send a testimony due to his Parkinson’s disease.
William Woodward
I thought I had all the answers to 9/11 by 2003. Richard Clarke and Dr. Benjamin DeMott shook that certainty in 2004, and the next year I read The New Pearl Harbor. I had always been interested in the science of epistemology, and Dr. Griffin was a nuanced master. He could maintain in his mind seven different scenarios for what happened at the Pentagon. His point-by-point takedown of the 9/11 Commission Report in his Omissions and Distortions book was nearly flawless.
RIP, David Ray Griffin.
Brian Good
Following the publication of his first two books on the attacks in September 2001, our grassroots group in Brattleboro, Vermont, SVFEEP (Southern Vermonters for a Fair Economy and Environmental Protection), invited David Ray Griffin to speak at the Stone Church on Main Street.
Four things stood out from that event. We scheduled the presentation for a weekday lunch hour, and the attendees filled the church to the brim; the fire marshal spoke about the overflow attendance, pointed out exits, and remained on site.
Dr. Griffin spoke to the audience in a measured, matter-of-fact manner and systemically laid out his obviously impeccably accurate evidence of the government’s distortion of the facts, indeed its overall “official story.” But within the packed pews, the former professor’s flow of information lit a fuse. I heard one utterance among the many that captured the shock and awe flooding the secular congregation: “Holy Shit!!”
When Dr. Griffin ended his lecture to passionate applause and asked if there were any questions, we were indeed invited to meet a fellow human being, humble in doing his work and sharing his findings in service to his fellow citizens. He responded to the outpouring of a full range of emotions, from disbelief to anger, with respect and compassion but with a firm defense of his objective fact-findings.
Near the end, a woman asked about the risk he would be taking as a “whistleblower” — public humiliation, ruinous attacks on his academic legacy, imprisonment, or even assassination. Dr. Griffin admitted that he and his wife, as well as a number of closest friends, addressed that possibility. It was a risk worth taking. Whatever might happen would further illuminate the truth.
I could imagine the audience, to a person, feeling the resolve in his conversational voice. When SVFEEP’s director announced the fire marshal had met his obligation, the audience filed out reluctantly, but fully energized.
Reality hit me hard the next day. Our local daily newspaper had not reported on this stunning event. And “life” in our town, aside from our monthly SVFEEP directors’ meeting and my work with a local 9/11 Truth group, returned to normal.
However, I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Griffin on three subsequent occasions: two 9/11 symposiums in Keene, New Hampshire (sponsored by a local 9/11 Truth group), and one in Connecticut. Sitting at a dinner table with him and fellow activists on several occasions, I slowly began to see, beyond his comfortable, regular-guy affect, the depth of understanding of the issues in this theological philosopher, as played out in our times. And, beyond that, how he applied his scholar’s “toolbox” to deconstructing the events on 9/11 and the multi-layered cover-up.
In retrospect, I wish that a little neon sign had flashed in my head — here’s Muhammad Ali, Philip Barrigan, William Sloane Coffin! Pay attention!
Fast forward past another five of his books, I found myself rereading his seminal work, The American Trajectory: Divine or Demonic? In his last and single most important effort during his pursuit of the truth around these events, Dr. Griffin discerned the historical context of this trigger for the 20-year-plus Global War on Terror.
In his retelling of the history of American imperial actions since the founding of this Republic, Dr. Griffin deconstructs the myth, embraced unthinkingly by the obvious majority of our citizens, that anoints the American experiment as the latest and greatest edition of a “Chosen People” — whose destiny is to bring a superior morality into human affairs by promoting and ensuring, by force, if necessary, democracy and prosperity across the globe, nation-state by nation-state.
Herein resides “the Heart of Darkness.” In genuflecting to this false testament to the “Greatest Nation,” we citizens avoid responsibility as citizens, as compassionate fellow human beings, through our continued ignorance, greed, and abdication of moral principle. By shining a light on this evil, Dr. Griffin has opened the door to our very own collective, enlightened response.
But it wasn’t until I had reread The American Trajectory that the neon sign finally glowed. May we recognize David Ray Griffin, the successor to the Reverend Martin Luther King, as the highest moral authority in this American Republic.
CoeuRage,
Richard Foley
Professor Emeritus, Keene State College (New Hampshire)
December 5, 2022
Brattleboro, Vermont
Gratitude sums up what I feel about my personal interactions with David Ray Griffin. My life is immensely richer for knowing this man — yes, for his prodigious writings and lectures that brought our 9/11 Truth Movement into the academic arena, but truly, it is the heart connection that developed over the years that winds up being the most meaningful to me.
In this moment of remembrance, I will share a few personal interactions.
David Griffin and I met when I picked him up from the Denver airport in October 2007 for two speaking events: one in Denver and one in Boulder, Colorado. I was his constant assistant and chauffeur for four days, so we had much time to reflect on his talks and other subjects.
David’s first presentation was on October 19 at Denver’s Iliff School of Theology. He was hosted by Dr. Vincent Harding, well known for his role in the Civil Rights Movement and speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Harding and his wife, Rosemarie, were my friends, so around 2005, I sent to Vincent a personal note along with David Griffin’s book, The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions, but I was taken aback with his curt, “This is an interesting perspective.” I never expected to be blown off by my friend Vincent.
