This paper examines the conspiracy drama which characterizes the rhetoric generated by the John Birch Society. According to the Society, "innocent" America is under direct threat from some organized external and internal force that is seeking its destruction. Members are called to react in a carefully outlined manner: (1) piece together the conspiracy, (2) uncover the secret plans or hideouts of the villain, and (3) punish the conspirators for treason. The group is united by a fundamentalist religious background, by a literal interpretation of the Bible and sacred civil documents like the Constitution, and by a lack of democratic process within the organization itself. The paper asserts that these same factors, while responsible for the Society's internal unity, also explain its inability to alter the course of the American political system. (MAI)