ats interview with www.wanttoknow.info founder

(at the request of several members, this interview has been put in a new thread of its own and also been re-formatted by ats member caustic logic, to whom i owe great thanks for putting in the time and effort for doing so).



A little background on Fred Burks from his site:
Before resigning from the US State Department in 2004 due to excessive secrecy demands, Fred Burks served for many years as a language interpreter for presidents and other dignitaries. He interpreted for Bush, Clinton, Gore, Cheney, and many other top officials of the US and other countries. Having participated in numerous secret meetings where the only people allowed were the principles and their interpreters, he has acquired important inside information and contacts.



Fred Burks poses with a video of himself behind Bush during talks with President Megawati.


Read Washington Post Article on Fred’s resignation.

After receiving a wealth of eye-opening information on major cover-ups from a number of respected friends and colleagues, Fred was inspired to develop this website www.Wanttoknow.info in October 2002, focusing on such dark issues as well as positive stories, information on health and spirit and cooperative action “for the good of all.” Take time out to visit his website and make use of the vast amounts of easy to search information collected there on not just the 911 conspiracy but many other subjects that are well documented. The summary pages are an immense wealth of verifiable facts which everyone should have bookmarked.

The www.Wanttoknow.info team includes -

Kristina Borjesson
Norma Carr-Ruffino
Steven M. Greer
David Ray Griffin
Leonard Horowitz
Michael Levine
Peter Lindemann
Pamela J. Monday
Peter Phillips
Carol Rutz
Peter Dale Scott
Paul Thompson
Charles S. Viar

The Interview

Hi Justyc,

Thanks for your email and the very good questions. As you know, having worked as a language interpreter for both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, I gained some important inside information and even ended up spilling the beans as a key witness at an important international terrorism trial. My work as the State Department's top Indonesian interpreter allowed me to see what few others have seen at the top of the political world. This, along with the powerful information I get both from our awesome WantToKnow.info team (see www.wanttoknow.info... ) and from the many dedicated supporters of our website, has also helped me to develop a fairly coherent picture of what is going on behind the scenes in many areas of global politics.

I don't at all claim to know the truth of all that is happening, but through my excellent information sources, I've developed a fairly deep understanding of some of the main forces and components which affect our world. I'll do my best to answer your excellent questions here.

Justyc: Do you believe [the lack of ATS questions to you] is because there are those on the internet with an interest and those with an agenda?

FB: The lack of interest in posing questions may be a bit unusual, but I highly doubt it has anything to do with manipulation by the power elite. I have found that many people interested in major cover-ups or conspiracies tend to come from a polarized view of the world. They see the power elite as more or less evil, and we who are aware of the conspiracies as the ones who are battling these elite to bring back justice and truth to the world. I find that polarization is one of the root causes of our problems and that, in fact, the power elite want us to be polarized. So, though I understand why many become polarized in their thinking, I do my best to decrease this polarized, us vs. them attitude. I don't see anyone as being truly evil and I make this very clear in the websites I manage. This likely turns off a lot of conspiracy theorists who believe quite strongly that this is all about a powerful struggle of good versus evil and that if we don't fight hard now, we will end up prisoners on our own planet. I believe it is only when we transcend dualistic thinking to remember that we are all human that we can move beyond the current difficulties. This clearly is not a popular view, which may be why you didn't get many responses, but it's what I've been led to understand from my life experience.

Justyc: What do you think inspires research in some but apathy in others, even when they profess to be interested in 911?

FB: Many people who open to all of the intense cover-ups around 9/11 are overwhelmed with the magnitude of what they find. To accept that 9/11 was masterminded by some of the most powerful people in the world can be a very depressing thought, leaving many feeling like "This is much too big. It's hopeless for me to be able to do anything?" When people feel powerless, they tend to become apathetic, which of course makes it easier for the power elite to move forward with their manipulations. Only when we realize that each one of us makes a difference and when we understand that by working together our strength grows exponentially can we then powerfully move forward to create a new paradigm.

Justyc: What keeps you going when you keep coming up against so much apathy?

FB: I have absolutely no doubt that every one of us has infinite power within us. When I see someone stuck in apathy, I know that on some unconscious (or occasionally even conscious) level they are choosing this. On some level it is serving them to be apathetic. By not being in judgment of this apathy, yet moving with joy and power to do what I know is right in my own life, I know that those who are apathetic around me can't help but be influenced by my enthusiasm and my conviction that we can and will make a difference and build a better world. I know that each of us has our own role in this and judgment only serves to create more dissonance and separation in the world.

