Conspiracy Theories – False Flags: The Lusitania’s Sinking

Host: Carter Roy (Spotify Studios)
Release Date: April 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Conspiracy Theories delves into the mysterious sinking of the RMS Lusitania during World War I, exploring claims it was not just a devastating act of war, but a potential false flag operation orchestrated to push the United States into joining the conflict. Host Carter Roy examines evidence, historical context, and the complex layers of cover-up, cover stories, and secret intelligence that keep the Lusitania disaster a controversial subject over a century later.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Lusitania’s Context

• Carter introduces the concept of “false flag” operations—incidents blamed on an enemy to justify war (00:06).
• Recaps previous U.S. war triggers (USS Maine, Pearl Harbor, 9/11, etc.), noting how quickly America declared war after each event, prompting conspiracy speculation.

2. The Luxury Liner and Its Final Voyage

• Describes the Lusitania as the Titanic’s glamorous contemporary—lavish, fast, high-tech, and believed unsinkable (04:07).
• Emphasizes the ship’s primary function as a passenger liner, not a military vessel—at least, according to official records (06:00).
• Captain William Turner, a decorated and respected seaman, was at the helm.

3. Events Leading to Disaster

• Depicts deteriorating conditions for the voyage: delayed departure, underpowered (only three of four boilers running), and running significantly slower than normal (07:40).
• Allied strategies and German U-boats: Contextualizes the naval warfare stakes in 1915.
• Cunard Line’s use of American flags as a seafaring “false flag” tactic to deter attack, amid the U.S.'s neutral stance (09:00).
• The fateful decision to sail closer to the Irish coast to time the tides, unintentionally putting the Lusitania in a predator’s sights.

4. The Sinking: What Happened?

• U-Boat 20 and Captain Walter Schwieger seize a perfect opportunity (13:00).
• The torpedo’s impact, described as “a hole the size of a small house” (15:00, quoting Eric Larson), and the compounded disaster from a second, mysterious explosion.
• Chaos in evacuation, insufficiently trained crew, broken lifeboat protocols, which resulted in only 6 lifeboats making it off the ship.
• 1,198 dead, including 123 Americans and 27 infants (18:45); survivors offered a token lifetime cruise discount—a “slap in the face.”

“It wasn’t one error that jeopardized Lusitania, but a series of small decisions that put the ship in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
— Carter Roy 19:40

5. Aftermath & Public Reaction

• The near-immediate shift in American sentiment: the tragedy is instantly used to stoke pro-war feeling.
• President Wilson’s address citing Lusitania as primary reason for U.S. entry to WWI (20:17).

6. Room 40 and the Seeds of Conspiracy

• Unveiling of secret British naval intelligence unit, Room 40, which had cracked German codes, tracked U-boats, and could, in theory, have warned Lusitania (21:00).
• “Why didn’t they just tell the Lusitania about U-20?”—core question driving the conspiracy.

“Since World War I people have said that the Lusitania sinking was a false flag operation, an inside job.”
— Carter Roy 22:00

• Winston Churchill’s critical involvement as First Lord of the Admiralty and his documented desire to bring America into the war, even writing that it was crucial to attract “neutral shipping... in the hopes... of embroiling the US with Germany” (23:30).

7. The Lusitania’s “Secret Identity”

• Reveals the Lusitania was secretly built for war: gun mounts, reinforced hull, hidden features (26:00).
• Sister ship, the Mauritania, openly requisitioned for troops, confirming Lusitania’s potential military status.
• American and British officials publicly denied the Lusitania's military role for years, all the while it was known (to some) that it could be a valid target for German attack.

8. Ignored Warnings and Suppressed Evidence

• The German Embassy in New York placed an ominous warning in newspapers, which most ignored (29:00).
• Influential passengers received mysterious telegrams warning them not to board—warnings unheeded, lives lost.

“A few weeks before the Lusitania attack, an ad in the New York Times warned that any American sailing on a British ship did so at their own risk… Only one couple took the warning seriously enough to cancel their tickets.”
— Carter Roy 28:40

9. Possible Deliberate Lapses

• The Lusitania never received rerouting memos or the standard Royal Navy escort (the Juno), which was sent to other ships instead (31:00).
• Discussion of Senator Robert LaFollette’s campaign to expose a secret “second manifest” listing military cargo (32:40). LaFollette is quickly silenced in Congress.

