Milton William Cooper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Milton William Cooper
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| Born | May 6, 1943 Long Beach, California, U.S.
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| Died | November 5, 2001 (aged 58) Eagar, Arizona, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Gunshot |
| Resting place | Springerville Cemetery Springerville, Arizona |
| Other names | Bill Cooper |
| Occupation | Conspiracy theorist, radio broadcaster, author |
Milton William "Bill" Cooper (born May 6, 1943 – died November 5, 2001) was an American writer and radio host. He was known for his ideas about secret plans and groups, often called conspiracy theories. His most famous book, Behold a Pale Horse, published in 1991, talked about many global conspiracies, some of which involved aliens. Cooper also believed that certain diseases were man-made. He was sometimes called a "militia thinker." Cooper died in 2001 during an encounter with police officers.
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About Bill Cooper's Life
Not much is known about Bill Cooper's early life and education, other than what he shared himself. He said he served in the United States Navy and Naval Intelligence until 1975. Public records show he served in the Navy, including time in Vietnam. After his military service, Cooper attended a college in California. He then worked for several technical schools. He started sharing his conspiracy theories in 1988. Cooper added new ideas to earlier conspiracy theories. He focused on the idea that governments were working with aliens.
Early Ideas About UFOs
In the summer of 1988, Bill Cooper first shared his thoughts publicly. He posted on ParaNet, an early online message board about UFOs. Cooper claimed that in 1966, while serving on the USS Tiru ship, he and other Navy members saw a large metal craft. He said it was "larger than a football field" and kept going in and out of the water. Cooper stated that his leaders told him never to talk about this event.
A few days later, Cooper was contacted by another ParaNet user, John Lear. Lear was a pilot who claimed to have flown missions for the CIA. Lear had written about a "UFO Coverup." This story included ideas from Paul Bennewitz, a UFO researcher who was later found to have been given false information by a US agent. Cooper soon visited Lear, and they spent a lot of time together from 1988 to 1990.
Lear's stories about aliens secretly working with government forces greatly influenced Cooper's views. In 1989, Cooper and Lear together accused the US Government. They said it was "aiding and abetting and concealing this Alien Nation which exists in our borders." A writer named Colin Dickey noted their influence in 2018. He wrote that these early UFO writers believed the main thing to fear was not aliens, but the government working with them. Cooper and Lear worked together for a few years. Later, Cooper accused Lear of being a CIA agent.
Behold a Pale Horse Book
In 1991, Bill Cooper wrote and published his book, Behold a Pale Horse. This book became very important among people interested in UFOs and militia groups. Before a major trial in 1997, a newspaper called it "the manifesto of the militia movement."
According to a sociologist named Paul Gilroy, Cooper's book presented a detailed conspiracy theory. It covered the Kennedy assassination, a secret world government, and other hidden activities. These activities were supposedly linked to a group called the Illuminati. A political scientist, Michael Barkun, described it as "among the most complex superconspiracy theories." He also said it was very influential because it was popular with militia groups and sold in regular bookstores.
UFOs, Aliens, and the Illuminati
Cooper became well-known in UFO circles in 1988. He claimed to have seen secret documents in the Navy. These documents supposedly described government dealings with aliens. He wrote more about this in Behold a Pale Horse. Some people later said that parts of what Cooper claimed to see were actually copied from their own research. They even said some of the material was made up by them as jokes.
Cooper connected the Illuminati with his belief that aliens were secretly working with the US government. However, he later took back some of these claims. He accused President Dwight D. Eisenhower of making a deal with aliens in 1954. This deal supposedly allowed aliens to abduct humans in exchange for new technology. Cooper then claimed that Eisenhower created a secret group of Illuminati. This group was meant to manage relations with the aliens and keep their presence a secret. Cooper believed that aliens "manipulated and/or ruled the human race." They did this through secret societies, religions, magic, and other hidden practices. He even thought the Illuminati were being unknowingly controlled by the aliens.
Cooper described the Illuminati as a secret international organization. He said it was controlled by the Bilderberg Group. He also claimed it worked with groups like the Knights of Columbus, Masons, and Skull and Bones. Their ultimate goal, he said, was to create a New World Order. According to Cooper, the Illuminati not only invented alien threats for their own benefit. They also actively worked with aliens to take over the world.
Kennedy Assassination Theory
In Behold a Pale Horse, Cooper suggested that President John F. Kennedy was killed because he was about to reveal a secret. This secret was that aliens were taking over Earth. Cooper claimed to have found a "top secret" video of the assassination. He said it showed the driver of the presidential car, William Greer, shooting the president. He believed Greer used "a gas pressure device developed by aliens." The famous Zapruder film shows Greer turning to look into the back seat twice. Cooper thought Greer first checked Kennedy's condition after an outside attack. Then, he fired the fatal shot. After Cooper's book came out, theories blaming Greer grew quickly. Some TV stations analyzed Cooper's video. They found it was "a poor-quality fake" using parts of the Zapruder film.
HIV/AIDS Conspiracy
In Behold a Pale Horse, Cooper also suggested a theory about AIDS. He proposed that AIDS was part of a plan to reduce certain populations. In 2000, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, South Africa's Minister of Health, faced criticism. This was because she shared the chapter discussing this theory with government officials.
Bill Cooper's Radio Show
From 1992 until his death in 2001, Cooper hosted his radio show, The Hour of the Time. He broadcast it from a studio in his home in Eagar, Arizona. Cooper sent his show to WWCR in Nashville. It was then broadcast by the station's powerful shortwave transmitter. Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center said Cooper was well-known in the militia movement. This was due to his anti-government shortwave radio program.
Timothy McVeigh, who was involved in the Oklahoma City bombing, was reportedly a fan. McVeigh was said to have ordered a cassette from Cooper called Waco, The Big Lie. Cooper broadcast conspiracy theories about the Waco siege in early 1993. He believed it was the start of a new Civil War. He also participated in early radio shows hosted by Alex Jones, who admired Cooper's broadcasts.
On June 28, 2001, Cooper commented on a TV interview with Osama bin Laden. He claimed that bin Laden would soon be "blamed" for a 'major attack' on a large US city. But he told listeners, "don't you believe it." Right after the September 11, 2001 attacks, he predicted the US would soon be at war in 'two or maybe three countries.'
Bill Cooper's Death
In the late 1990s, Cooper became convinced that he was being targeted. He believed President Bill Clinton and the Internal Revenue Service were after him. In July 1998, he faced charges related to his taxes. An arrest warrant was issued, but Cooper avoided being served it many times. In 2000, the United States Marshals Service called him a "major fugitive."
On November 5, 2001, police officers tried to arrest Cooper at his home in Eagar, Arizona. This was due to disputes with local residents. During an exchange, Cooper was fatally shot. Federal authorities reported that Cooper had spent years avoiding the 1998 arrest warrant. A spokesman for the Marshals Service said Cooper had promised that "he would not be taken alive."
See also
In Spanish: Milton William Cooper para niños
