James W. Walter
Encyclopedia
James W. Walter, Junior (born 1947) is an American
venture capital
ist, author, formerly involved in the 9/11 Truth Movement
. He is best known for sponsoring advertisements asking to reopen the investigation of the September 11, 2001 attacks
and offering financial rewards to anyone that could prove the World Trade Center was destroyed without the use of explosives.
, a Tampa, Florida
home builder and industrialist. He excelled at math and science in school, completing high school at the Asheville School
in North Carolina
, and was offered a Morehead scholarship
to the University of North Carolina
, but turned it down at his father's urging in order to enter business school.
Walter earned a B.S.
in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina
in 1969, and worked in his father's business for two years. His father's political influence helped Walter join the Air Force Reserves to stay out of active combat in the Vietnam War
; he earned an officer's commission and served for four years.
After leaving Walter Industries, Walter lived in New York
, Hong Kong
, and Tampa. He worked in a number of jobs and industries, including financial public relations in New York City
, and founded several corporations.
On May 28, 1991, Walter and Jack Edwards
co-wrote Banzai, You Bastards (ISBN 028563027X), the story of Edwards's abuse in a Japan
ese World War II
prisoner-of-war camp
.
When his father died in January 2000, Walter inherited a fortune reported between $7–14.3 million; he says $11 million. Much of that has been spent on his campaigns. He no longer receives a salary, but receives income from investments.
Since January 2005, Walter has been living in self-imposed exile in Vienna
, Austria
, after being attacked and threatened due to his campaign.
3 million of his own money to found the Life Skills Foundation, an organization that taught skills and goal setting to Florida prison inmates. The project produced results, but was shut down after the governor cut state financial backing.
Walter is also the founder of "Walden Three", a non-profit educational foundation in Santa Barbara, California
that researches ideas for sustainable, environmentally friendly urban development. The foundation has developed a computer model for the ideal sustainable living
, carfree and fossil fuel
-free city or society that produces almost all of the consumables, durable good
s, structures, mass transportation and social security
needed by its citizens. The model uses rational-emotive therapy (REBT), developed by Dr. Albert Ellis. Walter considers Walden Three his "day job" when he is not involved with campaigning.
, a source of contention with his father, but had not used his money to act on his convictions. On February 27, 2003, Walter spent US$
125,000 to take out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times attacking Secretary of State
Colin Powell
's justification for the impending 2003 invasion of Iraq
. It was headlined "Powell Lied?" describing Powell's February 5, 2003 speech to the United Nations Security Council
—the New York Times insisted on adding the question mark. Walter took out similar advertisements in English and Spanish in local newspapers in Santa Barbara, California
, where he was living. His stance was unpopular; posters he attached to his house were torn down, and a rock was put through his car's window. Walter did not repeat the advertisement.
Walter also created a "Chicken-Hawk
-In-Chief" design mocking George W. Bush
which he put on t-shirts, sweatshirts, and a full costume. In May 2004, a Williamstown, Vermont
middle school
student gained national attention when he wore the t-shirt and was required to cover parts of the design depicting Bush drinking and snorting cocaine. On August 30, 2006, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the school was wrong to censor the shirt, and on June 29, 2007 the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal, allowing that ruling to stand.
in October 2004, which included full page ads in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and 30 second cable television spots on CNN
, Fox News, and ESPN
. They implied that no plane flew in to The Pentagon
, and that 7 World Trade Center
was brought down by internal explosives. They called for a new investigation into what happened on September 11
, and referred viewers to the website reopen911.org. In conjunction with the campaign, Walter sponsored an October 2004 Zogby
poll, which found that 66% of New York City
residents wanted a fuller investigation of the events of September 11.
Walter's theory is that the hijacked planes were replaced by remote controlled drones that were crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, while the buildings were brought down by preset explosives, to create a pretext for the war in Afghanistan
and 2003 invasion of Iraq
. At the web site, Walter offered a US$
10,000 reward for a mathematical proof of how the World Trade Center
buildings collapsed from the fire and impact, the way the 9/11 Commission
said. By 2005, the reward had grown to $1,000,000 for proof that explosives were not used in the collapse of the World Trade Center.
On November 10, and November 11, 2004, Walter appeared on CNN
's Anderson Cooper 360°
, where he debated journalist Gerald Posner
about the claims made by the campaign. On May 9, 2005, Walter was featured on the "Conspiracy Theories" episode of Showtime cable television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!,
As of December 2004, Walter estimated the total cost of the campaign at more than $3 million; by December 2005 it rose to $5.5 million.
In May 2005, Walter financed European tours of speaking engagements for William Rodriguez
and his lawyer in the Rodriguez v. Bush lawsuit, Philip Berg. Rodriguez claims that he saved hundreds of people in the World Trade Center who were trapped behind locked fire escape doors.
In 2006, Walter traveled to Malaysia with Rodriguez, appearing at a conference with Michael Collins Piper
. Rodriguez and Walter also traveled to Venezuela.
, including one to every household in Tony Blair
's Sedgefield constituency
. Confronting the Evidence was broadcast on Italian
Rai Tre
television on September 24, 2006 at 9:00 p.m., during the Report program.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
ist, author, formerly involved in the 9/11 Truth Movement
9/11 Truth Movement
9/11 Truth movement is a collective name for loosely affiliated organizations and individuals who question the accepted account of the September 11, 2001, attacks....
. He is best known for sponsoring advertisements asking to reopen the investigation of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and offering financial rewards to anyone that could prove the World Trade Center was destroyed without the use of explosives.
Biography
Walter is the older of two sons of James W. Walter, Sr.James W. Walter, Sr.
James W. Walter, Sr. , of Tampa, Florida in the United States, was a home builder who started Jim Walter Homes and Walter Industries, now doing business as Walter Energy, Inc., a leading producer of metallurgical coal for the global steel industry, in 1946 with $1,000 he borrowed from his father...
, a Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
home builder and industrialist. He excelled at math and science in school, completing high school at the Asheville School
Asheville School
Asheville School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1900, the Asheville School campus sits on in the Blue Ridge Mountains and currently enrolls 270 students in grades nine through twelve...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and was offered a Morehead scholarship
Morehead-Cain Scholarship
The Morehead-Cain Scholarship was the first merit scholarship program established in the United States, founded at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first public university in the United States. It is named for its benefactors, John Motley Morehead III and the Gordon and Mary Cain...
to the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, but turned it down at his father's urging in order to enter business school.
Walter earned a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in 1969, and worked in his father's business for two years. His father's political influence helped Walter join the Air Force Reserves to stay out of active combat in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
; he earned an officer's commission and served for four years.
After leaving Walter Industries, Walter lived in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and Tampa. He worked in a number of jobs and industries, including financial public relations in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and founded several corporations.
On May 28, 1991, Walter and Jack Edwards
Jack Edwards (Hong Kong)
Jack Edwards, OBE , was a former British World War II army sergeant and a POW, most well known for his dedicated efforts of tracking down Japanese war criminals and the relentless determination displayed in defending the rights of Hong Kong war veterans....
co-wrote Banzai, You Bastards (ISBN 028563027X), the story of Edwards's abuse in a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
.
When his father died in January 2000, Walter inherited a fortune reported between $7–14.3 million; he says $11 million. Much of that has been spent on his campaigns. He no longer receives a salary, but receives income from investments.
Since January 2005, Walter has been living in self-imposed exile in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, after being attacked and threatened due to his campaign.
Non-profit organizations
In the early 1990s, Walter used outside funding and US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3 million of his own money to found the Life Skills Foundation, an organization that taught skills and goal setting to Florida prison inmates. The project produced results, but was shut down after the governor cut state financial backing.
Walter is also the founder of "Walden Three", a non-profit educational foundation in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
that researches ideas for sustainable, environmentally friendly urban development. The foundation has developed a computer model for the ideal sustainable living
Sustainable living
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...
, carfree and fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
-free city or society that produces almost all of the consumables, durable good
Durable good
In economics, a durable good or a hard good is a good that does not quickly wear out, or more specifically, one that yields utility over time rather than being completely consumed in one use. Items like bricks or jewellery could be considered perfectly durable goods, because they should...
s, structures, mass transportation and social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
needed by its citizens. The model uses rational-emotive therapy (REBT), developed by Dr. Albert Ellis. Walter considers Walden Three his "day job" when he is not involved with campaigning.
Anti-war campaign
Walter had been opposed to the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, a source of contention with his father, but had not used his money to act on his convictions. On February 27, 2003, Walter spent US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
125,000 to take out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times attacking Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
's justification for the impending 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. It was headlined "Powell Lied?" describing Powell's February 5, 2003 speech to the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
—the New York Times insisted on adding the question mark. Walter took out similar advertisements in English and Spanish in local newspapers in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, where he was living. His stance was unpopular; posters he attached to his house were torn down, and a rock was put through his car's window. Walter did not repeat the advertisement.
