Sidney Gottlieb Part 2: MK Ultra and the CIA's Insane Assassination Plots

James is joined once again by Jayne Friend for part two of our exploration of Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA chemist who led MK-Ultra, developed Cold War mind control experiments, and became involved in some of the agency's most controversial covert operations. This episode continues to story of Gottlieb's obsessions with LSD and psychological warfare, whilst covering his involvement in CIA assassination plots against Patrice Lumumba and Fidel Castro. James and Jayne examine how the lack of oversight drove MK-Ultra's unethical human experimentation into new and darker places, why MK-Ultra ultimately failed, the mysterious death of Frank Olson, and how Gottlieb escaped criminal prosecution before retiring to live the life of a wandering hippy and humanitarian. They also ponder MK-Ultra's legacy into the War on Terror. **What's covered in this episode** - The career of George White and Operation Midnight Climax, where prostitutes secretly dosed clients with LSD whilst White watched from behind a one-way mirror - The death of CIA scientist Frank Olson after he was secretly given LSD, the controversy surrounding his fall from a New York hotel window, and later evidence suggesting foul play. - Gottlieb's role in developing concealed poisons, suicide devices and assassination methods for covert CIA operations during the Cold War. - CIA plots to assassinate Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba using botulinum toxin, poison kits and other covert methods. - The extraordinary range of proposed assassination attempts against Fidel Castro, including contaminated cigars, exploding seashells, poisoned diving equipment, beard-removal schemes and LSD-based disinformation plans. - Why MKUltra was shut down in 1973, Gottlieb's destruction of thousands of CIA records, and how surviving files exposed the programme during the Church Committee and the Kennedy Inquiry. - Gottlieb's testimony before congressional investigations and his successful negotiation for immunity, leading to his retirement to a farm in Virginia. - The long-term legacy of MK-Ultra, its influence on debates about interrogation, intelligence oversight and ethics, and comparisons with CIA interrogation methods during the War on Terror. **Mentioned in this episode** Sidney Gottlieb, MKUltra, Project Bluebird, Project Artichoke, Allen Dulles, Frank Olson, George White, Operation Midnight Climax, LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, truth serum, mind control, brainwashing, hypnosis, sensory deprivation, behavioural psychology, chemical warfare, biological warfare, CIA, OSS, Cold War, Korean War, Soviet Union, China, North Korea, prisoner of war brainwashing, Camp King, Nazi scientists, Francis Gary Powers, U-2 Incident, saxitoxin, botulinum toxin, Patrice Lumumba, Congo Crisis, Belgian Congo, Larry Devlin, Fidel Castro, Cuba, Cuban Revolution, Dwight D. Eisenhower, exploding cigars, exploding seashell, thallium salts, Church Committee, Frank Church, Edward Kennedy, Stansfield Turner, Jimmy Carter, CIA oversight, assassination plots, covert operations, human experimentation, ethics in intelligence, War on Terror, Abu Zubaydah, enhanced interrogation, waterboarding, CIA black sites, psychological warfare. **Chapters** **00:00** — Sidney Gottlieb: The CIA's Master of MK-Ultra **05:10** — Why the CIA Became Obsessed with Mind Control **10:45** — LSD, Truth Serums and the Birth of MK-Ultra **17:35** — Operation Midnight Climax and Secret CIA Safe Houses **24:40** — Frank Olson: The Scientist Who Fell from a Hotel Window **32:20** — CIA Poisons, Saxitoxin and Covert Assassination Weapons **38:10** — The CIA Plot to Kill Patrice Lumumba **42:00** — Fidel Castro and the CIA's Strangest Assassination Plans **48:00** — The Collapse of MK-Ultra and the Destruction of the Files **53:00** — The Church Committee, Congressional Investigations and Immunity **58:30** — Did MK-Ultra Influence the War on Terror? **1:03:30** — Sidney Gottlieb's Legacy and the Dark History of CIA Experiments  Thanks to SOULFULJAMTRACKS for their tune "Dark Halloween" **Follow HISTORY's DEVILS**  On Instagram @historysdevils https://www.instagram.com/historysdevils/ On Substack https://jamescrossland.substack.com/ **Follow JAMES CROSSLAND** On Bluesky @jamescrossland.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/jamescrossland.bsky.social **Tag HISTORY's DEVILS** @historysdevils #HistorysDevils #JamesCrossland #HistoryPodcast #Podcast #History #DarkHistory #HistoricalBiography #TrueHistory #HistoryDocumentary #Deepdive #Storytelling  History's Devils is a history podcast exploring the lives of murderers, charlatans, psychopaths, dictators, war criminals, tyrants, demagogues, revolutionaries, cult leaders, conquerors, fraudsters, and other controversial figures. History's Devils is hosted by James Crossland, professor of international history and author of: Rogue Agent: From Secret Plots to Psychological Warfare, the Untold Story of Robert Bruce Lockhart The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism...