Diksha Sundriyal
While following their father in the 1963 timeline, the Umbrella Academy stumbles upon a secret organization called the Majestic 12. It turns out that Reginald Hargreeves is a part of this shadow government, which is run by powerful people to maintain control over the events in the world. What further alarms the Academy about the organization is their involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Later, we discover that they were right in suspecting the shady secret society.
They killed the President to save their secrets, which, as Five overhears, had something to do with Roswell, which leaves another strong hint for the alien theory in the show. With so many real-life events appearing in Season 2, we wonder if the Majestic 12 is also inspired by real life? Is it a real organization? Here’s all you need to know about it. If you haven’t seen the show yet, head over to Netflix. SPOILERS AHEAD
Is the Majestic 12 a real secret organization?
The Majestic 12 is just as real as the aliens in Roswell and Area 51. The organization is connected to conspiracy theories regarding UFOs and the presence of extraterrestrial life on Earth and all the government cover-ups regarding it. It is claimed that it was founded by President Harry S. Truman and consists of a group of scientists, military officers, and government officials. It was created after the UFO crash in Roswell in 1947 to retrieve and replicate the alien spacecraft and keep the discovery of aliens a secret from the public.
In ‘The Umbrella Academy’, Diego and Five discover its presence when Elliot recognizes a man named Hoyt Hillenkoetter. Interestingly, in the mythology surrounding the organization, Hoyt Vandenberg and Roscoe Henry Hillenkoetter had been the members of the Twelve. Hillenkoetter is known for being the first director of the CIA, and Vandenberg for being his successor. It seems like in adding a sense of reality to the story, the writers of the show mixed the two names to create one character.
For an organization that is supposed to be secret, one can’t help but wonder that the Majestic 12 mustn’t be so good at their job. How did they manage to come to light if they were supposed to be keeping secrets? Here’s how it goes. The idea of something like the Majestic 12 originated in 1984 when ufologist and TV producer Jaime Shandera received an envelope that led him to an eight-page document that mentioned Operation Majestic 12. It is said that these documents had a report on the discoveries made in Roswell, presented as a briefing to the next president Dwight Eisenhower. It contained the report about the crash, the extraterrestrial entities discovered in it, and the photographs of the crash. The documents were later examined by the FBI and were declared bogus and a major hoax created by conspiracy theorists. But then, isn’t the FBI just another government organization? It would make sense for it to be a part of the cover-up by the government, right?
As much “proofs” as there have been for the existence of organizations like the Majestic 12, there have also been government officials like Richard Doty. An ex-special agent for the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Doty worked with the ufologists for a long time, and eventually came clean about feeding them with lies that the government had prepared just to turn conspiracy theories more paranoid. It was through him that the mention of the Majestic 12 had first come out, and he has discredited the organization as a part of the misinformation fed to the conspiracy theorists. As to why the government would do such a thing- to protect their own secrets. It is better for them to have the public believe in little green men rather than finding out what is really going in the secret facilities.
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