It was actually his son, Jonathan, who convinced his father to look more deeply. So in early 2007 I received an email from Vincent: “I think we need to invite our brother David to speak to us about 9/11.”
Vincent wrote:
Dear Professor Griffin,
The dean’s office at Claremont was kind enough to share your e-mail address with me, and I write to you now as a fellow member of the company of usual Emeritus suspects.
As you may know, friend, I recently retired from my position as Professor of Religion and Human Transformation at Iliff. I continue to operate on the campus as chairperson of the independent, non-profit Veterans of Hope Project and also as a member of the Iliff Board of Trustees. From both of these stances I have recently been in conversation with a number of Denver friends who are members of a very active 9/11 Truth organization. These conversations . . . have led us to the decision to explore with you the possibility of your coming to Iliff this fall . . . to share with this community some of your important research, reflections and concerns regarding the official 9/11 story.
For better and for worse, I am Old School enough to prefer telephone communication to e-mails for such explorations.
David Griffin was very glad to hear from Vincent. He had been disappointed that even though he had spoken and written about the implications this issue had for Christians, he had to date received not one invitation from churches, seminaries, etc.
So as this event came about, I witnessed these two Methodist theologians connecting like brothers through this terribly disturbing and very taboo 9/11 Truth.
David told us that his “9/11 and Nationalist Faith” talk at Iliff was one of his favorite presentations. His words ring strongly in our minds to this day:
People of faith are often accused of allowing their faith to override evidence. This is often true. With regard to 9/11, the greatest obstacle to seeing the truth — that 9/11 was an inside job — is not the lack of evidence but what can be called “nationalistic faith” — the conviction that the leaders of our nation simply would not do such a thing. Genuine faith — faith in God the creator and lover of all peoples — can help overcome the insanity created by 9/11.
The second presentation was at the University of Colorado, Boulder, hosted by courageous math professor Dr. Marty Walter. This talk was titled “9/11 Contradictions,” after Griffin’s book of the same title — another excellent talk from which I could hardly extricate him from the numerous people plying him with questions.
So David and I bonded through our interactions during his visit to Colorado. But then, as happens with all friendships, a disagreement ensued. Yes! It was about that most controversial subject within the 9/11 Truth Movement: What caused the damage at the Pentagon? The extremely short version of that disagreement goes like this: I challenged him that he could not be conclusive that no large plane hit the Pentagon. He challenged me to do my homework and read his chapter on the Pentagon in The New Pearl Harbor Revisited. I said I would, and I did. Then I wrote to him that, after carefully considering all the evidence, we still should not be conclusive about what caused the damage at the Pentagon and gave him all my reasons, in detail.
Eventually, he sent me a copy of his 2011 book, 9/11: Ten Years Later, with a personal note: “I think you will be especially interested in chapter 7,” in which he had written a more even-handed argument regarding the Pentagon attack. I was, to be sure, not the main person who convinced him that conclusiveness was not warranted in this case.
In the meantime, he invited me, through Elizabeth Woodworth, to join the 9/11 Consensus Panel, which shows the character of this man. He did not need me to agree with him, but he could see that I could do my homework and think independently.
In the summer of 2010, David Griffin almost died. Here are snippets of our correspondence:
Me: “I have been deeply engrossed in learning about near-death experiences and what these experiencers have come back to teach us. I am, so far, convinced that this is not a brain phenomenon.”
David: “On near-death, you may now know that I have a chapter on this in my 1997 book, Parapsychology, Philosophy, and Spirituality. I also concluded that near-death experiences cannot be explained as purely brain phenomena.”
In the summer of 2017, David was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. The medication he was prescribed was to give him six months or six years of more life. Here are snippets from our email conversation:
Me: “Well, David, put my vote in for 6 years, if this is what you desire. What a challenge this must be for both you and your wife. And one we will all face one day.”
David: “Yes, I will want the full 6 years: ‘many more books to write before I sleep.’
Also, I have not completely given up on having 9/11 exposed; my ‘Bush and Cheney’ book, along with our Consensus 9/11 book, will be my final efforts.”
Me: “Good! But, as you know, death is not a sleep, if the hundreds of thousands of near-death experiencers (NDErs) are correct. According to them, it is more of an awakening to Reality. I sure hope they are right. Even so, there must be anxiety about this ultimate journey for the great majority of us. I’m still fascinated with this most welcome good news; it has, in fact, changed my life. I have told some of the NDErs that I bring to people the very bad news about 9/11, and people deny the evidence to avoid the discomfort of cognitive dissonance. But they [the NDErs] bring us the best news possible, and many still deny it for the same reason.”
David: “Yes, I just couldn’t resist modifying Robert Frost’s line.”
There are many more personal interactions I could share, and I would love to, but I’m way over the word limit! I’ll sum up my feelings with this one word: gratitude.
Thank you, David. As you know, we are all always connected.
Frances T. Shure
Image courtesy of Robert Shetterly. And a very special thank you to Tania Torres for collecting and organizing these responses.
