"What this is about is the** greatest rip-off in history**... The truth is that depressions are not normal, they are contrived. The truth is that nations don't need a national debt." — Narrator, Opening Monologue [00:04]
"Mayer Rothschild soon learned that loaning money to governments and kings was more profitable than loaning to private individuals. Not only were the loans bigger, but they could be secured by the nation's taxes." — Narrator [00:09:23]
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"Money has no motherland; financiers are without patriotism and without decency; their sole object is gain." — Napoleon Bonaparte (Quoted by Narrator) [00:13:07]
"Just think of it: the system where some people, because they have a special license to do it, can lend the same money 5, 10, 15, or 20 times... and collect interest on it from each one of them. Well, this is just grand larceny." — Interviewee (Context: Fractional Reserve Banking) [00:22:06]
"The dominion of the banks must be broken or it will break us."** — Thomas Jefferson (Letter to James Monroe, 1815) [00:30:57]
It is absurd to say our country can issue 30 million in bonds and not 30 million in currency. Both are promises to pay, but one promise fattens the usurers and the other helps the people.]" — Thomas Edison (Context: Greenbacks vs. Bonds) [00:53:25]
"[The Federal Reserve definitely caused the Great Depression by contracting the amount of currency in circulation by one-third from 1929 to 1933.]" — Milton Friedman (NPR Interview, 1996) [01:36:59]
"It matters not what backs the money, all that matters is who controls the quantity." — Narrator (The "Bill Still" Axiom) [01:57:48]
2. Executive Summary
This documentary argues that the Federal Reserve is not a government agency, but a privately owned central bank established by a secret cabal of wealthy bankers (Morgan, Rockefeller, Rothschild) at Jekyll Island in 1910. The core thesis asserts that the Fed was designed to monopolize the money supply using fractional reserve banking, a system described here as legalized counterfeiting that creates money out of debt. By controlling the quantity of money, these bankers purportedly engineer "booms and busts" (such as the Panic of 1907 and the Great Depression) to consolidate wealth and entrap nations in perpetual debt. The film advocates for a return to sovereign, debt-free government currency—similar to Lincoln's Greenbacks—as the only solution to economic slavery.
3. Chronological Table of Contents
[00:00:00] - Introduction: The Debt Money "Rip-off"
[00:03:30] - The Secret Meeting at Jekyll Island (1910)
[00:07:56] - The Rise of the Rothschild Banking Family
[00:15:35] - The Battle of Waterloo & Rothschild Market Manipulation
[00:19:59] - Origins of Fractional Reserve Banking (The Goldsmiths)
[00:22:28] - The Tally Stick System: 600 Years of Stability
[00:27:42] - The American Revolution & The Bank of England
[00:33:07] - Andrew Jackson vs. The Second Bank of the U.S.
[00:56:01] - The National Bank Act (1863) & Post-War Contraction
[00:59:42] - The Crime of '73: Demonetization of Silver
[01:06:50] - The Panic of 1893 & The Panic Circular
[01:10:06] - William Jennings Bryan & "The Cross of Gold"
[01:18:07] - The Panic of 1907: J.P. Morgan’s Calculated Crisis
[01:26:56] - The Aldrich Bill & The Propaganda Campaign
[01:34:14] - Passage of the Federal Reserve Act (1913)
[01:36:06] - The Great Depression: A Deliberate Contraction
[01:42:15] - Academic & Media Control by the Banking Sector
[01:49:06] - The Solution: 3 Steps to Monetary Reform
[02:04:58] - Conclusion: A Call to Action by the Next Generation
4. Key Takeaways
The Fed is Private: The Federal Reserve is technically a private corporation owned by member banks, not the U.S. government. It answers to shareholders, not the electorate.
Money Equals Debt: Under the current system, every dollar is borrowed into existence with interest. Thus, total debt must always exceed total money, making a debt-free nation mathematically impossible.
The "Business Cycle" is Engineered: "Booms and busts" are not natural but manipulated events caused by the expansion and contraction of credit by central bankers to shear wealth from the middle class.
Fractional Reserve is Fraud: The documentary classifies fractional reserve banking (lending more than is held in reserve) as "legalized counterfeiting" that dilutes currency value.
Lincoln’s Greenbacks Worked: The issuance of $450 million in debt-free United States Notes proved a government can fund itself without bowing to bankers.
Academic Capture: The banking sector preserves its monopoly by funding economics departments and journals, effectively censoring "debt-free money" theories from mainstream education.
History of Resistance: The U.S. political history is framed as a continuous war between sovereign money advocates (Jackson, Lincoln) and central bank proponents (Morgan, Rockefeller).
5. Detailed Summary by Topic
The Secret Meeting & The Banking Families [00:03:30]
The narrative opens with the clandestine journey of six powerful men—Senator Nelson Aldrich and representatives of the Morgan, Rockefeller, and Rothschild families—to Jekyll Island, Georgia, in November 1910.
Context: The "Money Trust" needed to rebrand a central bank structure as a government agency to pacify a public angry after the Panic of 1907.
Synthesis: They drafted legislation to create a monopoly on the money supply while pretending it was "federal" and a "reserve". The meeting was so secret that participants used only first names to avoid detection by servants.
Origins of Banking Power: Rothschilds & Goldsmiths [00:07:56]
The film traces modern banking to the Goldsmiths of medieval England and the Rothschild family in Frankfurt.
