You've likely heard of a number of conspiracy theories before - from aliens to mind control. In fact, there's pretty much a secret story behind anything and everything that the government and secret groups are up to. Some conspirators would go to extreme lengths to convince you that their theory is real. Let's take a look at seven crazy conspiracy theories:
1. Operation Mockingbird and Public Manipulation
Operation Mockingbird was a CIA program in the 1950s, in which the agency recruited and propped up various media agencies and journalists in order to feed the public disinformation and influence public opinion. Back then, they had denied that such a thing existed, and people were even called paranoid for thinking that people were writing fake news stories to further an agenda. But, in 1976, The Church Committee, a US Senate task force, investigated the CIA's net of influence over foreign and domestic news and media. They had discovered that it was all true when journalists came forward, admitting that they had been blackmailed into writing articles to influence opinion through covert propaganda.
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and is meant to embody the core beliefs of Buddhism. Yet, the State Department released CIA documents in 1998 stating that for the 1960s and 1970s, the current Dalai Lama, and other Tibetan leaders, received millions of dollars from the US in order to be their foreign agents. This was done in order for the Dalai Lama and his people to undermine Communist China and the USSR during the Cold War. Furthermore, the same committee that approved the funds had also funded Tibetan Guerrillas in Nepal, had covert military training sites for Tibetan monks in Colorado and other secret black-budget line items.
3. The First Lady who ran a country
It is well known that in October 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke that rendered him with some physical challenges. But, what most people don't know is that it rendered him incapable of governing. So, his First Lady, Edith Wilson, secretly ran the government. She was the one who decided what was important to bring to Woodrow's attention and get his signature where needed. This continued until 1921 - at which point, Warren Harding took over. Because Wilson never resigned, nor admit to the public just how incapable he was, the VP at the time, Thomas Marshall, was unable to take over.
4. The US Government manipulated the weather
In 1993, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, as well as the US Military and the University of Alaska created the High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). Except no one really knows what it's all about. Some people believe that it was created for weather manipulation, mind control, and environmental warfare. While nothing as yet has been confirmed, but according to a report from the US Air Force, 'weather manipulation and modification will be a part of domestic and international security... [with] the ability to generate precipitation, fog and storms as well as modify space weather… can achieve global awareness, reach and power.' So, it seems, that using weather as a weapon may just exist.
5. Project MK Ultra and mind control
Project MK Ultra is one of the best-known conspiracies out there. What's more, it has been proven as legit and it is chilling. The premise was that the US Government was testing using psychedelics and hallucinogenic drugs on unsuspecting Americans - both civilian and military - to learn more about behavior modification programs. Yet, while people were feeling paranoid, no one would believe them. But, instead of finding the secret to super-soldiers and mind control, they left people brain damaged and traumatized, so, they canceled the project. Fortunately for the American people, when the CIA tried to burn the research, they misfiled over 200,000 documents, which were then discovered by the Church Committee and thus, disclosed to the public.
6. During prohibition, the US Government poisoned the public with tainted alcohol
While there is no official title for this scheme, it has definitely been proven legit. In 1926, close to 10,000 people died due to alcohol poisoning. But, this wasn't from tainted hooch and moonshine, rather it was from the US government tainting industrial alcohol with methanol. Originally, people were stealing alcohol that was meant for cleaning supplies and paint and re-distilled it to make it drinkable. In order to curb this, the Administration began to spike it more, making it all the more toxic. This was supposed to make people sick, turning them away from drinking illegal booze, though it appears that someone must have overdone it, causing a lot of people to die.
7. Project Sunshine stole babies
This secret project is dark and horrifying. It was commissioned by the US Atomic Energy Committee, UK Atomic Energy Authority, and the US Air Force to test the effects of radiation on humans during atomic testing. What they had done though was snatch over 1,500 babies and kids from all over Europe and Australia without the permission of their parents. Taking place in the '50s, scientists were convinced that it was for the good of mankind. At the time, parents were forbidden from seeing their children before being buried and they were barred from visiting their graves. In 1995, President Clinton had declassified the documents, which led to an enormous scandal. However, so far, no one has gotten into trouble for it.
