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It’s no secret that the US government, along with other global administrations, has been involved in some highly controversial activities. Among the most infamous is MKULTRA, a CIA-led initiative aimed at mass mind control. However, this is just one of many unsettling and alarming projects carried out within the United States.
10. Operation Big Itch
Established in 1942, Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) in Utah was initially a military facility created by repurposing public land. By the 1950s, the need for a secluded testing site became evident, and DPG was the perfect fit. In 1954, it was designated as the Biological Warfare Assessment Laboratories. This role required research into whether insects could effectively deliver dangerous diseases. The primary focus was on determining if fleas could be used to spread the plague.
Operation Big Itch involved releasing a massive number of fleas over the Utah desert. Guinea pigs were placed in cages on the ground to measure the effectiveness of the drop, as there were uncertainties about the fleas' survival rate and their potential spread upon landing. The fleas were stored in containers that would break open using a CO2 cartridge, triggered at heights between 300–600 meters (1,000–2,000 ft).
The experiment achieved partial success. While the guinea pigs were successfully infested with fleas, it became clear that the fleas needed to be dropped near the target to ensure they reached their hosts. However, not all drops went as planned. In one instance, a cartridge malfunctioned and released fleas inside the plane, leaving the crew covered in them.
Despite some challenges, the test was deemed successful enough to propose constructing a large-scale flea-breeding facility capable of producing 50 million fleas weekly. However, producing sufficient plague virus for the fleas proved to be a significant hurdle. When researchers failed to solve this issue, the ambitious plan was ultimately abandoned.
9. Operation Plumbbob
From May 28 to October 7, 1957, military personnel were subjected to 29 nuclear tests to study their reactions to being near and witnessing nuclear detonations. During this period, the threat of an all-out nuclear war seemed imminent. To ensure soldiers could remain functional after experiencing the shock of a blast, Operation Plumbbob was conducted on a group from Fort Bragg, known as “Task Force Big Bang.”
The 167 members of the task force were dispatched to Nevada, where they spent August learning about the weapons and safety protocols. Originally scheduled to depart on September 5, they instead witnessed the nuclear test, codenamed Shot Galileo, on September 2. The concept was straightforward: observe the explosion, disassemble and reassemble their rifles, then navigate a minefield and an obstacle course featuring barriers, walls, and foxholes. Their performance was then compared to baseline results without the nuclear element.
After the detonation, the men completed the course and underwent decontamination. Surprisingly, the psychological assessments yielded little value. This was because the men had already experienced a nuclear blast—Shot Smoky on August 31—before the test. Since the goal was to observe reactions to an entirely new situation, the results were largely inconclusive.
Operation Plumbbob also involved evaluating warhead designs and assessing the resilience of military and civilian structures to nuclear explosions. In one test, 1,200 pigs were confined and outfitted with different protective materials to determine the most effective shielding. While most survived the thermal blast, the majority suffered severe third-degree burns. Subsequent studies revealed that over 16,000 participants in the operation had an unusually high incidence of leukemia, attributed to extreme radiation exposure.
8. Ghetto Informant Program
Initiated by J. Edgar Hoover in 1967, the Ghetto Informant Program was a nationwide surveillance effort aimed at monitoring urban areas. Hoover believed race riots, potentially influenced by foreign actors like the Russians, were imminent and posed a threat to communities. FBI field offices were tasked with setting up “ghetto listening posts,” relying on individuals to report on unrest in neighborhoods classified as “ghetto-type areas.”
Once recruited, these informants were instructed to visit Afro-American type bookstores to identify key figures in the community. They monitored gang activities, tracked former convicts, and were expected to alert the FBI about potential disturbances.
Ultimately, the program failed to produce any actionable warnings. When riots erupted, such as those following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the FBI was caught off guard. The program's shortcomings were exacerbated by the pressure on agents to meet informant quotas, leading some to fabricate informants and reports. Meanwhile, New York City established a “racial squad” as an overcompensation. By the program's end, there were 7,500 registered informants, all receiving government payments for their supposed contributions.