Justyc: Describe your recollection of the day of sep 11th 2001. Did you originally believe the official story? if so, what was the first thing that changed your mind?

FB: I live now and have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of my life and was here on 9/11, so it was before 6 AM Pacific time for me when the first plane struck in New York. I was awoken from my sleep by a phone call from my girlfriend saying that she had gotten a call from her father in Boston saying that two planes had crashed into the WTC towers. As my house doesn't have a TV hookup, I immediately jumped on my bicycle and made it to her house in less than 10 minutes. Only six weeks earlier I had learned for the first time about other huge cover-ups which I had never known existed (see www.wanttoknow.info... for one example). So when I saw the two WTC towers that morning smoking and with gaping holes, I couldn't help but wonder if this might be part of some larger agenda, but I had no way to know for sure.

Then we saw that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. I immediately turned to my girlfriend and said "No way!" I knew with very little doubt that the only way a plane could crash into the Pentagon under these circumstances was if our military somehow allowed it to happen. I had worked as an interpreter for top generals in the U.S. military who had bragged to their Indonesian counterparts that the U.S. air force could be scrambled and up on an errant plane anywhere in the country within 10 minutes. To me it was impossible that over 30 minutes after the first plane crashed another plane could pierce into the very heart of the U.S. defense system. So from the moment that plane hit the Pentagon, I was fairly certain we were dealing with a sophisticated inside job.

Justyc: What do you believe happened at the pentagon on 9-11?

FB: I generally avoid drawing conclusions about the Pentagon because it has so clearly been used to divide the 9/11 movement. I am fairly certain that the power elite want the 9/11 movement to be fighting each other over particulars like the Pentagon and what demolished the WTC towers, so that we become less effective. I do have serious questions about what happened at the Pentagon, but I choose not to take a position and instead encourage us all to focus on demanding the release of all videos and documents which are being kept secret relating to the Pentagon and other aspects of 9/11. I encourage us not to draw hard and fast conclusions until we have all of the evidence, particularly on issues which are divisive of the movement. We can differ in our opinions, yet still respect each other as we work to expose what really happened.

Justyc: What are your thoughts on the anthrax attacks?

FB: It's well acknowledged that the anthrax used shortly after 9/11 was military grade material which likely had no connection with Arab terrorists. I believe the anthrax attacks were a tactic to push people further into fear and to bring huge profits to the makers of the antibiotic Cipro, which was produced in mass quantities bought by the government after the anthrax attacks. The fact that over a dozen top microbiologists were killed within months of the attacks also raises many questions. See www.wanttoknow.info... for more on this. In general, rather than present people with conclusions, I prefer to raise questions, present evidence, and let people draw their own conclusions.

Justyc: You were an interpreter for george bush amongst others. he is renowned lately for not being able to string a coherent sentence together. did he have any classic 'bushisms' whilst you were interpreting for him?

FB: I only interpreted for Bush three times in person and another three or four times over the phone. He's what I'd call a classic good ol' boy. He is generally very friendly with those around him, and mostly listens to his advisors on what to do. One of my colleagues saw him throw a temper tantrum with four-letter words and all when he didn't realize my colleague was still in the room. After ranting about how he was sick of his job for a few minutes, Bush turned and was surprised to see my colleague standing in the corner of the room. On seeing him, Bush instantly changed his demeanor and with a big smile shook my colleague's hand and asked how he was doing. For a summary of my interesting experiences in top-level meetings, see www.wanttoknow.info... .

Justyc: You have an insight into the bush 'earpiece' claim/ please let the members know what it is.

FB: The first time I interpreted in person for Bush was on Sept. 19, 2001 - just eight days after 9/11. The U.S. wanted to show they were not trying to blame all Muslims, so they went ahead with a previously scheduled White House meeting between Bush and Indonesian President Megawati. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world. The day before this meeting, I was given the talking points by NSC Asian Affairs Director Karen Brooks. As this was only one week after the 9/11 attacks, terrorism accounted for about half of the topics to be discussed. However, the other topics included long, detailed information on Indonesia. I asked Karen how President Bush would possibly be able to discuss such detailed information on Indonesia, to which she responded, "I don't know." At the meeting itself, without using any sort of notes or prompting during their 90-minute conversation, President Bush covered all topics in the talking points very well! This to me seemed highly unusual. Even as somewhat of an expert on Indonesia, I could not have done what he did. At the time I wasn't sure whether the power elite might have been hiding the fact that he was extremely intelligent, or whether the information might have somehow been fed to him. I eventually concluded the latter. For a lot more on this, see www.wanttoknow.info... .

