William Cooper Behold a Pale Horse Lecture

Milton William "Bill" Cooper (1943 – 2001) was an American who exposed many conspiracies. He was a radio broadcaster and author best known for promoting theories about global conspiracies, extraterrestrial involvement in world affairs, and government cover-ups. He hosted the shortwave radio show The Hour of the Time, where he discussed topics like UFOs, the Illuminati, secret societies, and plots such as the JFK assassination and the origins of AIDS. Cooper gained a significant following in militia movements, prisons, and hip-hop culture, but his life ended in a shootout with Apache County sheriff's deputies in Arizona after he resisted arrest on charges including aggravated assault and tax evasion.

Cooper was raised in a military family, with his father serving as a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. After graduating High School in Japan in 1961, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force but later transferred to the Navy. Public records confirm his Navy service as a Petty Officer Second Class (E-5 rating), including a tour of duty in Vietnam where he served as a patrol boat captain on the Cua Viet River and earned two service medals. Cooper had additional experience in Naval Intelligence and the U.S. Air Force, serving until his discharge in 1975.

Cooper's most famous and influential work is Behold a Pale Horse (1991), a self-published manifesto that compiles his theories on topics like UFOs, the "Secret Government," the New World Order, and alleged elite conspiracies. The book has sold hundreds of thousands of copies, becoming a bestseller in U.S. prisons and inspiring figures like Timothy McVeigh and various hip-hop artists. William Cooper died on November 5, 2001, from multiple gunshot wounds sustained during a shootout with Apache County sheriff's deputies outside his home in Eagar, Arizona. The incident occurred shortly after midnight when deputies attempted to serve arrest warrants; Cooper fired at them, seriously wounding Deputy Robert Martinez by shooting him twice in the head (Martinez survived after extensive medical treatment). Deputies returned fire, striking Cooper nine times and killing him on the spot.

The shootout unfolded on or near his front porch because Cooper had fled back to his property after initially confronting undercover deputies who were trying to lure him away from his home. He drove around a roadblock, attempted to run over a sergeant, exited his vehicle, and ran toward his house while firing a handgun at pursuing officers. He was fatally shot before he could enter the house.