I think Curtis LeMay - one of those in your category - was unhinged already. I think he wanted a war. This is the guy quoted as "Well, maybe if we do this overflight right, we can get World War III started". He wanted to bomb and invade Cuba, and do even more bombing of North Vietnam, and he wanted the US to get rid of its "phobia" about using nuclear weapons.
That's someone who wants war, and will manufacture an interpretation that justifies having that war. That's far different than simply drawing that conclusion from negative data.
Again, yes, I agree with your "it wasn't that crazy" part. My point is that many of the people who believe that were deliberately lied to, to encourage spreading that belief. While connected with secrecy, as you say, it was a deliberate conspiracy carried out in part to support what Eisenhower termed the "military-industrial complex."
I think Curtis LeMay - one of those in your category - was unhinged already. I think he wanted a war. This is the guy quoted as "Well, maybe if we do this overflight right, we can get World War III started". He wanted to bomb and invade Cuba, and do even more bombing of North Vietnam, and he wanted the US to get rid of its "phobia" about using nuclear weapons.
That's someone who wants war, and will manufacture an interpretation that justifies having that war. That's far different than simply drawing that conclusion from negative data.
Again, yes, I agree with your "it wasn't that crazy" part. My point is that many of the people who believe that were deliberately lied to, to encourage spreading that belief. While connected with secrecy, as you say, it was a deliberate conspiracy carried out in part to support what Eisenhower termed the "military-industrial complex."