UFO conspiracy narratives absorbed right-wing plot motifs without clear influence

Evidence

The Cooper variations, while small, increased the congruence between UFO conspiracies and the tales of plots circulating on the extreme right, though there is no explicit evidence that Cooper was familiar with right-wing literature at the time. In his version, the MJ-12 group is a relatively small part of a much larger government enterprise directed at understanding the aliens, dealing with them, and keeping knowledge from reaching the general public. Not surprisingly, the CIA is described as central to the enterprise, a claim also made in Andrews’s 1986 description of the conspiracy. Black helicopters make an appearance as well, allegedly accompanying test fl ights of recovered alien craft over the Nevada desert. Although Andrews had not mentioned black helicopters specifi cally, he did report transformations in which saucers turned into helicopters and vice versa. — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 457

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader chapter thesis on conspiracy convergence; black helicopters link UFO lore to militia/right-wing narratives of later decades. — connects to: Antigovernment politics fused with UFO belief throughout the 1990s — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 47; New World Order ideas entered ufology unintentionally and piecemeal — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 422; Early UFO conspiracism and extreme-right conspiracism developed independently — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 423 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• UFO belief pulled New World Order conspiracism out of political exile #corroborates (0.82) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 1081
• New World Order conspiracy ideas and UFO beliefs merged into two diametrically opposed syntheses #corroborates (0.80) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 420