Alex Carson
Bill Kaysing
Bill Kaysing is a former United States Navy officer who worked as a technical writer for one of the rocket manufacturers for NASA’s Apollo moon mission. He is also one of the people who is feeding the conspiracy theory that we never landed on the moon. He claims that there was a government conspiracy that faked the moon landing. To make matters worse, he wrote a book in 1976 called; We Never Went To The Moon: America’s Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle.
The Conspiracy Theory
According to the conspiracy theory, NASA couldn’t figure out how to safely put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. It is what President John F. Kennedy had promised the American people. Conspiracy theorists say that NASA sent astronauts into Earth’s orbit. Then, staged the actual moon landing in a movie studio. Some say that the footage filmed at Area 51. Conspiracy theorists say that there is evidence in the footage that gave the whole thing away. They claim that it is the most elaborate hoax that NASA has ever dreamed up.
Evidence?
According to them, there are photos that show the astronauts in front of crosshairs that etched on the camera class. They also say that there was a mysterious letter C, visible on the moon rock. When the flag planted, they claim that there are photos of the flag blowing in the wind. Since there is no wind on the moon, they are sure that the whole thing is faked. Each of these issues debunked over the years. And conspiracy theorists still continue to believe that the entire thing is not real.
The Polls
In the United States, opinion polls show that between 5 and 10 percent of Americans distrust the official version of events. In the UK, a 2012 poll shows that 12 percent of the population believes in the conspiracy theory. Because we were in the Great Space Race with Russia at the time of the moon landing, 57 percent of Russians believe in the conspiracy theory.
Mistrust in the 70s
Bill Kaysing’s conspiracy theory helped push American’s mistrust of the government in the 70s. In 1971, the American public read leaked Pentagon Papers. They showed that the Johnson administration had been lying about the Vietnam War. Soon, people were tuning in every night to hear about the Watergate break-in and the cover-up. It increased the distrust in the government.
Kennedy’s Assassination
When President John F. Kennedy assassinated on November 22, 1963, a conspiracy theory was born. Conspiracy theorists don’t believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Based on the trajectory of the bullets, people think that a second gunman was on a grassy knoll near the Texas School Book Depository and participated in the shooting. Some say that he’s killed by the CIA who was angry over the Bay of Pigs. Others say that the shooting set up by Vice President Lyndon Johnson. This is yet another example of people believing in government cover-ups.
Area 51
One of the most significant conspiracy theories out there today is that the government is hiding aliens and their spacecrafts at Area 51. The conspiracy theories came about after someone claimed that an alien ship crash-landed near a farmhouse close to Area 51. Because the area is so heavily guarded, it is believed that they are hiding something important. The official word is that Area 51 is a place where the government tests new ships that are being built by Americans.
Recent Conspiracy Theories
The common conspiracy theories aren’t only about events that occurred several decades ago. There are many conspiracy theories regarding recent events such as 9/11. People believe that the government blew up the buildings on their own. When a gunman went into Sandy Hook Elementary School and open fired on teachers and students, conspiracy theorists say that the people involved were all actors, and it never happened.
The Moon Landing
While Bill Kaysing’s book helped fuel the conspiracy theory, the 1978 movie, Capricorn One helped out as well. The 1968 film, 2001 A Space Odyssey didn’t help either. People believed that because Hollywood could make these movies look so real, it would have been just as easy to fake the moon landing.
Believable?
Does anyone really think the moon landing was faked? Unfortunately for the people who basically risked their lives to land on the moon, there are people who still believe this ridiculous theory. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin will tell you that they did walk on the moon and it wasn’t faked in a Hollywood studio or Area 51. These two men are upset that their history-making walk has been tarnished by people who are so wrapped up in government conspiracies.
