Pod Insights Conspiracy Theories Rewind: The Denver Airport About this episode This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! Denver International Airport is said to be holding more than planes and luggage. It’s home to apocalyptic artwork, Freemason imagery, and even a literal murderous 32-foot-tall horse. And beneath all of this is a vast tunnel system that many believe houses an alien race that enslaves human children. Is this really just an airport or is it the headquarters for the New World Order?
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Transcript 0:06 Speaker 00 Es septiembre de 2011, y un cometa, Elenin, ataca hacia la Tierra. Según algunos informes, la NASA lo ha estado siguiendo por aproximadamente un año, y por buena razón. Un cometa tan grande impactó la Tierra una vez antes y mató a todos los dinosaurios. Pero eso fue hace millones de años. A diferencia de entonces, la humanidad está preparada para este tipo de desastre. Estamos intentando proteger a la humanidad. Bueno, al menos los miembros más importantes: la élite. Alrededor de la hora en que Elenin está en camino, el presidente Barack Obama se dirige a Denver, Colorado.
0:45 Speaker 00 Oficialmente, está visitando el estado de swing para hacer una donación y dar apoyo a su Acto de Trabajos Americanos. Pero los partidarios de la teoría de la conspiración de hoy encuentran el tiempo un poco sospechoso. Considerando que si Elenin impactara, la seguridad de Obama sería la prioridad superior del gobierno. Después de todo, Colorado es la ciudad del Complexo de las Montañas Cheyenne. Una base militar de aproximadamente 90 minutos fuera de la ciudad, enterrada bajo 2,000 pies de granito y destinada a proteger al presidente junto con otros funcionarios del gobierno durante una guerra nuclear. Sin embargo, se dice que el presidente Obama va a otro lugar para ocultarse para Elenin.
1:31 Speaker 00 Un lugar lleno de secreto, imágenes ocultas, e incluso el caballo pálido, llevado a la muerte en el Libro de las Revelaciones. Suena aterrador, pero el lugar que estoy describiendo es el aeropuerto internacional de Denver, también conocido como DIA. Por algunos cuentos, DIA no es tu centro de transporte habitual. Muchos creen que durante los últimos 30 años, sus profundas túneles subterráneos han servido como un búnker de la muerte capaz de proteger a la élite y sus sociedades secretas de eventos de la civilización que terminan, como, por ejemplo, un cometa.
2:12 Speaker 00 Luckily, we don't have to test that theory. Back in 2011, Elnin disintegrates in a solar storm before it gets to Earth. And instead of hiding out at DIA, Obama speaks at a local high school during his visit. That was all part of the plan while he was in Colorado. The comet thing was all a coincidence. Or was it? Because Obama came to the airport in 2008 as well, all while another intergalactic threat raced towards Earth. This time, a meteor! And the timing of that earlier visit was confirmed by the DIA's Public Information Office. Granted, Obama was still a senator for the majority of 2008, not president, but that
2:57 Speaker 00 high position may still qualify him for secret DIA protection. It makes you think. Is the Denver Airport actually an elite doomsday bunker? Well, if it is, DIA's not exactly hiding it. After all, the main hall has an animatronic gargoyle that welcomes passengers. His name's Greg. Does he wish you a safe flight? Um, no. In fact, he says point-blank, "Welcome to the Illuminati Headquarters." Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy.
3:41 Speaker 00 New episodes come out every Wednesday. This July, we're taking another look at five fan favorite topics as part of our series we're calling Conspiracy Theories Rewind. Today, we're heading to the Denver International Airport, because nothing says summer travel like a layover in a place that surrounds you with killer statues, frightening murals, and tales of never-ending, subterranean tunnels. We would love to hear from you, so if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts, or check us out on Instagram at The Conspiracy Pod. This episode contains discussions of suicide. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen.
4:26 Speaker 00 If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling hopeless, visit spotify.com/resources. Stay with us.
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5:39 Speaker 00 Picture this: You've just gotten off a four-hour flight with a two-hour delay. All you want is to race to baggage claim, grab your bags, and go home. And then, you see something that stops you in your tracks. A Nazi stormtrooper stands above innocent children. A procession of crying adults circle them, and the stormtrooper seemingly ignores them. His face is covered in a terrifying gas mask, and his gun is pointed toward a dilapidated building. The soldier's sword pierces a white dove, the universal symbol of peace. What am I describing? A horrible, real-world event? Oh, well, not yet. More on that later.
6:24 Speaker 00 This is actually a mural painted by Leo Tenguma titled "Children of the World: Dream of Peace." It's a prominent display in Denver International Airport. And the dark, violent imagery from this section of the mural has been the subject of speculation for years. Now, DIA isn't the only American airport with one-of-a-kind art. Take Oregon's Portland International Airport. They have a whole exhibit of stop-motion puppets from local animation studios, and they even have a fun sculpture of an airplane delivering gallons of ice cream. It doubles as a play area for children to climb and have fun.
7:07 Speaker 00 When you compare that to Children of the World Dream of Peace, or for that matter, another installation at DIA titled Mustang. It's a 32-foot-tall, blue-horse sculpture with devilish red eyes. Its local nickname, "Blucifer." It was put up in 2008, though not without tragedy. In 1993, DIA hired artist Luis Jimenez to build Mustang, Blucifer's real name. Despite its eerie look, its inspiration is wholesome. Luis works with bright colors influenced by Mexican muralists, and Blucifer was originally going to be yellow or pink.
7:52 Speaker 00 Luis settles on blue because his own horse, Blackjack, has a bluish tint to his coat. Blucifer's startling red eyes are a nod to Luis's father, who owned a store selling neon signs. Everything about the sculpture seems rooted in Luis's loves: art, his horse, and his father. Not something devilish and dark. The sculpture takes years for him to build. Its fiberglass frame, weighing 9,000 pounds, is split into three parts: the head, the body, and the hind legs. And these parts are mostly completed by June 13, 2006,
8:34 Speaker 00 the day Blucifer's infamous legacy begins. Writer Delilah Montoya, in an essay about Blucifer, details the day. It's about 11:00 a.m. Luis has the horse's hindquarters in a hand-operated hoist, but as he lifts it into the air, it gets stuck. And not only that, but Luis's assistant notices that the sculpture isn't secure. At this point, the piece must be pretty high up, as Luis has to climb an I-beam to try and fix whatever's jammed. But then, Blucifer breaks loose. Its hindquarters swing out of the supports, crushing Luis into the beam. According to a medical investigator,
9:19 Speaker 00 this likely rips open Luis's femoral artery.
9:25 Speaker 00 Tragically, Luis dies from his injuries at the hospital. It takes another two years for his estate to complete the sculpture, debuting it at DIA in 2008. The artwork is installed outside the terminal, where it can greet travelers on their drive. But Luis's death forever haunts Blucifer. Some believe it left a curse, others think the sculpture may be a sign of the apocalypse, representing the pale horse of revelations. Its writer: Death, who came for Luis. If Blucifer is really a sign of the apocalypse, hopefully another DIA sculpture can help us.
10:09 Speaker 00 Notre Denver. Two gargoyles that emerge from cast bronze luggage, watching over DIA's 82 million annual passengers as they move through baggage claim. They're meant to protect the travelers walking beneath them, as well as their suitcases. Honestly, they freak me out a little bit. I am not used to seeing gargoyles in an airport. So, what gives? Why is DIA so creepy? Well, it depends on who you ask. Over the last couple of decades, it's become the world's 10th busiest airport and a hub for conspiracy theories.
10:49 Speaker 00 The headquarters of the New World Order, or the Illuminati, or lizard people, or all three. And the artwork is supposedly how those organizations hide in plain sight. To truly understand how deep the conspiracy goes, we need to go back to the beginning. It's 1989. Colorado's main airport is Denver's Stapleton International Airport. Stapleton is, eh, fine. It serves its purpose, but it's built practically smack dab in the middle of suburbia. The surrounding neighborhoods constantly sue over noise complaints.
11:30 Speaker 00 The location also makes it difficult for the airport to expand. Stapleton can't just demolish people's homes for more runways. The area is so starved for space, the highway runs right underneath the airfield. This inability to grow becomes a huge problem. Denver is in the middle of the US, which makes it a prime location for commercial flights and flight shipping goods across the country. And as more and more airlines fly into Stapleton each day, Denver wants to accommodate them all. So the city decides to start building a new airport that can: DIA. But DIA is a problem right from the beginning.
