The Ten Files
Red flags Random file

Red flags

Where there's smoke, we dig. These are the warning signs that a story is being managed, ticked only when they're documented and sourced. A red flag isn't a verdict: some of the most flagged cases turned out true, and some turned out exactly as officials said.

  • 24Records destroyed or withheld
  • 14Official story changed
  • 8Investigated by the accused
  • 8Evidence held by an interested party
  • 13Denied, then admitted
  • 15Witnesses dismissed
  1. 3/6The Roswell CrashFile 005: Conspiracy Theories RatedRecords destroyed or withheld / Official story changed / Investigated by the accusedOur verdict Solved
  2. 2/6Kryptos K4File 002: Uncracked CodesRecords destroyed or withheld / Evidence held by an interested partyOur verdict Unsolved
  3. 2/6Flight 19 and Training 49File 003: Vanished Ships and PlanesOfficial story changed / Investigated by the accusedOur verdict Unsolved
  4. 2/6Big Tobacco's Cover-UpFile 004: Conspiracies That Were TrueRecords destroyed or withheld / Denied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  5. 2/6Iran-ContraFile 004: Conspiracies That Were TrueRecords destroyed or withheld / Denied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  6. 2/6A Second Gunman in DallasFile 005: Conspiracy Theories RatedRecords destroyed or withheld / Official story changedOur verdict Unproven
  7. 2/6The Zinc Cadmium Sulfide SprayingFile 006: Secret Government ExperimentsRecords destroyed or withheld / Official story changedOur verdict Confirmed
  8. 2/6The Irish Crown JewelsFile 010: Lost Treasures Still MissingRecords destroyed or withheld / Witnesses dismissedOur verdict Unsolved
  9. 2/6USS IndianapolisFile 012: Shipwrecks Found LaterRecords destroyed or withheld / Investigated by the accusedOur verdict Solved
  10. 2/6The Alien Autopsy FilmFile 013: Hoaxes That Fooled AmericaEvidence held by an interested party / Denied, then admittedOur verdict Debunked
  11. 2/6The Balloon Hoax of 2009File 013: Hoaxes That Fooled AmericaOfficial story changed / Denied, then admittedOur verdict Debunked
  12. 2/6BannackFile 016: American Ghost TownsInvestigated by the accused / Witnesses dismissedOur verdict Unproven
  13. 2/6The Shroud of TurinFile 024: Famous Relics TestedRecords destroyed or withheld / Evidence held by an interested partyOur verdict Unproven
  14. 2/6The Boston Globe Spotlight TeamFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryRecords destroyed or withheld / Witnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  15. 2/6The Flint Water TestersFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryDenied, then admitted / Witnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  16. 2/6The My Lai MassacreFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryInvestigated by the accused / Witnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  17. 2/6The Pat Tillman Cover StoryFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryOfficial story changed / Witnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  18. 2/6The Hillsborough FamiliesFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryWitnesses dismissed / Official story changedOur verdict Confirmed
  19. 2/6Jeffrey Epstein's DeathFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpRecords destroyed or withheld / Investigated by the accusedOur verdict Unproven
  20. 2/6The Death of Dag HammarskjöldFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpRecords destroyed or withheld / Witnesses dismissedOur verdict Unsolved
  21. 1/6Malaysia Airlines Flight 370File 003: Vanished Ships and PlanesOfficial story changedOur verdict Unsolved
  22. 1/6Project MKUltraFile 004: Conspiracies That Were TrueRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Confirmed
  23. 1/6The Phantom Gulf of Tonkin AttackFile 004: Conspiracies That Were TrueRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Confirmed
  24. 1/6The NSA Phone Records ProgramFile 004: Conspiracies That Were TrueDenied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  25. 1/6FDR Knew About Pearl HarborFile 005: Conspiracy Theories RatedInvestigated by the accusedOur verdict Unproven
  26. 1/6Alien Technology at Area 51File 005: Conspiracy Theories RatedInvestigated by the accusedOur verdict Debunked
  27. 1/6The Faked Moon LandingsFile 005: Conspiracy Theories RatedRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Debunked
  28. 1/6The Plutonium InjectionsFile 006: Secret Government ExperimentsRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Confirmed
  29. 1/6The Mustard Gas TestsFile 006: Secret Government ExperimentsWitnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  30. 1/6Project SHADFile 006: Secret Government ExperimentsDenied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  31. 1/6PenicillinFile 008: Accidental InventionsOfficial story changedOur verdict Confirmed
  32. 1/6X-RaysFile 008: Accidental InventionsRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Confirmed
  33. 1/6SaccharinFile 008: Accidental InventionsOfficial story changedOur verdict Confirmed
  34. 1/6TroyFile 011: Lost Cities FoundDenied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  35. 1/6SS Central AmericaFile 012: Shipwrecks Found LaterEvidence held by an interested partyOur verdict Solved
  36. 1/6RMS TitanicFile 012: Shipwrecks Found LaterWitnesses dismissedOur verdict Solved
  37. 1/6HMS Erebus and HMS TerrorFile 012: Shipwrecks Found LaterWitnesses dismissedOur verdict Solved
  38. 1/6Piltdown ManFile 013: Hoaxes That Fooled AmericaEvidence held by an interested partyOur verdict Debunked
  39. 1/6The Havana Embassy RecordingFile 018: Unexplained SoundsOfficial story changedOur verdict Solved
  40. 1/6The Windsor HumFile 018: Unexplained SoundsEvidence held by an interested partyOur verdict Solved
  41. 1/6Able Archer 83File 019: Nuclear Near-MissesRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Unproven
  42. 1/6Challenger and the O-RingsFile 020: Disasters ForetoldWitnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  43. 1/6The Aberfan TipFile 020: Disasters ForetoldDenied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  44. 1/6The Vajont DamFile 020: Disasters ForetoldWitnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  45. 1/6Fukushima's Tsunami SimulationsFile 020: Disasters ForetoldRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Confirmed
  46. 1/6The Curse of the Black SoxFile 022: Sports CursesRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Debunked
  47. 1/6The Coso ArtifactFile 023: Out-of-Place ArtifactsEvidence held by an interested partyOur verdict Solved
  48. 1/6The Ica StonesFile 023: Out-of-Place ArtifactsRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Debunked
  49. 1/6The Ark of the Covenant in AksumFile 024: Famous Relics TestedEvidence held by an interested partyOur verdict Unproven
  50. 1/6The Pentagon PapersFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Confirmed
  51. 1/6Love CanalFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryWitnesses dismissedOur verdict Confirmed
  52. 1/6TheranosFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryDenied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  53. 1/6MH17 and the Open-Source SleuthsFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryDenied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  54. 1/6WatergateFile 026: Outsiders Beat the Official StoryDenied, then admittedOur verdict Confirmed
  55. 1/6The Anthrax LettersFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Unproven
  56. 1/6Karen SilkwoodFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpOfficial story changedOur verdict Unproven
  57. 1/6The Lusitania's Second ExplosionFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpDenied, then admittedOur verdict Unsolved
  58. 1/6Dorothy KilgallenFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpWitnesses dismissedOur verdict Unproven
  59. 1/6The Murder of Olof PalmeFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpOfficial story changedOur verdict Unsolved
  60. 1/6The Death of David KellyFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpRecords destroyed or withheldOur verdict Solved
  61. 1/6Gareth WilliamsFile 027: Official Stories That Don't Add UpOfficial story changedOur verdict Unsolved

What each flag means

Records destroyed or withheld
Relevant records were destroyed, lost under suspicious circumstances, or remain classified or sealed.
Official story changed
An authority's public explanation changed materially over time.
Investigated by the accused
The main investigation was run by the party whose conduct was in question.
Evidence held by an interested party
Key evidence is controlled by someone with a stake in the answer, and outsiders can't examine it.
Denied, then admitted
Officials or owners denied something that was later admitted or proven.
Witnesses dismissed
Credible witnesses were ignored, contradicted without explanation, pressured, or never questioned.