Conspiracy theorists welded alien lore to the Trilateral Commission through shared insignia

Evidence

Cooper’s references to Delta are closely related to his lengthy discussion of what he called “a trilateral insignia,” allegedly found on alien spacecraft. He claimed that the Delta security guards wear red badges with a black triangle, similar to the “alien fl ag” of a triangle divided by parallel lines. His linking of the terms delta, trilateral, and men in black offered the possibility of conspiracy in which there is a collusion between U.S. military forces, aliens, and the Trilateral Commission. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 459

Categorization

• XREF: Shows the mechanism by which unrelated conspiracy traditions fuse: a shared visual/terminological hook (triangle insignia) makes cross-pollination appear natural. — connects to: New World Order conspiracy ideas and UFO beliefs merged into two diametrically opposed syntheses — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 420; New World Order fears merged with UFO conspiracy theories during the 1990s — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 481; By the late 1980s some ufologists grafted New World Order conspiracy onto UFO belief — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 412 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• New World Order conspiracy ideas and UFO beliefs merged into two diametrically opposed syntheses #expands (0.85) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 420
• New World Order fears merged with UFO conspiracy theories during the 1990s #corroborates (0.85) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 481
• By the late 1980s some ufologists grafted New World Order conspiracy onto UFO belief #corroborates (0.80) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 412
• UFO conspiracy narratives absorbed right-wing plot motifs without clear influence #complicates (0.75) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 457