12:14 Speaker 00 Construction is supposed to take four years, ending by 1993, at a cost of $1.5 billion. However, there are tons of delays that postpone the opening three times, bringing it way over budget. That $1.5 billion balloons to $5.2 billion before the first flight takes off. Newspapers from the time call the whole thing "a civic embarrassment." It's said that the airport keeps changing contractors. One crew starts one project, another finishes it, they start a new one, get fired, yet another crew takes over, rinse and repeat. No wonder they can't get anything done.
12:55 Speaker 00 Denverites are starting to get annoyed, and their complaints fall on the ears of Alex Christopher. Around 1994, Alex is giving a lecture at Denver's Global Sciences Congress. While the convention is for "global sciences," she's talking to the audience about something more intergalactic: aliens. Alex is a firm believer that aliens are behind all Earthling affairs. We would need a whole series to fully cover her theory, which details how everything from the Holocaust to Atlantis traces back to extraterrestrials.
13:35 Speaker 00 Even JFK's assassination is rooted in America, allowing aliens to enslave the human race. Oh, also, the Queen of England seems to be involved in everything. But the reason we're talking about Alex today is that she's believed to be the first person to research and publish the conspiracies—or, as she'd call it, "the truth"—about DIA.
14:00 Speaker 00 At the conference, she listens to people's complaints. Why is DIA taking so long to finish? Then, Alex sees a picture of the airport's capstone. It's a small granite plaque commemorating the construction. It's located right there in the great hall. You've probably noticed it, under those white tent-like structures. And in the near center of the capstone is a symbol that Alex is very familiar with: The Mark of the Freemasons. Oh, and what's right under that? The words "New World Airport Commission"? It's not lost on people that this sounds like New World Order.
14:45 Speaker 00 You're probably no stranger to the New World Order, but here's a refresher just in case. Conspiracy theorists, including Alex, believe everything in the world is secretly controlled by an elite group. They have their hands in politics, media, pandemics, everything. Their purpose is to dismantle society and introduce one totalitarian government. Themselves. And while the New World Order isn't technically the same group as the Illuminati, the names are often used almost interchangeably, especially when it comes to DIA conspiracies. Alex has been researching the New World Order for about a decade at this point, so when
15:29 Speaker 00 she sees the symbol of the Freemasons, another group believed to control the entire world along with New World Airport Commission, well, she's hooked. Alex starts looking into everything DIA, especially Leo Tanguma's murals. There's the first one we mentioned, with the stormtrooper stabbing a dove. But that's just one half of the children of the world dream of peace. A rainbow ascends from the crying girl, flowing around the stormtrooper and over to the second half of the painting. In this portion, children of different nationalities gather together underneath the rainbow, destroying the stormtrooper and his sword.
16:14 Speaker 00 Now, he lies beneath them, defeated.
16:19 Speaker 00 Okay, "The children of the world dream of peace," name now makes sense. Even in the midst of war and destruction, the little girl is envisioning this idealized world. Then there's Leo's other DIA mural. This one is called "In Peace and Harmony with Nature." At first glance, it can be terrifying. Trees burn in the background, a bird is trapped in a glass cage, children cry over the coffins of two women and a young girl. Again, that's just one half of the mural. The other half depicts a crowd of people, adults and children alike, celebrating an environment that has been restored to its natural state.
17:03 Speaker 00 Officially, this is all part of Leo's message. The terrifying images lead to the ideals of humanity searching for peace. But Alex sees something different. The children destroying the stormtrooper's sword? Alex sees all of these children bringing weapons to one central figure. The blond boy with what looks like a literal iron fist. Perhaps, she says, this is a German boy. Although she doesn't say it, it seems like she's insinuating he's meant to represent an Aryan boy. The stormtrooper was one thing, but now Alex wonders if there's a German secret society
17:48 Speaker 00 involved with the construction of DIA. One that's in cahoots with the New World Order. Okay, quick side note. Remember how I mentioned DIA changing construction crews over and over again? Conspiracy theory royalty George Norrie on his radio show Coast to Coast notes that this is "the old German formula of construction." This way, no workers actually know what terrible things they're building. Others have pointed out that an aerial view of DIA's runways looks sort of like a swastika. To be fair, you kind of have to pick and choose what parts of the runway you're looking at to get that image.
18:32 Speaker 00 So, Alex is getting suspicious. What is this dark, possibly Nazi symbology doing in DIA?
