Would a research paper on secret societies be a dead end?

I was recently assigned a research paper which can be over any topic. I was thinking of doing it over something interesting like secret societies. The only thing is, if they’re secret how hard would it be to research them? I have a neighbor who is a Mason and I was thinking of asking him for an interview but would he take offence to that? Should I just find a different topic?

There are many books that you can reference if you want to write about the Society of Freemasons. Go to the library and enter it in as a keyword.
As to the neighbor, he would probably be pleased to talk to you about Freemasonry, as long as you realize that there will be some aspects of his society that he will not be free to talk about.
Good luck with your paper!
Maybe you should check out the Illuminati?