The world waited for ages for the so-called "Epstein Files" to be released. And in early 2026, they finally were. Millions of pages of emails, court records, flight logs, witness testimonies and previously classified documents exploded into public view. Many well-known and powerful individuals were mentioned in the files, potentially linking them to convicted offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
The "Epstein Files" are certainly not the only documents to be kept hidden from ordinary people's eyes. In fact, Britannica reports that the United States government classifies around three documents every second. This means they deem the information confidential and sensitive. But every now and again, authorities lift the lid, and dozens of secrets come tumbling out in the form of now-declassified documents.
People have taken a break from the Epstein Files to discuss other declassified docs that range from creepy to downright terrifying. Bored Panda has put together a list of the most disturbing ones, and many might have you wondering: if this is what we're allowed to know, what is still being kept secret?
#1
How the government made it illegal to expose the government for the illegal things they have done.
inactive_directory:
"When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are being ruled by criminals."
- Edward Snowden
zimmah:
If everything the government did would be public, there would be no government.
At least now they can hide behind their propaganda and the fact that most people don’t believe in conspiracy theory (the very fact that conspiracy theory is often considered a synonym for crazy theory shows just how much blind faith people have in the government).
inactive_directory:
"When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are being ruled by criminals."
- Edward Snowden
zimmah:
If everything the government did would be public, there would be no government.
At least now they can hide behind their propaganda and the fact that most people don’t believe in conspiracy theory (the very fact that conspiracy theory is often considered a synonym for crazy theory shows just how much blind faith people have in the government).
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36points
The U.S. classification system leaves billions of documents hidden from view. That's according to a note published in the Yale Law Journal, which adds that any departure from secrecy often grabs headlines worldwide. The author of the note, Sasha Dudding argues that declassification can be dangerous when it gets used for the wrong reasons - and often it does.
"Presidents and others leverage the system by leaking or planting information with the press to bring attention to selected topics. A lesser-studied, and more insidious, way Presidents take advantage of widespread secrecy is by selective declassification—declassifying documents that fit their chosen narratives, while keeping conflicting documents classified," wrote Dudding.
#2
Operation Mockingbird
It was an operation to manipulate the media for propoganda purposes. But they ended it a long time ago... Honest...
the_guy1:
If you ask Anderson Cooper who did work for the CIA if he is apart of Mockingbird bird all he will say is that the Agency doesn't still run programs from the 1950's the only annoying thing about looking into it and him is that conspiracy theorist got a hold of it and went off the road with it so even trying to find interviews of him are hard.
It was an operation to manipulate the media for propoganda purposes. But they ended it a long time ago... Honest...
the_guy1:
If you ask Anderson Cooper who did work for the CIA if he is apart of Mockingbird bird all he will say is that the Agency doesn't still run programs from the 1950's the only annoying thing about looking into it and him is that conspiracy theorist got a hold of it and went off the road with it so even trying to find interviews of him are hard.
27points
#3
Memo from Roger Boisjoly on O-Ring Erosion, months prior to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He essentially predicted (and forewarned) that the rocket O-rings would fail if the shuttle launched in cold weather.
TheBagman19:
Wasn’t he blackballed for this or coming public with it? My dad is an engineer and has an article about this in his office as a reminder of his obligation to do the right thing no matter the cost.
Sibraxlis:
I think he actually regretted not being more vocal about it because it haunted him the rest of his life.
TheBagman19:
Wasn’t he blackballed for this or coming public with it? My dad is an engineer and has an article about this in his office as a reminder of his obligation to do the right thing no matter the cost.
Sibraxlis:
I think he actually regretted not being more vocal about it because it haunted him the rest of his life.
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26points
Dudding points out how "President Bush selectively declassified documents regarding Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction; President Obama did so with documents from the Osama Bin Laden raid; and President Trump did the same with documents on the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election."
In cases like these, believes the expert, selective declassification was used to skew our discussions and choices. In other words, Dudding says the presidents deliberately used declassification to shape politics and public opinion in their favor while concealing undesirable truths.
