The Master Game

by Graham Hancock

  119 Ibid., plate on p. 42.

  120 This new Exchange was also destroyed by fire in 1838. The present Royal Exchange was built in 1842 – 44, and apparently cost £150,000 at the time.

  121 Taken from The Last Will and Testament of Sir Thomas Gresham, published in London 1765.

  122 Lomas, op. cit., p. 292.

  123 Tinniswood, op. cit., p. 150.

  124 MS. Ashmole 242, f. 78; see C. H. Josten (ed.), Elias Ashmole (1617 – 1692) His Autobiographical and Historical Notes, His Correspondence and Other Contemporary Sources relating to his Life and Works, Oxford University Press, London, 1966, vol. 3, pp. 1 & 112. This entry by Elias Ashmole is accompanied by an astrological horoscope and inscribed notes by the astrologer William Lilly (see Annabella Kitson (ed.), History of Astrology, Mandala-Unwin Paperbacks, London, 1989, p. 200).

  125 Elias Ashmole, vol. 4.

  126 History of Astrology, pp. 199 – 204.

  127 MS. Ashmole 1136, f. 53; cited in Elias Ashmole, vol. 4, pp. 1 & 432.

  128 History of Astrology, p. 199 – 200.

  129 It would not be until 1752 that the Gregorian calendar was introduced in England.

  130 See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_between_Julian_and_Gregorian_calendars and converter at www.fourmilab.ch/documents/calendar. .

  131 Apparently the Declaration of Independence was voted by Congress on 2 July 1776 and only agreed unanimously on 4 July. It was then read out publicly on 8 July. See Ovason, op. cit., pp. 142 – 3. Note 23 June 1776 (Julian) converts to 4 July 1776 (Gregorian).

  132 For a full discussion as to why Virgo was significant to Washington, DC, see Ovason, op. cit., appendix, pp. 357 – 91.

  133 Ibid., p. 379.

  134 A very critical review of Ovason's ‘astrological’ theory for Washington, DC has been published by the author Michael Baigent in Freemasonry Today (vol. 15, 1999). In a private conversation with Baigent during the writing of this book, he informed Bauval that Ovason's knowledge of astrology seemed very poor, and there were many mistakes in his book. There are, too, several astronomical errors. But in spite of this, Ovason's detailed and meticulous research into the documentation and records of the event surrounding the design and building of Washington, DC is excellent, and was most useful to us in the writing of this book.

  135 Ovason, op. cit., p. 118.

  136 The only surviving record of this very important Masonic ceremony is in a short unanimous letter printed in one of the Charleston newspapers when the Georgetown Lodge No. 9 of Maryland gathered on the site for the cornerstone ceremony on Saturday, 13 October 1792. The cornerstone was laid on the southwest corner of the president's house (later to be called the White House, by virtue of it being painted white after being scorched by fire in 1814 by the British artillery guns).

  137 According to Ovason's observation of the setting sun on 12 August along Pennsylvania avenue, the axis would have to be between 20 – 22°, depending on the height of the observer. Ovason recognised this in his notes (see Ovason, op. cit., p. 456, note 69). This fact was verified for us on 11 – 12 August 2003 by David Hudgins, Ph.D., CFM, University of Oklahoma, who took a digital photograph of the event.

  138 This happens almost every day of the year, except for about 2 ½ months when this star is not visible at night. David Ovanson thinks that the alignment from the White House to the Capitol (i.e. along Pennsylvania Avenue) was deliberately designed to point at the setting sun (Ovanson, op. cit., p. 337). Considering that Ovason makes a strong case that the five-pointed ‘Egyptian’ star symbol of Sirius was integrated into the fabric of the Declaration of Independence and the ‘cornerstone ceremony’ of the Washington Monument (the Egyptian-style obelisk), it is curious, to say the least, that he did not realise the significance of the stellar alignment to Sirius of the White House-US Capitol axis along Pensylvania Avenue.

  139 Ovason, op. cit., p. 337.

  140 Ibid., p. 456, note 69. Not knowing, however, from what vantage height Ellicott and L’Enfant made their observations, Ovason decided to establish his solar alignment by direct observations from 6 – 12 August.

