"Closed Pages of History" by Alexander Gorbovsky and Yulian Semyonov, summary

This collection of essays and historical documentary essays, published in 1988, explores the shadowy mechanisms of world politics, the hidden motives of rulers, the activities of secret societies, and meticulously examines historical mysteries. The presentation is based on the comparison of archival documents, ancient chronicles, and scientific hypotheses, united by the idea of the inextricable connection between eras and the inevitable retribution for lust for power and the violent reorganization of society. The book is a detailed analysis of conspiracies, poisonings, treasure hunts, and political assassinations from ancient times to the second half of the 20th century.

The book was published in 1988 by Mysl Publishing House as part of the Library Series.

The search for immortality and overcoming time

The first section is dedicated to man’s eternal dream of liberation from death. The legendary hero of the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh sought a rejuvenating flower, and the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huangdi in the 3rd century BC sent Su She’s fleet overseas in search of the islands of immortality. In 1512, conquistador Juan Ponce de León sailed to the shores of Florida in search of the Fountain of Eternal Youth, but died from a wound sustained in a skirmish with Native Americans.

Alchemists in Europe and the East attempted to create an elixir of longevity from precious metals, minerals, and complex potions. Chronicles mention individuals who supposedly extended life for centuries: the Taoist sage Chang Daoling, the Indian Tapasviji, Count Saint-Germain, and Cagliostro. The legend of Ahasuerus reflected the idea of an eternal wanderer, condemned to perpetual wandering by a curse.

Science is approaching the problem of longevity from a practical perspective. Researchers are studying the properties of water, hypothermia, the effects of hormones, the removal of free radicals, as well as experiments in suspended animation and organ transplantation (experiments by V.N. Demikhov and R. White). Biological hypotheses and the pulsating universe model of J. Wheeler and K. Gödel demonstrate a probable cyclical nature of existence, in which each new era reproduces the previous ones.

The Amazon phenomenon and matriarchal unions

The second section examines historical and ethnographic evidence of female warriors. Herodotus, Strabo, and Plutarch described Amazon tribes on the Black Sea coast and in the Caucasus. Archaeological excavations of burial mounds in the Azov region have confirmed the existence of female burials containing weapons and horse harnesses. In the 19th century, the King of Dahomey’s guard in Africa consisted of several thousand trained female warriors, who demonstrated ferocity in battles with French troops.

The great geographical discoveries spurred the search for female kingdoms in the New World. Christopher Columbus and Hernán Cortés collected information about the lands of female warriors, and Francisco de Orellana named the great river the Amazon in 1542 after a skirmish with armed Native American women.

The replacement of matriarchy by patriarchy explains the emergence of secret women’s societies. In Africa and the Americas, there were societies called "Bundu," "Yevhe," and "Nyengo," which had their own secret languages (Agbungbe, Tifinagh) and were involved in the creation of poisons for protection against men. Ethnographers have found pockets of matriarchal society among the Nair tribe in India and in some communities in Malaysia.

Gold rush, treasures and alchemy

The third section is dedicated to the struggle for wealth. The legend of the golden land of El Dorado drove hundreds of conquistadors into the jungles of South America. Walter Raleigh, Sebastián de Belalcázar, and Gonzalo Pizarro died searching for the phantom city of Manoa. Gold became a universal currency, and the struggle to possess it gave birth to treasure hunters.

Hiding treasures was a response to the constant threat of robbery. Pirates Henry Morgan, Captain Kidd, and Olivier Vasseur buried chests on deserted islands. Documents contain information about the treasures of Alaric, Attila, Genghis Khan, the Templars, and the Inca ruler Atahualpa. In Russia, legends about the treasures of Stepan Razin, Yemelyan Pugachev, the bandit Kudeyar, and gold buried by the French during their retreat on the Berezina in 1812 were popular.

Alchemy sought to find a "philosopher’s stone" to transform base metals into gold. The experiments of Nicolas Flamel, van Helmont, Johannes Helvetius, and Raymond Lully were accompanied by the patronage or persecution of monarchs. C. Kervran’s chemical experiments with plants demonstrate the possibility of the natural transformation of elements in living organisms.

Lust for power, tyranny and the mechanism of fear

The fourth section explores the nature of power and the methods of maintaining it. The desire to rule relies on the individual qualities of the leader (the "X-factor," "charisma") and the willingness of the masses to obey. The struggle for the throne was accompanied by parricides and fratricides in the ruling dynasties of the Ottoman Empire, India, and Russia. Rulers sought to eliminate potential rivals among their own kin.

The emergence of impostors and doubles reflected the people’s faith in the legitimate ruler. Examples include False Smerdis in Ancient Persia, False Dmitry in Russia, Stephen the Little in Montenegro, Napoleon’s double François Robeau, and the elder Fyodor Kuzmich. Rulers who wielded absolute power sought to expand its limits through cruelty and self-deification, such as Caligula, Nero, and Ramesses II.

The constant fear of conspirators and poisoners forced sovereigns to surround themselves with hired guards. Persian "Immortals," Roman Praetorians, Turkish Janissaries, Egyptian Mamluks, and Swiss Guards often became the organizers of palace coups. Assassination attempts on monarchs and presidents — Alexander II, Napoleon, de Gaulle, Kennedy — demonstrate that power is inseparable from mortal risk.

Behind the scenes of secret societies

The fifth section covers the history and methods of secret orders. In the 11th century, Hassan ibn al-Sabbah founded the Assassin sect in the mountain castle of Alamut. Using intoxicating potions and creating the illusion of paradise, the "Old Man of the Mountains" instilled in his subordinates fanatical devotion and a willingness to kill on command.

The Order of the Templars, founded in Jerusalem, amassed enormous wealth and adopted the structure of the Assassins. The defeat of the Templars by the French King Philip IV in 1307 did not destroy the tradition. In the 18th century, Masonic lodges emerged that adopted the Templar rites, including the Phoenix Chapter in St. Petersburg under Prince Kurakin. A. V. Suvorov, M. I. Kutuzov, A. S. Pushkin, and A. S. Griboyedov were members of Masonic lodges.

Secret societies share similar characteristics: degrees of initiation, the symbolic death of the neophyte, and the doctrine of the "two truths." In the 20th century, this was exemplified by the activities of the Italian Masonic lodge "P2," led by Licio Gelli, which staged a series of political provocations and bombings.

The Invisible Empire of the Mafia

The sixth section examines the history and structure of the Mafia. Despite Mussolini and Prefect Cesare Mori’s official claims of defeating the Sicilian Mafia, the Fascist regime colluded with the crime bosses. On the eve of the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, American intelligence officer Charles "Lucky" Luciano and Vito Genovese established contacts with American intelligence agencies.

The mafia is built on a brutal hierarchy — "families," "coscas," "bosses," "advisors," "lieutenants," and "soldiers" — and the code of silence known as "omerta." Drug trafficking from the Golden Triangle, controlled by the Chinese Triad order (affiliates of the 14-K and Wo Shing Wo), gambling, prostitution, and racketeering generate billions in revenue for the mafia.

The assassination of oil chief Enrico Mattei, the liquidation of prosecutors in Palermo, and the deaths of President John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, and witnesses reveal the shadowy confluence of the mafia, intelligence agencies, and big business. Political assassinations and chaos are used by criminal clans to blackmail society and advance totalitarian control.