History As Conspiracy‪.‬

TOD HOFFMAN, a former intelligence officer, is a regular contributor to Queen's Quarterly. His latest book is Homicide: Life on the Screen (ECW Press). For the conspiracy theorist, no one is above suspicion. If hypnosis and other forms of mind control are part of the scenario, can one even trust oneself? And such convoluted conspiracy sleuthing is not just the preserve of amateurs; Josef Stalin presided over a nation in which paranoia became something of a national religion, a hidden, ever-present force that drove the nation to devour its citizens on a massive scale. The Stasi spent decades recruiting ordinary East Germans to spy on their co-workers, friends, and even spouses - and naturally created an intense climate of distrust throughout society. Even in the most tranquil of places, like Oklahoma City, fear of the unseen cabal can suddenly translate into terror.