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The Franklin Cover-Up: Child Abuse, Satanism, and Murder in Nebraska

John W. DeCamp

4.17 · Rating details · 403 ratings · 37 reviews

The shut-down of Omaha, Nebraska's Franklin Community Federal Credit Union, raided by federal agencies in November 1988, sent shock waves all the way to Washington, D.C. $40 million was missing. The credit union's manager: Republican Party activist Lawrence E. "Larry" King, Jr., behind whose rise to fame and riches stood powerful figures in Nebraska politics and business, ...more

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Paperback, 288 pages

Published August 1st 1994 by A W T, Incorporated (first published March 1992)

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Feb 06, 2018 Margitte rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-reads, american-author, american-history, nonfiction

Here's my editorial on this book. No review. :-)

Well of course this book is shocking, disturbing and appalling. I'm upset, illogically furious, helplessly traumatized.

Daintily embedded in our postmodern clout, the reader can derive anything from it and it will be okay. Although the facts can scream to heaven and back, the outcome for the reader can be very different, depending on the personal background and ideas.

It just makes one think about the little people on the ground, the FBI agents, po ...more

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Aug 25, 2008 Evilcexified rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

just read the fucker!

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Feb 02, 2010 Verm rated it it was amazing

I could not put this book down! It's horrific in what it describes but I wish every American would read it. There are lots of myths and conspiracy theories on the internet regarding the Franklin Cover-up but this book gives you the evidence. When I first started reading (on the internet) about this (via the Johnny Gosch case) I couldn't believe it. I thought it must be made up it's so horrible. But after reading this book, I'm convinced these events and the cover up actually happened.

This book i ...more

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Jan 11, 2016 Lea rated it liked it

Shelves: acquired-2016, books-i-own, read-2016, reviews

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I'm really unsure how to rate this book, and I guess I'm really not even sure how to review it. My copy was the 1996 Second Edition, which is important in a couple of ways. The 1996 edition is composed of the original 1992 book, with an additional forward by the author (which includes some extremely brief updates on some of the people discussed in the first edition) -- this section seems to have been added between the author's update and actual publication -- and a more substantial section of ne

I'm really unsure how to rate this book, and I guess I'm really not even sure how to review it. My copy was the 1996 Second Edition, which is important in a couple of ways. The 1996 edition is composed of the original 1992 book, with an additional forward by the author (which includes some extremely brief updates on some of the people discussed in the first edition) -- this section seems to have been added between the author's update and actual publication -- and a more substantial section of newer material at the end of the book. The notes at the beginning are so rushed, there aren't any real details, which is very frustrating. About half of the new material added at the end of the book doesn't have anything to do with the Franklin scandal, as far as I can tell. It's interesting in its own way, but I think it would have been better to present it in another book, rather than including it here. Because the book was originally published in 1992, it is severely out of date at this point (2016). While it's interesting to take a step back in time to the early 90s, it's also somewhat disconcerting -- there are a lot of ideas and attitudes that would have been perfectly normal then that really stand out as being completely unacceptable now. Yea for progress! I do have to commend the author for being very even handed -- he doesn't pull any punches, regardless of which side of the aisle a particular politician is on. In this day, very refreshing. As to the content of the book -- wow, where to start? This is a non-fiction account of what was initially an investigation into banking irregularities, as well as embezzlement. This part of the story is fairly cut and dried. In the course of the investigation, details emerged that seem to indicate the people involved (wealthy, powerful people) were also involved in a lot of very unsavory things -- drugs and blackmail, as well as child abuse and pornography. These passages are very difficult to read. Again, even though very few people were actually prosecuted for these acts, it seems to be pretty well established that these things did happen. But then we enter the realm of Satanic Ritual Abuse. I don't know. I think the witnesses here probably believe these things happened. Maybe they really did. But jeez, it all seems so far fetched. The McMartin trial is mentioned in passing, and all I could think was "wasn't all of that debunked?" I know, I know -- didn't I just post a review on another book about this kind of thing? (The Ultimate Evil: The Truth about the Cult Murders: Son of Sam and Beyond) Well, yeah. And that book does seem believable to me. I'm not sure why this one seems so out there -- perhaps it's in the way the story is told. Or maybe I just don't want to believe what these kids say happened to them. I suppose it's up to each reader to decide for himself. My final thoughts on this book: The author really grew on me, especially in the final update at the end. I'm still undecided on the rest of it, but it seems like John DeCamp truly believes in this cause. ...more

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Apr 30, 2017 Ffiona rated it it was amazing

Exposes The Moral Squalor That Is Operating At The Highest Level Of Our Society.