7. Operation Minaret
In 2013, a previously confidential list of names was made public. It had long been suspected that the NSA conducted surveillance on perceived threats, particularly during the Vietnam War era. The declassified documents not only revealed names but also included testimonies from NSA agents, who admitted that their tasks were not only ethically questionable but largely illegal.
Operation Minaret aimed to uncover the origins of anti-war sentiments and determine if foreign entities were fueling civil unrest. Before its conclusion in 1973—coinciding with the Watergate scandal—the NSA monitored phones of prominent figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali (for nearly six years), as well as journalists from the New York Times and Washington Post. Even government officials, including several senators, found themselves on the watch list.
Reports generated from the operation were handled with extreme secrecy, printed on plain paper without NSA markings and delivered exclusively to Presidents Johnson and Nixon. Around 1,650 individuals were surveilled. Although the program is best known for tracking anti-war activists, its original purpose was to monitor terrorists and drug traffickers.
6. Operations DEW I And DEW II
The concept of biological weapons has always been terrifying. In 1952, the US Army sought to understand how a biological contaminant released over American territory might disperse.
To find out, they conducted an experiment.
Operation DEW I covered a test zone spanning North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Zinc cadmium sulfide (ZnCdS) was released in five trials from the USS Tercel. The ship traveled parallel to the coast, 8–16 kilometers (5–10 miles) offshore. While the first trial's contaminants drifted out to sea, the other four releases spread up to 280 kilometers (175 miles) inland across the three states. DEW II involved releasing spores from Lycopodium, a type of fern.
DEW I wasn’t the only instance of the Army experimenting with zinc cadmium sulfide. Similar tests were conducted over Minneapolis, St. Louis, Corpus Christi, Fort Wayne, and at least 29 other US locations. ZnCdS was chosen for several reasons: it was considered safe for humans, plants, and animals; it was inexpensive; it dispersed similarly to biological agents; and it glowed under UV light, making it easy to track its spread.
Unsurprisingly, public outrage erupted when it was discovered that people had been unwitting participants in a simulated biological weapon attack. A subcommittee was formed to evaluate whether ZnCdS was as harmless as the Army asserted. Initial tests, such as feeding the compound to rats, indicated no immediate harm, but the subcommittee urged further investigation due to uncertainties about its long-term effects, particularly when inhaled. Cadmium, a known carcinogen linked to lung cancer, was a major concern. Ultimately, it was concluded that those exposed faced only a minimal risk of developing respiratory issues or lung cancer.
5. Project 112 And Project SHAD
In 2002, the US military began contacting veterans potentially involved in Project 112 or Project SHAD. Both initiatives exposed personnel to substances mimicking biological weapons to study their dispersion. Project 112 was conducted at Utah’s Deseret Test Center from 1962 to 1973, while Project SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) took place on warships in international waters.
Details of these projects might have remained hidden longer if not for the Department of Veterans Affairs requesting an investigation into potential health risks to service members. Nearly 6,000 individuals, including military personnel and civilian staff, were exposed to these tests, some without their knowledge. Initially, the agents used were believed to be harmless, but veterans were encouraged to share concerns and disclose test-related details, such as dates, locations, and possible side effects, with healthcare providers.
The list of biological agents used in the tests was extensive, including Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (causing food poisoning). Additionally, highly dangerous nerve agents like sarin (now classified as a weapon of mass destruction) and soman (a lethal liquid causing rapid death) were employed. Even minuscule amounts of these substances can be fatal upon skin contact.
4. Projects CHAOS, MERRIMAC, And RESISTANCE
Projects CHAOS, MERRIMAC, and RESISTANCE shared a common objective—to monitor US citizens and gather intelligence on potential threats to national security and CIA operations.
Launched in 1967, CHAOS focused on evaluating foreign influence within the US, particularly within anti-war and civil rights movements. It concluded in 1974 after reporting to top government officials that no evidence of foreign interference was found. However, these findings were largely disregarded. Under increasing pressure to produce results, CHAOS expanded its surveillance to include a broader range of Americans, even tracking individuals traveling abroad. The program claimed to uncover connections between protest organizers in the US and foreign radicals, suggesting they sought credibility to align with international extremists.
