Is there any doubt now that Desmond was used as a "guinnea pig" by Charles Widmore to find the island? I have been considering this possibility for some time and now it seems that this idea has been confirmed.

Here's how:

In 1996 Widmore buys the Black Rock journal. He's interested in the island but after acquiring this intelligence about its possible location he becomes obsessed.

At some point before this Desmond is rejected by Widmore when he asks for CW's blessing to be married to Penny. Desmond is painted as a coward and later a deserter from the Scottish Regimine.

Conveniently enough after Desmond gets out of military prison he learns of CW's "Solo race around the world." (We haven't seen how he comes to learn of it have we?) So in an attempt to prove he's not a coward he wants to win this "race."

My suspicions are that CW himself told Desmond about the race. But I'm not sure how Libby comes into play in order to provide Des with the boat. I'm sure she was bought off in order to "accidentally" meet Desmond and give him the boat. And since she was in the insane assylum with Hurley she may be alot shadier than we realize.

Then Desmond sails in the race and once he gets separated from the other boats, they all return to shore while Des and his boat -- complete with tracking device -- are sent through the Pacific to the rough location of the island. BUT he's taken through the viral vortice to the EM snow globe at the North Pole. Widmore and company only get his last whereabouts -- roughly the spot where the Black Rock log told them to look.

So then Widmore sends the freighter under the false guise of "rescuing" Desmond when really they are there for the island all along. In fact there may be a "hit" on Desmond's life since CW doesn't really want any of the island's inhabitants to return to the real world.

Good thoughts. I think the key clue is Ms. Hawking's comment to Desmond that the only great thing he would do is "push the button," indicating that he would at some point get to the Island. I think Chuck Widmore somehow knew this, and as you said, set Desmond up. He basically pushed Desmond along on a pre-determined course.

Good thoughts. I think the key clue is Ms. Hawking's comment to Desmond that the only great thing he would do is "push the button," indicating that he would at some point get to the Island. I think Chuck Widmore somehow knew this, and as you said, set Desmond up. He basically pushed Desmond along on a pre-determined course.

Yeah. I don't think there's any doubt since CW has the means and the obsession. Why not use Desmond. CW even benefitted by having Penny as Des' love interest. Once she began investigating the same island it gave CW a good cover for looking for it himself.

This all sounds sensible to me. However, why wouldn't they want to just gas everyone on the island, given the chance? It seems like Danny and Charlotte really do want to save people, and for what reason?