I discovered this book while researching the recent Wikileaks "pizzagate ping pong" scandal.The Franklin cover up was the biggest paedophile scandal in the history of the world.The American media is obsessed with Catholic child abuse scandals but this was a dark & deviant scandal that was conveniently ignored & suppressed due to it's connection with elite politicians and business leaders. Children were being Exposes The Moral Squalor That Is Operating At The Highest Level Of Our Society.

I discovered this book while researching the recent Wikileaks "pizzagate ping pong" scandal.The Franklin cover up was the biggest paedophile scandal in the history of the world.The American media is obsessed with Catholic child abuse scandals but this was a dark & deviant scandal that was conveniently ignored & suppressed due to it's connection with elite politicians and business leaders. Children were being taken by private jets to Washington and other parts of the US (including a location that sounded like Bohemian Grove), where they were assaulted and in some cases murdered.These crimes were photographed and filmed-the footage was used as power & control leverage. The Senate organized an investigation into this scandal however many of the key people involved in the investigation either died or committed suicide. The Franklin Coverup had to rely upon the testimony of those involved, and unfortunately the absence of incriminating evidence made their sensational claims that much easier to dismiss.There is a documentary film about this (on YouTube) called "Conspiracy of Silence" made by Yorkshire Television in the early Nineties.

The elites have been doing this sort of thing throughout history so this was no isolated incident.Tragically the whole upper structure of our civilization (the elites who are really running the show) are a sordid breed of people who are totally ruthless. This is the devils power that is ruling the world and this cult feels very protected, they consider themselves untouchable.The symbolic Owl ceremony that is regularly carried out by our world leaders at Bohemian Grove In California, is based on the ancient pagan (satanic) ceremony where a god known as Moloch required the blood sacrifice of children. Most,if not all, of the people involved in this satanic ritual are linked in to a spiritually corrupt global network that allows these sadistic practices to go on in secret.The ruling cabal has secret occult knowledge which they withhold from outsiders-it doesn't matter if you don't believe in God and Satan, the important thing is they most definitely do.They know that the supernatural is not nonsense. A lot of Americans seem to be putting their faith in Donald Trump to change the corrupted system but there is no way one man can change this centuries old shadow system - their satanic practice is deeply embedded into every political power structure in the world. ...more

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Jan 07, 2017 Jessi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Alienating friends and loved ones in 2017, starting strong with the conspiracy that scares me most.

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Sep 25, 2016 Emily rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is definitely more report than anything else, written by someone with personal stake in the events it details. I read it after hearing about it on a two-part episode of Last Podcast on the Left. Throughout the book, I vacillated between horror at the corruption in our system and complete disbelief. Several elements of it seem to support the "Satanic Panic" hysteria of the 80s that led to harmful witch hunts and false accusations, and that gives me pause. There's also a lot of faith placed i ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Ingrid rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The scariest book I've ever read. Everyone should read this book despite it's heavy content. It's compelling and heartbreaking but if you live in the US, there are things in this book that you owe it to yourself to learn.

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Jul 08, 2016 Shelly rated it liked it

Shelves: unsolved-mysteries

If even a third of these allegations are true, the ramifications are mind-boggling.

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May 13, 2013 Ruth Keeling rated it it was amazing

Wish everyone would read this book

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Oct 16, 2015 Ursula Ackah rated it it was amazing

If you want to understand what is happening now in Britain regarding the elite paedophile scandal and cover-up, read this book. And the story doesn't end well.

The writer is a lawyer and the style is factual and direct. Every chapter deals with a different aspect of a sprawling web of criminal activity, of which child abuse forms only one small part.

Don't be put off by the word 'satanism' in the title. It isn't a big part of the story. Rather it seems that criminals used satanism as a tool to a If you want to understand what is happening now in Britain regarding the elite paedophile scandal and cover-up, read this book. And the story doesn't end well.

The writer is a lawyer and the style is factual and direct. Every chapter deals with a different aspect of a sprawling web of criminal activity, of which child abuse forms only one small part.

Don't be put off by the word 'satanism' in the title. It isn't a big part of the story. Rather it seems that criminals used satanism as a tool to attract, control or blackmail receptive adults, terrify children and make whistle-blowers' testimony sound unbelievable to the general public.

The criminals' real motivation was acquisition of wealth and personal power, which they achieved by infiltrating institutions and subverting cash-flow and power structures to their own ends. This was often achieved through 'hospitality'... i.e. parties where drugs and sex were provided to powerful people who could later be controlled through blackmail. The children were just another 'commodity'... a means to an end.

