1953–1964: Operation Midnight Climax — CIA’s lurid ventures into sex, hookers and LSD

Erin Nelson, This is one interesting read/share, I never have heard of this one before. Thanks for the insight and perspective into a world of Operation Midnight Climax.

Operation Midnight Climax was an operation known only to Richard Helms and Gottlieb’s Technical Support Division; it was a free-wheeling illicit criminal operation headed by George Hunter White, an Army Captain, OSS officer, veteran agent of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) who was also a CIA operative. During the day, White worked as an FBN agent to keep psychoactive drugs out of circulation, and when night fell, he and his minions dispensed these drugs widely to strangers in in San Francisco and New York. Thousands of unwitting men were lured to CIA-sponsored drug and sex sessions by prostitutes at CIA’s “safe houses.” The prostitutes received $100 a night and were guaranteed protection from police harassment. The walls of CIA’s bordellos were decorated with photos of women in bondage and other suggestive sexual images. White had unrestricted use of surveillance technology; LSD and other mind-altering substances were slipped into the johns’ liquor by the hookers, and their sexual encounters were monitored and recorded from behind two-way mirrors. These taped sexual encounters were useful for blackmailing johns — some of who were prominent upstanding citizens.

TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F.] SGT Robert George SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) SFC Dave Beran SGT Philip Roncari SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 (Join to see) SPC Margaret Higgins MSgt Jason McClish COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] SrA Christopher Wright Cynthia Croft SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM

Thank you for the great read. I've heard of the LSD testing. But nothing in this scope. I have an inkling the CIA was given too much broad stroke authority. Wow!

Interesting share this morning, thank you.