Besides writing science fiction like The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man, Wells was deeply interested in history and current events. This book was written during World War II, after he had resigned as Minister of Allied Propaganda. While in this position he became privy to information that shocked him concerning the Roman Catholic Church. Much of what he found is in this book. After it was released a loud protest came from the Roman Catholic press accusing Wells, a respected writer, of spreading half-truths, innuendoes, and logical fallacies. He responded by saying that the church routinely engages in a complex, modern boycott of liberal thought that requires us to fight this intolerance with our own intolerance of the Roman Catholic system. For the most part, this book has been swept under the rug of history because Wells offers credibility to an opposing view.