HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031460.txt

The document discusses the history and prevalence of conspiracy theories and their impact on society. It cites examples such as the Roman senators who plotted to assassinate Julius Caesar and the foreign conspiracy behind the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. The author also mentions that journalists often use the term "conspiracy theory" to describe paranoid distortions of reality, but criminal conspiracies are not uncommon. In addition, the document refers to pseudo-conspiracies that exist only in a delusional or misinformed mind and have gained popularity, such as the belief that the 9/11 attack was staged by President George W. Bush to launch a war on Islam and the claim that the 1969 moon landing was faked.