Editing Milton William Cooper

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{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name                      = Milton William Cooper
| image                     = Milton William Cooper.png
| image_size                =
| alt                       =
| caption                   =
| birth_name                =
| birth_date                = {{birth date|1943|05|06}}
| birth_place               = [[Long Beach, California]], U.S.
| death_date                = {{Death date and age|2001|11|05|1943|05|06}}
| death_place               = [[Eagar, Arizona]], U.S.
| death_cause               = [[Ballistic trauma|Gunshot]]
| resting_place             = Springerville Cemetery<br />[[Springerville, Arizona]]
| other_names               = Bill Cooper
| occupation                = Conspiracy theorist, radio broadcaster, author
}}

'''Milton William "Bill" Cooper''' (May 6, 1943&nbsp;– November 5, 2001) was an American [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]], radio broadcaster, and author known for his [[1991]] book ''[[Behold a Pale Horse]]'', in which he warned of multiple global conspiracies, some involving [[extraterrestrial life]].<ref name="LATimes death">{{cite news|title=Arizona Militia Figure Is Shot to Death |url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-07-mn-1182-story.html | work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date= November 7, 2001 |page= A24 |access-date= January 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Landes2011">{{cite book|author=Richard Allen Landes|title=Heaven on Earth: The Varieties of the Millennial Experience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9TulaFe5FTYC&pg=PA418|access-date=January 4, 2012|year= 2011|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-975359-8|page=418}}</ref><ref name="Goldwag2009">{{cite book|author=Arthur Goldwag|title=Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies: The Straight Scoop on Freemasons, the Illuminati, Skull and Bones, Black Helicopters, the New World Order, and Many, Many More|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDbM5GeMgXIC|access-date=January 4, 2012|year=2009|publisher=Random House Digital, Inc.|isbn=978-0-307-39067-7}}</ref> Cooper also described [[HIV/AIDS]] as a man-made disease used to target blacks, [[Hispanic]]s, and [[Homosexuality|homosexuals]], and that a cure was made before it was implemented.<ref name="Bill Cooper interview CNN Uncut original">{{cite news|title=Bill Cooper interview CNN Uncut original |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOlybRtTnpM | access-date=June 13, 2015 | time=39:00}}</ref> He has been described as a "militia theoretician".<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 was killed in 2001 by sheriff's deputies after he shot at them during an attempted arrest.<ref name="LATimes death"/>

==Early life, military service, education, and employment==
Little is known about Cooper's background beyond his own accounts. He recounted being raised in a [[military family]] and graduating from [[Yamato High School]] in Japan in 1961.<ref>Cooper, Milton William. ''[[Behold a Pale Horse]]''. Light Technology Publishing, 1991, pp. 13–14.</ref> He claimed to have enlisted in the [[United States Air Force]] that fall, receiving training at [[Lackland Air Force Base]] and the Aircraft & Missile Pneudraulics School at [[Amarillo Air Force Base]].<ref>Cooper, pp. 14–15.</ref> He was assigned to the [[Strategic Air Command]], working with [[B-52 bombers]], [[KC-135 refueling aircraft]], and [[Minuteman missiles]] under a [[Security clearance|Secret-level clearance]].<ref>Cooper, p. 14.</ref> While stationed at [[Sheppard Air Force Base]] with the 495th Bomb Wing, Cooper socialized off-duty with sergeants who, he claimed, told him about being attached to a [[UFO retrieval program|special unit]] that [[UFO retrieval|recovered]] [[UFO crash landing|crashed]] [[flying saucers]]. He stated that he did not believe these stories at the time.

Cooper described witnessing the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]] on live television while on duty as [[Charge of Quarters]] (CQ) for the Field Maintenance Squadron. He detailed the tense three days that followed, including the triggering of a [[DEFCON|DEFCON Two]] alert.<ref>Cooper, pp. 15–16.</ref> He left the Air Force with an honorable discharge in 1965.

