Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
"The Communist Conspiracy offers <strong>to</strong> its recruits and col-<br />
labora<strong>to</strong>rs 'more than just a foothold for <strong>to</strong>tal power.' For those<br />
evil and ruthless and unscrupulous instances <strong>to</strong> serve it, <strong>the</strong><br />
Conspiracy offers great and immediate rewards. An<br />
unprincipled and second rate professor is made a college<br />
president; a scheming bureaucrat becomes a sena<strong>to</strong>r; an<br />
unknown but useful singer is catapulted in<strong>to</strong> international<br />
stardom." 30<br />
As we zero in on Mendelssohn's life, we find that his<br />
innermost circle is dominated by Nicholai of <strong>the</strong> llluminati<br />
(1733-1811), who is recorded in most reference works as<br />
"Nicolai" 31 In 1757, before <strong>the</strong> llluminati was established, he<br />
founded, with Mendelssohn, <strong>the</strong> Biblio<strong>the</strong>k der schonen<br />
Wissenschaften (The Library of Fine Philosophy) which was a<br />
periodical devoted <strong>to</strong> philosophy. 32<br />
Nicolai, who was at <strong>the</strong> center of <strong>the</strong> llluminati's anti-<br />
religious activism, was also involved in o<strong>the</strong>r literary projects<br />
with Mendelssohn well before <strong>the</strong> founding of <strong>the</strong> llluminati.<br />
Toge<strong>the</strong>r with Lessing, <strong>the</strong>y had founded <strong>the</strong> Briefe die<br />
Neueste Literatur betreffend (1759). Nicolai was edi<strong>to</strong>r from<br />
1765 <strong>to</strong> 1792 of <strong>the</strong> Allgemene Deutsche Biblio<strong>the</strong>k, which<br />
was a philosophical periodical of <strong>the</strong> Biblio<strong>the</strong>k, <strong>the</strong><br />
Encyclopedia Britannica tells us, "The Biblio<strong>the</strong>k served as <strong>the</strong><br />
organ of <strong>the</strong> so-called popular philosophers who warred<br />
against authority and religion." Mendelssohn, naturally, was<br />
one of <strong>the</strong> contribu<strong>to</strong>rs <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Biblio<strong>the</strong>k.<br />
Indeed <strong>the</strong> relationship of Nicolai and Mendelssohn was so<br />
close that Nicolai inherited all of Mendelssohn's original<br />
writings, written correspondence and notes after his death in<br />
1786. 33<br />
From Robison's account we know that it was Nicolai's<br />
function, with <strong>the</strong> code name "Lucian" <strong>to</strong> undermine religion.<br />
Mendelssohn fits nicely in<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> llluminati picture, so much so<br />
that we know that he was an enthusiast of Pla<strong>to</strong>, being dubbed<br />
after <strong>the</strong> publication of his Phaedon (1767), which was<br />
modeled after Pla<strong>to</strong>'s Dialogue Phado, as <strong>the</strong> "German Pla<strong>to</strong>."<br />
62