Walter also created a "Chicken-Hawk
Chickenhawk (politics)
Chickenhawk is a political epithet used in the United States to criticize a politician, bureaucrat, or commentator who strongly supports a war or other military action, yet who actively avoided military service when of age.The term is meant to indicate that the person in question is cowardly or...
-In-Chief" design mocking George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
which he put on t-shirts, sweatshirts, and a full costume. In May 2004, a Williamstown, Vermont
Williamstown, Vermont
Williamstown is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,225 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.3 square miles , of which 40.2 square miles is land and 0.2 square mile is...
middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
student gained national attention when he wore the t-shirt and was required to cover parts of the design depicting Bush drinking and snorting cocaine. On August 30, 2006, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the school was wrong to censor the shirt, and on June 29, 2007 the US Supreme Court rejected an appeal, allowing that ruling to stand.
Reopen 9/11 campaign
Walter began a series of advertisements about the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
in October 2004, which included full page ads in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and 30 second cable television spots on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Fox News, and ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. They implied that no plane flew in to The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, and that 7 World Trade Center
7 World Trade Center
7 World Trade Center is a building in New York City located across from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. It is the second building to bear that name and address in that location. The original structure was completed in 1987 and was destroyed in the September 11 attacks...
was brought down by internal explosives. They called for a new investigation into what happened on September 11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, and referred viewers to the website reopen911.org. In conjunction with the campaign, Walter sponsored an October 2004 Zogby
Zogby International
IBOPE Zogby International is an international market research, opinion polling firm founded in 1984 by John Zogby. The company polls and consults for a wide spectrum of business media, government, and political groups, and conducts public opinion research in more than 70 countries...
poll, which found that 66% of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
residents wanted a fuller investigation of the events of September 11.
Walter's theory is that the hijacked planes were replaced by remote controlled drones that were crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, while the buildings were brought down by preset explosives, to create a pretext for the war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. At the web site, Walter offered a US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000 reward for a mathematical proof of how the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
buildings collapsed from the fire and impact, the way the 9/11 Commission
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
said. By 2005, the reward had grown to $1,000,000 for proof that explosives were not used in the collapse of the World Trade Center.
On November 10, and November 11, 2004, Walter appeared on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....
, where he debated journalist Gerald Posner
Gerald Posner
Gerald Posner is an investigative journalist and author of several books, including Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK which explores the John F...
about the claims made by the campaign. On May 9, 2005, Walter was featured on the "Conspiracy Theories" episode of Showtime cable television program Penn & Teller: Bullshit!,
As of December 2004, Walter estimated the total cost of the campaign at more than $3 million; by December 2005 it rose to $5.5 million.
In May 2005, Walter financed European tours of speaking engagements for William Rodriguez
William Rodriguez
William Rodríguez was a janitor at the North Tower of the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attacks and was in the basement of the North Tower when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the building. After the attacks he received several awards for heroism for helping in the...
and his lawyer in the Rodriguez v. Bush lawsuit, Philip Berg. Rodriguez claims that he saved hundreds of people in the World Trade Center who were trapped behind locked fire escape doors.
In 2006, Walter traveled to Malaysia with Rodriguez, appearing at a conference with Michael Collins Piper
Michael Collins Piper
Michael Collins Piper is a political writer, conspiracy theorist, and talk radio host living in Washington D.C. He is a regular contributor to the American Free Press, a newspaper backed by Willis Carto....
. Rodriguez and Walter also traveled to Venezuela.
Confronting the Evidence
Walter produced a video documentary called Confronting the Evidence in 2005 and distributed over 300,000 free copies on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, including one to every household in Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's Sedgefield constituency
Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)
Sedgefield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. Confronting the Evidence was broadcast on Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Rai Tre
Rai Tre
Rai 3 is part of RAI, the Italian government broadcasting agency, which owns other channels, such as Rai 1 and Rai 2 . Rai 3 first started transmissions on December 15, 1979. In the eighties it was under the predominant political influence of the Italian Communist Party...
television on September 24, 2006 at 9:00 p.m., during the Report program.
External links
- Jimmy Walter.com Personal home page
- "Reopen 9/11 - Catch the Real Terrorists" Reopen911.org, site offering award
- Walden Three Project home page