The world is full of secrets, but some of the most intriguing ones involve government secrets. Here are ten of the most shocking government secrets that have been revealed to the public.
- The Pentagon's UFO Program The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) is a highly secretive program within the Pentagon that is dedicated to investigating reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Although the program was never formally acknowledged by the Department of Defense, it was eventually revealed to the public. While the Pentagon claims that the program stopped receiving funds in 2012, many people believe that it still operates to this day.
- Apple's Top-Secret iPod In 2005, former Apple software engineer David Shayer revealed that the tech giant was working on a top-secret project with the U.S. Department of Energy. The project involved creating a special iPod that could detect radiation levels in the air. The iPod was intended to help identify smuggled or stolen uranium or evidence of a dirty bomb development program.
- The FBI's File on Bigfoot Deep within the FBI's Freedom of Information Library, there is a file on Bigfoot (also known as Sasquatch). While the file suggests that the FBI believes the creature is dead, it is still fascinating that the agency has a file on a mythical creature.
- The Playing Card Escape During World War II, the U.S. and Britain used playing cards to smuggle escape maps to Allied prisoners of war. The maps, which contained detailed escape routes, were hidden in between the layers of the cards. The cards were sent as part of Christmas care packages and went undetected due to the Geneva Convention.
- The Navy UFO Videos At least three videos have been released by the U.S. Navy documenting UFO activity. The videos, which were taken by Navy pilots and capture unexplained aerial phenomena, were never intended for public release.
- The Nimitz UFO Encounters The Nimitz UFO Encounters refer to the three Navy UFO videos released by the U.S. Navy. However, many witnesses claim that there is more to the incident than what has been seen. According to these witnesses, there is a longer video still yet to be released in which the object performs a number of physically impossible maneuvers.
- The CIA's Robot Dragonfly The CIA's never-before-seen devices from the 1970s at The CIA Museum in Washington, D.C., included a drone-like dragonfly known as the "insectothopter." While the device was never used, it is still fascinating to imagine the possibilities for covert devices in the spy trade.
- The CIA's Catfish Robot Charlie, the CIA's top-secret catfish robot, was built in the '90s to see if it was possible to build an uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV). Its purpose was to collect water samples without being detected, but it is unclear if it was ever successful.
- The Military's Attempt at Weaponizing Lightning In 1967, the CIA attempted to weaponize lightning in order to create an attack that could not be traced back to the attacker. While the invention turned out to be functional, the agency never fulfilled the program.
- The Pentagon's Off-World Vehicles Astrophysicist Eric Davis, who consulted for the Pentagon's UFO program, claims that he has examined numerous materials that he deems "off-world vehicles not made on this earth." While the Pentagon has remained tight-lipped on the subject, claims have been made that the government is in possession of off-world vehicles.
