Response
The book was widely and heavily criticized by the French news media. For instance, the leading centre-left newspaper Libération wrote that the book was: "the Frightening Confidence Trick ... A tissue of wild and irresponsible allegations, entirely without foundation"; and the prominent French weekly news magazine, Le Nouvel Observateur commented that the book's theory "eliminates reality". Both Libération and Le Monde, launched special investigations to disprove Meyssan's theories. At the time, Le Monde also complained that inconsistencies in the public information made available about the terror attacks, as well as the lack of a comprehensive official account, were fueling the popularity of the book.
A few months after the launch of L'Effroyable imposture, two French journalists, Guillaume Dasquié (former editor-in-chief of Intelligence Online) and Jean Guisnel, published their own book L'Effroyable mensonge ("The Horrifying Lie"), which was a point-by-point rebuttal of Meyssan's work.
A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense has officially commented that the book's publication was "a slap in the face and real offense to the American people, particularly to the memory of victims of the attacks". The book is regarded as a significant international misinformation threat to national interests by the U.S. Department of State, which has issued an official rebuttal of its key claims.
Popular Mechanics magazine has also offered its own rebuttal to claims made in the book.
Read more about this topic: 9/11: The Big Lie
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