18:43 Speaker 00 To get to the bottom of it, she visits artist Leo Tanguma at his studio. She basically asks him, "What's the deal?" According to Alex, Leo received a guideline, presumably from the airport committee, of what to paint. He doesn't seem to think there's anything nefarious underneath the work, so Alex tells him what she thinks the symbols mean. It's not clear what she says exactly, but it could be her overall theory, that the murals depict, quote, "What they plan to do to us and the world as a whole." We, everyday citizens, are the children in the coffins, being terrorized and defeated by the New World Order.
19:27 Speaker 00 And all of the world's leaders are going to hand everything they have to that blond boy with an iron fist, representing the New World Order, or maybe even the Nazis. Leo doesn't agree with Alex. Allegedly, the next time they talk, he denies that he ever received a guideline. To this day, Leo says he answered a call for entries put out by the airport. He and his daughter painted in his trademark social realist style, in the tradition of Mexican muralists. His murals at DIA are about humanity putting down their weapons and abolishing violence. But Alex doesn't buy it.
20:12 Speaker 00 There are just too many signs that DIA is hiding something. Especially when you consider what she finds underneath the airport. Around 1994, Alex Christopher investigates the Denver International Airport. The art that seems apocalyptic, the much-delayed construction, and of course, the capstone branded with the mark of the Freemasons. Officially, the Freemasons are just a fraternal organization, basically a social club built around the idea that men of good character can come together
20:53 Speaker 00 in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind. However, there have been whispers for centuries that they're actually part of some grander conspiracy. Many believe they're a part of the New World Order, that the Freemasons help influence world events in accordance with their world domination plot. Despite being a secret society, the Freemasons are pretty open. Their symbol is on the DIA capstone simply because the local Masonic Lodge gave it to the airport, along with the time capsule it contains. They're essentially signing their gift.
21:36 Speaker 00 Regardless, Alex is disturbed by the symbol being there, along with the name New World Airport Commission, which, as we said before, sounds an awful lot like the New World Order. Now, just because the two groups share a couple of words in their name doesn't make them the same. The thing is, the New World Airport Commission... may not actually exist. Well, that's what DIA says, anyway. Uh, what, sometimes? This is where things get a little confusing. The airport has said that the New World Airport Commission was a temporary group organizing events around the airport's initial construction and opening.
22:20 Speaker 00 The commission's name came from Dvorak Symphony Number Nine, "The New World Symphony." But, the DIA sometimes denies this. In a 2020 video made by United Airlines about the conspiracies, the DIA's Public Information Officer explicitly states "New World Airport Commission is a completely made-up name. That group never existed." Now, I should mention, the Denver Library says the organization is absolutely real, and they have the archives to prove it!
23:01 Speaker 00 I don't know about you, but I don't think it's ever a good idea to cross a librarian. So, what is going on with DIA? Why can't they get their story straight? Well, that's Alex Christopher's question exactly. And her friend may have some answers. Alex is taken to DIA for the first time by a man named Phil Schneider. Phil is a bit of a celebrity in conspiracy circles. He's an engineer who claims to have worked for the government. He says he took part in a top-secret construction project to build an underground facility known as Dulce Base.
23:44 Speaker 00 The remote spot in New Mexico allegedly houses human-alien hybrids underground. According to Phil, there are several alien races living on Earth, some of which have made deals with the US government. The main one being the 1954 Great Atreaty, signed by the Grays and President Eisenhower, wherein the Grays promised not to meddle with our world. In exchange, we would keep their existence a secret. They'd also provide us with advanced technologies, and we'd allow them to abduct a human every once in a while for experiments. Sacrifices have to be made.
24:29 Speaker 00 But not every alien race living on Earth is so diplomatic. Phil claims that while working on the Dulce Base's bunkers, they discovered another alien species living underground, and a shootout occurred. Sixty Earthlings were killed in the battle, but Phil managed to take out a few aliens himself. He unfortunately lost some fingers in the process, and was shot in the chest. Resulting in a scar that he shows off during his lectures. It's a wild claim that many believe, including Alex.
25:09 Speaker 00 Phil tells her that DIA is yet another facility for alien life forms in hiding. The capstone is a homing beacon meant to bring ships right into DIA. He points out how the capstone even has a section that he calls "a little keypad area." Perhaps it's used to type out and send messages to the ships. Another side note, what if I told you that to this day Freemasons have reportedly been seen walking up to the plaque and swiping their Masonic ID cards? Supposedly, this is to see if the time capsule opens, but most plaques that I know of don't
25:52 Speaker 00 have badge scanners. Now, this so-called keypad Phil Schneider talks about is actually Braille? You may hear that and think, "Oh, so this is all BS. Phil just doesn't know what Braille looks like." Well, clearly, it's not his area of expertise. But if any of his claims about his work history are true, then Phil might know more about DIA's most suspicious area: the tunnels. Underneath DIA is a 3.5 million-square-foot tunnel system. It's used by employees to transport luggage across the airport.
