“Unmasking Conspiracy: Philip Graves and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion”

Fintan O’Toole notes that we live in an age of conspiracy theory and fake news, but emphasizes these are not new phenomena. He contends the most toxic forgery of all time is The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which falsely purports to be the record of secret meetings of Jewish leaders plotting to take over the world. It was used as the basis for the most violent antisemitic propaganda of the 20th century and continues to circulate today. In 1921, the Irish journalist Philip Graves was the first writer to expose The Protocols as a fake and to show how it was manufactured. Graves, who came from a very distinguished literary family, used the techniques of literary criticism to analyze the text of The Protocols and published his findings in the London Times. O’Toole points out that Graves is now largely forgotten, but in this lecture, in memory of the great scholar-poet Robert Fagles, O’Toole tells the story of how Graves revealed the truth. He argues that what Graves managed to do is not merely of historical importance. It resonates very strongly with contemporary dilemmas and shows that critical skills are not marginal—they are vital to the survival of democracy and decency.

Admission: Free and open to the public; no tickets required.
Accessibility: The Stewart Film Theater is an accessible venue. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at least one week in advance at LewisCenter@princeton.edu