George C. Marshall
Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army claimed that enemy personnel tried to create mass hysteria by flying commercial aircraft over the US mainland which resulted in what became known as the Battle of Los Angeles.
George Catlett Marshall served many roles in the U.S. government. He rose to prominence through the United States Army and Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman selected him as Chief of Staff in the U.S. Army, making him the top military advisor during the onset of World War II. Later, President Truman promoted him to Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State.
While Chief of Staff, Marshall's initial explanation of the Battle of L.A. was that the Japanese had flown commercial aircraft off the coast of California to create mass hysteria. After the war, the Japanese reported that they had not flown any aircraft off the US coast at the time of this incident. The official report from the U.S. Office of Air Force History in 1983 blames the start of the event on a weather balloon and heightened nerves.
