Nicholas John Begich Jr. (born November 10, 1958)[1] is an author from Alaska, known for his focus on advocating conspiracy theories surrounding the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (commonly known by its acronym HAARP).[2]
Begich is the oldest of six children of Nicholas John Begich and Margaret Jean "Pegge" (née Jendro) Begich. His father was serving a term as Alaska's representative at-large in the United States House of Representatives when he and then House Majority Leader Hale Boggs disappeared while flying from Anchorage to Juneau in October 1972 while campaigning for reelection. Nick Begich is the oldest brother of Alaska's recent junior United States Senator, Mark Begich. His son is US Representative Nick Begich III.
In 1994, Begich was awarded an honorary doctorate from Open International University for Complementary Medicines, a diploma mill in Sri Lanka.[3]
Begich wrote and published the book Angels Don't Play This HAARP in the mid-1990s in which he promoted conspiracy theories about HAARP.
He has been a frequent guest of Art Bell on Coast to Coast AM, making claims about the influence of HAARP on the ionosphere and the human mind, also promoting his work Controlling The Human Mind. He appeared on Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura describing HAARP to Ventura. He has also made guest appearances on Alex Jones Show. He has an honorary doctorate of medicine from The Open International University for Complementary Medicines in Sri Lanka.[4]
In 2011, he was interviewed in the documentary Programming the Nation? alongside other interviewees including Noam Chomsky and Dennis Kucinich.
Begich co-owns the company Earthpulse Press with his son Nick Begich III, which sells his books, DVDs, and acupuncture devices.
Despite the long association his family has had with the Democratic Party, Nick Begich has long been affiliated with the Alaskan Independence Party. He was a write-in candidate for Governor of Alaska in 1998, after the AIP disowned its elected nominee, Sylvia Sullivan. His candidacy was overshadowed by similar circumstances within the Republican Party in the same election, which led to the write-in candidacy of Robin L. Taylor outpolling the elected Republican nominee John Lindauer. He also campaigned, also under the aegis of the AIP, for an Eagle River-based seat in the Alaska House of Representatives against Republican incumbent Pete Kott. Kott later lost renomination to that seat due to his role in the Alaska political corruption probe. In 2016, Begich was a member of the Libertarian Party member.[5]
In 2020, Begich founded the Intervention 2020 campaign, a group advocating the forced incarceration of homeless people in Alaska, along with increases in prosecution of low-level offences.[6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Joe Rogan Questions Everything | HAARP expert | Weaponized Weather (season 1, episode 2) | |
| 2019 | Beyond the Unknown | Yeti, Roswell and Mummies (season 2, episode 9) | ||
| 2020 | The Alaska Triangle | The Secrets of Mount Hayes (season 1, episode 9) |