MERRIMAC specifically monitored civil rights and peace groups in Washington, DC, aiming to alert the CIA and law enforcement about upcoming protests. Over time, its scope widened to investigate the funding sources of these groups and scrutinize their leaders.
RESISTANCE was created to protect CIA assets. Agents utilized various sources, including daily news reports, police department data, and information from college authorities, to predict and prevent potential attacks on CIA facilities or personnel.
Both RESISTANCE and MERRIMAC reported to CHAOS. The program involved an astonishing number of investigations, employing methods such as mail monitoring, phone tapping, home break-ins, and physical surveillance. A vast number of individuals were scrutinized under these operations.
3. Project ARTICHOKE
Project ARTICHOKE remains shrouded in mystery, with even the NSA’s archives containing only fragmented information. Often linked to MKULTRA, it focused on “special interrogation techniques,” including hypnosis experiments in the 1950s. At least six volunteers were subjected to studies on the psychological effects of complete isolation. Declassified CIA documents suggest these techniques were likely used in the field more frequently than officially recorded.
Among the declassified memos is a peculiar reference to hypnotized assassins. This concept, reminiscent of The Manchurian Candidate, was a real focus of CIA research. A key memo explored whether a detained individual (whose identity is redacted) could be programmed to carry out assassinations. Originally cooperative, the individual had become reluctant, prompting the CIA to consider alternative methods. One proposal involved drugging the person (a known heavy drinker) and hypnotizing them to kill a target. The plan aimed to leave the target dead and the assassin, with no memory of the event, arrested and subsequently “disposed of.”
In the end, the CIA concluded that hypnotizing someone into becoming an assassin was not feasible, though the details of how they reached this conclusion remain undisclosed.
2. Project Thor (aka Rods From God)
Although never implemented, Project Thor could have been a terrifying reality. In the 1950s, scientist and future sci-fi author Jerry Pournelle explored the concept of kinetic bombardment—launching missiles from space without explosives, relying solely on speed and gravity for impact. Fans of Call of Duty: Ghosts might recognize this idea from the game’s opening scene, which nearly mirrored this chilling concept.
Project Thor, also known as Rods from God, never progressed beyond the planning stage, largely due to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty banning space-based weapons. Before the treaty, the military considered transforming satellites into highly lethal weapons. With advancing technology and evolving perspectives on space as a potential battlefield, such ideas may one day transition from fiction to reality.
The concept involved two satellites working in tandem. One carried 6-meter-long (20 ft) tungsten rods, each no more than 0.3 meters (1 ft) in diameter, while the other handled communication and targeting. Upon release, a rod would accelerate to approximately 11,000 meters per second (36,000 ft/s) before striking its target.
Little else is known about the plan, as the government remains silent on its current status. An alternative proposal involved attaching the rods to intercontinental ballistic missiles, which would be more cost-effective than satellites. The possibility of Rods from God being deployed from US satellites in the future cannot be ruled out.
1. Operation Whitecoat
During wartime, the treatment of conscientious objectors was often unclear. In England, some were sent to rural areas and subjected to harsh conditions, ranging from starvation to scabies, all in the name of aiding soldiers on the front lines.
While this may sound brutal, the US conducted similar experiments under Operation Whitecoat, following an agreement with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. From 1954 to 1973, over 2,000 church volunteers participated in the program at military facilities. They were placed in small, confined spaces equipped with gas masks connected to a central chamber known as the Eight Ball. Pathogens were released into the chamber, and volunteers were exposed simply by breathing through the masks. Vaccines were also tested, ensuring that volunteers received immediate medical care if they fell ill.
Many of the volunteers are still alive today, and some express no regrets about their involvement. No deaths occurred during the testing period, but the long-term effects remain unclear. Some participants, like Gene Crosby, have faced lifelong health issues. In 2003, Crosby told PBS that he sometimes wished he had taken his chances on the battlefield instead.
Among the viruses frequently tested on volunteers was Q fever, the same pathogen released in Project 112. Some participants were exposed to various illnesses, ranging from the bubonic plague to the highly dangerous tularemia.
