The US Government Did WHAT?!?!?! 10 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True

10 True Conspiracy Theories Involving the US Gov't

Anytime a person or group of people speak out against a popular idea, they are labeled as Conspiracy Theorists. It is easy to dismiss these people and their ideaologies, because to consider them would be admitting that the government is actually working against its own people or works on hidden agendas.

However as information is becoming more readily available, we are learning that some things we once perceived as far out notions of improbability actually occurred (and in some instances, are still occurring). Some examples of these Conspiracy Theories turned truths are:

Fluoride is Harmful to Your Teeth 

In 1945, it had been discovered that children living in areas with higher amounts of fluoride ,occurring naturally, in drinking water had healthier teeth than those with lower levels. As we now know, too much flouride can have a toxic affect on the body and is responsible for irreversible damage to tooth enamel and a cosmetic condition known as fluorosis. Fluorosis leaves streaks and spots on the developing teeth of children. As of 2011, the government has recomended reducing the levels of fluoride in U.S. drinking water.

 The NSA is Spying on Americans  

 
The National Security Agency was founded in 1952 under President Truman. In 2007 President Bush passed the Protect America Act, which spawned mass data mining and electronic surveillance on American citizens under code name PRISM. PRISM operated under the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, frequently known as FISA Court or FISC. The scope and extent of the program went undetected for six years until civilian contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked details of its existence to The Guardian and The Washington Post. He warned that "dangerous" activities were occurring within PRISM and produced documents to back up his claim. Including documents showing that Verizon Wireless had been turning over all of its customers daily telephone call logs to the NSA. This had became legal under the Protect America Act because it is presumed that all calls, unless specified, are international calls. As more time goes on and more documents become public, it has become clear that PRISM has operated outside of what most Americans feel is their protection of privacy afforded under the Constitution. Although, public outcry is split whether this invasion of privacy is necessary to avoid terrorist acts.


 IRS Targets Conservatives

In May 2013, it came to light that certain groups submitting applications to the IRS for tax-exempt status were targeted for closer examination. Non-profit applications that were subject to closer attention included words like patriot, constitution, tea party, pro-life and anti-abortion. The FBI began a criminal investigation into the IRS practices based upon orders by Attorney General Eric Holder. As of August 2013, an unnamed agent told a congressional committee that conservative groups were still subject to "a special 'secondary screening' because the agency has yet to come up with new guidance on how to judge the tax status of the groups.

        Operation Northwoods 

Operation Northwoods was a code name used by the U.S. government in the 1960's for plans to sway public opinion into starting a war with Cuba, as a way to oust Communist leader Fidel Castro. Plans included such horrific deeds as, orchestrating violent terrorist acts in U.S. cities, sinking boats of Cuban refugees, blowing up a U.S. ship in Guantanamo Bay and then blaming Cuba. The plans had the written approval of all of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Kennedy. They were ultimately rejected by defense secretary Robert McNamara and the documents held in secret for 40 years. They were finally brought to light after a 1992 law passed by Congress allowing access to government records. The law was brought in response to increased public scrutiny regarding the JKF assassination.

 1990 Testimony of Nayirah 

In August of 1990 Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. Prior to the occupation of Kuwait, Hussein was regarded as an ally to the U.S. Afterwards however, reports of widespread looting including equipment from hospitals began emerging. A public health official related a tale, via a smuggled letter, that told of Iraqi soldiers throwing people out of the hospitals and taking the equipment back to Baghdad, including 22 infant incubators. This tale was the basis for testimony given on October 10, 1990 before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus by a girl who only provided her first name, Nayirah. She retold in great detail, her eyewitness accounts of Iraqi soldiers taking babies out of incubators, taking the incubators and leaving the infants to die. Her story became retold over and over by Senators and President Bush as the reason to back Kuwait in the war. In February of 1991, Kuwait was officially liberated from Iraq. In 1992, it became known that Nayirah's last name was al-Sabah and that she was the daughter of Saud bin Nasir Al-Sabah, who was the Kuwaiti ambassador to the U.S. It was also revealed that she had received training and had her testimony fed to her as part of the Citizens for a Free Kuwait PR campaign organized by Hill & Knowlton, a NYC based public relations firm.

 Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiment  

This former conspiracy was confirmed in 1997 by then President Bill Clinton, along with a public apology to the remaining victims.The Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiment was commissioned by the U.S. Public Health Service. It targeted poor African-American men who weren't told they had Syphilis, only that they had "bad blood". In exchange for participating in the study, they received medical exams, food and burial insurance. In truth, the purpose of the study was to analyze the effects of Syphilis on blacks vs whites from data gained through autopsies. The 399 men were treated with aspirin, since the researchers never intended to cure them, even though penicillin was available. 28 of them died directly from Syphilis, while another 100 perished from complications. Since many of the participants were unaware of their illness, 40 women were also unknowingly infected and 19 children were born with congential defects. In 1974, as part of a class-action lawsuit settlement, the U.S. government established The Tuskeegee Health Benefit Program. It was expanded to include spouses, widows and offspring, as well as other services throughout the years. The last study participant died in 2004, while the last surviving spouse passed away in 2009. Currently 15 offspring still receive benefits from the program.

 MK-ULTRA 

MK-ULTRA was the name given to a now declassifed research project, that dealt with mind control through the CIA's Scientific Intelligence Division. Running from the 1950's until 1973 and using unknowing citizens from the U.S. and Canada, the CIA ran their operations out of prisons, hospitals and prescription drug companies. As noted by the Supreme Court MK-ULTRA was "concerned with "the research and development of chemical, biological, and radiological materials capable of employment in clandestine operations to control human behavior." The program consisted of 149 subprojects which the Agency contracted out to various universities, research foundations, and similar institutions. At least 80 institutions and 185 private researchers participated. Because the Agency funded MK-ULTRA indirectly, many of the participating individuals were unaware that they were dealing with the Agency." In 1973 then CIA Director Richard Helms ordered the MK-ULTRA files to be destroyed. Therefore, in 1975 when Congress began investigating the domestic projects of the CIA, investigations relied heavily upon testimony of participants and a small amount of documents that were uncovered. A Freedom of Information Act request in 1977 recovered more than 20,000 documents pertaining to MK-ULTRA, leading to further investigation by the Senate.

 Operation Mockingbird 

Operation Mockingbird was a CIA program beginning in the 1950's. The purpose of the operation was to recruit top journalists from the U.S., and make them a part of a network that would paint various CIA activities in a positive light. In order to achieve this, the CIA funded newspapers such as the Rome Daily American. As well as having recruited journalists plant stories or pass along false tips to other unsuspecting journalists. Some outlets that were complicit to the CIA's agenda were the New York Times, Newsweek, Associated Press and The Miami Herald, just to name a few of the 25 major news corporations. Journalist Joseph Alsop has proudly declared his involvement with Operation Mockingbird, ever since it was made public in 1973. Once exposed, the CIA supposedly cut ties with its journalists amid public outcry over the use of proganda. At its peak of trying to convince the public about the dangers of Communism, Frank Wisner the Director of the Office of Policy Coordination, commissioned the film Animal Farm. The movie was based on the dystopian novel written by George Orwell. Books and articles have been written on Operation Mockingbird throughout the years, including Invisible Government by David Wise and Thomas Ross (Random House, 1964), Ramparts Magazine (1966 & 1967), The Very Best Men (Simon & Schuster, 1995) just to name a few.

 Manhattan Project 

In 1941 President Roosevelt ordered American scientists to design and build an atomic bomb. Code name Manhattan project began after being warned by scientists Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi, who were living in the U.S. after escaping the Nazi's and fascist Italy, about the advancements of atomic technology by the enemy. After a breakthrough by Enrico Fermi in 1942, the project quickly advanced and more facilities built and people employed. The final cost of the Manhattan Project was nearly $2 billion and over 120,000 were employed. Many people employed on the Manhattan Project didn't even know they were a part of it. They were tasked with small problems and given restrictions such as size, weight and cost. Many had no idea their work was going to help with atomic technology. This is very similiar to how NASA operates in order to keep information from leaking. Secrecy was kept so tight that Vice President Truman didn't even learn of the Manhattan Project's existence until he became President. The Manhattan Project is responsible for the creation of the two bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nicknamed Little Boy and Fat Man.

 Operation Paperclip 

While Hitler was in power during World War II, he counted scientists as some of his most highly ranked officials. They were working to create chemical weapons, study chemical reactions, medicine and aerodynamics. Nazi scientists used concentration camps to carry out experiments on human subjects. Almost 500 scientists were brought to the U.S. under President Truman's orders. Although his orders specifically excluded anyone who was "to have been a member of the Nazi party, and more than a nominal supporter of Nazi militarism." This would most certainly have prevented anyone useful the U.S. wanted to recruit from being admitted to the U.S. So their records were wiped clean by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency and they were given security clearance to work in the U.S. as scientists, engineers and technicians.

There is a great deal of information available to anyone looking for answers on how our goverment operates. These are just a few examples of declassified projects that at one time, when people talked about them, they were so far fetched as to be labeled Conspiracy Theories. These turned out to be true. One can only wonder what Conspiracy Theory floating around today will become tomorrow's declassfied truth.

 *Sources published in a separate post