Justyc: Have you been threatened for speaking out?

FB: I have been amazed that in spite of testifying against the United States at a major international terrorism trial (see www.wanttoknow.info... ) and in spite of all of my Internet work exposing cover-ups, I have never had any threats other than a few inconsequential emails. A number of my friends and colleagues have been threatened and even seriously harassed, but I have not. I suspect that because I'm not trying to hide anything and because I don't see anyone as my enemy, I'm considered a lower risk than others involved in this work.

Justyc: You are slap bang in the middle of the infighting in the 911scholars movement. How do you believe this current situation can be resolved?

FB: I'm very sad that the conflict at Scholars for 9/11 Truth ended up splitting the group. I was originally called in to help mediate between Jim Fetzer and Steve Jones to avoid a split. However, when Fetzer did some things that threatened the job of my personal friend Alex Floum, I stepped in to help. As no one else was willing at the time, I took over ownership of the website domain names from Alex so that he would not lose his job. As it became quite clear that Fetzer and Jones would not be willing to work together, I eventually organized a vote of the entire membership. The results of the vote by a six to one ratio supported a neutral joint home page for the two groups of scholars, which is what you find now at both www.st911.org... and www.scholarsfor911truth.org... . Unless Fetzer decides to sue, the issue is thankfully now resolved.

Justyc: What is your view of delmart 'mike' vreeland?

FB: Vreeland certainly comes from a shady past, which makes me question how reliable he is as a source. Because of this, we barely mention him on WantToKnow.info. That said, his story is quite plausible and there are documents to show that some of what he is saying is true. Even though parts of his case are solid, we avoid using him on our website as there are so many other, much stronger cases which don't have all of the baggage that goes along with Vreeland.

Justyc: Do you believe the infighting to be a deliberate attempt to discredit the movement?

FB: I am fairly certain that some disinformation and mind control techniques were used to bring about this split in the scholars group. However, it's important to understand that many of the people involved are being manipulated at subconscious levels, so that they don't even realize how they are being manipulated. For more on this, see our important, highly reliable two-page summary on mind control www.wanttoknow.info... .

Justyc: Do you have any personal experience of the alleged infiltration taking place?

I generally encourage people not to look at who is or isn't a disinformation agent, as this can be very difficult to determine and lead to more polarization of the movement. As I said, many don't even realize how they are being manipulated or that they might have been programmed or controlled. Instead of trying to figure out who are the infiltrators, I find it is best to look at who is working to unite the movement and who is working to divide us. I have no doubt that there were certain people behind Jim Fetzer who were working consciously to divide the movement, whether or not they were agents.

Justyc: You have been accused by some of being an inside agent yourself. how do you react to these claims?

FB: I almost always find myself smiling when I learn someone thinks I'm an agent. The truth is yes, I am an agent! I am an agent for the good of all of us. I am deeply committed to what's best for everyone on this planet. This is my secret agenda - only it's not so secret. As I said I really am not interested in who is or is not an agent and pay little attention to any who call me an agent. I'm much more interested in knowing who is doing good work to unite the movement and expose all that is going on, and who is working to divide us. By working together and inviting all who are united for the good of all in our world, I know that we can and will make a big difference.

Justyc: What would be your top 5 proofs of a 911 coverup?

FB: From early on, I've felt that WTC 7 is a key to convincing skeptics. There's lots of debate and controversy about what happened to the twin towers, but WTC 7 is a slam dunk demolition. See www.wanttoknow.info... and www.wanttoknow.info... for more. The warnings to the Pentagon generals on 9/10 and the fact that Ashcroft stopped flying six weeks before 9/11 also speak volumes. See www.WantToKnow.info... and www.wanttoknow.info... . The fact that Bush claimed twice very publicly that he saw the first plane crash into the WTC town before entering the school classroom is also highly revealing. See www.wanttoknow.info... . The articles about the hijackers being alive is also pretty convincing. See www.WantToKnow.info... . As you well know, there are many, many other factors that show the official story cannot possibly be true. I think our two-page summary at www.wanttoknow.info... is a great place to begin with for those who don't know or are skeptical about a 9/11 cover-up. It can easily be printed on one sheet of paper and passed out to many people.