The Goldsmith Trick: Goldsmiths discovered they could issue paper receipts for 10 times the gold they actually held (Fractional Reserve Banking), effectively creating money out of thin air to collect interest. [00:20:41]
Rothschild Strategy: Mayer Rothschild sent his five sons to European capitals. Nathan Rothschild is highlighted for manipulating the British bond market after the Battle of Waterloo [00:17:41], where he tricked traders into selling by feigning a British defeat, then bought the nation's debt for pennies.
Result: England saw centuries of stability without crushing national debt.
Demise: The Bank of England (est. 1694) eventually pressured the government to abandon tallies. In 1834, the sticks were burned in a fire that accidentally destroyed Parliament. [00:27:06]
The American Struggle: Revolution to Jackson [00:28:22]
The documentary asserts the American Revolution was fought largely to escape the Bank of England's currency control.
Constitutional Intent: The Founders gave the power to coin money to Congress, not private corporations.
Andrew Jackson: He is portrayed as the hero who killed the Second Bank of the U.S. His veto [00:34:07] and subsequent elimination of the national debt (the only time in history) [00:38:44] led to an assassination attempt by Richard Lawrence, who claimed he was backed by powerful money interests.
Abraham Lincoln faced usurious interest rates (24-36%) from banks to fund the Civil War.
The Solution: He printed $450 million in "Greenbacks" (United States Notes) directly from the Treasury. [00:48:23]
The Reaction: The "Hazard Circular" [00:49:17] circulated among bankers, warning that Greenbacks must be destroyed because they allowed the government to operate without paying interest to banks.
Post-Civil War, bankers regained control via the Contraction Act, deliberately shrinking the money supply to cause depression.
Crime of '73: The demonetization of silver caused massive deflation. Money per capita dropped from $50.46 to $13.33. [01:00:21]
Panic of 1907: Engineered by J.P. Morgan to bankrupt rivals and terrify the public. Morgan "saved" the market, positioning himself as a hero to push for a central bank. [01:18:07]
Friedman’s Admission: The Fed caused the Great Depression by shrinking the money supply by 33%. [01:36:59]
Modern Day: The banking sector controls media (via debt leverage) and academia (via funding). In 2009, the Fed spent $433 million on economic research, effectively buying the loyalty of economists. [01:43:57]
The Duck Hunt Cover-Up: To hide the Jekyll Island meeting, the bankers pretended to go on a duck hunt. They traveled in a private railcar with blinds drawn and were forbidden from using last names (calling each other "Paul" or "Nelson") so the train crew wouldn't recognize them. [00:03:30]
Napoleon & The Rabbits: The Rothschilds managed the wealth of Prince William of Hesse-Kassel. When Napoleon exiled William, the Rothschilds used William's 550,000 pounds to fund their own war profiteering rather than buying the British bonds William instructed. [00:11:07]
Nathan Rothschild at the Pillar: During the Battle of Waterloo, Nathan Rothschild received early news of victory. He stood by his usual pillar in the stock exchange and started selling bonds, tricking traders into thinking England had lost. A panic ensued. He then bought the market back at rock bottom prices. [00:17:41]
Burning the Tally Sticks: When the Bank of England killed the tally stick system, the sticks were burned in Parliament's stoves. The fire was so intense it burned down the entire Parliament building in 1834—a symbolic inferno of the old debt-free system. [00:27:06]
Rockefeller in Goggles: When the Pujo Committee subpoenaed William Rockefeller, he hid in his mansion, eventually disguising himself in goggles and earmuffs to escape in a car and flee to Jekyll Island to avoid U.S. Marshals. [01:32:28]
8. References & Recommendations
Books & Publications:
The Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin (Thematic source material).
Financial History of the United States by Dr. Davis Rich Dewey - Cited on Greenback philosophy. [00:52:37]
Morgan: American Financier by Jean Strouse - Cited regarding rumors of J.P. Morgan owning the New York Times. [01:13:55]
New York Times (April 8, 1912) - Article justifying the "National Citizens League". [01:29:20]
Leslie's Weekly (1916) - Article by B.C. Forbes exposing the Jekyll Island trip. [01:25:54]
Key People:
Nelson Aldrich: Senator who facilitated the Jekyll Island meeting.
Paul Warburg: The "architect" of the Federal Reserve system.
William Jennings Bryan: Orator of the "Cross of Gold" speech. [01:10:06]
Milton Friedman: Economist cited for admitting the Fed caused the Depression. [01:36:59]
Rep. Charles A. Lindbergh Sr.: Congressman and fierce critic of the Fed.
Organizations:
National Citizens League: A front organization created to propagandize the central bank. [01:29:12]
Pujo Committee: Congressional committee that investigated the Money Trust. [01:31:29]
9. Speakers & Credentials
Bill Still: Narrator/Producer. Documentary filmmaker and monetary reform activist known for The Secret of Oz.
G. Edward Griffin: Author of The Creature from Jekyll Island (Featured expert).
Ellen Brown: Attorney and author of Web of Debt (Featured expert).
Historical Voices (Re-enacted/Quoted): Thomas Edison, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, William Jennings Bryan.
10. Actionable Next Steps
Stop National Borrowing: Governments should issue their own currency to cover infrastructure and expenses without interest, following the "Greenback" model. [01:54:57]
Ban Fractional Reserve Lending: Banks should be restricted to lending only money they actually hold, stopping the artificial expansion of the money supply. [02:00:02]
Audit and Repeal the Fed: Support legislation to audit the Federal Reserve and repeal the Act of 1913, returning monetary power to Congress. [02:04:08]
Educate on "Debt-Free Money": Understand that money is a measure of value and does not need to be backed by gold or debt to be valid; it acts as a public utility.
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