We hear the term “conspiracy theory” thrown around a lot. Usually to dismiss an argument we find obnoxious. But some conspiracies really do exist. We know, because the truth eventually comes out. Whether by a congressional investigation, a case in open court or the release of classified documents, shadowy groups can only keep the lid on their plans for so long. Here are just some examples of conspiracy theories that turned out to be real.

Project MK-ULTRA

The CIA, doing research on drugs like LSD, secretly drugged subjects for decades under project MK-ULTRA. Search the internet and you will find any number of wild accusations about the true purpose of the program. The CIA claims it was to discover a truth serum. Though it might seem like something from the mind of a madman, the Rockefeller Commission exposed this program as real.

Operation Mockingbird

Ever get the feeling the mainstream media are just running government propaganda? Well, the CIA’s Operation Mockingbird did just that, paying well-known journalists in the 50s, 60s and 70s to publish CIA propaganda, including funding the movie version of George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Manahatten Project

The secret conspiracy to build a nuclear weapon was so secret, even people working on the project didn’t know it existed. Over $2 billion went to funding research and building facilities – even building entire towns. The project was so secret, even US Vice President Harry Truman didn’t learn of it until he was sworn in as President.

Watergate

President Nixon famously said if a president does something, then that means it is not illegal. Clearly this was his mindset when he sent operatives to secretly break into his opposition’s headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. The conspiracy to cover up the break in went straight to the top. Nixon was forced to resign in 1974.

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Between the 1930s and the 1970s, The US Public Health Service ran a study with 600 black men who had unknowingly contracted syphilis. The subjects were never told what disease they had. While some received treatment, some groups were given deadly, experimental medicine, while others received no treatment at all. Nearly 200 people died.

 

The Iran-Contra Affair

Want to fund a war, but congress won’t cooperate? Need to sell weapons to a deadly enemy to do it? If you’re Ronald Reagan, the answer to both questions is yes. The Iran-Contra Affair in the second Reagan term involved breaking an arms embargo by selling weapons to Iran and using the profits to support the anti-communist Contra rebel group in Nicaragua.

 

Operation Snow White

Operation Snow White

It’s not just the government that can execute a conspiracy. The Church of Scientology ran an immense infiltration operation against the IRS during the 1970s. Thousands of Scientologists obtained employment at over 136 organizations and agencies. There they broke into offices, tapped phones and stole documents to pressure anyone the church decided was an enemy.

The 1919 World Series Conspiracy

 The fix was in for the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. Eight players earned the nick name the Black Sox for throwing the series in exchange for money. The corrupt players faced a trial, but their signed confessions mysteriously disappeared, only to reappear years later. Even though the jury voted to acquit, Major League Baseball wasn’t as kind. The conspiracy began in a hotel room in New York and ended with the eight conspirators banned from baseball for life.