I'm sorry I think you misunderstood me. I meant that conspiracy theories in themselves I don't think physically hurt anybody although they definitely emotionally scar them and cause problems. I did anything to upset or offend anybody I humbly apologize for that was not my intention. I am against these kinds of things as much as you are and that's the point I was trying to make.
There's a sore spot for me about that whole "cold war" era and McCarthy-ism.
Here's a history lesson for you.
After WWII
Russia under Stalin and China each were looking at power and land grabs. Both were under Communist styles of government...and they weren't working.
General McCarthur was appointed ten years after the end of WWII to the UN to deal with Japan and the Far East.
What McCarthur noticed was agressive actions by both China and Russia. He asked for troops to help with the problems in Korea.
Unknown to McCarthur was the sheer volume of Russian and Chinese troops waiting for the word to go out and conquer nor the sad state of American forces to actually wage a war on the scale needed at that time. Truman and General McCarthur were at odds with each other and the General got fired.
Meanwhile back in the States Senator McCarthy was doing a whisper campaign against communism. (During Eisenhower and Johnson's presidency) Which became flat out trials against those who signed cards to join the Communist party. (Which was a joke in reality and function) and comprised many out on the West Coast centered in Hollywood (mostly those opposed to WWII)
In the meantime the "emperor" of China was exiled to Taiwan for being a Christian and capitalist...today Taiwan can purchase mainland China. Stalin was busy taking from the rich and bribing the poor...and when this didn't work he literally starved and froze people by diverting food and energy supplies elsewhere away from dissenters. The Communist government of China was busy doing the exact same thing. Millions of people died at the hands of these people.
The true conspiracy was the belief "everything is ok" and the communists within us are going to destroy us. This outrageous behavior was because of this "conspiracy theory" that people wanted to believe.
This "conspiracy" about an attack from Korean gunships doesn't even halfway come to the level of the truth of this. It was a lie by well meaning men who seen the atrocities and felt something needed to be done. The real conspiracy theory was that everything was ok. Today the unrest in the middle East is a direct result of Russian involvement trying to gain access to the petroleum oil market for Europe. The unrest of the Far East today is from China of old.