Chapter 6
2018
Melanie found the morning to come too early. After a few minutes she remembered she was in Rochester, visiting Jonathan. She had been up most of the night tossing and turning, dreaming and thinking about what Jonathan had told her. A Mastermind Group of the world’s most powerful people determined to control, sway the reporting of, and even plan, major world events – up to and including assassinations! She, like most, remembered thinking at times that certain world events seemed almost unexplainable, and how they seemed like that were set-up, but now, to potentially have first-hand knowledge of a group that could do such a thing. Her mind told her to run and never look back, but her curiosity and happiness about seeing Jonathan again was in control. She would go see him again today; if nothing else just to prove that he was crazy and none of this was real.
After a complimentary continental breakfast, she left her hotel. She noticed a vehicle up the street, a dark blue GMC Canyon 4-door pickup. She recognized it because her husband had fallen in love with the new model and had to buy one shortly before his death in 2015. She sold it shortly after the funeral, too many memories. This was the same color. She was sure there are a lot of dark blue GMC Canyons driving around in Southern Minnesota, but she had seen two last night as well, or maybe the same vehicle twice. It was the first time she thought that she may need to be concerned about her safety; people may not want her to know what Jonathan was telling her. Crazy, she thought, HE’s CRAZY! – this is just Jonathan’s insanity. She hopped the bus to Saint Mary’s and forgot all about dark blue Canyon pickup that was following at a distance.
“Good Morning, my dear”, Jonathan said as she came into the room. He had adjusted the bed so he was almost sitting straight up. “You look wonderful. Did you bring your notebook? We have a lot to cover today, and I have a gift for you later.”
“Jonathan” she started, “I am not sure I want to do this”
“Now, now, Melanie. Please, sit” Jonathan said, calming her. “Get your notebook ready; let me tell you a story.”
“At the end of World War II, Europe was being divided up, new alliances were being made, and opportunity was abundant. A few world leaders were together for an economic conference and got together for drinks afterwards. As they discussed the changes in the world makeup they recognized that there was a tremendous opportunity to guide the change and growth to maximize democracy and peace. They agreed to start getting together on a regular basis to discuss world events and see if they could influence things in a positive direction. Eventually the topic of the Mastermind Group came up and they decided to establish a group with a diverse leadership, calling themselves MMG; the agreement was never supposed to be discussed in public. There was no office, no official company letter head, and no corporate structure, only people with power and money trying to do the right thing. Recruitment for The Mastermind Group downline started right away; engineers, lawyers, media leaders, doctors, innovators, entrepreneurs, large business owners, political journeymen, and young people on the rise looking for a way to make great things happen.
The search was worldwide and ended up as an unruly mess because whenever you get powerful people together with no leadership they all start doing what they want. The group started to break up into factions; the original vision was being lost. A meeting was held to gain back control. The group elected a leader and an unwritten structure was created. The Mastermind Group finally had a backbone; the time was mid-1950.”
Jonathan sat forward and continued, “Ike was in the White House when I was hired by MMG as an investment analyst. My master’s thesis was on world-wide investing and business growth. I had a professor that recommended it and helped me put together the outline. It entailed setting up a series of contacts around the world that would be able to work together to predict future world events, and to put plans in place to profit from the coming changes.” The deep breath Jonathan took almost tipped him over,” My thesis concluded that there were immediate opportunities that were in progress; the United States and the Soviet Union were starting an arms race, the European Common Markets would decolonize, and America would add Alaska and Hawaii as states. Other items included the commercialization of television and the possibilities it brought, the growth of jet air travel, and the growing need for oil - all things that were major events and that were changing the world. How would these things affect the world, what companies would prosper because of them? What companies could be establish, or purchased, to maximize the trend and profit from the new coming growth?” Jonathan took a quick drink, “I was pulled from college and asked to do what I had been dreaming of, putting this organization together. We had success; we did not build the bombs, we invested in, and supplied to, the companies that did. We created new technology and charged exorbitant prices because nobody else could do it. Things were going extremely well. Capital was not a problem, and engineers, lawyers and manufacturing expertise were being added to the MMG fold out of the nation’s best colleges every year. They all were working to make things great, having no idea who was leading the organization they worked for. Competition started to grow in all areas. While we had a jump on many companies, they would eventually catch up and compete against us for contracts. I am not sure when I noticed that things changed, but our competition starting having accidents, fires, or just plain failure to perform. In many cases I would recommend that we buy them out, use their plants to continue our growth. The 50’s and early 60’s were the best time of my career.”
Jonathan sat back exhausted. Melanie was impressed, Jonathan had been an industrial leader in the 50s, a golden boy, per say.
“The first time I got a glimpse of the true nature of what the organization was becoming was with the rise of the Vietnam conflict. America sent advisors to Vietnam in the early 1950s. MMG implemented a project to supply products and services to weapons manufacturers on both sides of the conflict. The conflict between North and South Vietnam seemed to grow out of large incidents or conflicts. These conflicts required more arms, better weapons, and would inspire both sides to escalate the war. I later learned that MMG was creating some of these incidents to help escalate the conflict and improve profits. I had helped set up a world-wide organization that was escalating a war by creating hate. I thought about going to the authorities but I was in too deep already. I went to talk to my professor, who had brought me into the group, hoping he would help me. I found out that he already knew and he explained that if I went public I would be implicating myself; since there was proof I was the ring leader that set everything up. I was in so deep I had no choice; I needed to keep quiet and continue my work growing the MMG. At one point I was in a meeting where someone said “If we can just get the US to send in troops”, “I almost threw up.”
