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Majestic 12

Government

Purported top-secret U.S. committee alleged to study recovered alien technology after 1947 Roswell incident

According to the controversial Eisenhower Briefing Document and a memorandum attributed to President Harry S. Truman dated 24 September 1947, Majestic 12 (often shortened to MJ-12 or Majic-12) was a twelve-member panel of scientists, military officers, and intelligence officials tasked with "the recovery and investigation of crashed extraterrestrial craft and entities."12

  The Twelve

NameOccupation/Role
Adm. Roscoe H. HillenkoetterDirector of Central Intelligence
Dr. Vannevar BushChairman, Joint Research and Development Board
Sec. James ForrestalSecretary of Defense
Gen. Walter Bedell Smith (after Forrestal's 1949 death)Director of Central Intelligence (successor)
Gen. Nathan F. TwiningChief, Air Materiel Command
Gen. Hoyt S. VandenbergAir Force Chief of Staff
Dr. Detlev BronkPresident, National Academy of Sciences
Dr. Jerome HunsakerChairman, NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics)
Rear Adm. Sidney SouersExecutive Secretary, National Security Council
Gordon GrayAssistant Secretary of the Army
Dr. Donald MenzelHarvard Astrophysicist
Gen. Robert MontagueCommander, Sandia Base
Dr. Lloyd BerknerNaval Research Physicist

  Key Documents

YearDocumentCurrent Assessment
1947Truman–Forrestal memorandumDeclared "completely bogus" by the FBI (1988).3
1952Eisenhower Briefing Document (EBD)Authenticity disputed; contains historical anachronisms and typewriter inconsistencies.4
1954Cutler–Twining memo found in National ArchivesWatermark and file-routing anomalies suggest a planted forgery.5
1954"Special Operations Manual (SOM 1-01)"Widely considered a hoax; typography post-dates 1950s.6

  Federal Investigations

Agency/EntityAction/ConclusionYear
Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI)Forwarded MJ-12 papers to the FBI1988
FBIClosed its case after determining "no such committee ever existed." Full file released via FOIA totals 69 pages.31988
White House & National Security CouncilSpokespeople denied any knowledge1987

  Scholarly & Skeptical Analyses

PerspectiveRepresentative VoiceSummary
Pro-authenticityStanton T. Friedman (nuclear physicist)Argues that classified provenance explains anomalies; MJ-12 consistent with Roswell cover-up.7
Hoax / DisinformationPhilip J. Klass (skeptical researcher)Points to signature cut-and-paste, date-format errors, and Moore/Shandera film chain as evidence of fabrication.8
Government Psy-OpRichard Doty (former AFOSI)Claims some papers were deliberate disinformation aimed at ufologists.9

  Cultural Impact and Status

Featured in TV series The X-Files, Dark Skies, Stargate SG-1, and numerous video games. Inspired countless conspiracy theories linking MJ-12 to Area 51, black budgets, and "deep state" governance. Often referenced alongside secret programs such as Project Blue Book, Operation Paperclip, and the CIA's Majestic-esque SIGMA rumors.

No authenticated government record confirming Majestic 12 has surfaced despite declassification programs, presidential libraries' searches, and thousands of FOIA requests. Most historians classify MJ-12 as a myth or intentional forgery, though its legend continues to shape disclosure activism and public perceptions of UFO secrecy.

  References

  1. "Briefing Document: Operation Majestic 12," alleged film delivered to Jamie Shandera, Dec 1984. ↩

  2. Robert Goldberg, Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America (Yale UP, 2008), pp. 189–231. ↩

  3. FBI Vault – Majestic 12 (FOIA Case #105–FBI-Maj12); see especially memo 30 Nov 1988. ↩ ↩2

  4. Philip J. Klass, "The MJ-12 Crashed-Saucer Documents," Skeptical Inquirer 12 (2), 1988. ↩

  5. National Archives & Records Administration, Analysis of "Cutler/Twining Memo," Record Group 341, Entry 267, 1988. ↩

  6. Joe Nickell & John F. Fischer, "The Crashed Saucer Forgeries," International UFO Reporter, Mar 1990. ↩

  7. Stanton T. Friedman, Top Secret/MAJIC (Marlowe & Co., 1997). ↩

  8. Philip J. Klass, "New Evidence of MJ-12 Hoax," Skeptical Inquirer 14 (2), 1990. ↩

  9. Mark Pilkington, Mirage Men: An Adventure into Paranoia, Espionage, Psychological Warfare, and UFOs (Constable, 2010). ↩

Published on September 24, 1947

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