#4
Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) was subjected to grueling degrading psychological experiments while he was an underage student at Harvard.
omimon:
At the start of the Cold War, Henry Murray developed a personality profiling test to crack soviet spies with psychological warfare and select which US spies are ready to be sent out into the field. As part of Project MKUltra, he began experimenting on Harvard sophomores. He set one student as the control, after he proved to be a completely predictable conformist, and named him "Lawful".
Long story short, the latter half of the experiment involved having the student prepare an essay on his core beliefs as a person for a friendly debate. Instead, Murray had an aggressive interrogator come in and basically tear his beliefs to pieces, mocking everything he stood for, and systematically picking apart every line in the essay to see what it took to get him to react. But he didn't, it just broke him, made him into a mess of a person and left him having to pull his whole life back together again. He graduated, but then turned in his degree only a couple years later, and moved to the woods where he lived for decades.
In all that time, he kept writing his essay. And slowly, he became so sure of his beliefs, so convinced that they were right, that he thought that if the nation didn't read it, we would be irreparably lost as a society. So, he set out to make sure that everyone heard what he had to say, and sure enough, Lawful's "Industrial Society and its Future" has become one of the most well known essays written in the last century. In fact, you've probably read some of it. Although, you probably know it better as The Unabomber Manifesto.
omimon:
At the start of the Cold War, Henry Murray developed a personality profiling test to crack soviet spies with psychological warfare and select which US spies are ready to be sent out into the field. As part of Project MKUltra, he began experimenting on Harvard sophomores. He set one student as the control, after he proved to be a completely predictable conformist, and named him "Lawful".
Long story short, the latter half of the experiment involved having the student prepare an essay on his core beliefs as a person for a friendly debate. Instead, Murray had an aggressive interrogator come in and basically tear his beliefs to pieces, mocking everything he stood for, and systematically picking apart every line in the essay to see what it took to get him to react. But he didn't, it just broke him, made him into a mess of a person and left him having to pull his whole life back together again. He graduated, but then turned in his degree only a couple years later, and moved to the woods where he lived for decades.
In all that time, he kept writing his essay. And slowly, he became so sure of his beliefs, so convinced that they were right, that he thought that if the nation didn't read it, we would be irreparably lost as a society. So, he set out to make sure that everyone heard what he had to say, and sure enough, Lawful's "Industrial Society and its Future" has become one of the most well known essays written in the last century. In fact, you've probably read some of it. Although, you probably know it better as The Unabomber Manifesto.
23points
#5
MKUltra.
The CIA performing illegal experiments on Americans to try to develop mind control.
Anon:
MKUltra was never declassified, it was leaked, and the CIA destroyed all documents surrounding it.
The CIA performing illegal experiments on Americans to try to develop mind control.
Anon:
MKUltra was never declassified, it was leaked, and the CIA destroyed all documents surrounding it.
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22points
#6
The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the African American Community.
3ramifications:
Had to read this in its entirety for a medical ethics class.... The whole class was super depressing, but this study was the cherry on top of messed up situations...
OP:
So few Americans know about it.
AthanAlexander:
This was actually made into feature film, "Miss Evers' Boys" (1997)
3ramifications:
Had to read this in its entirety for a medical ethics class.... The whole class was super depressing, but this study was the cherry on top of messed up situations...
OP:
So few Americans know about it.
AthanAlexander:
This was actually made into feature film, "Miss Evers' Boys" (1997)
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22points
#7
Operation Northwoods. Proposed false flag attacks against American civilians/targets carried out by the CIA and blamed on Cuba in 1962. Thankfully JFK said f**k no and shut that s**t down.
Ornen127:
Apparently, JFK even demoted the guy who proposed this on the spot. Thank god...
Also, this means that this idea had to go through a long chain of command with many h**h-ranking people in the governmemt ageeeing to it.
UWCG:
Do you know if this was when Allen Dulles was still running the CIA? If so, I'm not entirely surprised, him and John Foster Dulles were some bizarre figures who enacted all sorts of problematic plans under Eisenhower. Dulles briefly lingered under JFK, if memory serves, but I think it was the Bay of Pigs that finally got him the boot.
