There must’ve been a point where the History Channel stopped actively covering history and instead turned into reality programming and conspiracy shows worthy of Jesse Ventura. I can’t figure it out, though, because it didn’t happen overnight. Slowly but surely garbage like The President’s Book of Secrets has replaced the retrospectives on war, et al, that used to populate the History Channel’s programming.
The President’s Book of Secrets is a wide ranging conspiracy motif that has been around for quite some time but didn’t come into prominence in the mainstream until the second National Treasure revolved around it. The book is said to contain secrets passed on from Presidents of the United States to one another. What is contained in this book? No one knows due to the sensitive nature of any such material, or even if the book actually exists, but what could be in this book that hasn’t been proven to exist has been speculated on by conspiracy buffs for years.
The History Channel piece follows this Book of Secrets and what could potentially be in it. Getting plenty of former ranking officials in many administrations on the record, as well as some known intelligence on how the government works in terms of operation and covert activities, this is really two pieces wrapped into one.
The first is a look at to how the office of the President works in terms of intelligence. Going through many established facts, including the President’s Daily Briefing (a summation of who is trying to actively kill Americans and what is being done to stop it, for lack of a better description), it’s a fascinating piece on how modern federal government functions in terms of national security. There’s plenty of information out there that most people don’t know about how secrets are guarded that this feature from the History Channel delves into. Things like the President’s Situation Room get explored and delved into, from their history to their current function, and it’s remarkably thorough and in-depth.
The second is a wannabe Conspiracy Theory type of program speculating on how things get done or could be done. The “Book of Secrets” ends up being a catch-all for all the potential information that isn’t available in the piece. Combining facts with wild conjecture, mainly because there is no President willing to discuss it, it is a mildly entertaining piece that ventures off into “what if” more often.
If you’re into conspiracy theories, et al, this is probably nothing you haven’t heard before. For those who haven’t, it gives some insight into a Nicolas Cage film but nothing more.
The History Channel is known for their terrific a/v presentations and transfers and this TV special is no different. It looks rather good, including archival footage from years past.
None.
At times it may be interesting but The President’s Book of Secrets ventures into conspiracy tales and “potential scenarios” to really be anything special.
> The History Channel presents The President’s Book of Secrets. Running time: 94 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD April 26, 2011.
