Conspiracy, cock-up, cover-up. There have been numerous cases where the government seems to have shot itself in the foot by attempting to gloss over or misinform the public over delicate matters, only for those matters to disagreeably come to light some time later. This text examines the anatomy of misinformation, mostly originating from the MOD, explores the extent and technique of the official deceptions, and asks why these cover-ups took place.