Cover-up
A cover-up is the coordinated concealment of a conspiracy or its underlying facts by the parties involved or by allied third parties. Cover-up mechanisms are central to conspiracy theories because the absence of public evidence for an alleged conspiracy is typically explained by the cover-up itself rather than by the conspiracy's non-existence.
Methods
Documented and alleged methods include classification, compartmentalization, non-disclosure agreements, intimidation of witnesses, destruction of evidence, discrediting of whistleblowers, plausible deniability structures, front organizations, and targeted assassination. Specific exopolitics-related cover-up programs include the MJ-12 information-control regime, COINTELPRO, Operation Mockingbird, and the alleged Collins Elite program.