11 Times the U.S. Government Looked Us in the Eye and Lied

(And Why You’d Better Be Paying Attention)

Jun 17, 2025

If you still think the folks in D.C. have your best interests at heart, grab a strong cup of coffee and buckle up. Below are eleven of the biggest whoppers Washington has fed us—lies that cost lives, treasure, and trust. Read them, remember them, and then ask yourself: What else aren’t they telling us right now?

1. “Iraq Has Weapons of Mass Destruction” (2002-03)

Officials swore Saddam had chemical, biological, even nuclear stockpiles. Inspectors said “Show us,” but nothing turned up—because nothing was there. We paid in trillions, lives, and a Middle East still on fire.

2. The Gulf of Tonkin “Second Attack” (1964)

President Johnson told Congress North Vietnamese boats attacked—again—on Aug 4 1964. Declassified intercepts later showed the “attack” never happened. It lit the Vietnam War and sent 58,000 Americans home in body bags.

3. “We’re Not Spying on Millions of Americans” (2013)

Under oath, DNI James Clapper denied bulk data collection. Weeks later, Snowden proved the NSA was scooping up everything. Clapper called it the “least untruthful” answer he could give. Translation: He lied.

4. The Tuskegee Syphilis Cover-Up (1932-72)

The Public Health Service told 600 poor Black men they were being treated for “bad blood.” Doctors were actually watching them die—denying penicillin even after it became the standard cure. Forty years of human experimentation, hidden in plain sight.

5. CIA Mind-Control? “No Such Thing” (1950s-70s)

Rumors of drug-and-shock experiments on unwitting citizens were shrugged off. Then the Church Committee uncovered MKUltra: LSD-spiked drinks, electroshock, and worse. The paper trail was so bad the CIA destroyed boxes of files before Congress could see them.

6. “We Did Not Trade Arms for Hostages” (1986)

Ronald Reagan assured the nation no weapons went to Iran. Months later, he had to admit U.S. missiles had been sold—profits funneled to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. A neat two-for-one violation of federal law.

7. “I’m Not a Crook” (1973)

President Nixon swore he had no prior knowledge of the Watergate break-in or the hush money that followed. Then came the tapes—his own recordings—proving he orchestrated the cover-up from Day One. He resigned before Congress could finish impeachment.

8. Pat Tillman Killed by Enemy Fire (2004)

The Army said NFL star-turned-soldier Pat Tillman died heroically in an Afghan firefight. Weeks later, investigators confirmed friendly fire killed him—information commanders hid from his family to protect recruiting numbers and morale.

9. “Agent Orange Is Harmless” (Vietnam–1990s)

For years, the Pentagon downplayed or denied health effects from the dioxin-laced herbicide sprayed all over Vietnam. Thousands of vets with cancers, birth defects, and neurological damage had to fight decades for recognition and care. Some are still fighting.

10. “The Air at Ground Zero Is Safe” (2001)

Days after 9/11, EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman assured New Yorkers the dust cloud posed “no health risk.” Later audits exposed that claim as wishful thinking at best, political pressure at worst. First responders now battle lung disease and cancers because they trusted official word.

11. “It’s Safe and Effective—One Shot and You Won’t Get COVID” (2020-Present)

Operation Warp Speed rolled out at record pace, and the sales pitch was absolute: take the jab and you “won’t get or spread” the virus. Two weeks to slow the spread turned into rolling mandates, moving goalposts, and boosters every few months. Breakthrough infections, turbo cancers, myocarditis warnings, and censorship of dissent followed. Big Pharma made billions while Main Street was locked down and lectured. If you questioned any of it, you were labeled “anti-science”—until yesterday’s “misinformation” quietly became today’s footnote.

Final Thought

These aren’t harmless fibs. They’re billion-dollar lies that reshaped history and wrecked lives. The pattern is crystal-clear: when the government’s lips move, grab the salt-shaker.

So what do we do?

Question everything. When D.C. says “trust us,” dig for the footnotes.
Get self-reliant. The more you depend on bureaucrats, the easier it is for them to fool—or ruin—you.
Stay prepared. Whether it’s economic fallout from another endless war or a health scare they promise is “nothing,” your best defense is skills, supplies, and a mind that never stops asking why.

Freedom isn’t given—it’s guarded. And the first line of defense is knowing when you’re being lied to.

BTW, I posted a new video on The View From Appalachia… here is the link in case you missed it.

M.D. Creekmore