Guest Review: THE GLENN MILLER CONSPIRACY by Hunton Downs

The Glenn Miller Conspiracy

by Hunton Downs

ISBN-10: 0977913163

ISBN-13: 978-0977913169

Paperback, 267 pages

Creative Book Publishers International

April 15, 2009

Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy

Conspiracy theories are always interesting to me. There’s just something intriguing about how some people don’t believe anything that they hear about a certain event, while other accept the story at face value. Until I picked up Hunton Downs new book, The Glenn Miller Conspiracy, I had absolutely no idea that there were conspiracy theories regarding Glenn Miller. In fact, I really didn’t know very much about Glenn Miller beyond his music. If you’re looking for an in-depth biography of Miller, this is not the book for you. I found myself looking up various details of Miller’s life. However, if you’ve always wondered about his death, you’ll enjoy The Glenn Miller Conspiracy.

The Glenn Miller Conspiracy was interesting, but also a bit disappointing. For one thing, I was expecting more information about Miller’s life in this book. Downs focuses much of his energy in tearing down the myths surrounding his death. While it does make sense to tear down the myths, I would have preferred to have more details about why Miller was regarded as such a hero. Another flaw was the time spent recounting how Downs uncovered the truth. At times, he spends too much time explaining how he got to one small detail. There is also a lack of balance in the way Downs covers the conspiracy. He doesn’t explain the public story of Miller’s death at first. That story surfaces after he has begun his attack on the military’s version of events.

Despite its flaws, this is an interesting book. Hunton Downs is a good storyteller, and he even makes some of the less interesting aspects of his research sound intriguing. Downs also reveals some really interesting details about Miller. For example, I had no idea that Glenn Miller was involved in a series of wartime recordings designed to encourage the Germans to surrender. He recorded numerous messages to the Germans. This actually led to his being marked for death by the Nazis. In fact, these recordings may have ultimately led to his death.

For those who don’t know, the public story of Miller’s death claims that he was lost in a plane crash over the English Channel. Conspiracy theorists have never believed the military’s account. Hunton Downs and several other researchers have spent years trying to find the truth about Miller’s death. Apparently, Miller was on “a secret mission for Ike” when he died. Downs gradually reveals that Miller was a key part of the failed Operation Eclipse. When Downs focuses on the details of Operation Eclipse, he provides some of the most interesting stories in the book.

One thing that is never quite clear is exactly what happened to Miller. Downs does manage to prove that Miller was found outside a Paris brothel after the time in which he supposedly disappeared into the English Channel. It appears that he was kidnapped and tortured for information. Otto Skorzeny’s plan to use Miller to get to Eisenhower ultimately failed, but it did cost Miller his life. Miller died from injuries soon after he was discovered by US servicemen in Paris. In the years that followed, the military stood by their original statement that Miller’s disappeared over the English Channel.

The Glenn Miller Conspiracy is an interesting, but somewhat disappointing book. Hunton Downs devotes so much time to describing his search for the truth that the reader is deprived of that “Eureka!” moment when all the pieces fall into place. The story itself is interesting, but it drifts along too much. Conspiracy theorists will not be disappointed, but diehard Glenn Miller fans may want to read another account of his life.