26:34 Speaker 00 Construction was so delayed, partially because these tunnels were supposed to house a state-of-the-art, completely automated baggage system. It never actually worked, which is why employees still need to drive everything around in carts. Alex claims that she and Phil are somehow allowed access to these tunnels, perhaps because, according to Phil, he was offered to head the tunnel's construction in the 80s. It's unclear how deep they go, but Phil tells Alex that there are eight floors in total, and he says down there is a whole underground city.
27:14 Speaker 00 It's equipped with mock-speed bullet trains, a highway, medical labs, and even stores. Who is this city for? Why, the elite, of course. After seeing the tunnels firsthand, Alex continues researching DIA. One of her sources tells her that the tunnels are meant to be "the western sector of the New World Order." She finds a statement by Rodney Stitch, the federal agent-turned-author who wrote several books about government corruption. Rodney contends that the CIA paid the Denver mayor $1.5 million in cash to get the airport's construction approved.
27:56 Speaker 00 Perhaps this was due to the New World Order putting the screws on the CIA to get them some new digs. Or perhaps the CIA didn't need it completed for the New World Order, but for someone a tiny bit lower on the world domination totem pole: the President. You see, 100 miles away from DIA is Cheyenne Mountain, home to NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command. It's a literal army base built inside a mountain, like some comic book villain lair. On most days, NORAD is a military training facility.
28:39 Speaker 00 More importantly, though, military officers keep their eyes on the sky for an attack. And if that were to happen, NORAD is ready. The facility is built to survive a nuclear blast 1,000 times stronger than Hiroshima. If enemy nuclear missiles ever head toward the US, the President is shipped right to Cheyenne Mountain. But how are they supposed to get there while the nation is being nuked? Well, some believe that's where the DIA tunnels come into play. Allegedly, during that long DIA construction period, crews dug up over 110 million cubic
29:21 Speaker 00 yards of dirt, which is apparently too much considering what the plan's called for. Unless they were digging a much larger tunnel from DIA right to Cheyenne Mountain.
29:34 Speaker 00 Well, think about it. If the US were under a catastrophic attack, getting the president to Cheyenne through a car or even an Air Force One could be difficult. Well, maybe the skies are filled with falling missiles, roads are packed with cars trying to flee. So some believe, whether facing an attack or a threatening comet, the president is supposed to use the DIA tunnels to reach the NORAD bunker. Either that, or officials could hole up somewhere more secret, somewhere the enemy won't think to look for them, like underneath a public airport. And perhaps, they'll have company.
30:17 Speaker 00 If the DIA is truly the New World Order headquarters, it probably wouldn't just be the president hiding there. Conspiracy theorist Jay Widener believes that the tunnels are a sort of Noah's Ark for the elite. When the world ends, anyone with money and influence will be brought there to ride out the apocalypse. You may be thinking the idea's a bit silly. A billionaire would be too stuck up to hide out in some bunker living off canned beans. That's doomsday prepper uncle behavior. Well, no one said they wouldn't be surviving in style. I mean, the official bunker, NORAD, has its own convenience store, and even a
31:01 Speaker 00 Subway, as in, you know, the sandwich shop. These days, commercially available doomsday bunkers costing between $25,000 to $7.5 million are much more than a metal hole in the ground. The higher the price tag, the more amenities you get. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2024, one bunker company's CEO says he's building one that can hold a car collection. Another bunker builder claims he has a literal moat that can become a ring of fire warding off any threats. If that's the kind of safe haven billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and
31:42 Speaker 00 Bill Gates are buying from public companies, who knows what a secret global power like the New World Order would be able to get for their DIA bunker. But some people, including Alex Christopher, wonder if the DIA tunnels aren't meant for the elite to live in. Perhaps they're meant for everyday people like you and me. Only they're not planning on protecting us. They're planning to eliminate us. Denver International Airport has been a hotbed for conspiracy theories since construction began in 1989.
