Stone says history is a 'delusion'

Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone revealed his latest conspiracy theory and delivered his unique insights on a range of current and past historical events to a packed Irvine Auditorium last night. "Did a sitting vice president hire mobsters to kill an acting head of a foreign state?" Stone rhetorically asked the audience. "See it soon in an upcoming film," he said, inviting audience members to view Nixon, his latest project, when it is released in December. Stone, sick with the flu, wiped his face with a red bandanna and gulped down water while the audience's applause died down. He then reminisced about growing up "in the shadow of this school" during his days at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa. "Eating scrapple every morning and going to church really prepared me for making films," he said. Stone, who is known for such films as Born on the Fourth of July, JFK and Natural Born Killers, seemed woozy as he began the speech with a series of impromptu remarks. But his delivery became more animated when he switched to his prepared lecture. The Yale University graduate connected his historically-based films with his personal views of history. "Often times, two histories fight against each other for the truth," he said. "No one has a lock on the truth." Stone justified using entertainment as a means to analyze history. "In my mind, there is no logical separation between history and journalism and art," he said. Stone then spoke about several "major delusions" of history in society. He said he attempts to rectify these delusions in his films. For example, Stone discussed France's denial of its collaborative role in the Holocaust. "No one I ever talked to [in France] ever said anything about French collaboration," he said. "Everyone was a hero in the resistance." Stone said that in reality, the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services "relied on the Nazi intelligence apparatus to gather information on the Russians." The OSS is the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Cold War, Stone said, effectively began in 1944. But Stone said the connection between the Nazis and the U.S. government did not end with the end of World War II. "I would argue that Nazi intellectuals and scientists were brought here and inculcated the Nazi ideology into the fabric of society," he said. Stone also questioned the socially accepted reason of why the U.S. got involved in World War II in the first place. "I'm not saying that Hitler was a misunderstood man," he said. "I am saying that the origins of that war are thicker and denser than the good people against the evil people." Turning his attention to the Vietnam war, in which he served, Stone said the public's perception of the controversial war underwent several metamorphoses. At first, reaction to Vietnam was indifferent. But by the '80s, the war was seen as "symptomatic of the downfall of the great American empire." Elaborating on an earlier statement that time is "circular revelation," Stone commented that the movie Forrest Gump trivialized the magnitude of the Vietnam War. Stone's speech was sponsored by Connaissance, a Student Activity Committee-funded group that brings speakers to campus. During the question-and-answer period following his prepared remarks, Stone commented on the Pope's current visit to the U.S. "The Pope does have meaning for many people," Stone said, explaining why his visit is getting so much media coverage. "If you're going to buy into an illusion, maybe that's the best one." Students said they found Stone's speech both entertaining and intellectually stimulating. "I think the most important message he gave us is to question, to doubt," said College senior Michelle Brawer. But some students were wary of Stone's integrity. "A lot of what he said was just for shock value," College sophomore Elizabeth Camp said. Connaissance members chose Stone last February, according to Connaissance President Amelia Balonek, a Wharton junior. The group paid Stone $20,000 for his appearance.