He then joined the [[United States Navy]] and was assigned to the [[USS Tiru (SS-416)]], a [[submarine]] stationed at [[Pearl Harbor]]. During a test dive off the coast of [[Oahu]], Cooper and the crew allegedly [[USS Tiru UFO sighting|witnessed]] a [[List of sightings of UFOs claimed to be more than 100 meters long|massive]] UFO [[transmedium UFO|emerging from the ocean]], tumbling, and ascending into the clouds.<ref>Cooper, pp. 18–20.</ref> Following his submarine service, Cooper was transferred to the [[USS Tombigbee (AOG-11)]], a gasoline tanker. Later, he attended the [[Naval Security and Intelligence School]] and trained as an Internal Security Specialist.<ref>Cooper, pp. 21–22.</ref>

During his deployment to [[Vietnam]], Cooper claimed to have commanded a patrol boat and alleged witnessing significant [[UFO activity]], including reports of [[UFO light attack|mysterious blue light attacks]], [[Mass abduction#Vietnam War|village disappearances]], and [[Human mutilation using exotic technology|mutilations of soldiers]].<ref>Cooper, pp. 25–26.</ref> At the end of the war, while working in [[Naval Intelligence]], Cooper served on a briefing team for Admiral [[Bernard A. Clarey]].<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|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=2006|isbn=978-0520248120|page=60}}</ref> His final assignment was at the headquarters of the [[Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet]] (CINCPACFLT) in Hawaii, where he claimed to have received a Top Secret, [[Q clearance|Q]], [[Sensitive Compartmented Information]] clearance.<ref>Cooper, pp. 26–27.</ref> Cooper stated that during this time, while serving on the CINCPACFLT Intelligence Briefing Team, he learned details implicating the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] in the Kennedy assassination, alleging that a [[William Greer|Secret Service agent]] in the presidential limousine fired the fatal shot.

Public records confirm only a period of service in the Navy, where he held the rank of [[Petty officer second class]] and participated in a tour of duty in [[Vietnam]], during which he received two service medals.<ref>{{cite web|title=Milton William Cooper|url=https://aad.archives.gov/aad/display-partial-records.jsp?f=4254&mtch=2&q=milton+william+cooper&cat=all&dt=1784&tf=F|website=AAD Archives|access-date=November 24, 2014}}</ref>

According to his account in the foreword of ''Behold a Pale Horse'', after his military career, Cooper attended a junior college in California, earning a degree in photography.<ref>Cooper, p. 28.</ref> He worked at technical and vocational schools, including serving as Chief Instructor at the [[Coastal School of Deep Sea Diving]] and leading the Mixed Gas Deep Saturation Diving Department. He also taught underwater photography at the [[College of Oceaneering]]. Cooper later held administrative roles at several institutions, including [[Airco Technical Institute]], [[Adelphi Business College]], [[Pacific Coast Technical Institute]], and [[National Technical College]].

