A Paranoid's History of the United States

In August 1996, the San Jose Mercury News published Gary Webb’s infamous “Dark Alliance” investigation. The three-part series revealed how a drug ring connected to CIA-backed Nicaraguan rebels was flooding Los Angeles with crack cocaine in the 1980s. Webb traced the money trail from LA street dealers all the way back to covert U.S. foreign policy operations. Instead of being praised for this groun...

In this subscribers-only episode of Paranoid History, I interview historian John Lisle about his new book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA . Lisle discusses his discovery of never-before-seen depositions from the 1980s, revealing new insights into the CIA's infamous mind control experiments. The conversation explores the real history of MKULTRA, separating...

In this episode, I talk to my friend and colleague Sam DeVaney about Candace Owens's strange obsession with MKULTRA, trans people, and the First Lady of France. We dive into Candace's wild claims that Brigitte Macron was actually born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, and how this theory connects to her broader worldview about elite pedophile rings, Satanic worship, and Manchurian candidates. It's...

This episode concludes our investigation into MOVE by examining the tragic murder of John Gilbride and the organization's systematic abuse of power. Gilbride was a former Reagan youth who became deeply involved with MOVE leader Alberta Africa after witnessing the 1985 bombing as a teenager. He eventually left the organization and fought for custody of their son, but faced an extensive harassment c...

This is a long one! Part 1 of 2. Featuring Kevin Price. In January 1999, 16,000 fans packed a New Jersey arena for a benefit concert organized by Rage Against the Machine to support Mumia Abu-Jamal, the famous death row inmate and former Black Panther. The crowd believed they were funding justice for a political prisoner, raising over $400,000 for his cause. What they didn't know was that their mo...

FAILED STATE UPDATE! Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently released documents alleging an Obama administration conspiracy to subvert Trump's presidency, centering on a December 9th, 2016 White House meeting that allegedly reversed intelligence conclusions about Russian interference. I examine how this represents selective declassification for political theater while the same off...

This episode explores the extraordinary case of Patricia Hearst, granddaughter of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who was kidnapped from her Berkeley apartment on February 4, 1974, by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). What began as a straightforward kidnapping quickly transformed into one of America's most puzzling criminal cases when, within two months, security cameras captured...

Episode 13: Report from Iron Mountain explores the bizarre journey of a 1967 satirical hoax that became a foundational text for American conspiracy theorists. Created by left-wing satirists led by Viktor Navasky (later editor of The Nation ) and writer Leonard Lewin, Report from Iron Mountain purported to be a leaked government study concluding that peace would be catastrophic for American society...

When Seth Rogen's stoner comedy The Interview sparked an international crisis in 2014, it exposed the hidden connections between Hollywood entertainment and U.S. foreign policy. Investigative journalist Tim Shorrock reveals how the film's graphic depiction of Kim Jong Un's assassination wasn't just a creative choice — it was lauded by RAND Corporation analyst Bruce Bennett, who viewed the movie as...

Discover how the CIA secretly operated as America's “hidden Ministry of Culture” during the Cold War, using abstract expressionism as a weapon against Soviet influence. The episode explores the fascinating paradox of how the CIA championed artists like Jackson Pollock abroad as symbols of American creative freedom while this same art movement faced ridicule at home. Learn about the Museum of Moder...

In January 2002, a man in a homemade superhero costume armed with guns, a sword, and smoke bombs broke into the exclusive Bohemian Grove retreat in California. His mission? To save children he believed were being sacrificed to the ancient god Moloch by some of America's most powerful men.  This episode tells the remarkable story of Richard McCaslin, aka The Phantom Patriot, whose journey from aspi...

In 2016, American embassy personnel in Cuba began reporting strange sounds followed by debilitating symptoms - ear pain, headaches, dizziness, and cognitive difficulties. Quickly labeled as attacks by a mysterious sonic weapon, these incidents led to diplomatic breakdowns and accusations against foreign adversaries.  This episode explores the science of mass psychogenic illness and how normal phys...

On June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the pantry of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles by a 24-year-old Palestinian immigrant named Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. While Sirhan was immediately apprehended and later convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy theories have persisted for over five decades. These theories center on apparent inconsistencies in the official investigat...

In 1995, a woman named Cathy O'Brien published a book containing some of the most shocking allegations ever made against the American government. She claimed to be a survivor of Project Monarch, a classified CIA mind control program where she was programmed through systematic trauma to serve as a sex slave to presidents, politicians, and global elites. Her accusations included being hunted for spo...

In 1986, experimental musician and provocateur Boyd Rice wrote a fan letter that would have devastating consequences. The recipient wasn't a fellow artist, but James Mason — the author of an obscure neo-Nazi newsletter whose violent ideas would soon become known around the world. This episode traces how Mason's newsletter Siege! evolved from fringe extremist literature into a modern blueprint for...

In this episode we look at the death of freelance journalist Danny Casolaro, who was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Martinsburg, West Virginia. This was ruled a suicide, but circumstances surrounding the case raised questions. Casolaro had been investigating what he called “The Octopus,” a sprawling conspiracy that connected intelligence agencies, organized crime, and international arms dealers....

In this week’s episode, Joseph L. Flatley investigates the infamous Finders case—a 1987 incident where two well-dressed men and six disheveled children in a Tallahassee park sparked nationwide panic about satanic cults and child trafficking. What began as a routine police call transformed into one of the internet's most persistent conspiracy theories, fueled by leaked government documents claiming...

Dive into the shocking story of Paul Bennewitz, a physicist and military contractor whose innocent observations near Kirtland Air Force Base triggered one of the most elaborate government disinformation campaigns in history.  This episode unravels how Air Force intelligence agents deliberately fed Bennewitz false information about alien bases, cattle mutilations, and government-extraterrestrial tr...

From distinguished FBI agent to conspiracy kingpin: Journey inside the mind of Ted Gunderson, whose investigation of the infamous Jeffrey MacDonald murder case launched his transformation from respected law enforcement official to professional conspiracy theorist.  This episode of A Paranoid’s History of the United States follows Gunderson's evolution as he chases phantom cults, promotes tales of...

In 1993, the 51-day standoff between federal agents and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas ended in tragedy with 76 people dead, including 25 children. For William Cooper, former Naval Intelligence officer turned conspiracy broadcaster, this wasn't just another government operation gone wrong—it was the smoking gun that validated everything he had been warning his listeners about. This episode ex...

A Paranoid's History of the United States is a podcast exploring the murky intersection between documented government conspiracies and fantastical theories, examining how real covert operations have fueled paranoid beliefs throughout American history. CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE: https://paranoidhistory.com SOCIAL MEDIA https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/ https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory HOSTE...