Editing Behold a Pale Horse (book)

{{Infobox book
| name           = Behold a Pale Horse
| title_orig     = 
| translator     = 
| image          = File:Behold_a_Pale_Horse_cover.jpg
| image_size     = 250px
| caption        = Front cover of the book
| author         = Milton William Cooper
| illustrator    = 
| cover_artist   = 
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| series         = 
| subject        = [[Conspiracy theories]], government secrets, Illuminati, [[UFOs]]
| genre          = Non-fiction
| publisher      = Light Technology Publishing
| release_date   = December 1, 1991
| media_type     = Print (paperback)
| pages          = 470
| isbn           = 978-0929385228
| isbn_note      = ISBN-10: 0929385225
| preceded_by    = 
| followed_by    = 
}}

'''''Behold a Pale Horse''''' is a non-fiction book written by [[Milton William Cooper]], published in 1991. The book is known for its impact on [[UFOs|UFO]] and militia circles and is considered a seminal work in [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theory]] literature.<ref name=Nattrass>{{cite book|last=Nattrass|first=Nicoli|title=The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back|year=2012|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0231149129|pages=[https://archive.org/details/aidsconspiracysc0000natt/page/4 4], 23–27|url=https://archive.org/details/aidsconspiracysc0000natt|url-access=registration|author-link=Nicoli Nattrass|access-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref>

==Background==
Milton William Cooper, a former United States [[Naval Intelligence]] Briefing Team member, wrote the book to share what he claimed were suppressed truths hidden in top-secret government files. According to Cooper, this information had been classified since the 1940s. The book discusses topics such as the [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of John F. Kennedy]], the [[War on Drugs|war on drugs]], secret government activities, [[UFOs]], and the [[Illuminati]].<ref name=Gilroy>{{cite book|last=Gilroy|first=Paul|title=Against Race: Imagining Political Culture Beyond the Color Line|year=2000|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=978-0674000964|pages=352–353|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wWpt-Js7JPEC|author-link=Paul Gilroy|access-date=January 17, 2013|chapter=Planetary Humanism|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wWpt-Js7JPEC&pg=PA352}}</ref> Cooper claimed his predictions, including the lowering of the [[Iron Curtain]], the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]], and the invasion of [[Panama]], were based on plans he encountered during his time in naval intelligence and over 17 years of research.<ref name=Amazon>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Horse-Milton-William-Cooper/dp/0929385225|title=Behold a Pale Horse|publisher=Amazon|access-date=November 27, 2024}}</ref>

==Contents==
''Behold a Pale Horse'' covers various aspects of Cooper's [[Grand conspiracy theory|overarching conspiracy theory]], including the [[Illuminati]] and the [[New World Order]]; alleged government [[UFOs|UFO]] cover-ups; secret technologies and suppressed advancements; [[Political assassination|political assassinations]], including [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy |that]] of [[John F. Kennedy]]; and the [[War on Drugs|war on drugs]] as a government control mechanism. The book includes reprints of alleged executive orders, military reports, and other materials.

===Chapter summaries===
In addition to fleshing out his research on alleged conspiracies, Cooper chose to reprint, largely verbatim, various alleged [[primary source|primary documents]], most of them in the [[public domain]], to make his case.
====Opening and Introduction====
The initial pages feature [[Book of Revelation|Revelation 6:8]] and a quotation by [[Delamer Duverus]] saying that "one basic truth" can upset an "entire mountain of lies". Cooper states that his goal is to awaken the reader to hidden manipulations in society and inspire a quest for the truth. He warns of dire consequences if society remains complacent, including the destruction of democratic institutions and the erosion of personal freedoms. Cooper positions himself as a [[Patriotism|patriot]] and a [[Christianity|Christian]] dedicated to defending the Constitution, family, and faith, which he believes are under direct threat. He positions the book as a manifesto urging readers to challenge the structures of power and prepare for a fight against those he identifies as the architects of global deception. A foreword by an unnamed individual who purportedly sought to determine whether Cooper "did indeed speak the truth or was just another person seeking fame and fortune" praises Cooper: "There are many who do not want you to know what Bill has to say... The scars on his face and the loss of his leg are his badges of sincerity on your behalf."

====Foreword====
[[Milton William Cooper|Cooper]] provides an autobiographical account and describes his ancestry, upbringing, military service, and events that led him down the path to his theories. Cooper criticizes figures like [[William Moore (ufologist)|William Moore]] and [[Stanton Friedman]], alleging they were [[disinformation]] agents tasked with misleading UFO researchers.<ref name="Cooper1991">Cooper, Milton William (1991). ''Behold a Pale Horse''. Flagstaff, Ariz.: Light Technology Publishing. ISBN 978-0929385228. PDF:[https://highlanderjuan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/William-Cooper-Behold-a-Pale-Horse.pdf Highlander Juan's archive]. Internet Archive:[https://archive.org/details/beholdpalehorse0000coop/page/n9/mode/2up "Behold a pale horse"]</ref> Cooper emphasizes his commitment to exposing the truth, supported by his wife, Annie, and their daughter, Dorothy. He claims to have uncovered evidence suggesting that secret societies had been [[Plans to carry out alien invasion false flag|formulating plans]] since 1917 to [[simulated extraterrestrial invasion|fabricate]] a perceived [[extraterrestrial invasion|extraterrestrial threat]]. This manufactured crisis, he argued, was intended to unite humanity under a centralized, one-world government, which he referred to as the [[New World Order]].<ref>Cooper, p. 28</ref>

====Chapter 1 - Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars====
Reprinting of sections of "[[Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars]]" with commentary and emphases by Cooper.

