Age of Secrets: The Conspiracy that Toppled Richard Nixon and the Hidden Death of Howard Hughes
About this ebook
2024 National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA) Winner in Biography and Finalist in United States History
2024 Eric Hoffer Book Award Montaigne Medal Finalist (awarded to the most thought-provoking books)
2023 Independent Author Network (IAN) Awards Finalist in Government/Politics and Finalist in True Story
Fleeing from the world’s most powerful intelligence agency, John Meier is hunted by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) across the U.S., Canada, UK, Japan, Australia, Tonga and the Dominican Republic, in his attempts to expose the Deep State and corruption at the highest levels of the U.S. Government in this riveting true story.
Includes revealing information on the Assassination of U.S. Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) and Critical Comments by New York Times bestselling author Jim Hougan, with an Audiobook narrated by actor Dennis Boutsikaris (The Bourne Legacy / Better Call Saul / Sugar) who has won 8 Audie Awards, the Audiobook equivalent of an Academy Award.
Immerse yourself in the International Political Thriller that exposes the illegal activities of the CIA, the real reason for Watergate, the 20th Century's most notorious political scandal and the biggest political scandal in United States History, and the hidden death of Howard Hughes, the world’s wealthiest individual at the time, in this Biography of John Meier, the former U.S. Senate Candidate who was the right-hand man to Howard Hughes.
THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE IN DEVELOPMENT ‘MEIERGATE’ IS ABOUT THE LIFE STORY OF JOHN MEIER
Meier had Top Secret security clearance with the U.S. Government and has been referred to in the media as the man who brought down President of the United States Richard Nixon in Watergate and Meier was the first person to expose the CIA’s involvement with the Hughes organization and the only person to call for a congressional hearing into the death of Howard Hughes.
The Hughes organization supplied the CIA with a cover organization to hide anything they possess or do. When Meier opted out of the organization, he became an impediment to its continued existence.
Meier was a Diplomat who operated at the highest levels of Government including as Vice Chairman of the Humphrey-Muskie National Finance Committee, during Vice President of the United States Hubert Humphrey’s Presidential Campaign, serving on President Richard Nixon’s Task Force on Resources and Environment and a Special Consultant to Nixon’s Environmental Quality Advisory Committee, and an advisor to several U.S. Senators including Senators Hubert Humphrey, Robert F. Kennedy, and Mike Gravel, who credited Meier with preventing the spread of nuclear power within the United States.
The full U.S. Senate Watergate Committee granted Meier immunity, in order for Meier to testify at a public Watergate hearing to tell a spellbound nation secrets about the Nixon White House, the CIA and Howard Hughes. Meier was the next person to testify, but the Watergate hearings went back into secret session to prevent Meier from revealing what he was going to expose as he was told his testimony would be too damaging and that a lot of people were worried that too much would be uncovered about Howard Hughes' dealings beyond President Nixon.
The CIA’s worldwide pursuit of Meier to destroy him, in order to prevent him from exposing their illicit activities, included framing him for a number of offences including murder, and attempting to assassinate him.
In the Afterword of the book, Meier sums up his politically motivated battle by saying “My story is one of a man devastated by a corrupt system. Our governments are increasingly disrespectful of basic human rights such that we can no longer legitimately call our nations democracies. I hope that this story will contribute to changing this course”.
Editorial Reviews
"If it were a film, it would be as exciting as The Bourne Identity”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Jim Hougan
"An Engaging...counternarrative to the 20th century's most notorious political scandal...An award-winning journalist, Bellett is a gifted storyteller who skillfully weaves a narrative rife with intrigue and political drama. The strength of the book is the way in which it presents Meier's story from his own perspective.”
—Kirkus Reviews
"John Meier has been persecuted by agents of the American government and threatened by criminal elements in the U.S. and is The Man Who Knew Too Much About Too Many Bad People."
—United States Presidential Candidate and United States Senator Mike Gravel
"This tragic story of international intrigue, of abuse of the political and judicial systems of two great nations did not take place in some far-away foreign land, but right here in our own back yard."
—Member and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Canadian Politician Walter Davidson
“A true and classic insider whistle-blower eye-witness story…immense value to readers with an interest in political corruption, misconduct, espionage and intelligence gathering. Offering unprecedented insights into Watergate, the CIA, and the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, "Age of Secrets" is unreservedly recommended.”
—Midwest Book Review
"Age of Secrets is as fascinating as it is troubling; a brilliant and accessible read that aims to expose a number of deeply unsettling 'deep state' truths surrounding the famous Watergate scandal. Fans of politics and intrigue - whether in fiction or non-fiction guise - are sure to love this book."
—IndieReader
“The author’s narrative possesses the hallmark traits of a suspenseful espionage novel as Meier finds himself battling rivals in the Hughes organization and various malevolent factions of US government agencies (CIA, FBI, IRS). This is a book that will appeal to history lovers. Recommended Rating.”
—The US Review of Books
"Age of Secrets is intriguing"
—Las Vegas Sun
"John Meier's life straight from a John LeCarre thriller...If you are at all interested in the use and abuse of power in high places, this book is a must"
—Vancouver Sun
"A spellbinding account of the Watergate break-in, corruption in the Nixon White House, and the insidious control government has over its people"
—Delta Optimist
Rated one of the top 10 best books on both Watergate and Nixon and "The best inside view of what really happened to Hughes and his empire in print"
—Probe Magazine
About the author
Gerald Bellett is a reporter with the Vancouver Sun in British Columbia. Since 1974, he has written about John Meier and his monumental struggle with the White House, the CIA and the Howard Hughes organization. The story took him across North America from the deserts of Nevada, where he found the hidden gold mines of Howard Hughes, to the dangerous streets of Harlem in search of a CIA agent on the run. Bellett exposed the CIA's infiltration of the Hughes organization and the agency's use of Howard Hughes to supply its favored politicians with campaign contributions. He has won a number of awards including a National Newspaper Award for being part of the Sun's reporting team that wrote a series concerning a notorious serial killer. He was born in Liverpool, England, and has lived in Canada since 1966. He now resides near Vancouver.
