Did John Wilkes Booth Actually Escape? Author Brad Meltzer Gets to the Bottom of the 'Ten Greatest Conspiracy Theories of All Time

Bestselling author Brad Meltzer appeared on the Glenn Beck Radio Program Friday to discuss his latest book, "History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time."

(Photo via Amazon)

The two touched on conspiracies ranging from what happened to "American Outlaw" DB Cooper, to whether there is actually a "spear of destiny." They also discussed whether there is still any gold in Fort Knox and whether John Wilkes Booth actually escaped after assassinating Abraham Lincoln.

"This is absolutely a Glenn Beck book because it is riddled with things for the ADD, and it has actual history in it," Beck remarked, flipping through the pages.

For many of the stories, Meltzer has a personal connection or insight that lend a unique perspective to the story.

For instance, he said: "A couple of years ago, someone read one of my novels, a lawyer. A lawyer for the family of John Wilkes Booth ... They called me up and say, 'I represent the family of John Wilkes Booth, and we have a story to tell you. Every history book tells you he died 12 days after he shot Abraham Lincoln, and they want to tell you he did not die. He escaped, took an alias, and he's not the one buried in the coffin."

Meltzer said that a 90-year-old woman related to Booth had decided that, after all these years, she wanted to tell her family's story. When asked why, she said something like: "When I was a little girl my family sat me down and said we're related to John Wilkes Booth, and he escaped after he shot Lincoln. Before I die, I want to tell the truth."

Meltzer says he believes in deathbed confessions, and that this woman wasn't looking to make money or a movie deal.

"So, you believe he escaped?" Beck asked.

"No," Meltzer remarked. "I believe she believes it."

You probably won't be able to guess how they debunked the claims (we'll give you a hint: it has to do with the will).

In the case of DB Cooper, though, Meltzer believes he found the man.

Author Brad Meltzer, top left, speaks with Glenn Beck and Pat Gray about his latest book, 'History Decoded.' (Photo: TheBlaze TV)

Turning to Fort Knox, Meltzer noted that many have claimed there is no gold in the highly-guarded facility. In getting to the bottom of the story, Meltzer said he spoke with a "respected" member of the military who was a guard there, who told him that one day he checked his gun and was shocked to find there were no bullets in it.

"I went to my supervisor and said, 'Sir, there's no bullets in my gun,'" Meltzer related, from the security guard's perspective. "And [the supervisor] says, 'You don't need them. We're not guarding anything. There's no gold in Fort Knox."

Still wanting to test the theory, Meltzer and his team spoke with former Senator Huddleston of Kentucky, where Fort Knox is located, and asked if he knew whether the gold was still there.

The former senator said he didn't know, and if there isn't, "I'd run for the hills right now."

"That's scary," Meltzer said. "That's not just a conspiracy from the Civil War - that's today."

Complimentary Clip from TheBlaze TV

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If you are interested in learning more about 'History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time,' TheBlaze Magazine will be running an exclusive excerpt in the upcoming November issue. You can subscribe here!

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