The story ranges across massive financial crime - "Franklin" was a failed credit union - murder, child prostitution, pornography, and even 'state-sponsored' crimes, orchestrated by government security forces eager to fund their own projects outside the scrutiny of their political masters.

We are shown abuse of power at every level of society in the small but wealthy state of Nebraska, which happens to have close ties with Washington D.C., forged through U.S. political funding and lobbying systems.

The people at the very bottom of the food-chain are the abused kids, all of whom end up dead, mad, imprisoned or discredited.

The book pulls together a vast array of documentary evidence, which is in the public domain... but very few individuals would have the knowledge necessary to connect the dots and form a coherent picture.

The main weakness of the book is the extent to which the writer is himself involved in the action. He was a Nebraskan Senator and also later legally represented some of the child abuse victims in court.

He seems to be a very able man, of tremendous energy, intelligence and self-assurance, who instinctively backs the under-dog and detests bullies. He wrote the book on the advice of his friend, ex-CIA chief Bill Colby, after giving up hope of holding the key players to account through the courts.

John DeCamp's reputation was trashed as a result of his championing the child victims in this story. You can currently see Tom Watson being subjected to the same treatment by the establishment and the BBC in the UK. The story is essentially the same. ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 J.V. Seem rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

A while ago, I listened to a podcast about the Franklin case, of which I'd never heard before. It was a very well-produced podcast, and by the end, I was not only absolutely convinced that every word was true, but also absolutely terrified.

Now, my autistic brain may or may not have had something to do with this, but in my defense, it was a really well-made podcast that actually turned out to have left out some of the more unlikely parts of the case, and that made it all the more convincing.

After A while ago, I listened to a podcast about the Franklin case, of which I'd never heard before. It was a very well-produced podcast, and by the end, I was not only absolutely convinced that every word was true, but also absolutely terrified.

Now, my autistic brain may or may not have had something to do with this, but in my defense, it was a really well-made podcast that actually turned out to have left out some of the more unlikely parts of the case, and that made it all the more convincing.

After listening to the podcast, I immediately downloaded this book, expecting it to further support what I had heard in the podcast. But that didn't happen.

If you're unfamiliar with the case, it's all about an alleged cover-up of child prostitution, child pornography, satanic rituals and embezzlement where some very prominent politicians and other important members of society are implicated.
The thing is, the podcast didn't say a word about the satanism, making the whole thing a lot more likely. Where the book makes me doubt is at the "satanists-eating-hundreds-of-babies" scenario. After all, they must have come from somewhere, and someone must be missing them. The flying with helicopters around the countryside also seems a rather elaborate way to travel, even for high-ranking satanists, for the purpose of maiming random cows. Seems absurd, rather.
Now, the child trafficking is something more close to home, after all, we know that's a definite problem. So I'm of two minds, you might say. While this book didn't help convince me further, but actually made me more skeptical, I'm not convinced that it's *all* bollocks. Some of the alleged trafficking victims tell some very striking stories, backed up by seemingly dependable evidence, and one wonders how and why you would make it up. I just don't know what I think.

Some parts of the book are plain boring, though. Quite a few chapters deal with the embezzlement part of the case, with business deals legal and illegal, and quite frankly I don't get any of it. Those chapters are just words.

This book is written in an alright manner, but it's hardly a masterpiece, and some chapters are quite frankly tedious. However, quite a lot of the book is interesting, whether its claims are true or not. ...more

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Dec 04, 2014 Michelle Stalker rated it it was amazing

This book was by far one of the most interesting things I never knew. Nebraska is my home state and I just wish there was a way to get this information public. I want it to resurface. EVERYONE should read this book. It provides enough evidence against those guilty of child abuse, satanism, and murder. The man that wrote this could not have fabricated his story, nor could a young boy and a young girl that testified against their tormentors . How were children supposed to come up with a story so m ...more

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Jul 07, 2015 Ben Sutton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What Can You Say...

The book is gripping, however, be prepared to become even more disillusioned with the so called process, system, establishment, etc. Another cautionary tale of when truth speaks too closely to power, power reacts with overwhelming, well, power. Kudos to De Camp for having the courage to continue to investigate horrific instances of abuse, corruption, and deviancy. Hopefully his actions constitute a frayed thread that will help to eventually unravel the whole truth.

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Jun 09, 2018 Me0 rated it really liked it

Shelves: politics

An eye-opener for those unfamiliar with child abuse and pedophilia within the corridors of power. Difficult to read at times - a difficult subject - but one none of us should turn our eyes away from and ignore.

