From the Archives


Who Was Behind the 9/11 Attacks?

(Excerpts from a live program on KPLS Radio,
Orange County, California, September 12, 2001)

(11 audio tracks in MP-3 format; total running time 26:03 min.)

On September 10, 2001, author and speaker Bryan Ellison arrived in the sound studio of KPLS-AM, at that time a conservative talk-radio station in southern California. He was there to audition for a spot as a talk-show host by recording a demo program. Not having any specially prepared material, he chose — purely by Divine Providence — to spend several minutes discussing the role of Communism in terrorism, how the Communists hide behind a mask of so-called “Islamic fundamentalism,” and how the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was involved in the 1993 attack on New York’s World Trade Center.

The next morning came the infamous 9/11 attacks on the United States — particularly on the World Trade Center. The astonished station manager, convinced Ellison’s recording was “prophetic,” immediately began scheduling a special radio program for Ellison to analyze the breaking news.

But within hours, unnamed influences at the station had stepped in to redo the station manager’s plans. By the time the program came on the air the next day, September 12, five additional people had been brought in to form a discussion panel, thus diluting the impact of Ellison’s message. Aside from Ellison, the hastily-composed panel included the following:

  • Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in southern California, a Communist-front organization connected with PLO-sponsored terrorist groups
  • Pat Mellon, a leftist radio broadcaster from somewhere in the southern United States, strangely brought in at the last minute to serve as “moderator” for the program
  • Judy Frutig, a leftist journalist and political reporter who had written for Newsweek magazine, the Detroit Free-Press, and the Christian Science Monitor
  • Kevin Shannon, Associate Director of the conservative Welch Foundation and host of the “Welch Report” talk-radio show
  • Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and President of the conservative Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND), an advocacy group for traditional values among black Americans

The program quickly became a tug of war, with Ellison on one side hammering away on the Communist role in the attack and the need to stop US funding of the PLO, while Mellon worked closely with Ayloush and Frutig to try to turn the discussion to meaningless, distracting topics — or even to push thinly veiled Marxist propaganda. Shannon and Peterson were caught in the middle, but gradually turned to Ellison’s side during the couple of hours on the air.

At first, the Mellon-Ayloush-Frutig team succeeded in leading the show well off course, and Ellison could not get in a useful word for at least 45 minutes. During the commercial break, the annoyed station manager finally stepped in and directly ordered Pat Mellon to give Ellison some air time. Our first excerpt from the program starts with Judy Frutig’s restated question, continues with Ellison’s three-minute answer, and ends with Pat Mellon stepping in at his first opportunity to interrupt the flow:

Track 1: The roles of Soviet Russia and the PLO in the attacks
3:48 min. / 0.9 MB

The second segment has Kevin Shannon stepping in to agree with Ellison on the role of newly-revived Communism in terrorism. An anxious Pat Mellon cuts in to stop him, Ellison seizes the moment to raise the issue of defunding the PLO, and Mellon desperately tries to regain control:

Track 2: Communist terrorism, and US funding of the PLO
2:49 min. / 0.7 MB

Later a caller sides with Ellison by declaring support for Israel, and Ellison responds by explaining that the PLO revolution is Communist, not Arab:

Track 3: Communists vs. Jews and Arabs
2:15 min. / 0.5 MB

Finally Ayloush’s mask of neutrality comes off, and he openly pushes PLO propaganda. When Ellison answers by showing the Communist nature of the PLO revolution and its total lack of Arab support, Ayloush furiously tries to redirect the discussion away from exposing the PLO while Pat Mellon abruptly interrupts Ellison in support of Ayloush:

Track 4: Is the PLO Communist or Arab?
4:37 min. / 1.1 MB

By now, Peterson has started to catch on to Ayloush’s propaganda, and he steps in to argue against the PLO and for an American-Israeli alliance — as Ayloush clearly becomes frustrated at his inability to control the discussion:

Track 5: America on Israel’s side against the PLO
0:57 min. / 0.2 MB

Kevin Shannon then re-enters the fray, forcefully arguing for defunding Communism. Mellon again cuts off the discussion by returning to the phone lines:

Track 6: How the US government funds Communist terrorism
1:04 min. / 0.3 MB

Ellison finally gets another chance to refocus the discussion on the Communist role in the PLO and its terrorist attacks, and on how the US could stop funding terrorism. Peterson, still a bit confused, challenges Ellison for a plan of action, and Ellison explains that the US should let Israel annihilate the PLO. Predictably, Mellon again cuts in to change the topic:

Track 7: A solution — let Israel destroy the PLO
2:59 min. / 0.7 MB

This draws Kevin Shannon back in to support Israeli action against the PLO, as Mellon, Ayloush, and Frutig find themselves losing control of the situation:

Track 8: More support for Israel against the PLO
1:11 min. / 0.3 MB

Now Peterson begins to understand Ellison’s message, and shifts to his side as Ellison answers his questions. Clearly angered, Ayloush drops all pretense of neutrality and brazenly defends the PLO from charges of anti-American terrorism:

Track 9: Is the PLO a terrorist or freedom-fighter group?
3:01 min. / 0.7 MB

A bit later, Ayloush even comes out in full support of PLO revolution — triggering an argument from Peterson, who comes out swinging in Israel’s support. Ellison then steps in to refocus attention on Communism as the true enemy of Americans, Jews, and Arabs alike. Mellon, now obviously desperate, interrupts and ends the discussion:

Track 10: The PLO vs. America, Israel, & Arabs
2:30 min. / 0.6 MB

The final excerpt is Ellison’s closing statement, reaffirming the PLO role in terrorism, the Communist role in the PLO, and the importance of ending US funding for the PLO revolution:

Track 11: Counterattacking against the PLO
0:52 min. / 0.2 MB

NOTE: These audio tracks represent a few selected portions of a show that was more than two hours long. Only segments relevant to Bryan Ellison’s message are presented here.