Iron Mountain: the conspiracy that duped America

Journalist Phil Tinline unpacks the impact and influence of The Report From Iron Mountain – a satirical document that unintentionally put rocket fuel under the conspiracies and paranoia of the 1960s

Published: July 23, 2025 at 8:00 AM

Save

As the war in Vietnam spiralled out of control, US president Lyndon B Johnson was confronted by a different type of threat: a fake report so convincing that it tricked Americans into believing dangerous disinformation. But that was never the intention. Revisiting The Report From Iron Mountain, journalist Phil Tinline speaks to James Osborne, to reveal how a satirical report evolved into something far more sinister than anyone could have predicted.

Ad

Phil Tinline is the author of Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax that Duped America and its Sinister Legacy (Apollo, 2025).

Ad

Authors

James OsborneSenior content producer

James Osborne is a senior content producer at HistoryExtra

Ad

Ad

Loading...

Ad

Loading...