  141 Ovason, op. cit., pp. 47 & 58.

  142 Ibid., p. 127.

  143 Ibid.

  144 Tompkins, The Magic of Obelisks, p. 322 – 9.

  145 Ovason, op. cit., p. 129.

  146 Quote in Ibid., p. 87 from Lalande, op. cit., vol. 1., p. 245.

  147 According to StarryNight Pro 4, this event took place at about 4 p.m.

  148 Ovason, op. cit., p. 137.

  149 Naudon, op. cit., p. 79.

  150 The Pentagon was conceived at the request of Brigadier-General Brehon B. Sommervell, chief of the Construction Division of the Office of the Quartermaster General, on a weekend in mid-July 1941. The purpose was to provide a temporary solution to the War Department's critical shortage of space. The building was dedicated on 15 January 1943, nearly 16 months to the day after the ground breaking.

  151 See: pentagon.afis.osd.mil/construction.html. and also: pentagon.afis.osd.mil/facts-area.html.

  152 Cameron, op. cit., p. 32.

  153 Franklin D. Roosevelt's vice-president, Harry Truman, received the degrees in Belton Lodge No. 450; organized and became a charter member of Grandview No. 618. He served in France as a captain in the US Army in WWI. Served as both district lecturer and Deputy Grand Master for several years. He was elected Grand Master of Masons in Missouri in 1940. He always claimed this was the greatest honour that had ever come to him. He received the first Gourgas Medal of the Scottish Rite, NMJ, granted while he was serving as a Senator. He worked for servicemen and women through The Masonic Service Association during World War II. Elected vice-president in 1944 and became president on the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt (a Mason) on 12 April 1945. He died on 26 December 1972. On 28 December he was buried on his library's grounds with impressive rites. These included the only Masonic funeral service ever televised worldwide.

  154 Cameron, op. cit., p. 117.

  155 See C. Knight & A. Butler, Before The Pyramids, Watkins Publishers, London, 2009, p. 194.

  156 Ibid., p. 247.

  157 Bauval, Secret Chamber, chapter 7.

  158 Available at: www.trumanlibrary.org/photos/israel.jpg. Also see www.trumanlibrary.org/israel/palestin.htm.

  EPILOGUE: THE MASTER GAME CHAPTER TWENTY: THE DAY THAT SHOOK THE WORLD

  1 A. Millar, ‘Freemasonry in the Mind of the Islamist’, Hudson New York, available at: www.hudson-ny.org/421/freemasonry-inthe-mind-of-the-islamist.

  2 ‘Turkey blasts: Claims of al-Qaeda’, Mail & Guardian, 20 November 2003, available at: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2003-11-20-turkey-blasts-claims-of-alqaeda.

  3 Johann Hari, ‘What I discovered inside Finsbury Park Mosque’, The Independent, 22 January 2003, available at: www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/what-i-discovered-insidefinsbury-park-mosque-602412.html.

  4 ‘Istanbul bomb attack kills one’, BBC News, 10 March 2004, available at: news. bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3548433.stm.

  5 ‘Al-Qaida ‘not to blame’ for Istanbul bombing’, The Guardian, 10 March 2004, available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/mar/10/alqaida.turkey.

  6 Available at: www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/saudi_gazette.html.

  7 ‘Can a Muslim Be a Freemason?’, Islam Online, available at: www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaEAskTheScholar&cid=1119503547288.

  8 Robert S. Wistrich, ‘The New Islamic Fascism’, available at: www.jerusalem-en.sitecity.ru/ltext_2606062955.phtml?p_ident=ltext_2606062955.p_2606064631. .

  9 Available at: http://english.aljazeera.net/archive/2004/03/20084914326902740.html. .

  10 ‘Ex-Georgia Tech Student convicted on terrorism charge’, CNN, 10 June 2009, available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/10/georgia.terror.trial/index.html. .

  11 There is still much popularity of the Protocols ofthe Elders of Zion in some nations of South America (recently published in Spani
sh in 2006 in Mexico) and Asia, but since the end of WWII political leaders in other parts of the world have rejected the notion that the Protocols represent a factual Jewish conspiracy. In the Middle East, however, many Arab and Muslim regimes and leaders have claimed them as being real. The Protocols were endorsed from Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat of Egypt, to King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and Colonel Gaddafi of Libya. Recently political and intellectual leaders in the Arab world who endorse the Protocols, and are supported by influential personages such as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrima Said Sabri, and organizations such as Hamas, as well as the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia.