10. The Secret Cargo: Bullets and Babies

• Proof later surfaces: original manifest lists ammunition, shells, fuses, and 170 tons of Remington rifle ammo (36:15).
• Carter notes ammo was later recovered by divers—confirming the Lusitania was not just a passenger liner.

“Its 24 pages listed cargo, including explosives, artillery shells, fuses, and 170 tons of Remington rifle ammo… so we know it’s accurate.”
— Carter Roy 36:30

• Practice known as “bullets and babies” was so controversial, German spies tried to warn Wilson, but the U.S. continued with it regardless.

11. Post-Sinking Cover-Up & Wreckage Mysteries

• Passengers were barred from sending telegrams day six onward (38:00); no lifeboat drills conducted, complaints ignored.
• The Juno again: failed to rescue survivors, was recalled, increasing death toll.
• Many bodies buried in mass graves before identification.
• Wreckage was targeted for destruction decades later; expedition finds British WWII-era mines around the Lusitania (39:00).
• British officials repeatedly tried to blame Captain Turner, eager to silence him when he contested the “second torpedo” narrative (43:00).

12. The One-Torpedo Theory & Institutional Deception

• Official story: Lusitania hit by two torpedoes. German and Captain Turner insist only one torpedo struck.
• Room 40’s secret knowledge: British avoid admitting truth to protect cracked codes and maintain intelligence advantage (44:20).

13. Echoes Through History: False Flags Redux

• Carter draws a line from Lusitania to future alleged U.S. false flag provocations: Pearl Harbor, Gulf of Tonkin, 9/11, etc. (47:00).
• Uncertainty lingers: Was it calculated sacrifice or a dire choice made in the fog of war?
• The moral ambiguity of government action during war and the allure of conspiracy theories in helping the public process these traumas.

“Maybe it wasn’t a nefarious act to manipulate a nation, but an impossible choice in an unprecedented war. It’s terrifying… It’s easier to accept that a few bad people abuse their power in government than that the government can’t always look out for everyone.”
— Carter Roy 49:40

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Eric Larson (quoted about the torpedo damage):

  “The impact tore a hole, quote, the size of a small house.” 15:00

• Winston Churchill’s documented intent:

  “It is most important to attract neutral shipping to our shores in the hopes especially of embroiling the United States with Germany.” 23:30

• On the second manifest and ammunition:

  “Its 24 pages listed cargo, including explosives, artillery shells, fuses, and 170 tons of Remington rifle ammo. Some of those rifle cartridges were recovered by a diver in 2008, so we know it’s accurate.” 36:30

• On repeated government cover-ups:

  “Lies on top of lies. The official British story was that the Lusitania was torpedoed twice. But the Germans said they only fired once. And Captain Turner agreed.” 44:20

• Concluding thought:

  “The truth isn’t always the best story, and the official story isn’t always the truth.” 50:40

Timestamps for Key Segments

• False Flag Operations & War Justification — 00:06
• Lusitania’s Design and Final Days — 04:07
• The Sinking & Immediate Consequences — 13:00 to 19:40
• Room 40, Churchill, & Military Secrecy — 21:00 to 26:00
• Secret Cargo and LaFollette's Struggle — 32:40 to 36:30
• Cover-ups, Wreckage, & Institutional Blame — 38:00 to 43:00
• Modern Parallels & Moral Ambiguity — 47:00 to 49:40
• Episode Conclusion — 50:40

Flow & Tone

Carter Roy delivers the episode in an engaging, slightly irreverent but deeply researched tone, blending historical narrative with sharp skepticism and occasional dark humor. He invites listeners to reconsider official histories and the patterns of power, secrecy, and manipulation that surface in the wake of tragedy.

Summary Takeaways

• The Lusitania’s sinking was a pivotal moment that propelled the U.S. into World War I.
• There’s significant evidence of a cover-up surrounding the Lusitania’s true purpose and cargo, and its deliberate endangerment by British intelligence.
• Historical documents and recovered artifacts support conspiracy claims, but uncertainty endures: Was it a Machiavellian plot, a series of bureaucratic mistakes, or simply the fog of war?
• The story of the Lusitania prefigures later “false flag” controversies in American history, fueling ongoing distrust in official narratives.

For further research, the episode recommends:

• The Lusitania by Colin Simpson
• Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Eric Larson
• Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914-18 by Patrick Beesly