Last Podcast on the Left
Episode 486: MK Ultra Part V - Acoustic Kitty
Release Date: March 4, 2022
Hosts: Ben Kissel, Henry Zebrowski, Marcus Parks
Podcast Network: The Last Podcast Network

Introduction to MK Ultra and Its Early Failures

The episode dives deep into the notorious CIA program MK Ultra, exploring its objectives, experiments, and the eventual unraveling of its ambitious yet ethically dubious endeavors.

Ben Kissel begins with a satirical warning about the dangers of the podcast for those who might have been subjected to mind control, setting a darkly humorous tone for the discussion.

[03:01] Henry Zebrowski: "That is what we're saying."

[03:28] Marcus Parks: "We are on to MK Ultra Part 5. And I, after this, need to be deprogrammed."

Historical Context and Initial Experiments

The conversation traces MK Ultra's origins in the late 1950s, highlighting key experiments like Psychic Driving and Operation Midnight Climax, which were eventually deemed failures or highly unethical.

[05:02] Henry Zebrowski: "I love this deleted scene from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

[05:22] Ben Kissel: "Yep."

[05:36] Ben Kissel: "Basically, he's saying he needed them to have secrecy so that he would know what they were doing."

Operation Acoustic Kitty: The Feline Espionage Attempt

One of the most infamous and bizarre projects under MK Ultra was Operation Acoustic Kitty, which aimed to use cats as covert surveillance devices.

[46:29] Ben Kissel: "They like things, they like cute names."

[46:43] Marcus Parks: "In this project, a cat had a tiny microphone implanted into its ear canal, which was connected to a transmitter implanted at the base of the cat's skull."

Despite initial technical successes, the natural behavior of cats rendered them ineffective as spies, leading to the project's eventual abandonment.

[47:22] Marcus Parks: "And amazingly, Acoustic Kitty actually worked."

[47:26] Henry Zebrowski: "Really?"

[47:46] Ben Kissel: "Yeah. Cats are not soldiers."

MK Ultra's Assassination Attempts and Global Impact

MK Ultra's scope extended beyond mind control experiments to include assassination attempts on world leaders like Patrice Lumumba and Fidel Castro.

[15:11] Marcus Parks: "In September of 1960, the CIA decided to murder Patrice Lumumba, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo."

[21:49] Henry Zebrowski: "Are you telling me they're gonna give him the exploding cigar?"

[22:02] Ben Kissel: "And more turns into an evil Keebler elf from the Bronx."

These operations, however, largely failed to achieve their intended outcomes, with none of the assassination plots successfully altering political events as planned.

[15:09] Ben Kissel: "Thank you."

[15:11] Marcus Parks: "I got a lot of caveats in this episode that are just for you, buddy."

Cultural Repercussions: LSD's Role in the 1960s Counterculture

The proliferation of LSD, initially introduced through MK Ultra experiments, significantly influenced the 1960s counterculture, fostering movements like the Merry Pranksters and contributing to the rise of psychedelic rock and the broader hippie movement.

[28:12] Ben Kissel: "Yeah, what would a Johnny Ramon been like?"

[28:18] Marcus Parks: "He would have been a guy in an apartment in Queens until he died."

[30:42] Ben Kissel: "It's like me with the samples of Costco back in the day."

[32:00] Ben Kissel: "Again, CIA gave One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest wow."

[33:24] Ben Kissel: "We have them too."

Collapse of MK Ultra and Emergence of Conspiracy Theories

By the early 1970s, MK Ultra was deemed ineffective in achieving consistent mind control results. Sidney Gottlieb, the program's head, admitted the impossibility of creating the desired “Manchurian Candidates,” leading to the program's termination and the subsequent destruction of its records.

[56:43] Ben Kissel: "But guess what? What if I told you both that that's a smoke screen for what they were really working on?"

[63:22] Ben Kissel: "Operation Chaos was a domestic spy program."

[67:01] Henry Zebrowski: "Or was he a double agent."

[70:22] Ben Kissel: "It's gonna be kind of fun."

The destruction of records fueled enduring conspiracy theories, including the unfounded Project Monarch, which alleges that MK Ultra successfully created mind-controlled sex slaves—a claim widely discredited yet persistently popular in fringe circles.

Project Monarch: Myth vs. Reality

The hosts critically examine Project Monarch, a conspiracy theory suggesting that MK Ultra produced mind-controlled slaves through horrific methods, including ritualistic abuse and genetic manipulation.

[80:33] Henry Zebrowski: "So the CIA has contact with demons?"

[80:35] Ben Kissel: "They are demons. It's not even like, oh, they're beaten, they're mean."

[84:21] Marcus Parks: "So how many do they have for making you horny?"