The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer does a great job of giving a biography of them and their actions under Eisenhower; Allen Dulles was head of the CIA, while his brother was Secretary of State, and it was a dangerous combination that led to the US supporting the overthrow of governments through a series of coups in places like Guatemala (Jacobo Arbenz), Iran (Mohammad Mossadegh), Indonesia (Sukarno), and the Congo (Patrice Lumumba).
Ornen127:
Apparently, JFK even demoted the guy who proposed this on the spot. Thank god...
Also, this means that this idea had to go through a long chain of command with many h**h-ranking people in the governmemt ageeeing to it.
UWCG:
Do you know if this was when Allen Dulles was still running the CIA? If so, I'm not entirely surprised, him and John Foster Dulles were some bizarre figures who enacted all sorts of problematic plans under Eisenhower. Dulles briefly lingered under JFK, if memory serves, but I think it was the Bay of Pigs that finally got him the boot.
The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer does a great job of giving a biography of them and their actions under Eisenhower; Allen Dulles was head of the CIA, while his brother was Secretary of State, and it was a dangerous combination that led to the US supporting the overthrow of governments through a series of coups in places like Guatemala (Jacobo Arbenz), Iran (Mohammad Mossadegh), Indonesia (Sukarno), and the Congo (Patrice Lumumba).
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21points
#8
Project Pluto is pretty horrific:
"The proposed use for nuclear-powered ramjets would be to power a cruise missile, called SLAM, for Supersonic Low Altitude Missile. In order to reach ramjet speed, it would be launched from the ground by a cluster of conventional rocket boosters. Once it reached cruising altitude and was far away from populated areas, the nuclear reactor would be made critical.
Since nuclear power gave it almost unlimited range, the missile could cruise in circles over the ocean until ordered "down to the deck" for its supersonic dash to targets in the Soviet Union. The SLAM, as proposed, would carry a payload of many nuclear weapons to be dropped on multiple targets, making the cruise missile into an unmanned bomber. After delivering all its warheads, the missile could then spend weeks flying over populated areas at low altitudes, causing tremendous ground damage with its shock wave and fallout. When it finally lost enough power to fly, and crash-landed, the engine would have a good chance of spewing deadly radiation for months to come."
clout_strife69:
The Russians have been developing hypersonic ramjet nuclear missiles, like, right now. I'm not a scientist but they sound like they are pretty much indefensible.
"The proposed use for nuclear-powered ramjets would be to power a cruise missile, called SLAM, for Supersonic Low Altitude Missile. In order to reach ramjet speed, it would be launched from the ground by a cluster of conventional rocket boosters. Once it reached cruising altitude and was far away from populated areas, the nuclear reactor would be made critical.
Since nuclear power gave it almost unlimited range, the missile could cruise in circles over the ocean until ordered "down to the deck" for its supersonic dash to targets in the Soviet Union. The SLAM, as proposed, would carry a payload of many nuclear weapons to be dropped on multiple targets, making the cruise missile into an unmanned bomber. After delivering all its warheads, the missile could then spend weeks flying over populated areas at low altitudes, causing tremendous ground damage with its shock wave and fallout. When it finally lost enough power to fly, and crash-landed, the engine would have a good chance of spewing deadly radiation for months to come."
clout_strife69:
The Russians have been developing hypersonic ramjet nuclear missiles, like, right now. I'm not a scientist but they sound like they are pretty much indefensible.
17points
#9
In late 2017, cables between the US embassy in Jakarta and the State Department were declassified that casually tracked the massacres of the PKI that took place in Indonesia between 1965 and 1966. Other declassified documents also reveal that a US embassy employee gave a list of suspected communists to the Indonesian army, and all 5,000 people on the list were rounded up and k****d, with many tortured (in the end, between 500k and 3 million people were executed). The casual indifference to political genocide expressed by US government employees is chilling.
WhatYouDo2dayMatters:
A lot of younger people growing up after the Cold War probably wouldn't be able to grasp just how strongly anti-communist sentiment ran throughout the veins of contemporary Western society in that era, let alone among established political circles. They certainly weren't indifferent, they wanted all those people destroyed.
WhatYouDo2dayMatters:
A lot of younger people growing up after the Cold War probably wouldn't be able to grasp just how strongly anti-communist sentiment ran throughout the veins of contemporary Western society in that era, let alone among established political circles. They certainly weren't indifferent, they wanted all those people destroyed.
