Featured Interview With Mike Rothmiller
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Southern California, and after spending decades living at the beach, I moved to the beautiful mountains of Arizona. Over the years, we’ve had three wonderful dogs; a Golden Retriever Chow mix, a Yellow Labrador retriever and a feisty Pomerania. I almost forget, I had two tortoises for nearly 40 years.
On the writing front, I’m a New York Times Bestselling author, nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, historian, a former cop, and Army medic. I served as a TV Reporter, an award-winning documentary television producer, and television host for ESPN, PBS, and other international television markets. I’ve written and produced dozens of television documentaries, 25 books (all but two are non-fiction), numerous TV and radio ads, and I’ve authored movie scripts. My Non-fiction book, My Hero, Military, Kids Write About Their Moms and Dads (St. Martin’s Press) received international acclaim and is the only book to have forwards written by three living Presidents and General Norman Schwarzkopf.
In the corporate world, I’ve been a President/CEO and later directed three divisions of Sony Electronics EMCS-America. I”ve briefed the President of the United States, Senators, Congressmembers, Governors, and several foreign diplomats on a variety of issues.
My books have been published by Simon & Schuster (Pocket Books) and St. Martin’s Press. I’ve also self-published a variety of books. I like the fast turnaround of self-publishing and complete control of the work. I was exceedingly lucky since my first book was a New York Times Bestseller.
Several of my non-fiction books have been featured on all the national TV news channels and in dozens of foreign markets.
Readers of my books include; three Presidents, former First Lady Laura Bush, the late Charlton Heston, and Queen Elizabeth II. Media from 25 countries have interviewed me, and I’m quoted in numerous books and magazines.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I recall being interested in non-fiction at an early age, but I can be specific. My parents subscribed to National Geographic Magazine, and I relished each month when it arrived. I found the travel and adventure fascinating, and it inspired me to look for adventure throughout my life.
I started writing in school because I had no choice. I would have preferred being outside playing with my friends, but those terrible teachers forced writing assignments on us. I began writing professionally when I became a cop in Los Angeles; albeit arrest reports. After leaving the police department, I worked for a television production company; it was then I started writing scripts, etc.
While working in TV, I met a book agent whose arm I twisted to submit a short non-fiction book proposal I pieced together. He didn’t believe it would be picked up, but it was. And to our surprise, it became a New York Times Bestseller. That book is titled, “LA Secret Police. Inside the Elite LAPD Spy Network.”
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Since my interest is primarily non-fiction, I could name several writers. My interest is not in the author; it lies in the stories. I have seen newspaper and magazine articles far more interesting than some non-fiction books. Non-fiction writers who inspire me the most are the deep divers — writers who dig, dig and dig. They either suspect or know they are onto something great and never give up until they achieve the goal.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest non-fiction book is titled, “Secrets, Lies, and Deception……And Other Amazing Pieces of History.” This book was indeed a work of love since it took me just over 20 years to acquire the documents from various government agencies. I filled hundreds of Freedom of Information Request (FOIA), and dozens of Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) to obtain these amazing documents. When the government doesn’t what us to learn a secret, they stonewall and lie at every turn. As an example, one record I requested under a FOIA to the National Security Agency resulted in an 18-year battle of them lying, then telling me to sue them. I ended up with the records I requested.
This book has 85 documented true stories; all backed up with official government documents. Most were buried within various government agencies and have only seen the light of day because of my FOIA efforts.
These are just a few stories and with accompanying documents contained in this book.
Did you know about the CIAs top-secret search for Noah’s Ark? Did you know there are top-secret telephone transcripts of President Bill Clinton discussing Usama bin Laden’s planned attacks on the United States years before 9/11 occurred? Did you know of the personal letter Mahatma Gandhi sent to President Franklin Roosevelt declaring America has a Negro problem? Did you know that nuclear weapons have been accidentally dropped worldwide and some have never been recovered? Fortunately, they did not detonate. Did you know that a plan was presented to President John F. Kennedy for the US military to carry out staged terrorist attacks on America and make it appear it was Cuba? This would provide a false pretext to initiating war against the island nation. Did you know of the CIAs poison pen plot to kill Fidel Castro? How about the plot to assassinate Mexican President De La Madrid? Did you know that President Ulysses S. Grant believed the war against Mexico was unjust and represented a government conspiracy to garner more slave owning land? Did you know that the CIA secretly stole a Soviet satellite for examination and returned it without the Soviets being the wiser? Did you know that President Abraham Lincoln had a gay lover? Do you know what Hitler’s bizarre sexual practices were? Did you know of the multi-nation assassination team who murdered individuals in Washington DC? Or, that the Vietnam War was fought for the prestige and influence of the President and the CIA never believed the war could be won? And did you know that within hours of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson and others were secretly conspiring to dictate the outcome of the official investigation before it started—thereby violating the first rule of all investigations? These are just a few of the startling documents I have unearthed.
In closing, in this book, it is not me putting forth these events, it’s found in the governments own documents which are included.