{{Infobox insider account
| name = Milton William Cooper <!-- Full name of the alleged insider, if known. -->
| image = <!-- No confirmed image available. -->
| caption = Author of ''Behold a Pale Horse'' and alleged Naval Intelligence insider <!-- A brief caption describing the image or role of the subject. -->
| other_names = Bill Cooper <!-- Any known aliases or other names the subject goes by. -->
| role = Naval Intelligence specialist <!-- The role or title most associated with the subject's alleged activities. -->
| affiliation = [[United States Navy]] <!-- Organizations the subject was officially involved with, i.e., the "cover" role or affiliation. -->
| affiliation_in_practice = Intelligence briefing on alleged classified extraterrestrial programs <!-- Actual or de facto (alleged) role or affiliation. -->
| bureaucratic_obfuscation = Classified intelligence roles <!-- Mechanisms used to obscure their true role, such as how it was ensured that their salary would be paid without the true source of the money being traceable. -->
| status = Deceased <!-- Current or last known status of the subject (e.g., Active, Retired, Deceased). -->
| status_date = 2001 <!-- Date of the stated status, if known. -->
| experience_date = 1965–1975 <!-- Timeframe during which the subject's alleged experiences occurred. -->
| experience_location = [[USS Tiru (SS-416)]], [[CINCPACFLT headquarters]], Hawaii <!-- Known or suspected locations where experiences took place. -->
| experience_type = Naval Intelligence briefing, UFO sightings <!-- Type or nature of experiences that give them "insider" credibility. -->
| technology_encountered = <!-- Technologies the subject claims to have encountered, if applicable. -->
| beings_encountered =  <!-- Types of beings allegedly encountered by the subject, if applicable. -->
| alleged_activities = Briefing on classified programs <!-- Activities the subject is alleged to have engaged in. -->
| claims = Government involvement in cover-ups of [[Agreements between NHIBs and terrestrial human organizations|agreements with aliens]]<!-- Notable claims made by or attributed to the subject. -->
| physical_evidence = <!-- Physical evidence the subject has presented, if any. -->
| disclosure_type = <!-- Type of disclosure (e.g., whistleblower, leak, voluntary or coerced, controlled disclosure, other, etc.). -->
| retaliation = Alleged attempts on his life <!-- Alleged retaliatory actions taken against in response to the subject's attempted or actual disclosure. -->
| first_public_account_date = 1988, [[Paranet]]; 1991, ''[[Behold a Pale Horse]]''<!-- Date of the first public account by the subject regarding their inside knowledge. -->
| suppression_of_evidence = Classified naval records <!-- Alleged suppression of evidence related to the subject's claims, including evidence of the subject's insider status. -->
| suppression_of_testimony = Alleged intimidation and murder attempts <!-- Alleged suppression of the subject's personal account, i.e., attempts to discourage from speaking publicly, e.g., threats, attempts to discredit, unfair criminal charges. -->
| suppression_of_corroborative_testimony = Unknown <!-- Alleged suppression or attempts to discourage corroborative witnesses' testimony, attempts to silence. -->
| public_accounts = ''Behold a Pale Horse'' (1991); public lectures <!-- Publications, interviews, or public accounts related to the subject. -->
| known_for = Allegations of UFO cover-ups and secret government programs <!-- What the subject is notably recognized for. -->
| notable_contributions = [[grand conspiracy]] theories regarding [[NHIB|alien]]s controlling the [[Illuminati]] (who in turn control much of everything through [[secret societies]]) <!-- Key contributions to public disclosure/understanding of paranormal, unverified concepts/ technologies, corruption/major wrongdoing of public concern, etc., that the subject is recognized for. -->
| notable_works = ''[[Behold a Pale Horse]]'' (1991) <!-- Significant works or publications attributed to the subject. -->
| attempts_to_debunk = Unknown <!-- Known attempts to debunk the subject's claims. -->
| website = <!-- No confirmed website. -->
| signature = <!-- No confirmed signature available. -->
| footnotes = <!-- Cooper’s claims remain controversial and lack corroborative evidence. Additional notes or relevant references specific to the subject. -->
}}

==Early whistleblowing and alleged harassment==
Cooper described experiencing harassment after his initial attempts to leak information. According to his account, he was [[vehicular homicide|forced off a cliff]] by a [[limousine|black limousine]] in the hills of [[Oakland, California]]. While he was injured and covered in blood, the two men checked if he was still alive before leaving him at the scene.<ref>Cooper, p. 28.</ref> He survived the incident but claimed that a month later, the same limousine forced him into another accident, resulting in the [[amputation|loss of his leg]]. While recovering in the hospital, Cooper stated that two men visited him, [[intimidation of witnesses to paranormal events, disputed events, and conspiracies|warning him to remain silent or face fatal consequences]]. He alleged that these events were attempts to intimidate him into silence regarding his knowledge of government involvement in UFO activities and other conspiracies.

