Subtitled, "The Greatest Geographical Discovery in History," this is easily one of the most fucked-up books I’ve ever read. Why, you might ask, has an obscure book about a ludicrous theory been included here? It’s been included for a very good reason — to teach you something important. About the crazy idea that the world is hollow??? No, of course not — this book has been reviewed in order to show you the evil power of propaganda.

You see, if certain allegations are presented as "facts" by a scientist, doctor, or world leader, then they will carry a bit more "weight" to them; and if these bogus "facts" are made into a pseudo-scholarly book (which can then be referred to in pamphlets and speeches) they can actually gain some semblance of credibility — especially if all opposing viewpoints are either ignored or ridiculed. If people are under-educated and wholly dependant upon official media sources for information about the world around them, the majority can easily be manipulated by those in power.

But a hollow earth??? Who would be so gullible as to believe such malarkey? Apparently, many ancient civilizations had such legends — but we all know that ignorant primitives are prone to such superstitious thinking. The Nazis allegedly incorporated a hollow earth mythos into their discordantly eclectic system of quasi-occult beliefs, and supposedly even went so far as to fund at least one polar expedition! Still today, many anti-social cult-like groups on the "lunatic fringe" believe in such bizarre things as: a hollow earth, a flat earth, earth as the center of the universe, earth as a living organism (the "Gaia" hypothesis), alien abduction, ritual Satanic abuse, demonic possession, and even an impending Apocalypse (to the exact specifications described in their holy book of choice). People believe a lot of weird shit, and the main reason for it is because of people who knowingly present falsehoods as facts — and then present a mass of contrived mathematical equations and fraudulent testimonials to "prove" their bogus theories.

The use of propaganda as a weapon can have incredible results. For example, the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion was proven to be a forgery penned by a deranged Russian novelist, yet Kaiser Wilhelm and Adolf Hitler (both of whom knowing full well the document’s origins) used it to inflame the German people against a race of scapegoats, thus resulting in two World Wars and a Holocaust. The works of Karl Marx (and a few other radical philosophers) inspired about a third of the world to embrace the deeply flawed concept of Communism — a "utopian" system of government which has consistently failed to perform as advertised, resulting in untold misery for the masses whilst a corrupt elite reap all the benefits of absolute power. Hateful zealots have interpreted passages in the Koran to justify the use of terrorism versus "infidels" in a "holy war" fought by hijackers, suicide bombers, and other mass murderers. Fundamentalist Christians claim that the King James’ Version of the Holy Bible is the literal and undiluted "word of god" which gives them the right to assassinate abortionists, drain poor people’s bank accounts, and persecute anyone who dares to believe differently from themselves. Even today, many "conspiracy theorists" (like William Cooper, David Icke, and a few who wisely have chosen to remain anonymous) cross the line by accusing our government elites of collusion with (if not actual possession by) Satanic/extraterrestrial/reptilian forces — which, quite logically to a religious fanatic, would make political assassinations one’s sacred obligation (indeed, most martyrs would not hesitate to go on a suicide mission, if they felt it was divinely ordained). Not only can the misuse of words hurt someone’s feelings, but they can also result in persecution, expulsion (esp. through loss of employment or even incarceration due to perjured testimony), and even death. Yes, mere words have the power to kill.

It is important to be aware of the use of words as weapons of war (marketing, memes, propaganda, hate speech, psychological operations, subliminal driving, and hypnotism), and to be further aware of the fact that history has a tendency to repeat itself. Don’t believe what you read! Demand proof! Ask to see the evidence with your own eyes! Don’t automatically trust someone just because you think they’re smarter than you! Remember, smart people make the best liars, and they’re usually successful due to the horrible fact that often they’re preying on people’s most secret fears and wishes, in effect telling people what they want to hear — this is the key to excelling as a "con-man."

