The False War They Tried to Write

This episode explores Operation Northwoods, a 1962 U.S. military proposal that suggested manufacturing pretexts to justify an invasion of Cuba. The declassified plan included scenarios involving staged attacks, fake provocations, and even the proposed shootdown of a civilian airliner as a way to create public outrage. In under three minutes, the episode asks how close a government can come to writing a war before the public even knows a script exists.