Despite these incidents, Cooper continued his efforts to share his information. He described these experiences as pivotal moments that solidified his resolve to disclose what he believed to be hidden truths.<ref>Cooper, pp. 28–29.</ref>

In 1988, Cooper claimed to have read about [[Operation Majestic 12]] in a magazine article by [[William Moore (ufologist)|William Moore]], [[Jaime Shandera]], and [[Stanton Friedman]]. The article described the [[UFO retrieval|recovery]] of a [[UFO crash landing|downed saucer]], [[recovery of alien remains|dead alien bodies]], and [[government cover-up of UFOs|government efforts]] to [[concealment of UFO-related evidence|conceal]] these events under a [[classified program|secret program]] called [[Majestic 12]]. Cooper alleged that this information was disinformation intended to mislead UFO researchers but nonetheless aligned with certain elements of what he believed to be true.

That same year, he began publicly sharing his controversial theories, many of which involved government complicity in UFO-related cover-ups.<ref name="Carroll">{{cite book|last=Carroll|first=Robert Todd|title=The Skeptic's Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions|year=2003|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons, Inc.]]|location=Hoboken, NJ|isbn=978-1118045633|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6FPqDFx40vYC&pg=PA175|author-link=Robert Todd Carroll|access-date=January 17, 2013|page=175}}</ref> He disseminated his claims through mailings, lectures, and [[computer bulletin boards]] to reach a wider audience.

==''Behold a Pale Horse''==
{{Main|Behold a Pale Horse (book)}}
In 1991, Cooper wrote and published ''Behold a Pale Horse''.<ref name=Gilroy/> The book has been influential among "UFO and militia circles".<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> 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>

According to sociologist [[Paul Gilroy]], Cooper claimed "an elaborate conspiracy theory that encompasses the Kennedy assassination, the doings of the secret world government, the coming ice age, and a variety of other covert activities associated with the [[Illuminati]]'s declaration of war upon the people of America".<ref name=Gilroy/> [[Political science|Political scientist]] [[Michael Barkun]] characterized it as "among the most complex superconspiracy theories", and also among the most influential due to its popularity in militia circles as well as mainstream bookstores.<ref name="Barkun2006" /> Historian [[Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke]] described the book as a "chaotic [[:wikt:farrago|farrago]] of conspiracy myths interspersed with reprints of executive laws, official papers, reports and other extraneous materials designed to show the looming prospect of a world government imposed on the American people against their wishes and in flagrant contempt 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>

== UFOs, aliens and the Illuminati ==
{{External media and documents|document1=[https://www.sacred-texts.com/ufo/usstiru.htm Text of Cooper's first post] to a UFO message board<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fbfsBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT94 | title=Pale Horse Rider: William Cooper, the Rise of Conspiracy, and the Fall of Trust in America | isbn=978-0-698-15798-9 | last1=Jacobson | first1=Mark | date=September 4, 2018 | publisher=Penguin }}</ref>}}
Cooper gained attention in [[Ufology]] circles in 1988 when he claimed to have seen secret documents while in the Navy describing governmental dealings with extraterrestrials, a topic on which he expounded in ''Behold a Pale Horse.''<ref name="Barkun2006" /> By one account he served as a "low level clerk" in the Navy, and as such would not have had the security clearance needed to access classified documents.<ref name="Kirk 2"/> In the Summer of 1988,  Cooper made his first public comments on the ParaNet [[Bulletin Board System]], an early UFO message board, claiming that in 1966 he was serving aboard the ''[[USS Tiru]]'' when he and fellow Navy personnel witnessed a metal craft "larger than a football field" repeatedly enter and exit the water.<ref name="Rider">{{cite book
 | last = Jacobson
 | first = Mark
 | year = 2018
 | title = Pale Horse Rider: William Cooper, the Rise of Conspiracy, and the Fall of Trust in America
 | publisher = Blue Rider Press
 | isbn = 978-0399169953
}}</ref>  
Cooper claimed he was instructed by superiors to never speak about the incident.<ref name="Rider"/> Biographer Mark Jacobson argues "the Tiru incident itself would not have done much to make Cooper's name in ufology. That opportunity came only a few days later" when he was contacted by fellow ParaNet poster [[John Olsen Lear|John Lear]]. Lear, the son of Learjet founder [[Bill Lear]], identified as a pilot who had flown missions for the CIA.<ref name="Rider"/>  Lear was the author of a post titled "The UFO Coverup" which incorporated [[Dulce Base|elements of mythos]] from [[Paul Bennewitz]], a ufologist who was later revealed to have been fed disinformation by American counter-intelligence agent [[Richard Doty]].<ref name="Rider"/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TQ3BBAAAQBAJ|title = Mirage Men: A Journey into Disinformation, Paranoia and UFOs|isbn = 978-1849012409|last1 = Pilkington|first1 = Mark|year=2010| publisher=Little, Brown Book }}</ref>  Cooper soon visited Lear, and the two spent much time together from 1988 to 1990.<ref name="Rider"/>