I have chosen The Hollow Earth to review due to the fact that the concepts theorized upon are mostly harmless. No weak-willed lunatic will read the excerpts and suddenly feel inspired to start planting bombs or going on shooting sprees. This book states, unequivocally, that there are huge openings at each of the earth’s poles which allow access into the planet’s interior, which is described as an idyllic utopia — a veritable "paradise," if you will, which was inadvertently discovered by Admiral Byrd on his first polar expedition and subsequently suppressed by our evil government (as they do with all the other good stuff — like free energy, anti-gravity, miracle cures, etc. — that they want to keep for themselves). Dr. Bernard is very skillful at telling people what they want to hear, but he fails to back up his claims with any hard evidence. For examples: 1.) There is neither footnotes nor bibliography; 2.) The only sources cited are extremely rare books (which may not even exist); and 3.) The actual transcript of Byrd’s alleged radio transmissions (upon which the bulk of this book is based) has not been included, only a scattering of cryptic quotations, which may be interpreted a variety of ways. When details are provided, they are quoted from an anonymous source!

What gave credibility to this silly book was the fact that at the time it was written the average person had no way of disproving these fanciful allegations! The poles were inaccessible to all but well funded military explorations, credible books on polar expeditions were difficult to acquire (Peary and Cook both were accused of fabricating data — if not actually aborting their alleged missions entirely), and satellite technology was still in its infancy. Sure, it’s easy to say things are facts when no-one has the means to contradict you. Today, however, we have access to the technology to prove that such things are not so.

What follows are a few excerpts from this deeply disturbing book, which we now know to be filled with lies . . . or do we???

"The United States and more than thirty other nations prepared unprecedented polar explorations for 1957-1958 to penetrate land now proved to extend beyond both Pole points. . . . Then Giannini quoted the following statements by Admiral Byrd . . .

1947, February: ‘That area beyond the Pole is the Center of the Great Unknown!’ — Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, USN, before his seven-hour flight over land beyond the North Pole.

1956, January 13: ‘On January 13^th, members of the United States expedition accomplished a fight of 2.700 miles from the base at McMurdo Sound, which is 400 miles west of the South Pole, and penetrated a land extent of 2,300 miles beyond the Pole.’ — Radio announcement, confirmed by press of February 5.

1956, March 13: ‘The present expedition has opened up a vast new land.’ — Admiral Byrd, after returning from the Land beyond the South Pole. . . .

The existence of worlds beyond the Poles has been confirmed by United States Naval exploration during the past thirty years. The confirmation is substantial. The world’s eldest explorer, Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, commanded the government’s memorable expedition into that endless land beyond the South Pole. Prior to his departure from San Francisco he delivered the momentous radio announcement, ‘This is the most important expedition in the history of the world.’ The subsequent January 13, 1956 penetration of land beyond the Pole to the extent of 2,300 miles proved that the Admiral had not been exaggerating." (pp. 44-45)

"The above statement by Palmer that commercial airlines do not pass over the North Pole seems reasonable in the light of new Soviet discoveries in relation to the North Magnetic Pole, which was found not to be a point but a long line, which we believe to be a circular line, constituting the rim of the polar concavity, so that any point on this circle could be called the North Magnetic Pole, because here the needle of the compass dips directly downward. If this is the case, then it would be impossible for airplanes to cross the North Pole, which is in the center of the polar depression and not on the Earth’s surface, as according to the theory of a solid Earth and convex formation on the Pole. When pilots believe they reach the North Pole, according to compass readings, they really reach the rim of the polar concavity, where is the true North Magnetic Pole.

Referring to Giannini’s book, Palmer comments:

‘The strange book written by Giannini has offered the one possibility by which it can definitely be proved that the Earth is shaped strangely at the North Pole, as we believe it to be at the South Pole, not necessarily with a hole all the way through, but like a doughnut which has swelled so much in cooking that the hole is only a deep depression at each end. . .’" (pp. 47-48)

"Speaking of the reports of Admiral Byrd’s February 1947 flight beyond the North Pole, which appeared in New York newspapers, Giannini comments:

‘These accounts described Byrd’s 1,700 mile flight of seven hours over land and fresh water lakes BEYOND the assumptive North Pole ‘end’ of the Earth. And the dispatches were intensified until a strict censorship was imposed from Washington.’" (pp. 49-50)

"Gardner, in his book, presents the same conception of the Earth’s structure as Reed did, claiming that it is hollow, with openings at its Poles, but he differs from Reed in that he believes in the existence of a central sun which is the source of the aurora borealis. In the diagrams of his book, Gardner depicts the Earth as having circular openings at its poles; and the ocean water, which flows through these openings, adheres to the solid crust, both above and below, since the center of gravity of the Earth, according to his theory, resides in the middle of the solid portion and not in its hollow interior." (p. 75)

"Foxes were found north of the 80^th parallel heading north, obviously well fed. Without exception, Arctic explorers agree that, strangely, the further north one goes, after a certain latitude, the warmer it gets. Invariably, a north wind brings warmer weather. Coniferous trees were found drifting ashore, coming from the far north. Butterflies and bees were found in the far north, and even mosquitoes, but they are not found hundreds of miles to the south . . . Unknown varieties of flowers were also found in the extreme north." (p. 81)

"Fitch asks those who do not believe that the Earth is hollow, with openings at its poles, to answer the following questions: . . .