“After the elections of 1960, which I had incorrectly predicted would be won by Nixon, Kennedy continued to escalate the war. The war was the MMG’s most profitable endeavor. When Kennedy talked of backing down U.S. involvement the MMG was thrown into a tailspin. After the assassination of Kennedy, an incident was created in 1964 to make it look like a North Vietnamese fast attack craft had attacked a U.S destroyer. Regular U.S Troops were deployed in 1964”
“Wait”, said Melanie, “after the assassination? You mean after JFK was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, right”
“Correct”, said Jonathan, watching her response closely.
Melanie took the bait and asked, “you make it sound like the Mastermind Group killed him, to make sure the war continued.”
His response was quick and to the point, holding up three fingers he questioned, “3 shots in 83 seconds, from the 6th floor, 2 blocks away, with a bolt action rifle - all 3 bullets hitting their target. A magic bullet? And, as was shown in the tapes, the final shot moved Kennedy’s head back and to the left. Then the assassin is shot on TV in the basement of the Dallas police department?” He paused for a second, looking like he could hardly even say what was next, “A black ops group had been formed as
part of the MMG. They specialized in making things happen for the benefit of the MMG, while making sure things appeared to be random or the act of crazy people. As I said before, MMG have leaders in the media as part of their groups. Like a victor in a battle or coup; the powerful, and the group in control, can write the history, and the reports, however they wish.
After he let that sink in a little bit, he continued, “Kennedy’s call to space exploration was a great boost to our coffers. The beginning of the Vietnam conflict was expected to be a great boost as well. We were great supporters. We had started infiltrating space and weapons based companies with high level engineers. This allowed us to know what was being designed and allow us to beat the industry to the base minerals and ores needed to assemble the needed products. We did not create the final products but supplied the parts; at that time we lived at the ore level and in the middle, supplying the products needed to build the final assembly. We also knew who the players would be and could create investment strategies to capitalize on the coming growth.”
Melanie felt herself start to collapse. She could not believe her ears. This man, this person she had fallen for in 1986, had knowledge of the Kennedy conspiracy and was sharing it with her. Could this be real? How, why; oh no, the room began to close in on her. Melanie’s head hit the floor sending her book and pen flying. She came to just seconds later, composed herself, and then excused herself from the room. Walking the halls she still could not get her arms around the fact that this seemed true. My God, how could it be true! Why was he sharing this with her? Why was she still here? What was she going to do now? Her hands were shaking, her mind racing; what was she going to do?
The man at the end of the hall saw her come out and was caught off guard. He did not want her to see him. He ducked into a room to avoid visible contact.
It took a few minutes to regain her composure and she returned to the room. “I don’t believe this Jonathan; at least, I don’t want to. I’m not sure I can continue to come and see you. You’re scaring me and I do not want to do this anymore.”
“Melanie,” Jonathon pleaded, “I understand your fear, your apprehension. The group has changed; they have been forced to change, that is the purpose of your visit. The black ops group no longer functions like it did. My role at MMG was to create extensive operational plans to create, inflate, and manipulate the world depending on what may happen. Once I realized what was happening in the 60’s I spent years creating a multi-level plan that would expose the MMG if they did not stop the black ops group. I have control because of this. The MMG still operates; I am not a leader of the group, but I have stopped the use of assassinations, arson, and government overthrows.”
“Since we have gotten to his point already, it is time for me to give you your present", Jonathan said as he handed her keys and a packet, “There is a safe deposit box in your name at US Bank, here is the key. The safe deposit box has a new, short term identity change for you, credit cards, a new cell phone, and lots of money. In addition, I have provided you proof of the assassination of JFK, and the cover-up, and a few other operations set up by the MMG. I compiled this information over the years and I am currently using it, and more, to blackmail the MMG so they do not use the black ops section to continue to do assassinations of world leaders. With what appears to be my imminent death, the hold I have would be gone; unless I can pass on the information to someone I can trust. That is why I have asked you here.”
She could not believe it; this son-of-a-bitch brought her here to hold blackmail over a group he said was powerful enough to kill presidents and get away with it? What the hell.
She sat motionless, in an almost dream state, trying to gather her thoughts. Her head was down, her eyes were open looking toward the floor, but she saw nothing. Her mind was like a computer that had too many crossing tasks and just sat, spinning.
Finally her mind kicked back in gear and she remembered that she did not believe any of this stuff, that these things can’t possibly happen in the world without people finding out, and she was determined to humor Jonathan until she could prove it was all in his crazy head. Sure, he was convincing, but really, the world does not work this way!
“I will go to the bank”, she said.
“Excellent!” said Jonathan, “You have the packet. In it is a note, letting you know what to do and where to go in the morning. There are some changes you will need to make, and while I do not believe you to be at risk, we will be cautious. Check out of your hotel in the morning, call a cab, and read this on the way to the bank. It is very important that you not read this, or any of the other information you will receive, until it is time. Also, you need to execute things exactly as I say.”
“Now, let us talk about nicer things. Please, tell me more about your life, and the things that have happened, prior to you coming yesterday.”
Melanie was glad that they were done talking about the MMG. She soon calmed down and started to remember why she came; to open a closed door in her heart, release the pent-up conflict, and then to have closure with Jonathan before he passed. She stayed for hours before returning to her hotel room.