The group became known to the public with the 1987 publication of an alleged briefing document from ex-US President Truman to President-Elect Eisenhower in November 1953. It listed the twelve members as Dr Lloyd Berkner, Dr Detlev Bronk, Dr Vannevar Bush, James Forrestal, Gordon Gray, Vice Admiral Roscoe Hillenkoetter, Dr Jerome Hunsaker, Dr Donald Menzel, General Robert Montague, Rear Admiral Sidney Souers, General Nathan Twining and General Hoyt Vandenberg. James Forrestal had a mental breakdown and committed suicide in 1949 and was replaced by General Walter Smith.
MJ-12 was set up by and answerable to President Truman. President Eisenhower however change it so that the group didn't have to answer to anyone, so that the Top Secret information wouldn't get into the hands of a "Soft" President that would give it all away.
All thirteen members had died by the time the briefing document was publicised, so none of the details could be checked out. What could be verified was the authenticity of the document, and it was "proven" to be fake. However the MJ-12 controversy still rumbled on with people saying that although the document has been proved to be a piece of disinformation, parts of it must therefore be true. The document touched upon the ROSWELL CASE, PROJECT BLUE BOOK as well as a number of other events all of which have been proved to be true by UFO researchers.
Opinions differ as to what Mj-12 could be if it exists, some say it was a simole committee that evaluated the UFO reports that came out of PROJECT BLUE BOOK, while others say they are running the CIA, FBI, and other more secret agencies. Some even think MJ-12 were the ones responsible for the assassination of JFK, because he wanted to expose them and let the public know everything.