Ralph René

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Ralph René (August 24, 1933 – December 10, 2008) was an American conspiracy theorist, small press publisher and inventor. René was a vocal proponent of certain Moon landing conspiracy theories. René's last self-published work, a pamphlet he distributed called WTC Lies and Fairy Tales, details his assertions regarding certain 9/11 conspiracy theories.^[1]

René appeared frequently in shows produced by The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Fox television and Showtime. In one such show, The Truth Behind the Moon Landings: Stranger Than Fiction, journalist and former NASA employee James Oberg referred to René and other conspiracy theorists as cultural vandals.^[2] René reacted onscreen with amusement and stated that he liked the characterization. René was also featured in an episode of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! covering conspiracy theories.^[3] René was introduced as a physicist on the 2001 Fox documentary, Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?,^[4] and had the designation "Author/Scientist" under his picture. However, René admitted in his biography that he did not hold a degree from any university^[5] and always referred to himself as "self-taught."

Moon landing conspiracy theories[]

His 1992 self-published book, NASA Mooned America!, details why he felt that the Apollo Moon landings were faked and actually produced from a closed studio.

Other claims[]

In addition to contending that NASA never sent astronauts to the Moon, René also proposes a number of other ideas René outlined most of these beliefs in his self-published book, The Last Skeptic of Science (1995). The original title of the book, MENSA Lectures (1990), resulted in a lawsuit against him by Mensa who felt he was misappropriating the name of their organization and using it to suggest they backed his beliefs.

Personal life[]

René referred to himself as an "extra bright kid from the slums." After attending Rutgers University for a time, he dropped out and went to work as a carpenter and millwright. He then continued to pursue his personal interests in structural and mechanical engineering, physics, writing and inventing. René held two patents for simple mechanical tools.^[6][7] He maintained a website that archived many of his past columns and essays on a wide variety of subjects.

Bibliography[]

Books[]

Non-fiction[]

• René, Ralph; (as René) (1990). MENSA Lectures. Illustrations by Subi. Matlacha, FL: René. OCLC 21209369.
• ——; (as René) (1994). Lucas, Stu (ed.). NASA Mooned America!. Drawings by Chris Wolfer. Passaic, NJ: René. OCLC 36317224.
• ——; (as René) (1998) [First published 1995 (formerly MENSA Lectures (1990))]. Lucas, Stu; Hughes, Ed (eds.). The Last Skeptic of Science: "The Book Mensa Tried To Stop". Final edit by Steve Krisocki (1995 edition); Illustrations by Subi (Revised ed.). Passaic, NJ: René. OCLC 37029845.

Fiction[]

• René, Ralph. A Case of the Jitters.
• ——. A Case of the Missing Members.
• ——. Husa 1.
• ——. Husa 2.

Pamphlets[]

• René, Ralph; (as René) (2000). ON SQUARING THE CIRCLE & The new π it brings!: Exploring Dan W. Gaddy's Quadrature of the Circle (Pamphlet). René.
• —— (2002). WTC Lies and Fairy Tales (Pamphlet). René.

See also[]

• Astronauts Gone Wild
• Bart Sibrel
• Bill Kaysing
• Squaring the circle

References[]

External links[]

• Official website