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17points
#10
I'd say the fact that the Panama papers came out and then were swept under the rug were pretty crazy.
IgnisEradico:
Everyone knows rich people pay their bookkeepers well to pay minimal taxes through convoluted means. It's been in the news plenty of times too, and things like the Irish backdoor are mentioned. Nor do they hide it, really.
IgnisEradico:
Everyone knows rich people pay their bookkeepers well to pay minimal taxes through convoluted means. It's been in the news plenty of times too, and things like the Irish backdoor are mentioned. Nor do they hide it, really.
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17points
#11
The JFK assassination documents never fully being released as they keep getting pushed back. The documents themselves are creepy in the sense of how contradicting they are. But what makes it truly creepy is the full release keeps getting pushed back.
RealKingKoy:
They've gotta be hiding something in there.
anon:
JFK prevented a false flag operation that the CIA was planning, no surprise they wanted him gone.
RealKingKoy:
They've gotta be hiding something in there.
anon:
JFK prevented a false flag operation that the CIA was planning, no surprise they wanted him gone.
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15points
#12
COINTELPRO. Basically the FBIs attempt to infiltrate and disrupt any political organization they deemed dangerous to society in the mid 20th century. They targeted MLK, the civil rights movement, the black power movement, the socialist party, communist party, K**********n, Vietnam protesters, etc. It's also pretty common knowledge that the FBI m******d several key leaders of the black power and civil rights movement during this time.
doeslayer14:
For a project on the Black Freedom Struggle that I did in college I read the letter that the FBI wrote to Dr. King urging him to commit [self harm]. That’s messed up. Imagine if it had worked...
doeslayer14:
For a project on the Black Freedom Struggle that I did in college I read the letter that the FBI wrote to Dr. King urging him to commit [self harm]. That’s messed up. Imagine if it had worked...
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14points
#13
The various times that Nixon almost drunkenly started a nuclear war, but Henry Kissinger refused to act until he was sober.
This happened multiple times. We could have been Fallout IRL.
This happened multiple times. We could have been Fallout IRL.
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14points
#14
I think there was a lot of creepy things that came out when the East German Stasi files were released after the Berlin Wall fell. All citizens were allowed to view their own files and many were shocked to find out that their own relatives were informing on them (because they had no choice) and various other things. A good movie about this is called "The Lives of Others."
musea00:
Katarina Witt, 2-time olympic gold medalist in figure skating from East Germany, had a Stasi file on her starting from when she was 8 years old. She even got spied on by fellow teammate, Ingo Steuer, who was an active informant. Steuer's Stasi past eventually got the best of him when he nearly got banned from the German National Team for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games due to his activities. He was eventually allowed to still go, but was forbidden from wearing the German team colors. However, his reputation got restored in 2010, allowing him to wear the German uniform for the Winter Olympics.
musea00:
Katarina Witt, 2-time olympic gold medalist in figure skating from East Germany, had a Stasi file on her starting from when she was 8 years old. She even got spied on by fellow teammate, Ingo Steuer, who was an active informant. Steuer's Stasi past eventually got the best of him when he nearly got banned from the German National Team for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games due to his activities. He was eventually allowed to still go, but was forbidden from wearing the German team colors. However, his reputation got restored in 2010, allowing him to wear the German uniform for the Winter Olympics.
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12points
#15
The NSA ANT catalog. It contains a list of capabilities which the NSA and other national security administrations have been in possession of, and use, for the purpose of cyber surveillance.
The document was created in 2008 and was made public in 2013. The technology in this document is incredible, and terrifying for the idea of privacy. If you think they don't know everything, they do. These devices are everywhere, could be in any cable, any computer, any phone, any anything.
Comfortable_Text:
DROPOUTJEEP: "A software implant for the Apple iPhone that utilizes modular mission applications to provide specific SIGINT functionality. This functionality includes the ability to remotely push/pull files from the device. SMS retrieval, contact list retrieval, voicemail, geolocation, hot mic, camera capture, cell tower location, etc. Command, control and data exfiltration can occur over SMS messaging or a GPRS data connection. All communications with the implant will be covert and encrypted."
