Albert Pike's predications of the three conflicts in the world, is it true
Executive summary
The widely circulated claim that 19th‑century Mason Albert Pike wrote a letter in 1871 predicting three world wars is championed by conspiracy sites but lacks credible historical support: several sources say the letter’s authenticity is disputed or considered a hoax [1] [2]. Pro‑Pike webpages republish the alleged text and interpretation, while skeptical or academic treatments find no verified primary evidence of Pike’s authorship [3] [4] [5].
1. The claim in circulation — dramatic and specific
Online versions of the story present a supposedly explicit 1871 letter from Pike to Giuseppe Mazzini that lays out three staged global conflicts — a first war to topple czarism and enable communism, a second to destroy Nazism and establish Israel, and a third to pit Islam against Zionism — and they present that text as prophetic [5] [3].
2. Where the claim comes from — forums, conspiracy sites, and reprints
The narrative spreads mainly through non‑scholarly websites, forums and self‑published pages that reprint the alleged letter or long commentaries connecting Pike to shadow‑network theories; examples include threeworldwars.com, various forum archives and Scribd uploads that reproduce the “plan” as fact [3] [6] [5].
3. Scholarly and skeptical responses — authenticity questioned
Research-oriented and skeptical writeups conclude there is no reliable evidence that Pike wrote such a prophetic letter and characterize the story as a hoax; one source summarized that “there is no scholarly support” for the claim and that the letter is widely considered fabricated [1]. Even pieces that explain the claim (for example a recent explainer) note the authenticity remains disputed [2].
4. Why the story persists — narrative fit and confirmation
The Pike text neatly maps onto major 20th‑century events, which makes it very attractive to conspiracy‑minded readers; sites that promote the prediction emphasize the uncanny parallels and link Pike to other famous 19th‑century actors to stitch a grand conspiracy narrative [3] [4]. That rhetorical fit helps the claim spread despite weak sourcing [6].
5. Internal inconsistencies and provenance problems
Critical sources point out provenance gaps: no credible archival copy or contemporaneous citation of the 1871 letter exists in academic collections; the versions circulated online often lack verifiable chain‑of‑custody or original manuscript images, which is a common red flag for fabricated documents [1] [2]. Pro‑claim sites do not provide documentary proof beyond reprints and interpretive commentary [3] [4].
6. Competing viewpoints — believers versus historians
Supporters treat the alleged letter as documentary proof of a long‑standing plan for a “New World Order” and republish the full text as evidence [3] [5]. Skeptical researchers and explainer pieces say the letter is almost certainly a later fabrication and that reputable scholarship on Pike does not corroborate the prediction [1] [2].
7. What responsible reporting shows — evidence matters
Responsible historical judgment hinges on primary sources and provenance; available skeptical reporting and academic‑leaning explainers explicitly conclude there is no verified primary source confirming Pike wrote this prophetic letter [1]. Websites republishing the claim do so without the archival documentation that professional historians require [3] [5].
8. Hidden agendas and why to be cautious
The story’s persistence aligns with agendas that promote secret‑society explanations for complex geopolitical events; sources that endorse Pike’s prophecy often frame it to support a narrative of deliberate orchestration by elites, which is an interpretive lens not substantiated by the documentary record cited in skeptical accounts [4] [6].
9. Bottom line for readers
Available reporting shows the three‑world‑wars letter attributed to Albert Pike is propagated mainly by non‑academic outlets and is regarded by skeptical researchers as unauthenticated or a hoax; there is no scholarly consensus that Pike actually predicted three world wars [1] [2]. Those who assert the prophecy should be asked to produce the original, verifiable manuscript or archival citation — available sources do not mention such proof [1].
Limitations: my summary is based only on the provided sources; if you want, I can search for archival evidence, academic books, or library holdings to further test the letter’s provenance.