Cooper's views were heavily influenced by Lear and his story of alien collusion with secret governmental forces.<ref name="Pioneer">{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/150922/pioneer-paranoia|title = A Pioneer of Paranoia|magazine = The New Republic|date = August 28, 2018|last1 = Dickey|first1 = Colin}}</ref> In 1989, the two released an "indictment" against the US Government for "aiding and abetting and concealing this Alien Nation which exists in our borders".<ref name="Pioneer"/>  In 2018, columnist [[Colin Dickey]] noted the pair's influence, writing "in the early years [UFO writers] did not, by and large, embrace strong political positions. They were the tip of a spear asserting that the number one thing we had to fear was not little green men, but the government that colluded with them, appropriating their technology against us."<ref name="Pioneer"/> Cooper and Lear's collaboration lasted for a few years, after which Cooper accused Lear of being a CIA plant.<ref name="Pioneer"/>

[[Ufologists]] later asserted that some of the material Cooper claimed to have seen in Naval Intelligence documents was actually plagiarized by Cooper from their own research, including several items that the ufologists had fabricated as pranks.<ref>Doherty, Brian (December 7, 2001). Death Wish: How rebels punch their own ticket. [http://reason.com/archives/2001/12/07/death-wish Reason.com archive]. Retrieved February 5, 2013</ref> Don Ecker of ''[[UFO Magazine]]'' ran a series of exposés on Cooper in 1990.<ref>Ecker, Don. ''Bill Cooper''. [http://www.skeptictank.org/files//ufo2/cooperex.htm Skeptic Tank archive] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419231144/http://www.skeptictank.org/files/ufo2/cooperex.htm |date=April 19, 2018 }}. Retrieved February 5, 2013</ref>

Cooper linked the Illuminati with his beliefs that extraterrestrials were secretly involved with the United States government, but later retracted these claims. He accused President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] of negotiating a treaty with extraterrestrials in 1954, which supposedly allowed the aliens to [[Alien abduction|abduct humans]] in exchange for technological assistance.<ref>[[Al Franken]], [[Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations]], [[Bantam Books]] 1996 p.122.</ref> Cooper then claimed that Eisenhower had established an inner circle of Illuminati to manage relations with the aliens and keep their presence a secret from the general public. Cooper believed that aliens "manipulated and/or ruled the human race through various secret societies, religions, magic, witchcraft, and the occult", and that even the Illuminati were unknowingly being manipulated by them.<ref name="Barkun2006" />

Cooper described the Illuminati as a secret international organization, controlled by the [[Bilderberg Group]], that conspired with the [[Knights of Columbus]], [[Freemasonry|Masons]], [[Skull and Bones]], and other organizations. Its ultimate goal, he said, was the establishment of a [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|New World Order]]. According to Cooper, the Illuminati conspirators not only invented alien threats for their own gain, but actively conspired with extraterrestrials to take over the world.<ref name="Barkun2006" />  Cooper believed that [[James Forrestal]]'s fatal fall from a window on the sixteenth floor of [[Walter Reed National Military Medical Center|Bethesda Hospital]] was connected to the alleged secret committee [[Majestic 12]], and that [[JASON (advisory group)|JASON advisory group]] scientists reported to an elite group of [[Trilateral Commission]] and [[Council on Foreign Relations]] executive committee members who were high-ranking members of the Illuminati.<ref name="Landes2011" /><ref name="Goldwag2009" />

