The Conspiracy Tapes

Sony Music Entertainment

In the mid-1970s, a man burst onto the evangelical scene with a shocking tale: claiming to be a former witch involved in human sacrifices among elite circles. After converting to Christianity, he toured the nation warning of hidden Satanists and spoke about a secret organization known as the Illuminati. John Todd preached salvation to frightened congregations, urging them to prepare for a world takeover by stockpiling weapons and retreating to remote areas. But John Todd was no saint; he was not the good, honest Christian he claimed to be. He was running from his past. As his influence peaked and his teachings spread through countless tapes, his facade crumbled, and he vanished. Yet, his legacy endured, inspiring acts of extreme violence from Ruby Ridge, Waco, PizzaGate, QAnon right through to the steps of the Capitol on January 6th. The Conspiracy Tapes is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the The Conspiracy Tapes show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts. read less

Our Editor's Take

Cover Up is a podcast that explores subterfuge. It also looks into the abuse of power by government agencies. Season one is Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets. It focuses on the Cold War disappearance of a national celebrity. British naval hero Lionel "Buster" Crabb disappeared in 1956. Some may not recognize this name, but many believe he inspired the James Bond character. The government ruled not to release information about Crabb until 2057. Host Giles Milton intends to discover the truth sooner.

Each episode of the Cover Up podcast examines evidence Milton and his team gather through research and interviews. Dramatic music plays behind story elements. There are clips of old news broadcasts. Sometimes, voice actors portray people in the story. Milton interviews people who are still alive. A listener might feel like they are solving the mystery with Milton. His detailed descriptions make it easy to imagine what had happened to the famous frogman.

Could Crabb have made a conscious decision to disappear by water? Milton shares a story he published about the 1962 escape from Alcatraz. Water surrounds the prison. When someone escapes by water, authorities often assume that they're dead. The FBI closed the file on these escapees. But shortly after Milton's story ran on Cover Up, he received an email. A friend of the Alcatraz escapees sent him a picture of them present-day.

Some of Crabb's peers thought he would defect from the Royal Navy. His wife said he was living in the Soviet Union. A KGB diver named Eduard Koltsov came forward in 2007 and confessed to killing Crabb. But the pathologist, who Milton talks to, does not see much evidence that he was telling the truth.

The second season of the podcast is Cover Up: The Pill Plot. It talks about people who decided to manufacture drugs in the 1990s. However, this didn't have anything to do with narcotics. It wasn't a Breaking Bad situation. Instead, it was about an abortion pill. Mifepristone (RU5486) was illegal in the US then. This podcast talks about what happened next.