We have all had an ounce of doubt with some of the things that happen in the government. The US government has always had a knack for secrecy. However, certain stories often come out fabricated; we all know of the conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11, the JKF second shooter story, Edward Snowden leaks and the famous Wikileaks. While most people can’t resist getting the details of these classified stories, no matter how far-fetched they may seem, many people are often too quick to denounce them as unpatriotic or ridiculous. However, these stories are in the thousands, and half of them don’t even get out to the light. This doesn’t mean that the government intentionally lies to the public. Whatever the reasons they brand for their confidentiality, its probably for a good reason they are not let out immediately after they happen. Well, if you are itching to find out what these things are, here are 15 Things The Government Finally Admitted After Years Of Denial.

15. The Government Poisoned Alcohol During Prohibition

Heard of the 18th Amendment? Well, it took effect back in 1920, and this rule banned the sale or manufacture of alcoholic beverages, but not consumption. Despite all government efforts to curb sale and distribution, alcoholism thrived during this era. To ensure they kept up with the demand, bootleggers created their own versions of alcohol, which were undrinkable since they had certain harmful chemicals such as methyl alcohol. Syndicates then employed chemists who re-natured the alcohol once again to make it safe for consumption. By 1927, the government added much deadlier chemicals like acetone and kerosene making the alcohol much harder to render consumable. This poisonous alcohol killed 400 people in New York, and 700 more in the following year.

14. Americans received contaminated Polio Vaccines

After more than 98 million people in America and the world received polio vaccines, from 1954 to 1961, traces of the Simian Virus also known as SV40 were found in the same Polio vaccines. According to the American Journal of Cancer, Jonas Salk, the creator of the inactive Polio vaccine made it using cells from a rhesus monkey that was infected by SV40. Barbara Fisher, the president of the National Vaccine Information Center, testified this in the House of Representatives back in 2003, this was after researching for about ten years. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) posted a fact sheet acknowledging the presence of this virus in the Polio Vaccines.

13. US health Service Lied about treating black men with syphilis for 40 years

Well, if you thought the Polio Vaccine cancer story was outrageous, then you have another thing coming. Back in 1932, the US Public Service collaborated with the Tuskegee Institute to record the history of syphilis in the black male community with the hope of justifying a viable treatment plan. This study included 600 black males, 399 who were infected and 201 who weren’t. They were initially told they would receive treatment but never received any adequate treatment even after penicillin became the preferred and available treatment for the disease. After public outrage in 1972 due to an Associated Press article, the government settled a class-action lawsuit out of court for $10 million and life insurance for all the affected.

12. Gulf of Tonkin Incident never happened

It’s documented in the Pentagon Papers that the USS Maddox had reportedly engaged three North Vietnamese boats at the Gulf of Tonkin. However, there were no US causalities from the exchange. This story prompted Congress to pass an intervention in Vietnam that escalated into the Vietnam War. However, after resisting comments for years, the NSA (National Security Agency) finally admitted the August 4th incident didn’t happen and declassified the documents. Talk of the Tonkin affair as a false flag for US intervention in Vietnam has been in public discourse since the attacks happened, and especially after government admittance that the second image from the attack may have been false radar images.

11. Staged Terrorist Attack by US Military Leaders May have drummed up Support for Cuba War

Operation Northwoods was a covert plan that was created to drum up support for the Cuba War. Declassified US government documents reveal that part of the plan involved staging mock funerals for fake victims. They also planned on spreading fake rumours, and blowing up a US ship in Guantanamo Bay and framing it on Cuba. According to a book by investigative journalist James Bramford, Kennedy told the US Army General Lemnitzer, that the US would never us overt force to take over Cuba. Months later Lemnitzer lost his position.

10. LSD tests on Unwitting US and Canadian Citizens

Operation “MKultra” was a government-run human research operation that was operated by the CIA Scientific Research Division. The Operation tested the effects of hypnosis isolation, sensory deprivation, torture and, mostly LSD on Canadian and US citizens. What’s puzzling is that most of them had no idea. This operation was kept silent by paying prisons, hospitals, and other concerned institutions. It’s believed that even heroin addicts were introduced into the program by being offered heroin in return. In 1973 all the documents about this operation were destroyed, but the events inspired the best-selling book, “ The Men Who Stared At Goats,” and even a movie of the same name.

9. CIA secretly resurfaced Sunken Soviet Submarine with Nuclear-Armed Ballistic Missiles

A secret operation Dubbed “Project Azorian” was aimed at raising a sunken Soviet Submarine to retrieve three nuclear-armed ballistics missiles. President Nixon’s approval was placed in a secret file dubbed ‘Jennifer’ keeping the information from everyone else apart from some selected government officials. After the implementation of FOIA, National Security Agency finally published an in-house article that shed some light on the success of the operation. Some of the information from the article was however retracted to prevent determining the exact level of success of the operation.