  12 The history of the concepts found in the Protocols was traced back to the works of Herrmann Ottomar Friedrich Goedsche (aka Sir John Retcliffe) and Jacques Cretinéau-Joly by Lucien Wolf, and English journalist who published his findings in London in August 1921. A damning exposé was also given in a series of articles in the Times on 16 – 18 August 1921. The newspaper's Istanbul correspondent, Philip Graves, demonstrated clearly the plagiarism from Cretinéau-Joly's work. The New York Times also reprinted the articles on 4 September 1921.

  13 Steven Simon is the award-winning co-author of The Age of Sacred Terror (Floris Books, Edinburgh, 2002) and author of The Next Attack (Times Books, New York, 2005). His current work examines the consequences of the American intervention in Iraq, Muslim and non-Muslim relations, and the role of religion in US foreign policy.

  14 Cited in A. Millar, op. cit.

  15 ‘2008 Update: Saudi Arabia's Curriculum of Intolerance’, published by the Center for Religious Freedom of Hudson Institute with the Institute for Gulf Affairs, PDF available at: www.hudson.org/files/publications/saudi_textbooks_final.pdf.

  16 The original thrust of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 had begun with the so-called Balfour Declaration on 2 November 1917. Arthur James Balfour (1848 – 1930) was the British Statesman who maintained a position of great power within the Conservative Party for 50 years. He was prime minister from 1902 to 1905 and foreign secretary from 1916 to 1919. Many Masonic researchers believe that Lord Balfour was a Freemason, but United Grand Lodge denies this. At any rate, After being prompted by Zionist leaders Chaim Weizmann and Nahum Sokolow, Balfour wrote to Baron Rothchild, leading finacier in England and head of the Zionist movement in UK. His famous letter from the Foreign Office is typed on plain paper: Dear Lord Rothchild,

  I have much pleasure in conveying to you. on behalf of his Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.

  His Majesty's Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endevours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

  I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

  Yours, Arthur James Balfour

  17 The Knights Templar is the final order joined in the York Rite. It does not deal with the Hiram Abiff legend. Unlike all other Masonic orders which accept members regarless of their faith, membership in the Knights Templar is open only to Freemasons who are Christians. This body is modeled off of the historical Knights Templar to carry the ‘spirit of their organization’. It has been claimed that Freemasonry was founded by the Knights Templar or that the Knights Templar, after their persecution in 1312 – 4, took refuge in Freemasonry. The Grand Encampment of the United States, which regulates Masonic-Templars, acknowledges these theories but says there is no evidence to justify them. A local Knights Templar division is called a ‘commandery’ and is governed at state level by a Grand Commandery as well as the Grand Encampment of the United States. The Knights Templar confer three orders, and one passing order as opposed to the standard degree system found in regular Freemasonry: The Illustrious Order of the Red Cross

  The Passing Order of St. Paul, (or Mediterranean Pass)

  The Order of the Knights of Malta (or simply Order of Malta)

  The Order of the Temple

  18 Available for download at: http://www.knightstemplar.org/KnightTemplar/Magazine/2010/0810.pdf.

  19 The ‘Father of Zionism’ is regarded as Theodore Herzl (1860 – 1904). At the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897, which was masterminded by Herzl, he founded the World Zionist Organization. He died before seeing his vision of a Jewish state in Palestine become a reality. In 1949 his remains were brought to Jerusalem and buried in ‘Mound Herzl’ cemetery. Many Israeli leaders such a Golda Meir and Levi Eshkol are also buried in this cemetery. Herzl's family seemed to have been plagued by terrible tragedies: Herzl wife Julia suffered from mental instability; his eldest daughter, Pauline. was a heroine addict and died at the age of 40 from an overdose in a French hospital. His son, Hans, shot himself when he found out about his sister's death. His other daughter, Trude, was to die in the Nazi concentration camp. Her son, Stephen Theodore Norman (born Stephen Neumann), on learning of his family's extermination in the death camps, committed suicide in November 1946 by jumping off the Massachusetts Avenue bridge in Washington, DC. He was only 27.

  20 See Robert Rockaway ‘FDR’s Plan For a Jewish State in Palestine’, Israel Insider, 25 December 2002; see also Robert H. Abzug, America Views the Holocaust 1933 – 1945: A Brief Documentary History, St. Martin's, New York, 1999, pp. 134 – 5.

