Maltese Falcon story

kathy fitzpatrick kfitz at halcyon.com
Sun Oct 8 05:03:22 CET 1995


Wilma,

Interesting post.  I have read those conspiracy theories you refer to and in
some cases the research leading to the conclusions of the various authors
seems pretty solid.  

I went to the Dallas United We Stand America Conference this summer, and
took a half day (I got there a day early) to wander about downtown Dallas.
I came upon a place called the Conspiracy Museum, paid the fee, went in
expecting something totally different, because of all of the conspiracies I
have read about of late. It turned out to be is a fantastic collection and
reproduction of all kinds of news article to do with each presidential
asassination.  The first floor was all about Abraham Lincoln and whether
John Booth was really killed as first reported or whether or not he in fact
went through life and appeared in up to three identities later in life. I
didn't make it to the JFK part of the museum as they were closing, but did
visit the memorial at the site of his asassination.  

I loved the Maltese Falcon story.  I prefer to hope that secret societies
exist to preserve knowledge and traditions, even historic treasures, rather
than to control the events or even knowledge of history.  Still the idea
that they must be secret discredits any society to me.  The Rosecruteans are
another group that is secret.  I once got an invitation to join them, but
got a strange feeling about the whole thing and never responded.  If I had,
I guess I would know by now what they were about.

I love the idea of guardians of a library of knowledge!  Don's story brought
out something that is somewhat true to life when you study the history of
the world around us is the similar creation and flood stories most religions
have as well as a similar prophet stories.  Thus it would not be surprising
for a book of knowledge to appear in many languages/countries in the world.
There are similarities between the Egyptian/Tibetan/Hopi Books of the Dead.  

Such a book of knowledge as the Junior Woodchuck Guide surely would have
roots all the way back to Atlantis and Mu.  When those who believed the
warnings that great floods and earthquakes would come and had the good sense
to escape Atlantis and Mu before it happened, these wise people who would
settle all over the world would NEVER have left home without their book of
inexhaustible knowledge...story idea anyone? Don? David? John?


Kathy

>Don Rosa writes:
>> But was there a Maltese Falcon in real life? What a good question!
>> After researching adventure stories for the past 8 years, I've learned
>> that history is PACKED with fabulous true tales like that, so I
>> wouldn't doubt there was some truth in that premise.
>
>The premise of the movie was that the falcon was part of the treasure
>of the Knights Templar, who operated out of Malta.  The Knights Templar
>are one of those organizations who are considered by paranoids - er,
>believers in "conspiratorial" interpretations of history - to be at the
>root of much that has happened throughout the ages.  In particular,
>Umberto Ecco has popularized that belief in "Foucault's Pendulum".  You
>may recall that many reviewers compared Don's "Guardians of the Lost
>Library" to that book, as well as to Ecco's earlier "The Name of the
>Rose".  Since "GotLL" has a lot in common with the idea of a mysterious
>society passing down its treasures from century to century and continent
>to continent, I wouldn't be surprised if the Maltese Falcon had in fact
>wound up in the remains of Fort Duckburg, perhaps now disguised not as
>a black enamel falcon but instead as a black enamel woodchuck.
>
>Incidentally, the other mysterious organization that conspiratorial
>devotees believe to be responsible for much in the world today is the
>Freemasons.  (This belief is reflected in many of Alan Moore's comic
>books, especially "From Hell".)  The Freemasons and the Knights Templar
>actually are entertwined in the Scottish Rite branch of Masonry.  Of
>course, in "The Man Who Would Be King" the adventurers discover that
>the Freemasons are responsible for preserving Alexander the Great's
>treasure in India, so maybe Donald and Scrooge can find themselves on
>the trail of lost treasure which leads from India to Malta to Fort
>Duckburg.  I would certainly like to see the expression on their faces
>when the high lama in the temple in India opens up the holy vault to
>show our heros the milenia-old sacred symbol that only he is allowed to
>see, which turns out to be the emblem of the Junior Woodchucks of the
>World.
>
>Completely off the subject, fans of grand conspiracy interpretations
>of history should read Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49", which
>attributes the state of the work today to a band of Medieval robbers
>who now operate the world's postal service.  Maybe there's a Beagle
>Boys story in there.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the Maltese
>Falcon in a Disney comic book.  It would really be fun to see Gus Goose
>as Sidney Greenstreet!
>
>Wilmer Rivers
>
>




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