Given the CIA’s focus on secrecy, it’s no wonder that much of the public remains in the dark about its operations—often knowing far less than we might imagine. Since its establishment in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has remained veiled in secrecy, a testament to its agents’ expertise in covert work. However, occasional leaks and whistleblowers have provided brief insights into its secret activities.
Here’s a look at some of the CIA’s most tightly held secrets.
The only Starbucks where you don’t need to give your name
Given the long hours CIA agents work, it’s no surprise that the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, contains a Starbucks. However, it’s different than the average franchise you’d find anywhere else in the world.
This Starbucks location is streamlined to serve members of this secretive line of work. The baristas who work there are trained to remember faces, instead of needing names, and have to go through much higher security checks than your average employee.
The CIA spent $20 million on Operation Acoustic Kitty
In the 1960s, the CIA undertook a peculiar mission: using cats to listen in on critical conversations. Yes, you read that correctly—cats. To clarify, it was just one feline involved before the project was scrapped, but that doesn’t make the concept any less strange.
During a one-hour procedure, the CIA implanted a microphone, transmitter, and antenna wire inside the cat, intending for it to complete its task without arousing suspicion. However, the mission faced major challenges, mostly related to the animal’s training—or the lack thereof. The cat often disregarded its mission, choosing to follow its natural instincts instead.
Called Operation Acoustic Kitty, the initiative was officially terminated in 1967, but not before the CIA had already spent $20 million learning what most people already knew: cats will always do as they please.
Agents’ names are kept on a secret memorial
Many might not know that the CIA has a memorial honoring agents who’ve been lost in the line of duty. Located at the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, each member is represented by a star, with one added for every death. Presently, there are 140 lining the memorial.
Interestingly, many of these symbols aren’t accompanied by a name, to maintain the operator’s secrecy even after they’ve passed.
Using popular music for… torture?
The CIA and its agents are certainly no strangers to weird and controversial activities related to torture. Out of the methods we know about, the strangest is arguably the use of popular music. What’s more, it’s not just one type of music that’s used.
According to a report dubbed Out of the Darkness, songs by Irish pop group Westlife was used to torture a man at a “black site.” Another report, this time by Human Rights Watch, also detailed the use of songs by rappers Eminem and Dr. Dre, with it having also been reported that music from the Red Hot Chili Peppers has also been played.
The latter’s music features heavy guitar riffs, which are said to cause distress among those held captive.
Is the CIA to blame for the Unabomber?
Ted Kaczynski, infamously known as the Unabomber, stands as one of America’s most notorious criminals. During the 1970s and 1980s, he mailed homemade bombs across the country, instilling widespread fear until his eventual capture in the 1990s.
One fascinating element of Kaczynski’s background is his involvement in a CIA-funded study during his sophomore year at Harvard. In this study, undergraduate students were instructed to articulate their personal beliefs and write essays, which were then analyzed by an anonymous reviewer while their physiological reactions were closely monitored.
Ted’s brother, David Kaczynski, has speculated that this experience may have influenced his later criminal behavior.
The CIA only confirmed Area 51’s existence in 2013
The infamous secret military base known as Area 51 has captivated conspiracy theorists for decades, yet it wasn’t officially acknowledged until 2013. Many speculated that the base served as America’s primary location for the examination and storage of extraterrestrial life and technology.
To the disappointment of many globally, the official confirmation revealed that the site was merely a testing ground for classified military aircraft and aerial vehicles. In 2019, the CIA might have wished they hadn’t confirmed its existence when over two million people jokingly planned to Naruto-run into the base and rescue the aliens, triggering a nationwide security alert.
The CIA may have hired Saddam Hussein
Some believe the CIA hired Saddam Hussein in the 1950s, with the goal of appointing him as the president of Iraq. At the time, the United States believed then-Iraqi Prime Minister ‘Abd al-Karīm Qāsim may have been aligned with Communist beliefs and removing him from power would put a stop to that.
The account was collected by United Press International, which interviewed former diplomats, American Intelligence officials and scholars. Interestingly, the CIA refused to comment.
Giving unsuspecting individuals illicit substances
The CIA has a well-known history with the hallucinogenic substance LSD (think Project MKUltra). The agency is also known for its interest in the human mind and for setting out to see if someone could actually be mind-controlled. It merged the two in the 1950s to form a project codenamed “Operation Midnight Climax.”
To witness its effects of LSD without directly acting illegally, the agency hired female street workers in San Francisco, California, to administer the substance for them. The women would bring unsuspecting male customers back to safe houses, where they’d secretly dispense the substance to the victim, before engaging in their activities. To observe the effects, each location had mirrors that agents could watch through.
As could be expected, the operation had serious ethical issues, with the CIA ultimately abandoning this avenue of research in 1963.
Using Viagra as a bargaining chip
In exchange for information, the CIA has a long list of payment methods that can be used as an alternative to money. An example of this comes from the Vietnam War, when Vietnamese farmers hired by the agency were paid in tools, rather than money, as the items were of more use.
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Another notable example occurred during the War in Afghanistan, with agents offering an Afghan chieftain Viagra in exchange for information on Taliban activities in the region. This was a much safer option than money and weapons, as the latter could fall into the wrong hands.
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