Stateside Stories

Their Origins

On the 14^th June 1947, a farmer called William W. Brazel found debris in a field in Roswell, New Mexico. He recalled seeing wreckage consisting of rubber strips, tin-foil, paper, rubber and sticks. It was about 180 meters in diameter. Brazel heard about others who had seen mysterious ‘flying saucers’, most notably Kenneth Arnold who had seen nine. Brazel reported the wreckage on the 7^th July, and the Roswell Army Air Field investigated. The debris was sent to the Fort Worth Air Force base, and was concluded to be from a weather balloon. Many questioned the official narrative (which did actually turn out to be fabricated; it was actually from a spy balloon to monitor the activities of the USSR), and alien conspiracy theories became huge in the 1950’s. Between July and October 1952, there were 886 ‘flying saucer’ sightings. Many believed that the government was covering up the existence of extra-terrestrials and that there was a secret military project involving alien experiments. (David Robertson)

The earliest forms of alien hysteria came hand-in-hand with the early stages of the Cold War. The world was dramatically changing, and it was a very scary time. Nuclear weapons were being developed at a rapid pace, government surveillance of civilians was increasing and people did not know what the USSR was capable of. It is only natural that people would believe that the government was hiding things from them. Technology was rapidly developing, and many alien scare stories from this era spoke about advanced technology that aliens used. The ‘men in black’ theory became popular in the 1950’s and remained a crucial part of alien conspiracy theories. This theory suggested that whenever people got close to the truth, they would be murdered by mysterious figures. Alien conspiracy theories were a way for people express their fears of the changing political and social landscape.

They symbolised what Melley terms as ‘agency panic’, a post-war belief that people were being controlled by a mysterious agency, and could not act within their free will (Michael Butter). When Betty and Barney Hill claimed to have been abducted in 1961, their case garnered a lot of interest. They revealed that they saw bright lights in the sky, and arrived home two hours later than expected. In 1962, Betty revealed that she had dreams of being on an alien spaceship, and in 1963, the couple underwent hypnosis to try and find out more about their experience. People were curious, and wanted to find out what happened on these mysterious flying saucers. They did not want to be left in the dark.

The New World Order and UFO’S

Alien conspiracy theories saw a dramatic change in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Distrust in the government had reached an all-time high thanks to a series of high-profile scandals involving institutions such as the CIA and increased rates of incarceration and surveillance thanks to the War on Drugs. By 1994, only 21% of Americans trusted the government. People believed that the government was out to get them, and that government officials were constantly lying to the public. Theories surrounding UFO’s were not the only ones to be revived during this time. Thanks to Oliver Stone’s 1991 film JFK, theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination also resurged, and by the early 1990’s 90% of Americans rejected the findings of the Warren Commission (Olmstead). In 1996, 48% of Americans believed in UFO’s and in 1997, 17% believed in alien abductions (CNN).

The rise in the belief of aliens was a symptom of a much wider problem. Distrust of the government was not reserved for those in the margins of society anymore. It had become increasingly mainstream, building up over a period of 15 years from the release of the Pentagon Papers (which revealed the MK ULTRA plot by the CIA; using LSD as a form of mind control) and the Watergate scandal to the Iran-Contra scandal. If the government could hide things like state sanctioned mind control, then surely they could hide the existence of extra-terrestrials?

UFO conspiracy theories in the 1990’s coincided with the rise of the ‘New Right’ and theories about the New World Order. This was a theory that a group of elites would plan to take over the world in the year 2000. George C. Andrews was the first to link aliens and the New World Order in his 1986 book Extra-Terrestrials Among us. This book claimed that aliens were using a group of human elites to control the population (Barkun Chapter 5). Alien conspiracy theories adopted Manicheanism (the belief in good versus evil), and became apocalyptic in nature. Jim Keith was another prominent conspiracy theorist who linked UFO’s and the New World Order. His 1994 book Black Helicopters Over America claimed that alien abductees were actually victims of CIA mind control. He believed that the government wanted to make people subservient in preparation for the New World Order. These fears of subservience were also displayed by the New Right. Whilst Keith never officially aligned with the New Right, he did share many of their ideas. (Barkun Chapter 6)

The 1993 siege of Waco made some fear that the government wanted to take away their guns, so people could no longer protect themselves. The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was committed by someone who feared the government invading the lives of the people. The 1950’s Agency Panics were returning. Keith believed in a bizarre paradox. He simultaneously believed that aliens existed and that they were a ruse created by the government to control people. Keith’s distrust in the government was shared by the American people. By 2000, 49% believed that the government was hiding the existence of aliens from them. (Barkun, chapter 5)

Aliens and reproductive rights

Alien conspiracy theories became more sinister during this time, and involved global cover-ups and evil science experiments. These new alien conspiracy theories concerned bodily autonomy, especially that of women. New abductee narratives spoke about medical experiments, often of a sexual nature. Women allegedly had their ovaries stolen and mixed with alien DNA. Women were implanted with alien embryos and had their pregnancies terminated (Brown). The fears that aliens posed a danger to women coincided with the rise of medical intervention in pregnancy. IVF was first used in 1978, and allowed infertile women to have children.

However, what was seen as miraculous at first was soon treated with suspicion. The thought of having ‘test tube babies’ scared people. What if medical professionals could tamper with these embryos? Ultrasounds allowed doctors to monitor even low risk pregnancies, and more women were giving birth in hospitals rather than at home. Female reproductive rights were constantly under threat. Conservative politicians and pro-lifers have been trying for decades to restrict access to abortion. In 2022 they finally succeeded with the retraction of Roe Vs Wade. The fears of having reproductive rights controlled by the state was seen in alien conspiracy theories. Women’s bodies were seen as vessels to carry alien embryos, with little regard for the safety of the woman. In these theories, aliens could easily represent the state (Brown).

The X-Files

It is impossible to mention this new form of alien conspiracy theory without talking about The X-Files. First shown in 1993, the show perfectly represented the fear of the government and the role extra-terrestrials played in women’s’ reproductive rights. The show follows two FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they investigated unexplainable phenomena. Mulder was a hardcore believer in aliens, and believed that his sister Samantha was abducted by them. Scully was a professional scientist who was sent to disprove Mulder’s theories, but soon found herself believing in some of his theories. The villain of the show was Cancer Man, who was part of a group called The Syndicate. This group was part of international conspiracy to allow for alien colonisation of Earth. They wanted to create a ‘master race’ of alien-human hybrids, and Scully became a victim of this desire. She was abducted numerous times in the show, had a microchip inserted in her neck which caused her to develop cancer, and was eventually impregnated with an alien embryo. Her son William had special powers, and she eventually had to give him away to keep him safe.

Mulder and Scully never got to the bottom of what was really going on, as promising leads would result in dead ends. They never found out the truth, and neither did we. Aliens and government cover-up went hand-in-hand in the show, and the message of the show was to trust no one. This cynical message could only have made sense in the government-fearing 1990’s.

The 21st Century

UFO conspiracy theories resurged in the late 2010’s. The Conversation revealed that in 2022, 34% of Americans believed in alien life. In 2019, a Gallop poll revealed that 68% of Americans believed that the US government knew more about UFO’s than it was letting on. The interest in aliens re-emerged in 2017, when the New York Times published an article claiming that the Pentagon had a secret UFO program. In 2019, a small group stormed Area 51, determined to find out what is being kept there. The last decade has been a very politically turbulent time; only a third of Americans trust the mainstream media. Along with the JFK assassination, UFO theories have been the most enduring since 1964. (Olmstead). Given how polarised America has become, and how little people trust the government, it is very likely that people will still believe in UFO conspiracy theories for years to become.