32:26 Speaker 00 The two biggest pieces of this lore surround the underground tunnels and the murals. Conspiracy theorists would say they both come together in one New World Order doomsday plot. And the painting of a Nazi wearing a gas mask could be a clue to their plan. Some believe that it represents how the New World Order is going to use chemical warfare to depopulate the world, killing anyone who's not part of the elite. The rainbow that painter Leo Tanguma meant to be the dreams of children? This theory goes that it really represents the toxin the elites are going to spray into the air.
33:11 Speaker 00 And what will that toxin be? Well, underneath the mural, etched into DIA's floor, is a miner's cart with the symbols AU and AG. Officially, this represents Colorado's famous mines, as AU and AG are the atomic symbols for gold and silver. However, conspiracy theorists think it stands for something else. AUAG is sometimes used as an abbreviation for a deadly strain of hepatitis, the very strain the New World Order may use to wipe us out. Now, the thing is, this strain is preventable.
33:54 Speaker 00 Its vaccine has been available since 1981, more than a decade before the airport even opened. But, okay, for the sake of argument, let's say the New World Order is planning a new variant. Now, how exactly will the New World Order hit us with this chemical attack? Through DIA's tunnel sprinkler system. Like many places, the tunnels have fire safety sprinklers on the ceiling. Conspiracy theorists believe these can be used like a gas chamber to poison all of us, non-elites.
34:32 Speaker 00 They may even have cages built and ready to take us out. Alex says she notices some fenced-in areas of the tunnels. And, I mean, okay, that's not too odd. Some apartment building basements have cage-like fences for storage. According to this theory, though, the DIA's fences are topped with barbed wire. It points inward, like it's meant to stop someone from climbing out. As if the elite's plan is to herd us into these, jailing us until the gas hisses out of the sprinklers above. By the way, we've been calling these captors "the elite" or "the new world order."
35:17 Speaker 00 I'm not sure, but I bet you were envisioning these to be humans. Not quite. Remember, this is Alex Christopher we're talking about. She claims she was shown around the tunnels by Phil Schneider to big alien aficionados. Alex believes the DIA is an alien base. They use it as a concentration camp where they enslave human children. Whatever work they have the kids doing is grueling, right up until the point when the aliens supposedly eat the children for dinner. It's believed that the aliens are doing all of this while they wait for the rapture. When's that going to be?
36:01 Speaker 00 Well, there's been a lot of apocalyptic prophecies and potential dates suggested over the years, like the Mayans 2012 prediction. And so far, well, we're still here, but Phil has thrown out another date that's not too far in the future. DIA recently announced some plans for a remodel. A portion of their tunnels will be converted into a pedestrian walkway. It's meant to take passengers from one concourse to another more quickly. Construction is expected to start in 2027 and end in 2029. Guess what? 2029 is the year Phil Schneider says aliens are going to finally rise up and take over the Earth.
36:46 Speaker 00 He believes they'll kill about 8% of the population in the process.
36:52 Speaker 00 Not sure what happens to the rest of us. Now, Phil made this prediction sometime around 1995, and you may not believe him, but get this. In 1972, NASA launches their space probe Pioneer 10 through our atmosphere and into our solar system. It snaps photos of Jupiter and even reaches Neptune. NASA is able to download these photos through radio waves sent back and forth between their base and the probe. But the transmissions don't stop there. The radio waves continue past Pioneer 10 and go deeper into space. In 2023, University of California Berkeley scientists figure out that the transmissions
37:36 Speaker 00 reached another star 27 light-years away, and that actually happened back in 2002. If some alien race around that star caught that signal, it would take years for us to get their response. Berkeley did the math. The earliest it would hit Earth is... 2029. So, whether you trust fringe sources like Phil or legit science, 2029 could be a big year for aliens. Unfortunately, Phil won't be here to see if his theories can be proved.
38:15 Speaker 00 About a year after Phil goes public with his 2029 alien agenda claim, in January 1996, he is found dead in his apartment. Cause of death: strangulation by a catheter wrapped around his neck. At first, his death is ruled a suicide, but those who know him say that doesn't make sense. Well, for one thing, he repeatedly warned his friends, family, even his audiences that he wasn't suicidal. If anyone ever told them he died by suicide, he said, "Just know it was foul play." After all, he claimed he was telling people the government's secrets about aliens.