Cooper also claimed that the [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]] conspiracy theory forgery ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]'' was actually an Illuminati work, and instructed readers to substitute "[[Priory of Sion|Sion]]" for "Zion", "Illuminati" for "Jews",  and "cattle" for "[[Goy]]im".<ref name="Goldwag2009" /><ref name="Cooper1991">{{cite book|author=Milton William Cooper|title=Behold a pale horse|url=https://archive.org/details/beholdpalehorse0000coop|url-access=registration|access-date=January 5, 2012|year= 1991|publisher=Light Technology Publishing|isbn=978-0-929385-22-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/beholdpalehorse0000coop/page/267 267]}}</ref><ref name="Chang2005">{{cite book|author=Jeff Chang|title=Can't stop, won't stop: a history of the hip-hop generation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4aofRcBRvMgC&pg=PA438|access-date=January 5, 2012|year= 2005|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-30143-9|page=438}}</ref> The publisher removed the chapter that was a reproduction of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion document from later printings of ''Behold a Pale Horse''.<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>

== Kennedy assassination ==
In ''Behold a Pale Horse'', Cooper asserts that President [[John F. Kennedy]] was [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassinated]] because he was about to reveal that extraterrestrials were in the process of taking over the Earth. According to a "top secret" video of the assassination that Cooper claimed to have discovered, the driver of the [[SS-100-X|presidential limousine]], [[William Greer]], used "a gas pressure device developed by aliens from the Trilateral Commission" to shoot the president from the driver's seat.<ref name="Kirk 2">{{cite news|last=Kirk|first=Paul|title=Govt Aids nut linked to Ku Klux Klan|url=http://www.mg.co.za/article/2000-09-08-govt-aids-nut-linked-to-ku-klux-klan|access-date=January 17, 2013|newspaper=[[Mail & Guardian]]|date=September 8, 2000|location=Johannesburg}}</ref> The [[Zapruder film]] shows Greer twice turning to look into the back seat of the car; Cooper theorized that Greer first turned to assess Kennedy's status after the external attack, and then to fire the fatal shot. Conspiracy theories implicating Greer reportedly "snowballed" after publication of ''Behold a Pale Horse''.<ref name="Tyrone Times">{{cite news|title=Did Stewartstown native kill JFK?|url=http://www.tyronetimes.co.uk/news/local/did-stewartstown-native-kill-jfk-1-1747006|access-date=January 17, 2013|newspaper=Tyrone Times|date=July 17, 2008|location=Dungannon, Northern Ireland|archive-date=July 29, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729173942/http://www.tyronetimes.co.uk/news/local/did-stewartstown-native-kill-jfk-1-1747006|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Cooper's video purporting to prove his theory was analyzed by several television stations, according to one source, and was found to be "...&nbsp;a poor-quality fake using chunks of the... Zapruder film."<ref name="Kirk 2"/>

== HIV/AIDS ==
In ''Behold a Pale Horse'' Cooper proposed that [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] was the result of a conspiracy to decrease the populations of [[Black people|blacks]], [[Hispanic]]s, and [[Homosexuality|homosexuals]].<ref name="Carroll"/> In 2000 [[Department of Health (South Africa)|South Africa's Minister of Health]] [[Manto Tshabalala-Msimang]] received criticism for distributing the chapter discussing this theory to senior South African government officials.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|title=SA Government steps into Aids row|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/924927.stm|access-date=January 17, 2013|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|date=September 14, 2000}}</ref>

== Radio show ==
From 1992 until his death in November 2001, Cooper originated his radio show, ''The Hour of the Time'' from a studio in his house at the top of a hill in the small [[White Mountains (Arizona)|White Mountains]] town of [[Eagar, Arizona]], 15 miles from the New Mexico border.<ref name="Worthington">{{cite web |last1=Worthington |first1=Rogers |title=Far—Right Info Web: Rumors, Untruths |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-04-26-9504260072-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |date=April 26, 1995 |publisher=[[The Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=8 June 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Jacobson |first1=Mark |title=The Granddaddy of American Conspiracy Theorists |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=22 August 2018 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/william-cooper-conspiracy-theory-711469/ |access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref> Cooper sent his show via [[audio cassette]], satellite patch, or direct telephone link to [[WWCR]] in Nashville where it was broadcast by the station's 100,000-watt shortwave transmitter.<ref name="Worthington" /><ref name="Griff">{{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Griff |title=Conspiracy Theories Flourish on Radical Shortwave Radio |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/article/2500802/conspiracy-theories-flourish-on-radical-shortwave-radio |website=oklahoman.com |date=April 30, 1995 |publisher=[[The Oklahoman]] |access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref> [[Mark Potok]], spokesman for the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]], said Cooper was well known within the militia movement for his anti-government [[shortwave radio]] program. Oklahoma City bomber [[Timothy McVeigh]] was reportedly a fan.<ref name="Bergmann2018">{{cite book|author=Eirikur Bergmann|title=Conspiracy & Populism: The Politics of Misinformation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pF5qDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|year=2018|publisher=Springer International Publishing|isbn=978-3-319-90359-0|pages=72–}}</ref><ref name="LATimes death" /><ref name="Barkun2013">{{cite book|author=Michael Barkun|title=A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rn213R48e2YC&pg=PR11|year= 2013|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-95652-0|pages=11–}}</ref> McVeigh was reported by ''[[The Daily Beast]]'' to have ordered from Cooper a cassette, ''Waco, The Big Lie'', which the radio host marketed. Cooper broadcast conspiracy theories on the [[Waco siege]] in early 1993, which he believed had been the opening battle in a new Civil War. He later participated in the early radio shows of [[Alex Jones]], who was an admirer of his broadcasts.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ling|first=Justin|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-a-crazy-plan-to-rebuild-waco-compound-gave-us-alex-jones|title=How a Crazy Plan to Rebuild Waco Compound Gave Us Alex Jones|website=The Daily Beast|date=November 29, 2021|access-date=April 19, 2022}}</ref>

On June 28, 2001, commenting on a televised interview of [[Osama bin Laden]] at his hideout in Afghanistan, Cooper claimed that bin Laden would soon be "blamed" for a 'major attack' on a large U.S. city, "but don't you believe it". Immediately after the attacks on [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001]], he predicted the U.S. would soon be at war in 'two or maybe three countries'.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/william-cooper-conspiracy-theory-711469/| author=Mark Jacobson| title=The Granddaddy of American Conspiracy Theorists| publisher=Rolling Stone| date=August 22, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Pioneer"/> He began broadcasting the [[World Trade Center controlled demolition conspiracy theories|"controlled demolition" conspiracy theory]] on the day of the attacks, which eventually became a center of [[9/11 conspiracy theories]].<ref name="azcentral2020"/>

== Death ==
As Cooper moved away from the Ufology community and toward the militia and anti-government subculture in the late 1990s, he became convinced that he was being personally targeted by President [[Bill Clinton]] and the [[Internal Revenue Service]]. In July 1998, he was charged with [[Tax evasion in the United States|tax evasion]]; an arrest warrant was issued, but Cooper eluded repeated attempts to serve it. In 2000, he was named a "major fugitive" by the [[United States Marshals Service]].<ref name="Barkun2006"/>

On November 5, 2001, [[Apache County, Arizona|Apache County]] [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff's deputies]] attempted to arrest Cooper at his [[Eagar, Arizona]] home on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and endangerment stemming from disputes with local residents. After an exchange of gunfire during which Cooper shot one of the deputies in the head, Cooper was fatally shot. Federal authorities reported that Cooper had spent years evading execution of the 1998 arrest warrant, and according to a spokesman for the Marshals Service, he vowed that "he would not be taken alive".<ref name="LATimes death" />

==In popular culture==
* Cooper's writing holds enduring popularity in hip hop, being referenced by artists including [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]], [[Tupac Shakur]], and [[Jay-Z]].<ref name="Vulture" />
* The rapper [[Black Market Militia|William Cooper]] took his stage name from Milton William Cooper.<ref name="Vulture">{{cite web |last1=Jacobson |first1=Mark |title=The Conspiracist Manual That Influenced a Generation of Rappers |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/how-behold-a-pale-horse-influenced-hip-hop.html |website=vulture.com |date=August 22, 2018 |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref>
* ''[[The X-Files]]'' incorporated numerous elements of Cooper's mythos of a secret government in collusion with alien beings.  In one of the most famous episodes, "[[Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man]]",  John F. Kennedy is assassinated to prevent him from revealing the existence of aliens.<ref name="Rider"/>  The [[The X-Files (film)|1998 ''X-Files'' film]] uses phrasing from Cooper (e.g. "Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars") and features the name Cooper in apparent homage.<ref name="Rider"/>
* In 1997, hip hop group [[Killarmy]] released their debut album, ''[[Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars]]'', a title drawn from Cooper's work.

===Books===
* {{cite book
 | last = Cooper
 | first = Milton William
 | title = Behold a Pale Horse
 | year = 1991
 | publisher = Light Technology Publications
 | isbn = 0-929385-22-5
}}

== Lectures ==

* ''Truth vs Deception'' (Undated, audio only), 1h 14m
* ''Sedona Speech'' (September 24, 1989), 3h 26m
* ''The Secret Government: Origin, Identity and Purpose of the Real MJ-12'' (1989), 1h 28m
* ''UFOs, Aliens and the Black Government'' (1990), 2h 2m
* ''Behold a Pale Horse'' (1991), 4h 40m
* ''UFO Alien Agenda Conference'' (September 9, 1991), 3h 37m
* ''The Little Ale'Inn'' (July 9, 1993), 1h
* ''Wembley Speech'' (January 9, 1993), 2h 45m
* ''Lansing, Michigan'' (1996), 1h
* ''The Porterville Presentation'' (1997), 11h

== Self-produced videos ==
Produced as "Shining Star Productions": 

* ''Project Redlight'' (1991), 2h 2m
* ''Project Redlight II'' (1992), 1h 38m
* ''JFK: Assassin Unmasked'' (1993), 45m
* ''Kennedy, The Sacrificed King'' (1993), 1h 14m
* ''Luxor'' (1994), 54m

== Media appearances ==

* Interview with Ellie Crystal (Undated)
* ''UFO Investigations-The Cover Up'' (1989)
* On the Kennedy Assassination, KUTV (May 15, 1991)
* ''Dimensions in Parapsychology'' (1991)
* Shane Eden's ''The UFO Connection'' (1991)
* NYC Public Access Interview (April 24, 1992)
* The CNN Interview (May 3, 1992)
* ''Reichstag '95'' (1995)
* ''The Land of the Lost Story'' (1999), dir. Anna Zetchus Smith
* ''The Hour of Our Time: The Legacy of William Cooper'' (2006), dir. Jim Jankiewicz

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
 | last = Barkun
 | first = Michael
 | year = 2003
 | title = A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America
 | publisher = [[University of California Press]]
 | isbn = 0-520-23805-2
}}
* {{cite book
 | last = Jacobson
 | first = Mark
 | year = 2018
 | title = Pale Horse Rider: William Cooper, the Rise of Conspiracy, and the Fall of Trust in America
 | publisher = [[E. P. Dutton|Blue Rider Press]]
 | isbn = 9780399169953
}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20191010104056/http://hourofthetime.com/ www.hourofthetime.com]—official site
<!--* {{Find a Grave|32578338}}-->
* [https://archive.org/download/MiltonWilliamCooper-Presentations A collection of lectures at the Internet Archive]
* [https://archive.org/download/MiltonWilliamCooper-Documentaries A collection of self-produced documentaries at the Internet Archive]
* [https://archive.org/download/MiltonWilliamCooper-Interviews A collection of media appearances at the Internet Archive]
* [https://archive.org/details/BillCooperComplete Complete catalog of the Hour of the Time radio program]
{{Wikipedia_fork
| import_date = 12 November 2024
}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Milton William}}
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