Milton William Cooper: The conspiracy theorist who predicted 9/11
Milton William Cooper was a conspiracy theorist who made various predictions during his career. Read on to find out more.
Image: Milton William Cooper | Fair Use
When it comes to interesting figures in the American conspiracy theorist circle, Milton William Cooper was and still is hugely influential.
Cooper was a conspiracy theorist, but also an author and radio broadcaster. He was known for wild claims related to extraterrestrials, government control, and intelligence agencies in the US. As well as these theories, he also made predictions that he detailed in his book, Behold a Pale Horse.
This Sky HISTORY article takes a deeper dive into the life and career of Milton William Cooper. Read on to learn about his life and career as well as some of his most prominent predictions and theories.
Who was Milton William Cooper?
Cooper’s early life isn’t well documented beyond what he has said in his own words. What we know is that he was born in Long Beach, California, on 6th May 1943. He was born to Dovie Nell Woodside Cooper and Milton V. Cooper. He also had two sisters, Dorothy and Allyson Cooper.
According to Cooper, he spent his younger years serving in the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, and the Naval Intelligence Division. He claimed to have done this until he was discharged in 1975, but public records suggested that his service was only in the Navy.
What is known for sure is that he was a petty officer second class while in the Navy. He obtained two service medals, and completed a tour of duty in Vietnam. He also worked alongside Admiral Bernard A. Clarey – one of the US Navy’s most decorated officers – as part of his briefing team at the end of the war.
Following his naval service, Cooper went to junior college. He then worked at different vocational and technical schools. Cooper began getting more involved in conspiracy theories in 1988.
Milton William Cooper’s conspiracy theories
Cooper’s most significant conspiracy theories were all about aliens. He made claims that he had seen secret documents regarding interactions between the American government and aliens while he worked in naval intelligence. The fact that Cooper had genuine experience in the navy initially excited those in the UFOlogy circles.
However, questions soon began to arise, as records showed that the rank that Cooper achieved in the Navy was not high enough to have allowed him access to classified information. He was also accused of stealing information that had already been published by the UFOlogy community. Despite this, Cooper continued with his claims, and in 1991, he became something of an icon within conspiracy theorists.
Behold a Pale Horse
As mentioned, Cooper wrote and published a book called Behold a Pale Horse in 1991. This became a highly influential piece of literature in the conspiracy theorist community. In this book, he put forth several extreme conspiracies.
One theory revolves around the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Cooper claims that, in 1963, Kennedy had threatened to reveal to the public that extraterrestrials exist, which is what led to the Secret Service assassinating him.
Another well-known and particularly shocking claim from the book was about HIV/AIDS. Cooper asserted that the disease is man-made and had been created to decrease the number of homosexual men, along with Hispanic and black people. This is one of Cooper’s more disturbing theories.
9/11 prediction
In June 2001, during a recording of his radio show, Cooper started to discuss Osama bin Laden. He claimed that bin Laden had been funded by the CIA and had been trained by them. He then warned that the US should be prepared for a ‘major attack’.
Cooper stated, ‘Something terrible is going to happen in this country. And whatever is going to happen they’re going to blame on Osama bin Laden. Don’t you even believe it.’
Three months later, the September 11th terrorist attacks occurred in the United States. These were coordinated suicide attacks undertaken by the militant pan Islamist group Al-Qaeda, and bin Laden was the leader of this organization at the time.
The death of Milton William Cooper
By the late 90s, Cooper began to shift towards anti-government and militia culture. This eventually led to his death. Cooper was named a major fugitive in 2000 after eluding arrest attempts for tax evasion since 1998. Deputies arrived at his home in Eagar, Arizona, on 5th November 2001. They planned to finally arrest him, but Cooper opened fire. He shot one deputy in the head before he was fatally shot himself.
Despite the controversy that surrounds him, it’s clear that Milton William Cooper’s predictions and conspiracy theories have created a legacy that continues to this day.
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