(This is something Juan O Savin also stated in one of his conversations)

Quote- The renewed interest in the Flat Earth Theory is a CIA-orchestrated "psyop" (psychological operation) intended to gauge public gullibility and reaction to conspiracy theories. A CIA manual from the 1970s mentions that the agency has used the idea of a flat Earth to test the public's reaction to conspiracy theories. The manual states that the agency has used the idea of a flat Earth "to test the public's reaction to the introduction of extremely far-fetched ideas, and to see what avenues of study might be pursued by persons prone to believing such things." In this way, the CIA has used the idea of a flat Earth to study and track the spread of conspiracy theories and to gain insight into public opinion. They even made an illuminati playing card for that openly mocking those who fall for it.