That's another issue I have, if the only motive for the conspiracy is based on a hypothesis, then doesn't that challenge the validity of the conspiracy theory?
What Dr Samuel Rowbotham revealed to the world was the revelation that earth was not round but infact was flat. But the scientific community just dismissed it. However, when the cold war was in full swing, technology had massively advanced. But what they found would have blown science apart. The Antarctic treaty was created to hide it. NASA kept being funded to astronomical sums and the government's kept a secret. It wasn't hid for money, it was hid because of how much the science books would have to have been rewritten.
So wait, they hid it and spent trillions so they didn't have to change science books?? Well, that certainly is a novel theory. (pun intended)
No, Rowbotham wrote a book that was wrong in almost every assertion and wasn't remotely well researched. If it had merit, the scientific community would have picked it up and run with it. That is how science works. No, he just rehashed ancient theories and proved nothing.
Here are the articles of the Antarctic Treaty. What part of it is related to a flat Earth???
Article 1 – The area is to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose;
Article 2 – Freedom of scientific investigations and cooperation shall continue;
Article 3 – Free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the United Nations and other international agencies;
Article 4 – The treaty does not recognize, dispute, nor establish territorial sovereignty claims; no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force;
Article 5 – The treaty prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes;
Article 6 – Includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves but not the surrounding waters south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south;
Article 7 – Treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and of the introduction of military personnel must be given;
Article 8 – Allows for good jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states;
Article 9 – Frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations;
Article 10 – All treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty;
Article 11 – All disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the International Court of Justice;
Articles 12, 13, 14 – Deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations.