I put this in GD, because I thought it would an interesting take on Alternative History.
Tomorrow on the news, the evidence came out that a conspiracy theory is true. We’re talking smoking gun, beyond a reasonable doubt, a confession, etc. In other words, what was conspired all this time was really the unequivocal truth. What would be the effect:
For starters:
What if it was discovered the CIA really planned the JFK assassination? Assume it was done at a high level (like the theorists say), so there won’t be some low-level heads rolling. Is 40 years too late to do anything?
An extraterrestrial craft did crash at Roswell, and is in Area 51? Not fuzzy pictures or documents, but they produce the space ship. The proof of bona-fide aliens could have an extreme effect on our world (like religion & science), but what would be some of the immediate ramifications?
The TV networks and/or league officials do pressure the refs to make sure large-market teams or popular players advance in the NBA? Would it destroy the league, since the Black Sox scandal would pale in comparison?
A little while ago in GQ, we explored if there are any conspiracy theories that have turned out to be true. There have been a number of bonafide conspiracies that have come out over the years.
My contribution was Iran Contra which has all the elements of a kooky, government run, complex conspiracy theory and it turned out to be true.
In summary, the U.S. government, including high ranking military officials, the CIA, and possible even Ronald Reagan himself sold arms secretly to Iran. That money was then funneled in Nicaragua by the CIA to fund the insurgent group, the Contras. This was just an offshoot of decades of involvement in Central America by the CIA and other such partners like United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Banana).
What more could you want out of a conspiracy theory? We had a big scandal in the 1980’s over it, and then it went away. Others would do the same although real aliens might add a twist.
There are plenty of murky goings-on that are yet to be fully revealed, although I don’t think that any are on the scale of your first two examples.
From a UK perspective:
Arms sales to Saudi Arabia have led to the otherwise inexplicable enrichment of a Prime Minister’s son, and more recently the curtailment of a fraud investigation by the current Prime Minister. Will just be the usual tale of greased palms.
The grim details of the dance between the PIRA, RUC, MI5 and the various Loyalist terrorist groups in Northern Ireland. It’s got the lot: extra-judicial killings, high-level informers (Hi Gerry!), drug money. Best left alone, for the moment.
I think the Roswell thing was too far-fetched for a partial OP, so perhaps I should withdraw it. That’s just not a simple “the govt lied to us”, but leads to perhaps one of the most monumental discoveries in human history. Far too great an impact.
Perhaps I should’ve done a) We never landed on the moon (it was a studio) and B) Loose Change had it right.
Sorry Hubzilla, got distracted and didn’t read your OP closely enough.
Who is still alive that could be brought to justice? Certainly the CIA would suddenly find itself under unbearable public scrutiny and some young congresscritters, DAs and Justices would make hay, with a mandate. It’s hard to see how the FBI and Secret Service would survive the aftermath in their current form. Worldwide shrugs would ensue.
The only way to handle this is for a new administration to announce it. “Gee - check this out!”. The military have an obvious escape - “It took us decades to figure out there was no threat to National Security and hey look at this really cool thing”. Ramifications? A lot of anti-American feeling, demands from the UN to share the technology, many alien cults. Business as usual in other words.