Control =/= fronts
The revelation of his identity on Shadowland was, well, on Shadowland. And otherwise he only made his true self known to a limited few.
As Sendaz says, who would you rather believe? Especially in the Middle East, which is a whole other level of conspiracy culture compared to the description used in the London chapter of Conspiracy Theories.
@martinchaen It's because the Watergate Rift closure has a direct effect on them, and other reasons.