Podcast Pt 1: JK Ultra On The History of MK Ultra

Examining the origins of the 1950s-1970s government program MK Ultra, infamous for its mind control experiments and covert operations

“The CIA Created Sixties Counter Culture” - Timothy Leary

"The whole LSD movement, the whole psychedelic movement, the whole countercultural revolution of the '60s and '70s, was started by the CIA. They didn’t realize what they were starting." — Timothy Leary

---

Timothy Leary

---

The Ghost of MK-Ultra: America's Dark Experiment in Mind Control and Its Shadow on Modern History

In the annals of American history, few programs are as shrouded in intrigue and controversy as MK-Ultra, the CIA's covert foray into mind control. Launched in the early 1950s, MK-Ultra was an audacious attempt by the U.S. government to explore the boundaries of human consciousness and control using an array of chilling methods—LSD dosing, hypnosis, torture, and sensory deprivation—on unwitting participants, leaving a trail of trauma and controversy in its wake.

The true extent of MK-Ultra's impact remains a matter of ongoing debate, confusion, and speculation. Officially, the program aimed to develop techniques for interrogating spies and enemies. However, the uncovering of partially declassified documents has spurred a slew of conspiracy theories suggesting that the tentacles of MK-Ultra extended far beyond the confines of CIA black sites and research facilities. Among the most chilling theories is the notion that MK-Ultra's experiments in mind manipulation were not merely confined to clandestine laboratories but actively shaped pivotal cultural and political events. Imagine, if you will, a landscape where individuals could be programmed to execute the will of unseen puppeteers, where social movements could be engineered, and where public opinion could be deftly manipulated—all at the hands of a sinister government agency.

One of the most persistent and disturbing theories is that MK-Ultra operatives created "Manchurian candidates"—individuals brainwashed to carry out covert missions or assassinations without their conscious knowledge. Some theorists suggest that the assassinations of high-profile figures such as John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy bear the hallmarks of such manipulation. RFK Jr. himself has entertained this theory in recent podcast conversations regarding both his father and his uncle’s death.

---

The Counterculture Revolution of the 1960s

With its widespread use of LSD and radical shifts in social norms, the hippie revolution has also been linked to MK-Ultra's murky legacy. Some argue that the CIA's experimentation with psychedelics helped fuel the era's upheavals, deliberately or otherwise, catalyzing movements that would essentially reshape American society. The involvement of figures like Timothy Leary, an early proponent of LSD who had tangential connections to CIA-funded research, adds a tantalizing layer of intrigue to these claims.

What makes these conspiracy theories particularly resonant is the underlying fact that MK-Ultra was indeed a violation of ethical norms. The program's existence was revealed, in part, through congressional investigations in the 1970s. The examination provided a grim testament to the extent of Cold War paranoia and the lengths to which the U.S. government was willing to go in the name of national security.

Today, with a resurgence of interest in the topic thanks to figures like Tom O'Neill, we are still wondering how much these experiments influenced the course of American history. How much of the narrative we’ve come to trust is fact, and how much is the result of a fevered imagination of a society that has always harbored a deep suspicion of government overreach? What’s real, and what’s fabricated?

Recently, Jennifer Carmody sat down with Green Girl and me in a UFO in Joshua Tree to break down the origins of MK-Ultra—a topic widely discussed but highly misunderstood.

FULL VIDEO PODCAST CONVO BELOW

(Warning: Some topics discussed are sensitive for trauma survivors.)