Buzz
Those familiar with medieval history are aware of an era when magic was widely believed to be a potent weapon against adversaries. Over time, such notions were dismissed as absurd, relegating battlefield magic to enthusiasts role-playing in parks, where the only enchantment at work was a strong anti-romance spell.
However, reality tells a different story. Below are ten documented instances where contemporary governments attempted to utilize magical practices to gain an advantage in actual conflicts.
10. John Mulholland and the CIA
While sleight of hand is fascinating, it’s unlikely you’d imagine someone like Penn Jillette advising one of the world’s most powerful organizations. Yet, when it comes to the Central Intelligence Agency, the unexpected is routine. During the Cold War, the CIA enlisted illusionist John Mulholland to create an official guide, teaching operatives the same tricks he used on stage.
Titled “The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception,” the guide trained agents in misdirection, concealed compartments, and subtle signals like shoe-tying techniques for fieldwork. The CIA’s goal wasn’t to amaze audiences but to discreetly administer substances, such as slipping drugs into drinks. This aligns with the agency’s notorious experiments, including attempts to harness LSD for mind control—proving no tactic was too extreme for their agenda.
9. Mexico, Drugs, and Voodoo
This case stands apart as it doesn’t involve conventional warfare but rather the infamous “war on drugs.” This conflict has claimed countless lives, particularly in Mexico, where the US/Mexico border has become one of the deadliest zones globally, with drug cartels causing unprecedented violence. Seeking unconventional solutions, Mexican authorities turned to creative strategies to combat the crisis.
In a desperate move, they resorted to voodoo. By 2010, Tijuana’s police, overwhelmed by the cartels and fearing for their officers’ lives, embraced ritualistic animal sacrifices to shift the balance. Under a full moon, priests slaughtered chickens and anointed the police with their blood as a protective charm. Some officers swore by its effectiveness, asserting that while weapons and armor faltered, faith—even in decapitating chickens and summoning spirits—remained unshakable.
8. Houdini the Spy
Unlike the other well-documented cases here, no official records confirm Harry Houdini’s espionage activities. However, a 2006 biography, based on over 700,000 pages of research, suggests the legendary magician occasionally spied for Scotland Yard and the U.S. government.
The biography alleges Houdini collaborated with William Melville, a British spy at Scotland Yard. Using his magic performances as a cover, Houdini reportedly gathered intelligence worldwide for British and American secret services.
7. Britain and the Fake Horoscopes
World War II was an era of bizarre military tactics, with numerous strategies involving the supernatural. Looking back, it almost seems as though the Indiana Jones films weren’t far from reality. This was partly due to Hitler and the Nazis’ fascination with the occult and their unwavering belief in astrological predictions.
The British capitalized on this by hiring astrologer Louis de Wohl to create fabricated horoscopes, aiming to mislead the Nazis and gain insight into their thinking. Churchill even sent de Wohl to the U.S. to persuade them to join the war, though his role became redundant after Pearl Harbor.
Declassified files reveal that MI5 eventually regretted involving de Wohl, as they realized his predictions were baseless. Ironically, since his job was to fabricate nonsense, it’s surprising that Britain’s intelligence experts took so long to recognize his lack of credibility.
6. Britain’s Psychic Defense
It’s almost logical for the British to dabble in the supernatural, given their fictional ties to the Ministry of Magic and a certain wizard school. Or was that just Harry Potter?
Surprisingly, the British government took the concept of magic far more seriously than one might assume. In 2002, the Ministry of Defense launched a study to explore whether soldiers could be trained as psychics, aiming to deploy them in locating WMDs or even Osama Bin Laden. For UK taxpayers, this was where their money went during that period.
After 9/11 and Bin Laden’s rise as a global threat, the Ministry sought to enlist “genuine” psychics for testing. Likely fearing exposure as frauds, they refused. Instead, opportunistic individuals joined the research, hoping for easy cash. Predictably, they demonstrated no psychic abilities whatsoever, proving what most already suspected.
5. Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin Puts Down a Revolt
Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin is a legendary figure in the world of illusion. His name might ring a bell because Erik Weisz, a budding escape artist from Budapest, admired him so deeply that he adopted the stage name Harry Houdini in his honor. In 1856, Napoleon III called upon Robert-Houdin to travel to French Algeria and, remarkably, quell a rebellion using magic.
In Algeria, Marabouts—self-proclaimed “wizards”—were using dazzling magical performances to sway the public. Recognizing the Algerians’ susceptibility to spectacle and their growing unrest, Napoleon III decided to counter their influence with magic of his own. Robert-Houdin, as recounted in his memoirs, was sent to perform for the Marabouts and the public, showcasing his skills as a “French wizard.” It’s safe to assume he knew nothing about Quidditch.
4. The Nazi Quest for the Holy Grail
Given the references to Indiana Jones and the Nazis’ fascination with the occult, it’s worth noting that some elements of Indy’s adventures were rooted in reality. While the Nazis never encountered an immortal knight or faced Harrison Ford, they genuinely sought the Holy Grail and other sacred relics. Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, personally spearheaded the search for the Grail, underscoring its significance to the Nazi regime.
Himmler, along with other top Nazis, held the belief that Jesus Christ was of Aryan descent, not Jewish. He was convinced that discovering Christ’s cup would grant him supernatural powers and secure Germany’s victory in the war. Guided by an ancient folk song that vaguely referenced a life-giving vessel, Himmler claimed to have traced the Grail to a Spanish abbey. This pursuit, driven by delusion, ultimately proved futile.
3. The US Stargate Project
At first glance, the Stargate Project might conjure images of a massive portal whisking you to distant realms, akin to the movie and TV series. Unfortunately, the reality is far less fantastical. The Stargate Project was rooted in Cold War-era experiments involving the mind’s potential, specifically remote viewing. If you’ve encountered the book or film The Men Who Stare at Goats, you’re already acquainted with this initiative and its focus on psychic espionage.
Launched during the Cold War’s twilight years, the Stargate Project saw the Pentagon invest over $20 million into remote viewing—a practice aiming to perceive distant locations using mental faculties alone. Remarkably, this was a genuine government-funded endeavor spanning years.
Colonel John Alexander, a Vietnam War Special Forces veteran, spent decades advocating for remote viewing as a viable tool. His persistence eventually persuaded the U.S. government to explore this unconventional approach.
2. Jasper Maskelyne and the Suez Canal
The most renowned example of a magician contributing to wartime efforts is Jasper Maskelyne, whose ingenious methods significantly aided the Allies in World War II. Maskelyne’s extraordinary feats, well-documented and almost unbelievable, have inspired a long-planned film adaptation of his biography, The War Magician. Among his many contributions was the Camouflage Project, a strategic initiative designed to outwit the Nazis and secure Allied victories.
Maskelyne’s most ambitious undertaking was concealing the Suez Canal—a task far more complex than hiding a tank or even a salami. Joining the Royal Engineers in 1940, he employed “dazzle lights,” rotating devices that created blinding, cone-shaped patterns spanning miles. These lights effectively made the canal invisible from above, thwarting German bombers’ attempts to locate it.
1. Soviet Psychokinesis
A deep dive into World War II and the Cold War reveals the eccentricities of certain government and military figures, driven by their obsession with victory. This led to numerous bizarre strategies by both Nazi and Allied forces, as well as equally peculiar Cold War experiments. Both the U.S. and the Soviets explored mind powers, albeit for different objectives. While we’ll discuss American efforts shortly, the Soviet pursuit of psychokinesis deserves attention first.
The Soviets were deeply committed to exploring mind powers, with psychokinesis being a formal subject of study at the Institute for Brain Research at Leningrad State University. Their fascination with telepathy and psychokinesis dated back to the 1920s, partly because thought-based communication was more economical than investing in costly radio technology. A key motivation behind training soldiers in psychokinesis was the ambition to mentally intercept ICBMs, offering a cost-effective alternative to expensive missile defense systems.
