Overview
The earliest official US government references to upper atmospheric trails by means of militarily-introduced chemicals date back to the 1960s concerning the release of trimethyl aluminium from rockets: "In recent years, rocket releases of TMA (trimethyl aluminum) trails were performed for upper atmosphere wind studies." An early academic reference to such trails was made in 1968 in connection with "Project HARP." This kind of trail has become such a well-known phenomenon that even undergraduates use TMA payloads on student-designed rockets to be launched by NASA for atmospheric studies. As mentioned on Penn State's official SPIRIT website: "Atmospheric scientists have used Trimethyl Aluminum or TMA releases for decades as a tracer element of the neutral winds of the upper atmosphere. TMA is a chemical that burns brightly when it comes into contact with oxygen--as it is released from the payload during the rocket's flight, it leaves a chemical trail behind."
In 1996, a chemtrail conspiracy theory began to circulate when the United States Air Force (USAF) was accused of "spraying the US population with mysterious substances" from aircraft "generating unusual contrail patterns." The Air Force says these accusations were a hoax fueled in part by citations to a strategy paper drafted within the Air Force's Air University entitled Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025. The paper was presented in response to a military directive to outline a future strategic weather modification system for the purpose of maintaining the United States' military dominance in the year 2025, and identified as "fictional representations of future situations/scenarios." The Air Force further clarified that the paper "does not reflect current military policy, practice, or capability," and that it is "not conducting any weather modification experiments or programs and has no plans to do so in the future." Additionally, the Air Force states that the "'Chemtrail' hoax has been investigated and refuted by many established and accredited universities, scientific organizations, and major media publications."
In Britain, when the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was asked "what research her Department has undertaken into the polluting effects of chemtrails for aircraft", the response was that "the Department is not researching into chemtrails from aircraft as they are not scientifically recognised phenomena," but that work was being conducted to understand "how contrails are formed and what effects they have on the atmosphere."
In a response to a petition by concerned Canadian citizens regarding "chemicals used in aerial sprayings are adversely affecting the health of Canadians," the Government House Leader responded by stating, "There is no substantiated evidence, scientific or otherwise, to support the allegation that there is high altitude spraying conducted in Canadian airspace. The term 'chemtrails' is a popularised expression, and there is no scientific evidence to support their existence." The house leader goes on to say that "it is our belief that the petitioners are seeing regular airplane condensation trails, or contrails."
Various versions of the chemtrail conspiracy theory have circulated through Internet websites and radio programs. In some of the accounts, the chemicals are described as barium and aluminum salts, polymer fibers, thorium, or silicon carbide. In other accounts it is alleged the skies are being seeded with electrically conductive materials as part of a massive electromagnetic superweapons program based around the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP). Those who believe in the conspiracy say the chemtrails are toxic, but the reasons given by those who believe in the conspiracy vary widely, spanning from military weapons testing, chemical population control, to global warming mitigation measures. Scientists and federal agencies have consistently denied that chemtrails exist, insisting the sky tracks are simply persistent contrails. As the chemtrail conspiracy theory spread, federal officials were flooded with angry calls and letters. A multi-agency response to dispel the rumors was published in a 2000 fact sheet by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a step many chemtrail believers have interpreted as further evidence of the existence of a government cover-up.
Proponents of the chemtrail conspiracy theory say that chemtrails can be distinguished from contrails by their long duration, asserting that the chemtrails are those trails left by aircraft that persist for as much as a half day or transform into cirrus-like clouds.
"Chemtrails" were mentioned in one version of a bill sponsored by Dennis Kucinich entitled H.R. 2977 (107th): Space Preservation Act of 2001 under "exotic weapons systems".
Pernilla Hagberg, Green Party leader in Vingåker, Sweden, commented on a photo depicting what she claims is a chemtrail but was titled "condensation trail". Hagberg was quoted as saying “Chemtrails contain various mixtures of chemicals and sometimes even viruses. It is disturbing to see them on a clear blue sky and they persist for the entire day. Then there is no more sun during that day”.
Read more about this topic: Chemtrail Conspiracy Theory