10 Stories the Government Tried to Cover Up (But Failed)

These are 10 real times governments tried to hide the truth — and failed when the facts came out.

Sophia Zapanta
May 8, 2025
4 min read

10 Stories the Government Tried to Cover Up (But Failed) — Kaboompics.com on Pexels

Throughout history, powerful governments have tried to keep damaging stories from reaching the public. Some involved illegal actions, unethical experiments, or false claims that led to war or harm. These 10 cases show how the truth eventually surfaced, often thanks to whistleblowers, journalists, or public pressure — and why transparency still matters.

1. Watergate Scandal

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In the 1970s, the Nixon administration tried to cover up its involvement in the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The attempt to keep the scandal under wraps failed after investigative journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered the truth. The cover-up led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.

2. Iran-Contra Affair

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In the 1980s, senior officials in the Reagan administration secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran and used the profits to fund Nicaraguan rebels, despite a ban on such activities. The government initially denied any wrongdoing, but a Congressional investigation and documents revealed the truth. Several officials were convicted, but many had their sentences reduced or pardoned.

3. MKUltra Program

Dr. Sidney Gottlieb on Wikimedia Commons

The CIA ran a secret mind-control program known as MKUltra from the 1950s to the 1970s, testing LSD and other substances on unwitting American citizens. The program was exposed in the 1970s through Senate hearings and investigations. The public learned about the unethical experiments, and the CIA destroyed much of the evidence before it could be fully uncovered.

4. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

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From 1932 to 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted a study on Black men with syphilis, without treating them, even after penicillin became the recommended treatment. The study was kept secret, and it wasn’t until a whistleblower exposed it in the 1970s that the public learned the truth. The scandal led to compensation for the victims and a shift in ethical standards for medical research.

5. The Pentagon Papers

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In the 1970s, a government contractor named Daniel Ellsberg leaked a classified report detailing the U.S. government’s deception about the Vietnam War. The government tried to suppress the publication of the documents, but The New York Times and other media outlets published them. The papers showed that the U.S. had misled the public and Congress about the war’s progress and motivations.

6. COINTELPRO

Exchange of information between FBI HQ and FBI Los Angelese

The FBI’s covert program, COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), aimed to infiltrate and disrupt civil rights groups, anti-war organizations, and other political groups deemed a threat. The government tried to cover up the program for years, but it was exposed in the 1970s through a break-in at an FBI office and subsequent revelations. The program included illegal surveillance, infiltration, and disinformation campaigns.

7. The Cover-Up of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre

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The Chinese government attempted to cover up the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. The massacre, which resulted in hundreds, possibly thousands, of deaths, was heavily censored within China. However, reports from foreign journalists and satellite footage showed the truth to the outside world, despite the government’s efforts to silence it.

8. The 2003 Iraq War and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)

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In the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the U.S. government claimed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was used as a key justification for the war. After the invasion, no WMDs were found, and investigations showed that intelligence was manipulated or exaggerated to make the case for war. The government tried to minimize the impact of this failure, but the truth slowly came out.

9. The Flint Water Crisis

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The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, began in 2014 when the city switched its water supply to save money, causing lead contamination. The government initially denied there were any serious problems, despite residents and scientists warning about the dangers. After public pressure and investigations, it was revealed that government officials had ignored the crisis for months.

10. The FBI’s Surveillance of Martin Luther King Jr

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The FBI attempted to discredit and silence Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through surveillance, wiretapping, and other tactics as part of its COINTELPRO program. The agency even sent King an anonymous letter attempting to blackmail him into suicide. These activities were kept secret for years, but later investigations revealed the extent of the FBI’s efforts to undermine King’s influence.