39:00 Speaker 00 Now, that doesn't make you any friends in high places. If you'll recall, Phil was also missing fingers, which he said resulted from his infamous alien shootout. Realistically, this would have made it pretty difficult to tie the catheter and strangle himself. Allegedly, when Phil's ex-wife goes to pack up his apartment after his death, all of his alien research is missing, as well as his lecture recordings. Then, an obituary is published, only it didn't come from his family. They don't know who wrote it, or why it lists his death as a stroke.
39:42 Speaker 00 Many believe that these odd details point to Phil being murdered. Someone, whether it be the government, the New World Order, or perhaps the gray aliens themselves, needed to silence him. Now, Alex has also been exposing the government's alien secrets. According to a 2007 Westward article, she worries that she's going to be killed next. So, in 1996, after Phil's death, she puts the world of conspiracy theories behind her and goes into hiding. But her research and interviews about DIA spread online.
40:24 Speaker 00 What was once a niche conspiracy amongst Denverites becomes what's been called one of the top 10 conspiracy theories around. So, if everyone is figuring out DIA's secrets, what is DIA doing about it? Are they covering up their murals and erasing any evidence of their doomsday tunnels? Uh, well, no. Perhaps they tried to when the theories initially started picking up steam. Nowadays, though, as far as DIA is concerned, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. In 2018, DIA starts renovation construction. Now, this is separate from the tunnel walkway project I mentioned earlier.
41:07 Speaker 00 While other airports may divert passengers from construction areas or put up "Pardon Our Appearance" signs, DIA decides to have a little fun. They put up one sign that states, "What's happening behind this wall? A: Gargoyle breeding grounds. B: A top-secret Freemason meeting. C: An improved airport experience." Another poster says, "Under construction or underground tunnels."
41:37 Speaker 00 These signs point people to their website that goes into full detail on some of the airport's conspiracy theories. And if the Denver International Airport is being so open and jokey, I mean, do we really have anything to worry about? Some would say, no. If they were really some sort of secret alien New World Order base, they would keep their mouth shut, hide the gapstone. Maybe even paint over the murals. I'm a painter and visual artist myself, and I really feel for Leo Tanguma. How your art gets interpreted is not in your hands, but you definitely have an idea of what you want it to mean. He and his daughter, who helped him, have been open about their intent.
42:20 Speaker 00 They don't call the man with a sword a Nazi stormtrooper. He's simply a figure of war. In interviews, Leo has mentioned being stationed in Germany back in the 60s while serving in the army. He stayed long enough to make friends and learn to speak German. So his time there could explain what inspired the villain's design. But honestly, it doesn't seem like Leo meant for the figure of war to be the focus. In 2023, Leo tells his local PBS station about a drawing he did in the fifth grade. It wasn't a painting, it was chalk on a blackboard in his classroom. While his teacher wasn't looking, Leo drew the local sheriff, not as a gunslinging hero,
43:05 Speaker 00 but as a criminal receiving justice. As the artist tells it, the real sheriff had killed several Mexican-Americans around town, including members of Leo's family. So Leo envisioned his classmates getting together and avenging their neighbors by killing the sheriff. These dark themes have always existed in Leo's art. But they're not meant to evoke fear. They're meant to bring social awareness to the world's injustices. Knowing that, it's difficult to reconcile his life's work with a theory that Leo, of all people, would play ball with the global elites and their plans for world domination.
43:52 Speaker 00 In some ways, the Denver Airport's offbeat details feel like a bunch of urban legends that simply got out of hand. But the airport has embraced its new identity, which is kind of a beautiful thing. With thousands of people coming and going, day in and day out, visiting loved ones, seeking adventure, getting a fresh start somewhere new, the airport has become almost like a living, breathing entity. Well, that being said, will you find me down in those tunnels alone? No. No, you will not. Thank you for listening to Conspiracy Theories Rewind. We're here with a new episode every
44:37 Speaker 00 Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at The Conspiracy Pod. If you're watching on Spotify, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Our sources for today's episode include the Westward article, "DIA: Conspiracies Take Off," and Alex Christopher's 1996 KSEO interview, transcribed by the Leading Edge Research Group. Until next time, remember, the truth isn't always the best story. And the official story isn't always the truth. This episode was written and researched by Brandon Rizzuto, edited by Justin Sales
45:16 Speaker 00 and Miki Taylor, fact-checked by Sophie Kemp, engineered by Sarah Reddy, and video edited and sound design by Alex Button. I'm your host, Carter Roy.
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