Majestic 12
A purported top-secret committee allegedly formed by President Truman in 1947 to manage UFO recovery and reverse-engineering operations.
INVESTIGATION OVERVIEW
The Majestic 12 (or MJ-12) documents first appeared in 1984 when a roll of film was anonymously mailed to UFO researcher Jaime Shandera. The documents purport to be a briefing for President-Elect Dwight Eisenhower about a secret committee formed by President Truman to handle the recovery of alien technology from the Roswell crash. The committee allegedly included prominent scientists, military leaders, and intelligence officials. The FBI and most government agencies have declared the documents a hoax. However, the debate continues as some researchers point to elements that align with known historical events.
KEY CLAIMS
President Truman created MJ-12 on September 24, 1947 via executive order
The committee was responsible for managing alien technology reverse-engineering
MJ-12 was the true authority behind Project Blue Book and all UFO secrecy
The documents contain authentic classified formatting and signatures
MJ-12 continues to operate today under various successor organizations
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
The documents surfaced through an anonymous channel consistent with intelligence leaks
Some historical references in the documents are accurate and verifiable
The signatures on the documents match genuine Truman-era signatures
The document format is consistent with 1940s government briefing protocols
Truman's interest in UFOs is confirmed by other declassified documents
COUNTER ARGUMENTS
The FBI determined the documents were 'completely bogus' after forensic analysis
The documents contain anachronistic date formats and typography not used in 1947
No original physical document has ever been produced, only photocopies
The alleged members were all deceased by the time the documents were released
Many researchers including Philip J. Klass demonstrated specific factual errors
TIMELINE
Roswell incident occurs
Alleged Truman executive order creates MJ-12 (disputed)
Alleged Eisenhower briefing document created
Anonymous source sends MJ-12 documents to researchers
FBI declares the documents to be hoaxes
KEY FIGURES
Roscoe Hillenkoetter
Alleged MJ-12 member, CIA Director
Vannevar Bush
Alleged MJ-12 member, scientific advisor
James Forrestal
Alleged MJ-12 member, Secretary of Defense
ORGANIZATIONS
MJ-12
Alleged Secret Committee
CIA
Intelligence
U.S. Air Force
Military
SOURCES
RELATED ENTITIES
PEOPLE
Roscoe Hillenkoetter
Vannevar Bush
James Forrestal
ORGANIZATIONS
MJ-12
CIA
U.S. Air Force
EVENTS
Roswell incident occurs
1947-07
Alleged Truman executive order creates MJ-12 (disputed)
1947-09-24
Alleged Eisenhower briefing document created
1952-11
Anonymous source sends MJ-12 documents to researchers
1984
FBI declares the documents to be hoaxes
1988