====Chapter 2 - Secret Societies and the New World Order====
Discussion of [[secret society|secret societies]].

====Chapter 3 - Oath of Initiation of an Unidentified Secret Order====
Reprinting of an alleged initiation oath in a secret organization.

====Chapter 4 - Secret Treaty of Verona====

====Chapter 5 - Good-by USA, Hello New World Order====

====Chapter 6 - H.R. 4079 and FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency====

====Chapter 7 - Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 H.R.5210, P.L. 100-690====

====Chapter 8 - Are the Sheep Ready to Shear?====

====Chapter 9 - Anatomy of an Alliance====

====Chapter 10 - Lessons from Lithuania====

====Chapter 11 - Coup de Grace====

====Chapter 12 - The Secret Government====
Discussion of what Cooper calls the [[Secret Government]] and its alleged dealings with [[NHIB|alien]]s. This is perhaps the most widely reproduced chapter.

====Chapter 13 - Treason in High Places====

====Chapter 14 - A Proposed Constitutional Model for the Newstates of America====
Reprinting of a proposed constitutional framework created in an academic study.

====Chapter 15 - Protocols of the Elders of Zion====
Reprinting of ''[[Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]''.   This was removed with Cooper's assent<ref name=Amazon>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Horse-Milton-William-Cooper/dp/0929385225|title=Behold a Pale Horse|publisher=Amazon|access-date=November 27, 2024}}</ref> by the publisher<ref name="azcentral2020">{{cite news|author1=Richard Ruelas|author2=Rob O'Dell|title=How William Cooper and his book 'Behold a Pale Horse' planted seeds of QAnon conspiracy theory|url=https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/arizona-investigations/2020/10/01/behold-pale-horse-how-william-cooper-planted-seeds-qanon-theory/3488115001/|date=October 1, 2020|access-date=January 13, 2020|work=Arizona Republic}}</ref> in later editions.

====Chapter 16 - The Story of Jonathan May====

====Chapter 17 - Documentation: U.S. Army Intelligence Connection with Satanic Church====

====Appendix A - William Cooper's Military Service Record====

====Appendix B - UFOs and Area 51====

====Appendix C - Alien Implants====

====Appendix D - AIDS====

====Appendix E - New World Order====

====Appendix F - U.S. Government Drug Involvement====

====Appendix G - Kurzweil vs. Hopkins====

==Reception and legacy==
''Behold a Pale Horse'' has been both widely influential and highly controversial. Just prior to the trial of [[Terry Nichols]] in 1997, ''[[The Guardian]]'' described it as "the manifesto of the [[Militia organizations in the United States|militia movement]]".<ref name=Vulliamy>{{cite news|last1=Vulliamy|first1=Ed|last2=Dirks|first2=Bruce|title=New trial may solve riddle of Oklahoma bombing|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1997/nov/03/mcveigh.usa|access-date=January 17, 2013|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=November 3, 1997|location=London}}</ref>

[[Political science|Political scientist]] [[Michael Barkun]] characterized it as "among the most complex superconspiracy theories" and credited its widespread popularity in militia circles and mainstream bookstores for its influence.<ref name="Barkun2006">{{cite book|author=Michael Barkun|title=A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LiwjVsNBw-cC&pg=PA60|access-date=January 5, 2012|year=2006|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-520-24812-0|page=60}}</ref> Sociologist [[Paul Gilroy]] noted Cooper's claim of an "elaborate conspiracy theory" linking the Kennedy assassination, secret world government activities, and covert Illuminati schemes.<ref name=Gilroy/>

Historian [[Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke]] criticized the book as a "chaotic [[:wikt:farrago|farrago]] of conspiracy myths" filled with extraneous material, such as reprints of government documents, intended to depict the alleged imposition of a world government on the American people in violation of the Constitution.<ref name=Goodrick-Clarke>{{cite book|last=Goodrick-Clarke|first=Nicholas|title=Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity|year=2002|publisher=[[New York University Press]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0814731550|pages=284–285|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xaiaM77s6N4C|author-link=Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke|access-date=January 17, 2013|chapter=Conspiracy Beliefs and the New World Order}}</ref>

Despite the criticism, the book remains a cornerstone in conspiracy literature and has had a lasting influence on various communities, including [[UFOs|UFO enthusiasts]], militia groups, and conspiracy theorists.

==References==
{{Reflist}}