Hoax! by iHeartMedia

Episode: "Report from Iron Mountain"

Release Date: November 10, 2025

Hosts: Dana Schwartz & Lizzie Logan

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dana Schwartz and Lizzie Logan dive into the infamous “Report from Iron Mountain” hoax—a satirical document that claimed to reveal a shocking government conspiracy about the necessity of war for social cohesion. The hosts take listeners through the origins, content, impact, and unintended afterlife of the report, while unraveling how the hoax blurred fact, fiction, and fueled conspiracy thinking. The episode also touches on the larger question: Why are we so ready to believe extraordinary, unsettling (and sometimes very fake) things?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Cold War America

• Eisenhower and the Military-Industrial Complex ([05:02])
  • The episode situates listeners in the paranoia and secretiveness of 1960s America—after Eisenhower’s warning and amid Cold War maneuverings.
  • "It used to be that the masses fought the wars with cheap, available weapons... Now the power to kill rests in the hands of a few." – Lizzie ([05:11])
• Environment of Secrecy and Mistrust ([06:15])
  • The era is rife with suspicion. Recent crises (Cuban Missile Crisis, Gulf of Tonkin) and revelations of government misbehavior plant seeds for both real and imagined conspiracies.
  • Discussion of the "credibility gap," "missile gap," and how government fabrications led to public skepticism.

2. What Is the Report from Iron Mountain?

• The Document Appears ([08:10]-[09:43])
  • In 1967, Esquire published a 20,000-word excerpt of a mysterious report, supposedly commissioned by the Kennedy Administration to study what would happen if "worldwide peace broke out."
  • "We've been preparing for the possibility of war, but we are unprepared for the possibility of peace." — Quoting the report's premise ([09:51])
  • Leonard Lewin introduces the document as a leaked government study—raising the stakes by suggesting it was suppressed due to its incendiary findings.

3. The Chilling (and Absurd) Claims of the Report

• Key Findings ([11:07]-[15:21])
  • War is portrayed as fundamental to societal stability; the economy would collapse without it.
  • Bombs are considered the perfect product—costly and single-use.
  • Without war:
    • No borders, no allegiance to country, loss of shared values.
    • Overpopulation would result, as war keeps population "in check."
    • Alternative solutions: staged crises, bloodsports, alien invasions, or even reintroducing class warfare/slavery as outlets for “team spirit.”
  • "The report says... we can't just live in harmony forever. We would have to invent some sort of emergency." — Lizzie ([15:22])

4. Did the Public and Government Buy It?

• Immediate Reaction and Spread ([26:05]-[27:29])
  • The report was a sensation; assigned in schools, widely debated, and sparked public concern.
  • Every government agency denied involvement. White House advisor Walt Rostow undertook a weeklong investigation to confirm it was fake.
  • "He has to do his due diligence... We know it's not real, but we have to make sure." — Dana ([27:09])
• Satirical Success—But Seeds of Doubt Remain ([28:06]-[30:23])
  • Lewin, on book tour, gives cagey answers about authenticity, stoking further controversy.
  • The document's bureaucratic, unemotional, "think tank" voice made it plausible even when it was outlandish.

5. The Truth Unveiled: How the Hoax Came to Be

• The Satirical Origin ([31:45]-[34:11])
  • The report was conceived by Monocle, a New York satire magazine. Lewin, tasked with writing it, researched actual government reports to perfect the tone and added real (and two fake) footnotes.
  • "They decided not to [mark it as satire]... to get people to have a conversation about America’s dependence on the military." — Lizzie ([34:11])
• Why It Worked
  • The dense bureaucratic style, plausible research, and real-world context blurred the line between satire and reality.
  • Its purpose: to provoke discussion on the military-industrial complex and Cold War logic.

6. A Fateful (and Dangerous) Afterlife

• From Satire to Conspiracy Cannon ([45:40]-[50:21])
  • Despite Lewin confessing authorship in the 1970s, the report was co-opted by far-right and conspiracy groups, including Holocaust deniers.
  • Lawsuits eventually forced some groups to stop selling it, but the internet made control impossible.
  • "Copies of ‘Report from Iron Mountain’ are being printed and sold... by a fringe group devoted to spreading the theory that the Holocaust never happened." — Lizzie ([46:08])
  • The report became "proof" for a variety of conspiracy theories (e.g., the government creates crises, false flags), influencing narratives up to QAnon.
• Caution Against Misreading Satire as Fact
  • "It is a modest proposal, which again, people should still read as long as you know not to eat Irish babies." — Dana ([48:04])

7. Media, Myths, and Lasting Impact

• Pop Culture Echoes ([50:23]-[53:08])
  • Referenced in films like JFK, often stripped of its satirical origins to support conspiracy plotlines.
  • "Taking an idea from a satirical text and putting it into the mouth of a character in a movie who goes by Mr. X..." — Lizzie ([52:32])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Power of Satire and Hoax:
  • “The best hoax is a hoax that you not want to believe, but like, could believe.” — Dana ([17:32])
  • “Lewin included two fake footnotes, so that was his little wink, wink...” — Lizzie ([35:10])
• On Conspiratorial Thinking:
  • “People will latch onto any idea that confirms the thing they want to say, even if it’s just to make their screenplay better.” — Lizzie ([53:26])
  • “If a document has actually leaked, is someone on trial? No? Then it’s probably not real.” — Lizzie ([55:59])
• On Human Nature and Groupthink:
  • “People aren’t that good at things... Have you ever tried to do a group project?” — Dana ([49:11])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:30] – Introduction: What is the Report from Iron Mountain?
• [05:02] – The Cold War Context: Why such a report felt possible
• [09:51] – The “Peace Scare”: The satirical genesis of the hoax
• [11:27] – Chilling findings: Why war is “necessary” (according to the fake report)
• [26:05] – Government and public reaction; investigation into authenticity
• [31:45] – The Real Story: Satirical origins revealed
• [45:40] – From Cultural Curiosity to Conspiracy Fuel: The dangerous afterlife
• [50:23] – Pop culture influence & the challenge of debunking
• [55:59] – How to spot a real leak versus a hoax
• [58:47] – Final thoughts: Why conspiracy thinking persists

Tone & Language

The hosts strike a lively, irreverent, conversational tone—intermixing humor and historical analysis. They maintain skepticism and empathy towards those caught in the web of hoaxes and conspiracy narratives, all while reminding listeners to “hoax responsibly.”

Concluding Insights

• Report from Iron Mountain stands as a cautionary tale—not just about the dangers of government secrecy, but about the complexities of satire in the age of mistrust and misinformation.
• The line between genuine leaks and provocative thought-experiments can become dangerously blurred, especially once an idea escapes into the wilds of public (and conspiratorial) consciousness.
• Critical engagement and media literacy are essential. "Just because it sounds really good—and just because it makes a theory make sense—doesn’t mean it’s real." — Lizzie ([53:26])
• Satire with a political edge can spark important conversations—but once released, its meaning can be weaponized in unintended, sometimes dark ways.

Hosts’ Final Takeaways

• The government is not as all-powerful and organized as most conspiracy theories imagine.
• Skepticism is healthy, but “group project” levels of incompetence are more common than secret, global conspiracies.
• Read and discuss provocation works, but understand the intent: treat them as political fiction—not as windows into secret state agendas.

[Closing Reminder]

“Please hoax responsibly.” — Closing advice from Dana and Lizzie ([60:10])