8. The US Sold Weapons to Iran

Back in 1985, it is believed that the US government through the Reagan Administration facilitated weapons sale to Iran. Profits were later used to fund the Contras, who were anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua. The events that lead to the trade started after a hostile group held seven Americans hostage in Lebanon with ties to Iran, forcing the US to trade arms with Iran for the exchange of the hostages’ freedom. A leak from an Iranian brought the situation to light in 1986; this was after repeated denial by the Reagan Administration. The Administration underwent 41 days of congressional hearings declassifying the documents that were from as early as 1981.

7. The US Persian Gulf War was propelled by a Testimony organized by a PR Firm

A testimony back in 1990 by a Kuwaiti girl that was only identified as ‘Nayirah’ stating that she witnessed Iraqi soldiers pulling infants from their incubators at a hospital and leaving them to die led to US involvement in the Gulf War. It was later discovered that PR Giant Hill and Knowlton staged her testimony for a client; Kuwait sponsored them in order to free Kuwait. Furthermore, it was revealed that ‘Nayirah’ was the daughter of Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US, according to an article by The New York Times. While the testimony from Nayira might have helped drum up support for US involvement in the Persian Gulf War, Congress would have still pursued her involvement without her testimony.

6. Watergate Scandal

According to the evidence revealed, it was discovered that Republican officials spied on the Democratic National Headquarters from the Watergate Hotel back in 1972. However, while a lot of conspiracy theories had suggested that there were underhanded dealings taking place, it was not until 1974 that recording from the White House that officially linked President Nixon to the scandal, which forced him to resign. Americans were shocked to learn about the dirty tactics Nixon and his government employed in order to find dirt on the opposing party. Things turned even more unnerving when Nixon resigned, leaving the most powerful seat in the country vacant and a nation leaderless.

5. The Manhattan project

This was a codename for a project that was conducted during WWII. The project was to develop the first ever atomic bomb. This project was lead by the US government and also included Canada and the UK. This project employed more than 130,000 workers and cost, according to current valuation, about $22 billion. Several people were employed in the study and sworn to secrecy. This project remained a national secret until MED maintained the control over US Weapons production and the formation of the Atomic Energy Commission. It is scary to think about how many other “Manhattan” type projects are being commissioned by the government at this very moment.

4. The Mockingbird Operation

Back in 1950, it is revealed that the CIA paid top and renowned foreign as well as domestic journalists from big media outlets, such as The New York Times, Washington Post and CBS among others, to produce and publish CIA propaganda to the Public. It’s also documented that the CIA also helped produce at least one animated movie, popularly known as the Animal Farm. The Church Committee finally exposed this in 1975.

3. The Mafia

If you have watched enough American crime movies then you have probably heard of the Mafia. This was a secret crime community that existed way past the 1960’s when it was first discovered. The secrets and operations of the society were revealed by Joe Valachi to law enforcement officials. However, what you probably did not know was that, while this wasn’t news to the average city American, the CIA, big businesses among other top politicians were also involved with the Mafia as well. It is interesting and awful to think that the very organizations that are supposed to be protecting civilians from crime, are hobnobbing with criminals in order to line their pockets. How prevalent is this practice right now?

2. Counter Intelligence Programs in the 60’s Against Activists

This was a series of covert, and often illegal projects that were conducted by the United States FBI dubbed COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence program). The program was aimed at investigating and disrupting dissent political organizations in the US. This program took place between 1956 and 1971. The main motivation of the program was cited as preventing violence, for the preservation of national security and restoring political order. According to records from the FBI, 85% of the resources from the project were used on infiltrating, disrupting and marginalizing groups that were suspected to be subversive.

1. Drug Running By CIA in Los Angeles California

Gary Webb, award-winning Journalist, alongside LAPD Narcotics turned Whistle Blower and author Michael Rupert among many others published a 20,000 word three section series named the “Dark Alliance”. The series revealed how Nicaraguan drug traffickers traded and distributed crack cocaine in LA during the 1980s. The shocking bit was that the profits from the trade were used to fund the CIA-supported Nicaragua Contras. However, according to the publication, it was never asserted that the CIA dealt directly with the drug dealers to raise the funds for the Contras, but the publication documented that the CIA was aware of the dealings and large shipments of cocaine that came into the US.

Source: businessinsider.com, infowars.com