Parker Anderson collection of conspiracy theory research, 1956-2024, bulk 1987-2001

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Summary

Creator:
Anderson, Parker, 1964-
Abstract:
Parker Anderson (1964-) is an author of nonfiction and dramatic works on Arizona history. The Parker Anderson collection of conspiracy theory research consists of materials documenting the diffusion of conspiracy theories by right-wing populist publishers and personalities in the United States since the 1960s, with emphasis on the period between the late 1980s and the early 2000s. The dominant focus is on "new world order" conspiracy theories informed by strands of evangelicalism, antisemitism, white supremacy, Catholicism, constitutionalism, and libertarianism. The majority of the collection consists of conspiracy theory literature produced in varied formats: books; booklets; pamphlets; serial publications; mail catalogs and promotional ephemera; films and other video recordings on VHS and DVD; audio recordings of lectures and speeches on cassette and CD; and web publications. The remainder of the collection is composed mainly of articles drawn from newspapers, magazines, and websites.
Extent:
12 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.13084

Background

Scope and content:

Contains a variety of materials documenting the diffusion of conspiracy theories by right-wing populist publishers and personalities in the United States since the 1960s, with emphasis on the period between the late 1980s and the early 2000s. The dominant focus is on "new world order" conspiracy theories informed by diverse and intersecting ideologies, which are frequently prejudicial and include strands of evangelicalism, antisemitism, white supremacy, Catholicism, constitutionalism, and libertarianism. The majority of the collection consists of conspiracy theory literature produced in varied formats: books; booklets; pamphlets; serial publications; mail catalogs and promotional ephemera; films and other video recordings on VHS and DVD; audio recordings of lectures and speeches on cassette and CD; and web publications. The remainder of the collection is composed mainly of articles drawn from newspapers, magazines, and websites; these are present in limited quantities as clippings, photocopies, and microfilm scans, and in larger quantities as printouts of full text transcriptions and abstracts obtained from electronic databases in the 1990s. Several sets of FOIA request documents and a small amount of material related to mail-order transactions, such as invoices and correspondence between Parker Anderson and vendors of conspiracy theory literature, are also present.

Key conspiracy theory subjects include: Bill and Hillary Clinton; the Bilderberg Group; the Oklahoma City bombing; and standoffs with federal law enforcement at Ruby Ridge in Idaho and at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Additional topics of emphasis include antisemitic conspiracy theories and militia activity in the Western United States, particularly in Arizona. Public figures and corporate entities prominent in the collection include: James "Bo" Gritz, Des Griffin, Eustace Mullins, Anthony Hilder, and Liberty Lobby.

Titles were devised by archivist to group like materials or were taken from titles on items. Titles in quotes were provided by Parker Anderson. Materials that Anderson designated "Misc. literature" and "Misc. articles" relate to many of the topics, personalities, and corporate entities present throughout the collection. Books directly addressing topics of emphasis in the collection are grouped with related materials, while others are listed alphabetically by title at the end of the finding aid.

Access dates for internet publications vary considerably, from the 1990s to May 2024; priority is given to the date of publication or last update when available. Dates attributed to reprinted or reissued books reflect the stated or approximate year of printing rather than original publication. Dates attributed to FBI materials released in response to FOIA requests reflect the approximate year of compilation.

Copies of some widely available materials were removed from the collection. These include: congressional hearings from 1992 involving James "Bo" Gritz, on missing POWs and narcotics control in Southeast Asia; documents from the FBI's online FOIA library related to requests for information about the Trilateral Commission and the Protocols of Learned Elders of Zion; and a variety of books published or promoted by the John Birch Society and its affiliates.

Biographical / historical:

Parker Anderson (1964-) is an author of nonfiction and dramatic works on Arizona history.

A lifelong resident of Arizona, Parker Anderson has authored and coauthored a variety of books on Arizona history and lore, in addition to historical plays for performance by the Blue Rose Theater company at the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, AZ. Throughout the 1990s, Anderson collected conspiracy theory literature and related materials in connection with a research project, subscribing to a number of serial publications and obtaining bound volumes and audiovisual materials chiefly by mail order from publishers and distributors. Some mail materials in the collection are addressed to Anderson's mother as "Jean Anderson," "Mrs. D. Anderson," and "D.R. Anderson."

At least since the 1960s, proponents of conspiracy theories have posited the existence of elite groups working secretly to impose a "new world order" that will curtail the freedoms of average people in the United States, a notion rooted in post-WWI American critiques of global governance, Cold War fears about Communism, antisemitic notions of Jewish control over financial systems, and persistent ideas about the influence of secret societies (e.g. Freemasons, the Illuminati). The broadening appeal of right-wing populism in the 1990s brought greater visibility to proponents of "new world order" theories who had risen to prominence in militant anti-government and fundamentalist Christian settings. Elements of these theories in turn became widely diffused in the cultural and political discourse of the United States, notably in connection with the controversial use of deadly force by federal law enforcement in sieges of the residence of Randy Weaver in Boundary County, Idaho (1992) and of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas (1993), and in connection with the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City (1995). Entities associated with global governance and multilateral dialog, most notably the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Council, and the Bilderberg Group, tend to figure centrally in the "new world order" theories of the 1990s, as do Bill Clinton as president from 1993 to 2001 and Hillary Clinton as first lady, Senate candidate, and senator-elect during the same period.

Sources: Interview with Parker Anderson (https://crimecapsule.com/meet-parker-anderson-arizona-gangster-hunter/), Blog post on Blue Rose Theater (https://archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1/celebrating-a-unique-theater-company-at-a-museum), Wikipedia entry for "New World Order" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy_theory)). Accessed 6/24/2024.

Acquisition information:
The Parker Anderson collection of conspiracy theory research was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2023 and 2024.
Processing information:

Processed by Will Runyan, July 2024

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2023-0139, 2024-0084

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access note. Collection contains audiovisual materials in the form of videocassettes, audiocassettes, and optical discs that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Parker Anderson collection of conspiracy theory research, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m18q9d