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| - The idea that the CIA invented the term is itself a bit of a conspiracy theory.
Throughout late 2024, multiple posts on social media perpetuated the notion that the U.S. intelligence agency the CIA coined the term "conspiracy theory." For instance, a post shared to X on Dec. 15, 2024, asserted, "Let's not forget that the term 'conspiracy theory' was a CIA invention." That post received more than 39,000 views, as of this writing.
An earlier post on X, shared Nov. 22, 2024, tied the claim to the late-1960s release of a CIA memo, writing: "In 1967, the CIA created the term 'Conspiracy Theorists' to insult anyone who questioned the official story. Don't be fooled by the propaganda and smear tactics." This post, which referenced the hashtag #JFKassassination, was viewed over 66,000 times, as of this writing.
(@MikeMtk63/X)
These posts are false. The implication that the term originated with the CIA is a long-standing trope, but it is historically inaccurate. While the CIA is often linked to the popularization of the term, the phrase itself predates the spy agency — which was established in 1947 — by decades.
In short, scouring dictionaries and newspaper archives, we found evidence of the phrase frequently appearing in British, Australian and U.S. newspapers from the 1860s onward. For instance, here is an excerpt from an article about Queen Victoria, published by The Sydney Mail on Dec. 12, 1868:
But Queen Victoria is a woman of strong common sense, moulded by able constitutional instructors into the form which this generation has properly grown to think essential in a legitimate monarch. She may seem to award to her present Premier a degree of favour which, considering how direct and plain her dealings have ever been, appears to denote her sympathy with his policy, but she surely comprehends that his conspiracy theory is a mere party battle horse for which she need not find stable room.
Earliest Evidence of the Term 'Conspiracy Theory'
That New York Times letter, titled, "English Insincerity on the Slavery Question," (emphasis our own) appears below:
Now, when we look for the cause of this, any man who has made European politics his study at home, or, being abroad, has known merely so much of them as one cannot help knowing, from daily perusal of the French and English papers, sees fast enough that since 1849 (to go no further back) England has had quite enough to do in Europe and Asia, without going out of her way to meddle with America. It was a physical and moral impossibility that she could be carrying on a gigantic conspiracy against us. But our masses, having only a rough general knowledge of foreign affairs, and not unnaturally somewhat exaggerating the space which we occupy in the world's eye, do not appreciate the complications which rendered such a conspiracy Impossible. They only look at the sudden right-about-face movement of the English press and public, which is most readily accounted for on the conspiracy theory.
In searching for the real cause of this "interesting phenomenon" and "political mystery," as you very justly call it, we shall see the correctness of my [...] assertion, that the English are insincere when they accuse us of insincerity.
(The New York Times/Newspapers.com )
Moreover, although the Merriam-Webster online dictionary does not identify who originated the phrase or in what publication or document, it notes that "the first known use of conspiracy theory was in 1863," which corroborates our findings.
Additionally, the
Both dictionary sources and newspaper archives confirmed that the phrase's usage long predates the CIA. While the agency may have contributed to its popularization, it did not invent the term "conspiracy theory."
The 1967 CIA Memo
The modern association between the CIA and the term "conspiracy theory" likely stems from a 1967 memo, titled, "Countering Criticism of the Warren Report" (CIA Document 1035-960). In the wake of public skepticism about the 1963 assassination of then-President John F. Kennedy, and the Warren Commission's findings, the CIA issued this memo to address growing conspiracy theories.
The document outlined strategies to discredit critics by highlighting their reliance on questionable evidence and logical inconsistencies. While the memo did use the phrase "conspiracy theories," it did not invent the term.
The CIA memo's use of the phrase coincided with heightened public distrust in government institutions during the 1960s, likely fueled by the growing counterculture hippie movement and its objections to events like the Vietnam War.
In sum, while the CIA may have popularized the phrase, the idea that the agency invented "conspiracy theory" it in the 1960s is demonstrably false. The phrase dates back to at least 1863, as evidenced by documented usage in The New York Times. While the CIA's 1967 memo referenced "conspiracy theories," the idea that the CIA invented the term
Snopes has often reported on popular conspiracy theories, including the false claim that filmmaker Stanley Kubrick directed the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, and the claim that Michelle Obama is a transgender woman.
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