Disinformation
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📖 Term
Contents 4
Disinformation
| Type | Term |
|---|---|
| Also known as | disinformation |
| On the Timeline | 37 events, 1950–2022 |
Disinformation is false information spread deliberately to mislead. In UFO history it refers both to proven cases in which government agents fed false stories to researchers, and to suspected campaigns behind documents such as the MJ-12 papers.
Documented cases
The clearest example is the Bennewitz affair of the early 1980s, when Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent Richard Doty and others gave physicist Paul Bennewitz forged documents and stories about alien bases. The CIA's 1997 history also admitted the Air Force misled the public about some sightings to protect spy-plane secrets. The 1950 RAND study of exploiting superstition shows official interest in belief manipulation.
Suspected cases
Researchers including Jacques Vallée have argued that UFO beliefs have been manipulated more widely, and AARO's 2024 report suggested some modern claims stem from earlier deception or misunderstanding. The 2013 documentary Mirage Men explores this history.
On the UAP Timeline
- Henry J. Taylor secret-weapon broadcast (1950) (27 March 1950) — A broadcaster announces saucers are secret U.S. weapons; the story is later called CIA disinformation.
- RAND memorandum RM-365 (14 April 1950) — An Air Force-funded RAND paper studies using superstition and the paranormal for psychological warfare.
- MJ-12 Fifth Annual Report (1952) — A disputed, possibly hoaxed 'Majic' report describes the 1947 recovery of craft and five bodies.
- SOM1-01 Special Operations Manual (1954) — Engineer Bob Wood reportedly suspects the 'SOM1-01' manual was created as Cold War disinformation.
- Hill AFB landing claim (1958) (1958) — An anonymous military source claims a UAP deliberately landed at Hill AFB.
- Holloman landing and hangar claim (1964) (30 April 1964) — A claimed UFO under guard at Holloman AFB; the same day a pilot reports an egg-shaped object.
- UFOs: Past, Present, and Future documentary (May 1973) — Two Air Force colonels reportedly encourage filmmakers to make a UAP documentary.
- Gabe Valdez and the Dulce cattle mutilations (16 February 1979) — An FBI memo relays a police officer's claim of a cover-up of New Mexico cattle mutilations.
- Spread of the Bennewitz disinformation (1980s Undefined) — Doty's fake document spreads to the public and into books and media.
- Weitzel letter (1980) (July 1980) — Air Force counterintelligence officer Richard Doty delivers a forged letter to a civilian UAP group.
- Bennewitz affair (17 November 1980) — Doty gives physicist Paul Bennewitz a forged document to confuse him.
- Cheyenne Mountain and Lake Kickapoo sighting (1986) (December 1986) — A Navy officer says sensors at Cheyenne Mountain detected a UAP.
- John Lear's ParaNet statement (1987) (29 December 1987) — Pilot John Lear claims the government has worked with gray aliens since the 1960s.
- Edmund Gomez and Dulce (23 October 1988) — A New Mexico rancher claims he saw troops and an aircraft crash near Dulce.
- John Lear's source Mike (1989) (January 1989) — John Lear says a source was flown to an underground site to photograph a saucer and autopsy.
- Bill English and Grudge/Blue Book Report 13 (January 1989) — Bill English claims he saw a memo saying Blue Book officials knew of crash recoveries.
- Vallée on the disinformation campaign (1989) (17 September 1989) — Vallée writes there is a large disinformation campaign around UAP.
- Radio caller's underground base claim (1991) (1991) — A radio caller claims he wired a deep underground site holding military personnel and creatures.
- Valdamar Valerian's Matrix books (January 1991) — A writer using a pseudonym publishes books claiming 'grey aliens' are involved in human affairs.
- Riconosciuto backdoor claim (1992) (13 May 1992) — Michael Riconosciuto, a witness in the Inslaw lawsuit, says he was hired to build a secret software backdoor.
- Vallée meets D'Amato on secret programs (1992) (22 May 1992) — Vallée writes he met Senate counsel Dick D'Amato about secret programs.
- FBI MJ-12 espionage file (22 July 1993) — The FBI says it has a closed 'Majestic-12' file labelled espionage.
- Hynek autopsy rumor (1994) (26 February 1994) — Vallée and a filmmaker discuss a rumor about Hynek and autopsies, calling it disinformation.
- Dan Sherman and abduction messages (Mid 1995) — Sherman says his messages seemed to involve alien abductions.
- Corso's doubts about autopsy reports (1997) (13 January 1997) — Philip Corso tells Vallée he may have received disinformation about alien autopsies.
- Former colonel's underground facilities claim (1998) (17 June 1998) — A researcher says a former colonel claims he worked in underground facilities.
- Jim Westwood's MJ-12 disinformation theory (1 January 1999) — A former CIA consultant suggests the MJ-12 briefing document was a fake to fool the KGB.
- Westwood on MJ-12 disinformation (2001) (5 May 2001) — A consultant tells Vallée the MJ-12 documents are disinformation.
- Four "iron post" sources (6 March 2004) — A consultant tells Vallée that four trusted insider sources back Puthoff and Davis.
- DIA source notes on fake MJ-12 papers (2004) (26 March 2004) — Davis receives notes from a DIA source about fake MJ-12 papers and a secret project.
- Project Serpo (1 November 2005) — A message board host receives an alleged 3,000-page report on a famous case.
- Aircraft as pilot prosthetic (Forgotten Languages) (27 March 2017) — An anonymous website publishes an article about making aircraft an extension of the pilot.
- Doty on Serpo believers (2020) (2 February 2020) — Richard Doty allegedly says some DIA members believe parts of the SERPO 'exchange' rumor.
- Doty worked for Puthoff (8 February 2020) — Puthoff says Richard Doty worked for him on a program before AATIP.
- Doty's five Area 51 projects claim (13 June 2022) — Richard Doty claims five UAP-related projects at Area 51.
- NRO underwater objects claim (Forgotten Languages) (23 August 2022) — An anonymous website posts claims about the NRO and underwater objects.
- Mellon on the Majestic documents (September 2022) — Mellon says the 'Majestic' documents are very controversial.
Connected articles
References
- Mirage Men — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
Categories: Air force office of special investigatio | Mj-12 | Term | Unidentified flying object | Us air force
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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