  21 ‘The Declaration of The Establishment of The State of Israel’, 14 May 1948, available at: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Process/Guide%20to%20the%20Peace%20Process/Declaration%20of%20Establishment%20of%20State%20of%20Israel.

  22 Ibid.

  23 Clark Clifford is often said to have been the real influence on Truman on this matter. But in the words of Clifford himself, ‘President Truman said he would like me to prepare the case for the formation of a Jewish homeland as if it were a case to be presented to the Supreme Court’.

  24 Available at: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/photos/israel.jpg. . Also see www.trumanlibrary.org/israel/palestin.htm.

  25 Cliford's memoirs were written in two parts with Richard Holbrooke. The first part was published in the New Yorker magazine of 25 March 1991 and covered events from 1944 to Truman's recognize of Israel in May 1948. See Clark Clifford and Richard Holbrooke, ‘Serving the President I – The Truman Years’, New Yorker, 25 March 1991, archived at www.newyorker.com/archive/1991/03/25/1991_03_25_040_TNY_CARDS_000354728.

  26 Richard H. Curtiss, ‘Truman Adviser Recalls May 14,1948 US Decision to Recognize Israel’, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, May/June 1991, p. 17, available at: http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0591/9105017.htm.

  27 Ibid.

  28 Ibid.

  29 Ibid.

  30 Ibid.

  31 Ibid.

  32 Ibid.

  33 Ironically, Clifford later served as lawyer for Arab businessmen and served as director of a bank (First American Banshares, but said to have been controlled by Bank of Commerce and Credit International – BCCI) they illegally took over, and has faced legal problems because of this in the 1980s. Indictment against him were put aside because of his failing health. Clifford died in October 1998.

  34 Imam's message announcing Quds Day, dated 7 August 1979 (16 Murdad 1358 AHS), Sahifa-yi Nur, vol. 8, p. 229.

  35 Imam's message dated 16 August 1979 (25 Murdad 1358 AHS), Sahifa-yi Nur, vol. 8, pp. 233 – 234.

  36 Imam's remarks dated 9 August 1980 (18 Murdad 1359 AHS), Sahifa-yi Nur, vol. 12, p. 282.

  37 In the event, the Masonic Bible was never used due apparently to a fear that it be damaged by bad weather conditions on the day George W. Bush took the presidential oath.

  38 George. W. Bush, ‘Remarks by the President Upon Arrival’, 16 September 2001, available at: http://georgewbushwh
itehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010916-2.html.

  39 George. W. Bush, ‘President Rallies the Troops in Alaska’, 16 Febraury 2002, available at: http://georgewbushwhitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/02/20020216-1.html.

  40 Alexander Cockburn, ‘The Tenth Crusade’, Counterpunch, 7 September 2002, available at: http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn0907.html. .

  41 James Pinkerton, ‘Century In, Century Out – It's Crusade Time’ Newsday, 4 December 2003, available at: www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/century_in_century_out_its_crusade_time.

  42 ‘Al-Qaeda Threatens Christians, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: Protect Churches’, Saudi Telegraph, 3 November 2010, available at: www.sauditelegraph.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=434859.

  43 ‘Al-Qaeda claims Iraq church attack’, Al Jazeera, 2 November 2010, available at: english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/11/201011134724982931.html.

  44 ‘As dead line for Egypt's Coptic church expires Qaeda group says Christians legitimate targets’, Al Arabiya News, 3 November 2010, available at: www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/11/03/124713.html .

  45 Robert Fisk, ‘Exodus. The changing map of the Middle East’, Independent, 26 Oct 2010, available at: www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-exodus-the-changing-map-of-the-middle-east-2116463.html. .

  46 M. Chulov & E. Ibrahim, ‘Christians in Iraq living in fear of ‘pogrom’ after bomb attacks’, Guardian, 12 November 2010, available at: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/12/christians-iraq-living-fear-pogrom.

  47 Cam McGrath, ‘Egyptian Government Shunts Responsibility For Attacks on Coptic Christians’, Inter Press Service, 6 January 2011, available at: www.alternet.org/belief/149423/egyptian_government_shunts_responsibility_for_attacks_on_coptic_christians.

  48 Interview with Lucy-Anne Hunt, ‘From the Crusaders to Al Qaida’, Humboldt Foundation website, available at: www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/1353.html.

  APPENDIX: THE GREAT PYRAMID AND FREEMASONRY