Topic: Project Artichoke

Stephen Snyder, also known as Recluse, returns to the program to discuss his new book, The Art: The Secret History of Psi War, Conspiracy, and the Shattering of Reality. The discussion centers on how think tanks, alphabet agencies, and military intelligence use psychological operations like MKUltra and Project Artichoke to manipulate public perception. Snyder's work chronicles the history of psychological warfare from the end of World War II through the early 1990s.

Andrija Puharich's background is revealed to be deeply embedded in the U.S. Army’s psychological warfare components and the early Special Operations Command. Puharich was involved in Project Artichoke and a brutal behavioral modification program known as Project Pelican, which utilized Clockwork Orange-style conditioning on prisoners. These military ties cast doubt on whether his later paranormal research was genuine or a cover for state-sponsored psychological testing.

The conversation turns to a series of mysterious deaths and suicides among elite soldiers at Fort Bragg. Snyder speculates on whether these events are related to geopolitical shifts or more "sci-fi" explanations, such as the fallout from long-term "super soldier" programs or biological modifications dating back to Project Artichoke.

The history of U.S. mind control programs began with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II before transitioning into the CIA in 1947. Project Bluebird was officially signed into existence in April 1950, predating the Korean War and debunking the narrative that these programs were merely defensive reactions to communist brainwashing. The timeline progressed through Project Artichoke, MKUltra (1954-1964), and MK Search, which concluded its declassified phase in 1973.

Recluse connects the Counterintelligence Corps (CIC) to the Roswell incident and subsequent behavior modification projects like Project Artichoke. He identifies General Paul Gaynor and Morris Allen as key figures who managed these projects while maintaining "fag files" for sexual blackmail. These right-wing extremists used private organizations like the ASC to run covert intelligence operations and experiment with enhanced interrogation and super-soldier programs.

The discussion centers on Andrija Puharich and his alleged contact with the Council of Nine, a group of multi-dimensional entities. Recluse argues that Puharich’s ties to Project Artichoke and the Office of Security are underreported. He describes a division within the deep state where the Rockefeller-funded hard scientific wing, led by Sydney Gottlieb and MKUltra, eventually distanced itself from Puharich’s more radical occult and psychic research.

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) is linked to CIA mind control projects from the 1950s, such as Project Artichoke and MK Ultra. Farrell explains that the CIA recognized standardized testing as a tool for social engineering and identifying a "meritocratic aristocracy." He points out that the Iowa Test of Basic Skills once featured phrenology calipers in its logo, signaling its roots in blunt materialistic measurement.