If no rivers are flowing from the inside to the outside, then why are all icebergs composed of fresh water? Why does one find tropical seeds, plants and trees floating in the fresh water of these icebergs? If it is not hollow and warm inside the Earth, then why does colored pollen color the snow for thousands of square miles? Could it be that pollen from millions of acres of colored flowers causes the snow to be red, pink, yellow, blue, etc.?" (pp. 91-92)

"Greely reports birds of an unknown species, butterflies, flies and temperatures of 47 to 50 degrees, also plenty of willow to make fires, and much fresh driftwood. He found two flowers different from any that he had ever seen." (p. 126)

These were a few of the more believable claims Dr. Bernard made in his book, but then he goes on to attempt to intertwine several contradictory descriptions of the "geography" of this region, as well as interject a number of bizarre comments about flying saucers, Atlanteans, giants, fairies, and ancient legends, as well as state that two "known entrances" to this underground land are located underneath the Great Pyramid of Cheops and deep in the mountains of Tibet (the passage to Shamballa). This just goes to show you that some people — once you’ve shocked them into a fragmented world-view — can be led to believe things that nearly any sane person would find laughable.

Today, the concept of a "hollow earth" still pops up occasionally if one is researching either "conspiracy theorism" or the occult. Several websites even claim to show "photographic evidence" of Admiral Byrd’s "Snow Crawler" polar exploration vehicle which allegedly was the focus of several parades and was supposedly described in several popular magazines. Remember that a true scholar is prohibited of believing what he reads!!! If you cannot corroborate questionable data with a variety of credible sources, then you cannot vouch for its authenticity. Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof! Sure, "The truth is out there," but so are an abundance of rumors, rantings, and lies which may eventually become part of that contemporary folklore known as "urban legends."

What can be dangerous about presenting fictions as fact is that some people are looking for patterns in the chaos, and a series of uncanny coincidences can have the effect of adding credibility to the most bizarre ideas. For example, Scandinavian legends tell of a wonderful land far to the north, called "Ultima Thule," which bears an uncanny resemblance to the "oasis" supposedly discovered by Byrd during "Operation High Jump" (as well as to the utopian paradises of most of the world’s cultures). The name of the secret occult society which brought Adolph Hitler to power from impoverished obscurity was the Thule Gesellschaft — one of whose beliefs was of a land within the Earth. The ultra-secretive Skull & Bones society at Yale (which included Prescott, George Sr., and George W. Bush as members) is supposedly "Chapter 322" of a German secret society — believed by many to be the Thule Gesellschaft! Is there any wonder that such a discovery would be kept the world’s greatest secret? See what I mean about the danger of encouraging such speculation amongst the easily duped? Persons who cannot adequately distinguish fact and fallacy from fantasy often are subject to psychotic breaks with reality and sometimes find themselves institutionalized. Persons who present unfounded statements as "undeniable facts" are nut-cases, and if they actually have the audacity to publish a book filled with lies that they swear are true, then they should be prosecuted for offending the public sensibilities. In a perfect society, lying would be a punishable offense.

We know, for a fact, that the Arctic and Antarctic regions are the most frigid and inhospitable places on Earth. It can get down to -100 F with the wind chill factor, the permafrost layer is well over a hundred feet deep, and the extreme cold wreaks havoc with electrical equipment as well as internal combustion engines. It is truly a hell on Earth, and woe be unto anyone fool enough to prove otherwise. Thanks to Internet research, the unsubstantiated claims of this book can easily be laughed away . . . but consider that the Internet was not accessible to civilians in 1969, and as a result of both an inability to disprove these statements — as well as a strong subconscious desire to believe them — The Hollow Earth received minor cult status amongst devotees of "alternative literature" for well over a decade.