Bill Cooper
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 👤 Person
Contents 7
| Type | Person |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Milton William Cooper |
| On the Timeline | 2 events, 1980–2004 |
Milton William "Bill" Cooper (6 May 1943 – 5 November 2001) was an American conspiracy theorist, author and shortwave radio broadcaster whose 1991 book Behold a Pale Horse combined claims of secret government deals with aliens with theories about secret societies and world government. It became one of the most influential conspiracy books in the United States. He was killed in a shootout with sheriff's deputies in Arizona in 2001.[1][2]
Early life and service
Cooper was born in Long Beach, California. Public records show he served in the U.S. Navy, reaching petty officer second class (E-5), including a tour in Vietnam. He also claimed to have served in the Air Force and in Naval Intelligence, claims not supported by records.[1]
UFO claims
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In 1988 Cooper began posting on the ParaNet computer bulletin board, saying that in 1966, while serving aboard the submarine USS Tiru, he had seen a large metal craft rise from the ocean, and that while working in naval intelligence in the early 1970s he had read secret documents describing the government's dealings with extraterrestrials. He claimed that President Eisenhower had made a treaty with aliens in 1954 and that a secret group called MJ-12 ran the cover-up. In 1989, with pilot and UFO promoter John Lear, he issued an "indictment" of the U.S. government, and lectured on "the secret government". UFO researchers later found that some of his supposed intelligence material had been copied from other sources.[1][3]
Behold a Pale Horse and radio
Behold a Pale Horse (1991) mixed his UFO claims with material about the Illuminati, the Bilderberg Group and a coming world government, and reprinted the forged Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The Guardian in 1997 called it the manifesto of the militia movement. From 1992 Cooper broadcast the shortwave radio program The Hour of the Time from his home in Eagar, Arizona. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was reportedly a fan.[1][2]
Death
In 1998 Cooper was charged with tax evasion and refused to surrender; in 2000 the U.S. Marshals Service listed him as a major fugitive. On 5 November 2001, Apache County deputies attempted to arrest him on separate charges of aggravated assault; in an exchange of gunfire he shot a deputy and was killed.[1][4]
Legacy
Cooper's book was later cited by hip-hop artists and is seen by researchers as a precursor of later movements including QAnon. Historian Michael Barkun describes him as a key figure in merging UFO lore with broader conspiracy theories.[1][5]
On the UAP Timeline
- Spread of the Bennewitz disinformation (1980s Undefined) — Doty's fake document spreads to the public and into books and media.
- Bill Cooper and Behold a Pale Horse (2004) — Bill Cooper claims underground bases host cooperation between aliens and humans.
References
- Milton William Cooper — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- "The Granddaddy of American Conspiracy Theorists", Rolling Stone · rollingstone.com · archived copy
- Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy (2006) — Google Books · books.google.com · archived copy
- "Arizona Militia Figure Is Shot to Death", Los Angeles Times (7 Nov 2001) · latimes.com · archived copy
- "How William Cooper and his book 'Behold a Pale Horse' planted seeds of QAnon conspiracy theory", The Arizona Republic (2020) · azcentral.com · archived copy
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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