[95:12] Marcus Parks: "Now, Kathy and Mark's agenda for writing this obviously false narrative is murky to say the least."

[99:09] Ben Kissel: "They're using words from the intro of this book."

[101:08] Ben Kissel: "They say half the time with these various Project Monarch officers is that they can be literally dressed as..."

Project Monarch is portrayed as an over-the-top, unfounded extension of MK Ultra, involving elements of satanic ritual abuse and exaggerated claims about high-ranking officials and pop culture icons being involved in sinister activities.

[102:33] Ben Kissel: "They like those terms. Here come my kitten and let me pet you."

[98:54] Ben Kissel: "But they didn't have to put it down."

Legacy of MK Ultra: From Government Programs to Modern Conspiracy Theories

The dismantling of MK Ultra left a lasting legacy in both government interrogation techniques and the fertile ground for conspiracy theories that continue to thrive today. The hosts argue that the lack of transparency and the destruction of records ensure that MK Ultra remains a cornerstone for various unfounded theories, including the modern QAnon movement.

[82:34] Ben Kissel: "I'm so excited to go into the normal world of serial killers after this."

[85:53] Marcus Parks: "But no matter their intentions, Kathy and Mark concocted one of the wildest rides in conspiracy theory history."

[93:27] Ben Kissel: "You see how earmarked it is? I was reading this on the plane."

[99:57] Ben Kissel: "Because half these babies are getting just, like, slaughtered in the."

Critical Reflection and Conclusion

The episode concludes with the hosts reflecting on the human cost of MK Ultra's experiments and the danger of allowing conspiracy theories to distort historical events. They emphasize the importance of focusing on factual history to prevent society from becoming detached from reality, as was the case with MK Ultra's creators.

[126:12] Ben Kissel: "Well, therefore, experiments with lsd, electroshock and sensory deprivation all lost funding if only."

[127:22] Marcus Parks: "Well, the entire Podcast was about MK Ultra, we better stop dealing with it."

[127:43] Henry Zebrowski: "But it's the same thing in New York when someone's like, I need $1.17 exactly to get on the trade."

[127:48] Ben Kissel: "Thank you. Good."

[128:43] Ben Kissel: "And that is Monday's Channel 103 faction talk."

[128:51] Ben Kissel: "Thank you. Let the kings be kings. Let the bankers be bankers. You are the priests."

The hosts wrap up by acknowledging the enduring intrigue surrounding MK Ultra and its role in shaping both governmental policies and public perceptions about mind control and governmental overreach.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Ben Kissel: "We must be the fields we need to be to stand up to the CIA and their mind control programming." [04:33]

• Marcus Parks: "But President Eisenhower killed the bill saying that the CIA needed absolute secrecy to do its job properly." [05:28]

• Henry Zebrowski: "We are on to MK Ultra Part 5. And I, after this, need to be deprogrammed." [03:29]

• Ben Kissel: "And so the CIA took the cat to the field to test it. But predictably, the CIA wasn't busting at the seams with animal trainers, so they couldn't get the cat to follow commands. Instead, it just wandered off." [47:46]

• Marcus Parks: "So how many do they have for making you horny?" [80:18]

• Ben Kissel: "But Kathy said that her father intentionally abused her to later sell her to the US government." [83:46]

Key Takeaways

1. MK Ultra's Ambitious Yet Unethical Goals: The CIA's MK Ultra aimed to develop effective mind control techniques but repeatedly failed to achieve its objectives ethically or technically.

2. Operation Acoustic Kitty as a Case Study: The project's innovative yet impractical use of cats for espionage operations exemplifies MK Ultra's blend of creativity and ethical disregard.

3. Cultural Impact Through LSD: MK Ultra inadvertently influenced the 1960s counterculture by proliferating LSD, which became a cornerstone of the hippie movement and psychedelic culture.

4. Legacy of Secrecy and Conspiracy: The shroud of secrecy and the destruction of MK Ultra records have perpetuated numerous conspiracy theories, including the unfounded Project Monarch.

5. Human Cost and Ethical Reflection: The episode emphasizes the significant human suffering caused by MK Ultra's experiments and warns against the allure of conspiracy theories that detach society from factual history.

Conclusion

Episode 486: MK Ultra Part V - Acoustic Kitty provides a comprehensive exploration of the CIA's MK Ultra program, its experiments, failures, and the enduring legacy that continues to fuel conspiracy theories. Through engaging dialogue and critical analysis, the hosts unravel the complexities of MK Ultra, highlighting its ethical failures and the cultural ripples that emanated from its controversial experiments.

For those interested in the dark intersections of government programs and societal impacts, this episode offers a detailed and thought-provoking narrative that underscores the importance of transparency and ethical governance.