Amelia Andriacco
When someone excitedly shares a conspiracy theory, it is often dismissed with eye rolls. It can be difficult to imagine these theories as anything other than fiction. However, some of the most famous historical conspiracy theories actually turned out to be true. Here are the 8 strangest historical conspiracies that turned out to be true.
6. Operation Snow White
Though it began as a conspiracy theory, Operation Snow White became one of the largest known infiltrations in the United States government. The Church of Scientology led this operation. 5,000 covert operatives were placed in over 100 government agencies to steal any files that painted the church in a false light.
The catalyst for this operation was the government’s revocation of the church’s tax-exempt status. The leaders of the operation figured that if there were no unfavorable files, there would be nothing working against them. Agents copied files and bugged rooms to get the information they needed.
Eventually, they were discovered when a guard grew suspicious of two men carrying documents. They turned out to be forged IRS credentials. One of these men was Michael Meisner, who ended up turning himself in and confessing everything.
5. MK-Ultra
This conspiracy sounds straight out of a science fiction book. During the height of the Cold War, the CIA feared that Chinese and North Korean agents were using mind control against U.S. Prisoners. In response, they sought to develop technology to brainwash their enemies.
Drugs and psychological manipulators were tested on over 150 subjects. Often, subjects participated unwillingly and were unaware that they were involved in a study. This conspiracy theory that turned true was so crazy, it led to another conspiracy.
Frank Olsen, a CIA scientist, fell to his death from a New York City apartment window mere days after unknowingly drinking a cocktail spiked with LSD. A second autopsy was performed years later, which showed injuries that likely occurred before the fall. Conspiracy theories of Olsen’s assassination came from the findings.
4. Operation Acoustic Kitty
This crazy occurrence sounds like it was merely a conspiracy. In the 2960s, the CIA implanted a microphone, radio transmitter, and antenna inside cats to act as surveillance devices. Even with $10 to $20 million in costs, the operation remained a secret until 2001.
Ultimately, the technology was not the reason the experiment failed. The cats proved to be very difficult to train, making them unreliable as spies.
3. Operation Northwoods
Though this 1962 conspiracy never came to fruition, signed documents proposed staged attacks to justify invading Cuba. Attacking U.S. cities, blowing up an American ship, hijacking planes, and more events were suggested with the intent to lie to citizens and blame it on Cuba.
Ultimately, President Kennedy rejected the idea and removed General Lyman Lemnitzer as Chairman after he signed the proposal. The documents remained classified for 35 years.
2. The Cambridge Five
This group of British Cambridge graduates was disloyal to their home country during a pivotal time. All five men became involved in the Foreign Office, with several of them holding high positions.
The group was recruited by the Soviet Union right out of University due to their Marxist beliefs. One member, Kim Philby, even became the leader of Section IX, the anti-Soviet division. This was especially essential to Soviet operations as it was during World War II. The seemingly loyal group fed British secrets to the Soviet Union for many years until their discovery.
1. The Crypto AG Scandal
For decades, governments have purchased encryption devices from the Swiss encryption company called Crypto AG. It was known for its security and reliability and was widely successful. What customers did not know was that it was secretly owned and controlled by the CIA and the German BND.
Though the devices were known for being secure, they had built-in defects that allowed the U.S. and Germany to intercept communications from over 120 countries. The compromised devices allowed the U.S. to monitor Iran during the 1976 crisis, Britain during the Falklands War, and more. Ultimately, the operation came to an end in 2020.