Talk:Operation Midnight Climax

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Sources

I've been trying to research this for several hours now. While there are many, many, many sensational articles on the subject, none of them seem to cite any reliable sources whatsoever. Considering they're writing about a secret government program that only started to come to the public's attention some 10 to 15 years after it took place (and after nearly all of its records were destroyed) it's hardly credible to trust them as any more than urban legends.

The one decent, honest to God source I managed to find is a report by a senate committee in 1977: http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/pdfs/95mkultra.pdf

Some of the Facts: - The safehouses were operated in San Francisco and New York City (page 7) - People contacted in bars were invited to safehouses and slipped LSD (Pages 21, 22) - The most interesting portion of the document is on page 48 where Senator Edward Kennedy is talking to Admiral - Mr. Gittiner talks about interviewing prostitutes through the safehouses (page 57) Turner (Page 48):

Senator KENNEDY. With regards to the activities that took place in

these safe houses, as I understand from the records, two-way mirrors

were used. Is that your understanding?

Admiral TURNER. Yes, sir. We have records that construction was

done to put in two-way mirrors.

Senator KENNEDY. And they were placed in the bedroom, as I

understand.

[Pause.]

Senator KENNEDY. Well, we have documents

Admiral TURNER. I believe that was in the Church record, but I

don't have the details.

Senator KENNEDY. And rather elaborate decorations were added, as

I understand, at least, to the one in San Francisco, in the bedroom,

which are French can-can dancers, floral pictures, drapery, including

installation of bedroom mirrors, three framed Toulouse Lautrec posters

with black silk mats, and a number of other-red bedroom curtains

and recording equipment, and then a series of documents which

were provided to the committee which indicate a wide proliferation

of different cash for $100, generally in the $100 range over any period

of time on the particular checks. Even the names are blocked out, as

to the person who is receiving it. Cash for undercover agents, operating

expenses, drinks, entertainment while administering, and then it

is dashed out, and then the other documents, that would suggest, at

least with the signature of your principal agent out there, that-

"called to the operation, midnight, and climax."

What can you tell us that it might suggest to you about what techniques

were being used by the Agency in terms of reaching that sort

of broad-based group of Americans that were being evidently enticed

for testing in terms of drugs and others? Do you draw any kind of

conclusion about what might have been going on out there in these

safe houses?

Admiral TURNER. No, sir.

[General laughter.]

Now, it certainly sounds like these safehouses were brothels, doesn't it? Considering the way the entire program was roundly denounced in the report I feel like if the information to that effect had been available it would have been mentioned. Given the evidence it's only likely that these were brothels. Anyone who cares to update the article with this information is encouraged to do so, I'm far too lazy and don't much know how to use Wikipedia to begin with.--24.212.231.4 (talk) 04:35, 19 January 2014 (UTC)

Comment

Is it just me or is there no citation or evidence referenced here? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.213.98.17 (talk) 22:58, 18 October 2006

Yep... welcome to Wikipedia. I've just about given up on trying to improve articles here. There is a good enough policy about verifiability, but hardly any editors are willing to actually follow it. 18.252.5.157 21:51, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

i cant find anything about this anywhere on the web except wikipedia...72.179.44.129 17:06, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

I got here through a link from MKULTRA which cites the information for this from the following: Marks, John (1979). The Search for the Manchurian Candidate. New York: Times Books. ISBN 0-8129-0773-6. I don't own the book so maybe someone who owns the book can enlighten us.--Cdogsimmons (talk) 04:28, 20 April 2008 (UTC)

Johns don't seem like very reliable test subjects to me. I imagine their responses to situations will be a bit different than the normal population. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.9.45.237 (talk) 19:19, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Sources, Notable?

Is anyone going to provide reliable, verifiable, NPOV sources for this? Or maybe explain how it is WP:Notable?

Thank you. --NDState 23:16, 10 October 2010 (UTC)

Part of MKULTRA , CIA mind-control project. User:Pedant (talk) 17:54, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

EABJM

Any reason to link to EABJM in the see also section? User:Pedant (talk) 17:57, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

No, I believe it's vandalism. Removing the link. Shannon Garcia (talk) 02:03, 12 November 2012 (UTC)

Development of operational techniques

Descriptions of what occurred suggests to me that this was a case of administering drugs for no real purpose. What "significant operational techniques" could possibly have been developed from this "research"?Royalcourtier (talk) 04:07, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

1

Operation Midnight Climax was an operation carried out by the CIA as a sub-project of Project MKUltra, the mind-control research program that began in the 1950s. It was initially established in 1954 by Sidney Gottlieb and placed under the direction of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in Boston, Massachusetts with the "Federal Narcotics Agent and CIA consultant"[1] George Hunter White under the pseudonym of Morgan Hall.[1][2] Dr. Sidney Gottlieb was a chemist who was chief of the Chemical Division of the Technical Services Staff of the CIA. Under the Cold War and fears of the Soviet Union and China, Gottlieb felt inspired to investigate methods of mind control. Gottlieb based his plan for Project MKUltra and Operation Midnight Climax off of interrogation method research under Project Artichoke. Unlike Project Artichoke, Operation Midnight Climax gave Gottlieb permission to test drugs on unknowing citizens, which made way for the legacy of this operation.[citation needed] Hundreds of federal agents, field operatives, and scientists worked on these programs before they were shut down in the 1960s 37.236.55.36 (talk) 17:29, 3 June 2022 (UTC)

Blatantly illegal?

The term "blatantly illegal" referring to the CIA spying on Americans feels like editorializing. I propose that it be edited to simply "illegal" 2604:CA00:178:C54B:0:0:1061:E5C (talk) 13:08, 8 June 2022 (UTC)

Possible death section on Frank Olson seems slightly misleading

The current version of the section makes it sound like the $750,000 in settlement were a consequence of the 1994 autopsy, but the settlement happened already in 1975 according to Frank Olson#1975. Meerpirat (talk) 23:54, 4 October 2022 (UTC)