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50 Insane Declassified CIA Secrets You Aren't Supposed to Know

The Infographics Show・26 minutes read

The CIA has been involved in various covert operations and controversial tactics throughout history, including creating untraceable weapons, failed animal surveillance projects, influencing movies to portray them positively, and attempting to manipulate foreign leaders through blackmail and assassination plots. Additionally, the agency has faced scrutiny for its use of torture, manipulation of media, and questionable intelligence-gathering methods, showcasing a complex and sometimes morally ambiguous role in global affairs.

Insights

  • The CIA has been involved in a wide range of covert operations, from failed assassination attempts using unconventional methods like the heart attack gun to influencing popular media like movies to shape public perception of the agency.
  • The CIA's history is marked by a complex web of clandestine activities, including failed projects like Acoustic Kitty and successful ones like using pigeons for intelligence gathering, showcasing the agency's innovative yet controversial tactics to achieve its objectives.

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Recent questions

  • What is the CIA's involvement in influencing movies?

    The CIA influenced movies like Zero Dark Thirty and Meet The Parents to portray them positively and remove references to controversial topics like torture.

  • How did the CIA attempt to gather intelligence near Bin Laden's compound?

    The CIA set up a fake hepatitis vaccination scheme near Bin Laden's compound to gather intelligence, drawing criticism for potentially damaging trust in medical professionals.

  • What were some failed CIA operations during the Cold War?

    Failed CIA operations during the Cold War included the Acoustic Kitty project, Pigeon Cameras, and Operation Sober Popeye, which aimed to weaponize weather during the Vietnam War.

  • What were some controversial CIA assassination attempts?

    The CIA planned to assassinate Patrice Lumumba and Fidel Castro through various means, including poisoning toothpaste and dosing with LSD, showcasing their involvement in controversial operations.

  • How did the CIA use art galleries during the Cold War?

    The CIA funded abstract art galleries to promote American ideals during the Cold War, using art as a tool for cultural influence and propaganda.

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Summary

00:00

CIA's Secret Operations and Intriguing Influence

  • The CIA built an untraceable heart attack gun that fired a frozen dart full of deadly shellfish toxin, inducing a heart attack with no trace back to the assassin.
  • The Glock-19 and SIG Sauer P226 are popular pistols among CIA agents, despite the failed heart attack gun.
  • The Acoustic Kitty project aimed to turn cats into listening devices by implanting microphones and transmitters, but failed due to cats' inability to follow directions.
  • Pigeon Cameras were created by the CIA during the Cold War, successfully using trained pigeons to gather intelligence.
  • The CIA's Argo operation to rescue Americans in Tehran in 1979 involved creating a fake movie studio and film as a cover.
  • Khalid El-Masri was tortured by the CIA due to mistaken identity, leading to legal declarations of torture by the European Court of Human Rights.
  • The CIA operates a secretive Starbucks in Langley, Virginia, with strict rules to serve its unique clientele.
  • Edwin Wilson, a former CIA contractor, was involved in illegal arms deals, revealing CIA connections even after his retirement.
  • The CIA influenced the movie Zero Dark Thirty to portray them positively, requesting changes to certain scenes.
  • References to torture were removed from the movie Meet The Parents by the CIA, replacing them with less controversial content.

12:25

CIA's bizarre and failed covert operations

  • Castro discovered a plan to dose him with LSD before a speech, but the LSD compound was too unstable.
  • The CIA attempted to make Castro's iconic beard fall out by poisoning his shoes with Thallium.
  • CIA informants in Beirut were exposed after using the code word "Pizza" during a secret meeting at Pizza Hut.
  • The CIA tried to blackmail Indonesian President Sukarno with a sex tape, but he was flattered and requested copies.
  • The CIA funded abstract art galleries to promote American ideals during the Cold War.
  • Operation Dirty Trick aimed to blame Cuba if the Mercury space mission failed, but the astronaut returned safely.
  • The CIA faked a vampire attack in the Philippines to crush the Huk Rebellion.
  • Operation Sober Popeye was a failed attempt to weaponize weather during the Vietnam War.
  • MKUltra involved mind control experiments using LSD, heroin, and other substances from 1953 to 1973.
  • The CIA hired Nazi war criminals from Dachau to lecture on their findings for MKUltra experiments.

24:59

CIA plots against Lumumba, Bin Laden tweets

  • Patrice Lumumba led the Democratic Republic of the Congo to independence from Belgian rule in 1960, causing CIA concerns due to his anti-colonial policies and desire to preserve independence.
  • The CIA planned to assassinate Lumumba to install a leader more aligned with American interests, with various plots including a failed attempt to poison his toothpaste.
  • Lumumba was eventually captured and executed by Katangan Separatists, becoming a martyr for the pan-African movement.
  • The CIA set up a fake hepatitis vaccination scheme near Bin Laden's compound to gather intelligence, drawing criticism from Doctors without Borders for potentially damaging trust in medical professionals.
  • The CIA reads 5 million tweets daily to gauge public sentiment post major foreign policy events, like monitoring Middle East Twitter reactions after Bin Laden's assassination.
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