Justyc: What advice would you give for people who want to help expose the truth?

FB: I suggest that we remember that most people can only handle a certain amount of reality shifting at once. If you hit an unknowing person with everything you know about a cover-up all at once, it is only natural that they will be overwhelmed and stop listening as psychological defense mechanisms kick in to protect their view of reality and keep them from feeling threatened and scared by this new information. I'm not at all saying to hide the facts, but rather to only present as much as a person can mentally and emotionally digest at one time. Then, when those who are open are ready for more, you can gradually take them as deep as they are ready and/or willing to go. WantToKnow.info is designed to gradually take people deeper in this way. For more on this, see www.wanttoknow.info... and www.wanttoknow.info... .

Justyc: Is there anything you would like to add (or say to ATS members especially) before we close?

FB: WantToKnow.info specializes in providing key information from sources that are considered reliable and verifiable by the general public. If any of you have information that meets our criteria, we welcome your sending it in for evaluation and possible posting. We are not so much interested in preaching to the choir as to reaching out to skeptics and those who don't know, but have somewhat of an open mind. We have been quite successful over the years in opening the eyes of some key people. David Ray Griffin first learned of the 9/11 cover-up when a colleague of his sent him an email with our two-page summary of the 9/11 cover-up ( www.wanttoknow.info... ). We also have what I believe to be one of the best, most systematically organized collections of key 9/11 information, which you can find in our 9/11 Information Center at www.wanttoknow.info... . I would also add that though not all of us are going to agree on everything and that disagreement can be healthy, but let's choose to focus most on the places where we do agree so that we can more powerfully work together to expose what happened on 9/11 and to build a brighter future for us all. Thanks for caring, and I wish you all a good day!

With best wishes,
Fred Burks for WantToKnow.info and the PEERS team

P.S. We have quite a decent section on UFOs as well. See our UFO Information Center at www.wanttoknow.info...

Explore these empowering websites managed by the PEERS network:
www.momentoflove.org... - Every person in the world has a heart
www.WantToKnow.info... - Reliable, verifiable information on major cover-ups
www.inspiringcommunity.org... - Building a Global Community for All
www.weboflove.org... - Strengthening the Web of Love that interconnects us all
Promoting transformation through information and inspiration

Subscribe to our empowering email list of inspiration and education (one email every two weeks or so) by visiting www.momentoflove.org... Subscribe to the WantToKnow.info list on deep cover-ups (one email every few days) by visiting www.WantToKnow.info...


[edit on 11-3-2007 by justyc]
[edit: fixed link]

[edit on 11-3-2007 by 12m8keall2c]

I would like to thank Fred (and also Caustic Logic for re-formatting the interview) again for giving up some of his time to complete the interview and for his insights.

He has requested that his email address remain private but that if anybody wishes to send him a message that they can do so via www.wanttoknow.info...

This also applies if you have any relevant information which is missing form the timeline (or indeed from any of the other subjects covered by his brilliant website)

Thanks again Fred and keep up the great work

[edit on 11-3-2007 by justyc]

Well it's good to see this up.
First, let me say sorry for not reading the original thread close enough and thus missing your solicitation for Qs. If I'd seen that, I'd've dropped a few, but your list was good enough.

I like Fred. Like some others, due to his Bush-employment pedigree and what some would consider his "kookiness," I had suspected him of disinfo, and he does call on some flawed evidence. But I'd never seen anything concrete on him in that regard, and after reading the interview I find him most likely an honest and real researcher. so many Truthers claim “I’m so patriotic, I believed the official story until (stupid theory X) changed my mind, and now I see the true evil is in DC…" But he admits suspicion from almost minute one, only slightly ahead of me because I wasn't awake yet.

And anyway, since it's impossible to really tell who's who, I say judge them by their fruits. Fred's fruit's are good. The big picture approach, the positive stories and emphasis on spirit and health and especially his views on polariation and on noone really being evil I quite like. It helps flesh out the full humanity people need in their skepticism to mitiggate the darkness of itall and incorporate new and shocking knowledge.

Great work on getting this interview done. I hope others will see it and learn a little something.

BUMP!!!!

I found www.wanttoknow.info a few days ago and it's freaking awesome!!

Check this out: www.wanttoknow.info...