Top 20 Government Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be TRUE

#20: Project Mockingbird

It wasnt until 2007 when a series of documents known as the Family Jewels revealed secret CIA operations such as Project Mockingbird to the public. This was a wiretapping operation ordered by then-President John F. Kennedy. It targeted American journalists such as Hanson Baldwin of the New York Times, whose coverage of national security topics contained information that was considered classified. The purpose of Project Mockingbird was essentially to uncover the source of these leaks to Baldwin, as well as other reporters whose work was considered detrimental to the administration.

#19: Heart Attack Gun

The Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union never seemed to be in any deficit of stories that, even now, seem stranger than fiction. Seeking some proof? Look no further than the CIAs Heart Attack Gun. This wasnt any sort of 1 of 1 clandestine weapon, but rather another in a long line of weapons whose aim is to inflict poison upon the target. Those on the receiving end of a shot from this weapon would appear, even by experienced medical professionals, to have perished via cardiac arrest. The real manner of death was a poison dart, propelled by the heart attack gun to discreetly and covertly get the job done.

#18: Dalai Lama & the CIA

Yes, its true that the 14th Dalai Lama actually collaborated with the American Central Intelligence Agencyalthough it should be said that this spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism wasnt initially aware of the operation. It was actually siblings of the Dalai Lama that initiated contact with the CIA, working together in support of Tibetan resistance to China. This collaboration also worked in the United States favor, since it actively targeted Communist activity during the Cold War. The CIA Tibetan Program didnt endure, however, effectively falling by the wayside in the aftermath of former President Richard Nixons diplomatic visit to China in 1972.

#17: Bad Vax

Political controversies over a vaccine werent solely the product of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Early versions of an oral vaccine intended to combat polio were actually found to have contained trace amounts of SV40. This was a virus commonly found in monkeys that was known, in some cases, to cause cancer in certain animals. Scientists worried about the potential spread to humans, although no actual cases of cancer infection were found as a result of exposure to SV40. Still, bad polio vaccinations containing the virus were distributed to Americans for six years, between 1955 and 1961.

#16: The Nayirah Testimony

It seems beyond the pale that organizations such as Amnesty International would, at least initially, corroborate the false testimony Nayirah al-aba delivered to a Human Rights Caucus back in 1990. The truth is that al-abas claims against Iraqi soldiersstories of wartime atrocities against childrenwere lies. The young girl was revealed to have been working with the exiled Kuwaiti Government in a propaganda scheme, one that was intended to drum up international support for American military action in the region. Amnesty International did eventually discover the truth and publicly criticized the administration of George H. W. Bush for their involvement in the scandal.

#15: Madam President

A serious decline in the health of a sitting president can potentially prove disastrous for any country. The United States largely attempted to keep the health of its 28th commander-in-chief, Woodrow Wilson, a closely guarded secret. The president suffered a severe stroke on October 2nd, 1919a medical emergency from which he would never really recover. Wilson relied upon multiple members of his inner circle during this time, including the First Lady, Edith Wilson. Today, the presidents wife is seen by many historians as a de-facto leaderthe nations first female president in everything but name only.

#14: Operation Paperclip

In the aftermath of World War II, there were a lot of moving political parts. But it seems beyond comprehension that the United States would welcome their former Nazi enemies into their scientific community. Yet, that was essentially the purpose of Operation Paperclip, a lifting of elite scientific minds from Germanysome who were former members of the Nazi Party. It was actually initialized while World War II was still technically going on. The purpose was, ostensibly, for the U.S. to learn from their enemies, while at the same time getting a leg up for the emerging Cold War.

#13: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Its unclear exactly how long the Tuskegee Syphilis Study wouldve gone on had not news of the scandal leaked in 1972. This was a medical study that lasted long after funding ran outfor an astonishing forty years. It was an observation of how syphilis manifested itself in an untreated body. Information and treatments were intentionally withheld from the volunteers of the studywho were black men who were promised free health care. Organizers from the United States Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the historically black Tuskegee Institute, behaved unethicallyuntil they were caught.

#12: Surveillance State

Who decides whats private? Obviously not us, since we all travel around on a daily basis with eyes of the surveillance state lurking within our pockets. The whistleblowing of Edward Snowden back in 2013 essentially said out loud what many of us were already thinking in our heads. Theyre watching us: governments, telecommunications companies, and yes, our cell phones. The United States National Security Agency sees and stores all of our private datainformation thats now probably the most valuable currency in the world. Those proverbial eyes in the skies arent the subject of science fiction novels anymoretheyre very much real.

#11: Watergate

The members of southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd may not have been bothered by Watergate, but a lot of other folks were certainly up in arms about this scandal. It seems almost cute, given our current political climate, how a botched burglary and wire-tapping affair led to the resignation of a sitting American president. The daily news cycle of an average Wednesday could potentially see stories of WTF political corruption that make Watergate seem like tiddlywinks in comparison. Yet, its important to recall the shock of Watergate, of how it made even the average citizen stand up and take notice of what those in the highest offices of power were doing on the downlow.

