Nexus - 1304 - New Times Magazine-pages

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THE QUEST FOR THE METAL LIBRARY QUEST THE FOR THE METAL LIBRARY A system of tunnels and caves beneath Ecuador and Peru is reputed to hold an ancient treasure- house of artefacts including two libraries, one containing inscribed metal books and the other storing tablets of crystal. t's not what you know, but who you know. In 1973, Erich von Daniken, at the height of his fame following the success of Chariots of the Gods?, claimed that he had entered into a gigantic subterranean tunnel system in Ecuador, which he was told spanned the length of the continent—surely evidence that our ancestors were highly advanced, if not extraterrestrial? The structure was believed to house a library in which books were made out of metal—this in an area where today there is nothing but "primitive" Indian tribes with no written language. Evidence of a lost civilisation? It was a major claim, and it did not go unchallenged. The story centred around Janos "Juan" Moricz, an aristocratic Argentinian-Hungarian entrepreneur who claimed that he had discovered a series of tunnels in Ecuador that contained a "Metal Library". In a signed affidavit dated 8 July 1969, he spoke about his meeting with the Ecuadorian president, where he received a concession that allowed him total control over this discovery—provided he could produce photographic evidence and an independent witness that corroborated the discovery of the underground network. Newspapers reported on the expedition that Moricz had organised. In 1972, Moricz met with von Daniken and took him to a secret side-entrance through which they could enter into a large hall within the labyrinth. Apparently von Daniken never got to see the library itself, just the tunnel system. Von Dianiken included the event in his book The Gold of the Gods: "The passages all form perfect right angles. Sometimes they are narrow, sometimes wide. The walls are smooth and often seem to be polished. The ceilings are flat and at times look as if they were covered with a kind of glaze... My doubts about the existence of the underground tunnels vanished as if by magic and I felt tremendously happy. Moricz said that passages like those through which we were going extended for hundreds of miles under the soil of Ecuador and Peru." However, one of the world's potentially biggest discoveries soon turned sour. Journalists from the German publications Der Spiegel and Stern interviewed Moricz, who now denied ever having been in the cave with von Daniken. It undermined von Daniken's credibility (though some would argue he had none to begin with), branding him a liar. For many, the incident proved that von Diniken was a fabricator of lies—a much more damaging assertion than being known to make outlandish claims that the gods were ancient astronauts. No one pointed out that if von Daniken had been lying, he would not have left such an easy trail to Moricz. He could have claimed that he could not reveal his source, and Der Spiegel and Stern would have been none the wiser. Instead, it seemed that something was amiss with Moricz, who had landed von Daniken in an international controversy from which his career never really recovered. There are several oddities with this story. First, Moricz merely denied having taken von Dianiken there; the existence of the network itself he did not deny. In Der Spiegel, 19 March 1973, we can read: Der Spiegel: "How did you discover the [metal] library?" Moricz: "Somebody took me there." Der Spiegel: "Who was this guide?" Moricz: "I can't tell you." Moricz further stated that the library was guarded by a tribe. So, in short, Moricz claimed to von Daniken that he had discovered caves, and he showed these to him. Now he claimed to have seen the caves, led there by a guide whom he could not identify, but denied having taken von Daniken there. by Philip Coppens © 2006 PO Box 13722 North Berwick EH39 4WB United Kingdom Email: info@philipcoppens.com Website: http://www. philipcoppens.com PO Box 13722 North Berwick EH39 4WB United Kingdom Email: info@philipcoppens.com Website: http://www. philipcoppens.com JUNE — JULY 2006 NEXUS +57 by Philip Coppens © 2006 www.nexusmagazine.com