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Apr 05, 2016 Michael Bethany rated it really liked it

Every parent should read this book and keep your children close. Maybe the children should read it too.

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Jun 17, 2017 teresa santos rated it it was amazing

Excellent read. Eye-opener!

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Mar 15, 2010 Anita Dalton rated it liked it

Shelves: satanic-panic, conspiracy-theory, non-fiction, true-crime, books-we-own

There were elements of the book that are… off putting. Not the least that DeCamp was willing to defame Hunter S. Thompson as the worst sort of scum based on the eyewitness testimony of a very fragile witness. But there were other problems, too. I can’t go into every single one I have because this is a dense book, but I’ll touch on the highlights of just how DeCamp was not my cup of tea. In the minds of true believers, I can’t debunk a conspiracy anyway. All I can do is discuss some of the WTF mo ...more

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Nov 05, 2016 Catalina rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction-gral

The story is disturbingly interesting but the book needed a better writer. A lot of the facts felt dry and the personal connection of DeCamp to the case came across as too defensive, and almost whiny, for the bigger purpose of the book. That being said, the background is horrifying and if this actually happened/keeps happening it's something we should learn more about. (Updated book that sets this case against others around the country?)

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Mar 14, 2009 Richard rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime

The read was good, but . . .
I can't tell you if there is any truth in this book or not. I know that things like this go on but the names of some were astonishing. If true, someone should be going to jail and maintained in the prison population. I can't look at a politician without wondering. Read the book and judge for yourself. The author seemed to be of sound background and character.

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Feb 14, 2014 Hector Chavez rated it it was amazing

If you think that it can't happen this book may just open your eyes to the criminal activity of the materially successful, and the hypocrisy that permeates our society that helps cover up, protect, and even promote wrong-doing in some cases.

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Aug 14, 2012 Melanie Moxon rated it liked it

Shelves: conspiracy-theories

This book made me cry at times. Didn't finish the whole thing as it really upset me! Be warned very very graphic true stories of child abuse! So sad & sadistic!

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Oct 23, 2013 Laurie rated it it was amazing

IF you can make it through this entire book, props to you. Its so depressing and heartwrenching, but opens your eyes to the honest world around us.

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Nov 27, 2012 Pattie rated it liked it

Disturbing. I'm from Omaha. I remember when the financial scandal broke in the mid-80's.

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Jan 04, 2009 Chad rated it really liked it

Disturbing look at Nebraska politics, financial matters and the lengths people will go to maintain their status. Doesn't paint Bob Kerrey in a very good light.

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Apr 15, 2016 Katieh rated it it was amazing

Fascinating book! just shows how little our kids are protected. This story has connected me to another book about Johnny Gosch "why Johnny can't come home"

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Sep 07, 2018 Xavier rated it it was amazing

Shelves: conspiracy-veil

Sometimes real life stories are far more horrific than the darkest fictions. This is undoubtedly one of those examples.

Former Senator John DeCamp writes this book from the firsthand perspective of being the defendant lawyer for victims of the alleged satanic child abuse, human trafficking, c-pornography, prostitution, pedophilia, and ritualistic murder in Nebraska amongst other cited areas.

The perpetrators of these horrific crimes were notable elite wealthy businessmen and politicians connecte ...more

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Aug 12, 2018 Michele rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

This is America, standing naked in plain sight, but forever denying it’s own exposure. This is America, committing heinous crimes and then locking the VICTIMS away in our own glutted prison cells. This is the America I would like to nail on it’s own bloody cross. DeCamp hits the nail on the head: “The ‘system’ is the only sacred cow.” But the Franklin scandal, and many other horrible tales, happen when that system rots, becomes a bad barrel. And a bad barrel attracts bad apples.

I urge EVERYONE ...more

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Oct 18, 2018 David Shetler rated it it was ok

I read this as the scandal involved a credit union and took place when I first started with the NCUA many years ago. I was torn by the obsessive conspiracy theories on the part of the author versus a lot of detail that he provides to back up his assertions. Since it is only his point of view I remain skeptical of much of his claims. While no doubt a lot of bad things happened the book read very much like a self congratulatory slap on the back for Mr DeCamp.

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Sep 08, 2018 Jolene rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I almost wish I'd never read this book...

Disgusting, heartbreaking, infuriating. I kept thinking these things couldn't possibly be true. How could anyone be capable of such acts? The most eye-opening book about the atrocities going on in our communities and how and by whom they are hidden. It was difficult to finish this book, but I'm glad I did.

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