Quick Take: This happened. Fars News amplified a fringe conspiracy sourced to a notorious site, claiming Snowden leaks proved a Nazi-linked alien regime runs U.S. policy. Major outlets covered it as a face-palm moment in info-wars and propaganda. The Washington Post+2RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty+2
What happened
- On Jan 13–15, 2014, multiple outlets reported that Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency published a piece asserting that U.S. policy has been driven by an alien agenda since 1945, naming a species dubbed “Tall Whites” and even linking them to Nazi Germany. The Washington Post+2RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty+2
- Coverage noted the story leaned on a claim that “Snowden documents” and a Russian security service report proved the allegation. The origin traces back to WhatDoesItMean, a site widely flagged for fabrications. Foreign Policy
Where the story came from
- Foreign Policy and Washington Post traced Fars’s article to that conspiracy site, not to authentic leaked documents. No credible evidence has surfaced to support the claim. Foreign Policy+1
Relevant context
- Fars previously apologized in 2012 for running an Onion satire as real news, a reminder that state-aligned media can misstep or push narratives that fit domestic politics. Al Jazeera+1
What we can verify
- The article existed and was widely covered. Screens, headlines, and summaries remain in reputable outlets’ archives. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty+1
- No evidence in public Snowden archives supports “Tall Whites.” The “Snowden proves aliens” line traces to the fringe site cited above. Foreign Policy
Unknowns
- Whether Fars framed it as hard news, translation of external “analysis,” or clicky agitprop. The original Fars page isn’t reliably accessible; we rely on secondary coverage. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Why it matters
This is a clean case study in how fringe claims jump into state-aligned media, then ricochet through global outlets. It shows how UFO lore, geopolitics, and propaganda can fuse into a single viral narrative. Foreign Policy
Credibility meter (1–5)
- Documentation: 4 — Multiple mainstream reports archived; original Fars page hard to access today. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty+1
- Evidence for the claim itself: 0–1 — No credible supporting documents; sourced to a known disinformation site. Foreign Policy
- Outlet track record: 2 — Prior misinfo episode (Onion story) lowers confidence. Al Jazeera
Overall score: 1/5 (Very Low).
The article existed, but the alien claim has essentially no credible evidence.
What if…
If a major power genuinely disclosed non-human policy influence, global governance and public trust would face shock waves: emergency briefings, alliance fractures, market whiplash, and a sprint to new ethical frameworks for contact. The story we have here isn’t that but the reaction map is worth modeling.
Receipts and further reading
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty coverage of the Fars piece. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
- Washington Post explainer on the “Nazi space aliens” claim. The Washington Post
- Foreign Policy on the conspiracy-site sourcing. Foreign Policy
- Haaretz, Al Arabiya, UPI roundups. Haaretz+2Al Arabiya English+2
- Fars apology for publishing The Onion as real news (2012). Al Jazeera
