There's nothing like an alien scare to put people into the …

There's nothing like an alien scare to put people into the right mindset to accept major government crimes and dirty wars.
"There's a threat out there way too big for you to deal with. You gotta trust authorities to protect you. Keep your head down. Outside of the herd you'd die immediately."
I once did the research years ago and sure enough, the media has pushed alien threats before pretty much every illegal war the West has been involved in.