#10: CIA Mind Control

It was known as Project MK-Ultra, a secret U.S. government program that conducted drug experiments on Americans, often without their knowledge or consent. Specifically, MK-Ultra was part of a larger umbrella of projects that sought whether or not LSD could be used as a means of torture or assist in interrogation or foreign defections. These drug experiments started in the late fifties and continued into the 1970s. Subjects were chosen from a pool that, could not fight back, such as prisoners, sex workers, or patients dwelling in mental hospitals. The CIA had many files associated with MK-Ultra destroyed in 1973, although some evidence was declassified in 2001.

#9: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Did the United States falsify an attack in the South China Sea in order to justify a more intense presence in the Vietnam War? Yes and no. The truth is that the USS Maddox was attacked by three Vietnam Peoples Navy boats on August 2nd, 1964. The attack was a sound victory for the Maddox, with no American casualties and a scattered Vietnamese fleet. However, the second attack on August 4th was a non-event, based on faulty information and a desire to drum up more support for the war at home. The declassified truth was that the USS Turner Joy fired upon nothing, while the report at the time was that more Vietnamese boats were on the Gulf of Tonkin on that day.

#8: Spiked Punch

The United States government was very intent on dissuading bootleggers and upholding Prohibition laws during the 1920s and 30s. They were so intent, in fact, that they even took to poisoning their own people. The process was known as denaturation of industrial alcohols, and it basically means adding dangerous chemicals to ethyl alcohol, so that it couldnt be used to produce booze. The Department of the Treasury actively pressured this process to the point where its alleged that over ten thousand people died from ingesting denatured alcohol. Its incredible to think that a country would actively poison its populace in this way, but here, truth is stranger than fiction.

#7: Operation Northwoods

You may have heard the term false flag operation in recent years, but do you know what it actually means? Its an old naval technique commonly used by pirates, with the intent of disguising ones true intentions by committing to an act of misdirection. Operation Northwoods was one such event that almost came to fruition, acts of home-grown terrorism designed to drum up support for military action against Cuba during the Cold War. The plan was for the CIA to engage in terrorism upon American targets, before then blaming the actions on the Cuban government. Thankfully, President John F. Kennedy shot this plan down before it could come to pass.

#6: The Iran-Contra Affair

It was a scandal that rocked the Reagan Administration during the 1980s, secret back-door dealings of military arms that led to finger-pointing, excuses and depositions. The Iran-Contra Affair dealt with the United States illegally funneling weapons to the government of Iran, despite an embargo being placed on the country during this time. The money from those arms was then intended to fight communism in Nicaragua, funding the right-wing Contra groups that were accused of numerous assaults to human rights, as well as acts of terrorism. There were other elements to the affair, as well, including how much Reagan knew about the Contra money, as well as the proposed arms for hostages trades with Iran.

#5: Prescott Bush & The Coup

The Bush Family has a long political history, both with Governor Jeb Bush, as well as former Presidents George W. and George Herbert Walker. The latters father, Prescott Bush, was a particularly interesting figure in American political history, although perhaps not for what you might think. The former senator of Connecticut was allegedly involved in something called the Business Plot, a conspiracy to overthrow President Franklin Delano Roosevelt via a coup d'état, and install a dictator in his place. It should be said that opinions differ as to how far discussion of this plot went, and the level of involvement Prescott Bush possessed, but one things for sure: this was almost a very dark day in American history.

#4: Project Sunshine

It only took three years for the purpose of Project Sunshine to be revealed to the public, but by then, the damage had already been done. The research performed by Project Sunshine was intended to measure the effects of radioactivity upon society at large, specifically in the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Unfortunately, the way in which this research was conducted is nothing short of disgraceful. Basic body snatching was the name of the game here, as remains were quite literally swept up from under the noses of unwitting victims. Its the sort of crime done in the name of science that sounds better suited to a horror movie.

#3: Tech Espionage

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to promote a free internet, and does so while working with a number of companies and groups within the tech world. The EFF has also revealed what many of us already know: that governments seek to know more about us via our personal, digital devices. Specifically, a report from the EFF described how the companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google fielded tens of thousands of requests for personal data, while data brokers buy and sell information about what we buy and how we click on a daily basis.

#2: COINTELPRO

The projects gathered under the umbrella of COINTELPRO went far beyond mere smear campaigns. No, these were intentional and relentless attacks by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation against groups they considered undesirable. These included, but werent limited to, the Black Panther Party, anti-Vietnam protestors, and even movie stars, such as Breathless star Jean Seberg. Media manipulation, psychological warfare, and even political assassinations were all fair game under COINTELPRO, and all committed under the direction of former FBI head, J. Edgar Hoover. Legendary civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. even had his phone tapped by agents, who sought to use Kings marital infidelity as a means to discredit his work.

#1: Targeted Assassinations

Some of the conspiracies discussed on this list were actually exposed to the public back in 1975 by an investigation known as the Church Committee. This committee put the plans of MK-Ultra, COINTELPRO, and more on the books, while also revealing some even more troubling news: that the CIA had been carrying out targeted assassinations. Whats even wilder is the reveal that the organization held in their possession something colloquially known as a Heart Attack Gun. The weapon was battery-powered and was said to inject an ice bullet that contained a poisonous shellfish toxin. This resulted in death by what appeared to be a heart attack, and its been conspiratorially linked with the mysterious deaths of everyone, from Marilyn Monroe, JFK, and J. Edgar Hoover himself.

Did any of these political revelations shock you? Let us know in the comments!