Yep they have better access to iPhones than we'll ever get. Don't get that false sense of security that your iPhone data is safe from the government.
The document was created in 2008 and was made public in 2013. The technology in this document is incredible, and terrifying for the idea of privacy. If you think they don't know everything, they do. These devices are everywhere, could be in any cable, any computer, any phone, any anything.
Comfortable_Text:
DROPOUTJEEP: "A software implant for the Apple iPhone that utilizes modular mission applications to provide specific SIGINT functionality. This functionality includes the ability to remotely push/pull files from the device. SMS retrieval, contact list retrieval, voicemail, geolocation, hot mic, camera capture, cell tower location, etc. Command, control and data exfiltration can occur over SMS messaging or a GPRS data connection. All communications with the implant will be covert and encrypted."
Yep they have better access to iPhones than we'll ever get. Don't get that false sense of security that your iPhone data is safe from the government.
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12points
#16
Project Acoustic Kitty was pretty weird and creepy of you think about how things would be if they were successful.
Basically the CIA wanted to put microphones and transmitters inside of cats and use them to spy on the Soviets in the 1960s. It cost about $20 million and was a huge failure. But the thought of my own pet being used to spy on me is pretty unsettling.
nerdious_maximus:
Didn't they send a cat successfully but it got hit by a car?
Basically the CIA wanted to put microphones and transmitters inside of cats and use them to spy on the Soviets in the 1960s. It cost about $20 million and was a huge failure. But the thought of my own pet being used to spy on me is pretty unsettling.
nerdious_maximus:
Didn't they send a cat successfully but it got hit by a car?
12points
#17
It may or may not be documented but is still creepy knowing this.
Back during the Cuban missile crisis, a U.S. navy ship was sending depth charges towards a hidden Soviet submarine. The men in the submarine thought war had broken out, and a vote was held wether or not they should take down the ship with a nuclear torpedo. 2 captains need to approve in order for the attack to happen. Both captains had approved. But a third man, Vasili Arkhipov was given a vote as well. He voted no on the attack. Since the vote had to be unanimous, the attack was off the table. Creepy as f**k when you realize how much power men have to be able to destroy the world.
anon:
Not actually depth charges, practice ones.
Back during the Cuban missile crisis, a U.S. navy ship was sending depth charges towards a hidden Soviet submarine. The men in the submarine thought war had broken out, and a vote was held wether or not they should take down the ship with a nuclear torpedo. 2 captains need to approve in order for the attack to happen. Both captains had approved. But a third man, Vasili Arkhipov was given a vote as well. He voted no on the attack. Since the vote had to be unanimous, the attack was off the table. Creepy as f**k when you realize how much power men have to be able to destroy the world.
anon:
Not actually depth charges, practice ones.
12points
#18
The classified papers released from the American Embassy, during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, really cool how the Iranians put the papers back together, after being shredded...
Meowmers33:
Is this what the movie Argo is based on?
OP:
Yes, but the movie was heavily dramatized and Americanized, still a good movie tho.
Meowmers33:
Is this what the movie Argo is based on?
OP:
Yes, but the movie was heavily dramatized and Americanized, still a good movie tho.
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12points
#19
Theres one where the CIA essentially was researching astral projection and it's possible applications for espionage.
I_throw_socks_at_cat:
Project Stargate. They also wanted to disarm enemy troops with 'psychic hugs'.
I_throw_socks_at_cat:
Project Stargate. They also wanted to disarm enemy troops with 'psychic hugs'.
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11points
#20
Operation Unthinkable, the plan for the UK and US to launch a surprise attack against the USSR at the end of WWII.
Noughmad:
UK, US, and what was left of Wehrmacht. They literally planned to use just-defeated Germans to get the numbers they needed.
But keep in mind that the military often has multiple plans for things that are not even remotely likely to happen. So it's more of an analysis of "what would happen if we did this" than an actual operation plan.
Noughmad:
UK, US, and what was left of Wehrmacht. They literally planned to use just-defeated Germans to get the numbers they needed.
But keep in mind that the military often has multiple plans for things that are not even remotely likely to happen. So it's more of an analysis of "what would happen if we did this" than an actual operation plan.
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11points