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 and that war was essential for social stability. The dry, academic prose perfectly mimicked Cold War-era think tank reports, suggesting disturbing alternatives to war including reintroducing slavery, implementing eugenics, and creating fake UFO scares to maintain social control. Published as nonfiction by Dial Press, the report became a bestseller and front-page news, prompting White House investigations before Lewin revealed his authorship in 1972.

The episode traces how this left-wing satire of the military-industrial complex was later embraced by the far-right as authentic evidence of government conspiracy. After falling out of print in the 1980s, the report was republished in 1990 by Holocaust-denying fascist Willis Carto's network of front organizations, who believed it was real government documentation. The report found new life in 1990s militia movements, circulating through underground channels and featured in the influential video Iron Mountain: Blueprint for Tyranny." Its ideas became embedded in extremist ideology that influenced figures like Timothy McVeigh and radio host Bill Cooper, demonstrating how satirical critique can dangerously transform into paranoid conspiracy theory—a cautionary tale about the thin line between justified skepticism of power and destructive paranoia.

Featuring Phil Tinline, author of Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax of the Century, Its Enduring Impact, and What It Reveals About America Today. Tinline discovered the report while researching the military-industrial complex and became fascinated by its transformation from leftist satire to right-wing conspiracy evidence. His investigation traces the document's complete lifecycle, from its Vietnam War-era origins through its adoption by militia movements, offering insights into how both left and right share deep suspicions of centralized authority while maintaining their mutual antipathy. Tinline's analysis reveals the "horseshoe phenomenon" where political extremes converge around distrust of government power, particularly the post-1945 national security apparatus that emerged after World War II.

FOLLOW PHIL TINLINE ON TWITTER: https://x.com/phil_tinline

MORE INFORMATION ON THE BOOK: https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Ghosts-of-Iron-Mountain/Phil-Tinline/9781668050491

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 a psychological operation to undermine North Korea's regime. Following the devastating Sony hack that was immediately blamed on North Korea, Shorrock published an article connecting the film to the Obama administration's militaristic approach toward the Korean Peninsula, only to be publicly dismissed by Rogen as "crazy." This episode explores the complex 80-year history of U.S. - Korea relations, from the post-WWII division of Korea to missed opportunities for peace, while examining how a Hollywood comedy became a vehicle for propaganda and geopolitical messaging; and why the official narrative about who actually hacked Sony may not be the whole story.

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 Modern Art's crucial role in legitimizing abstract expressionism and how this cultural operation was eventually exposed by Ramparts magazine in the late 1960s.

From elaborate funding schemes to Hollywood partnerships today, this story illuminates how intelligence agencies don't just hide information—they actively shape our cultural mythology to serve strategic objectives.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• The Cultural Cold War by Frances Stonor Saunders
• Frances Stonor Saunders (Book TV): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYLoyyR1qtI
• Free Enterprise Painting? (TeleSUR): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6791U1W7A4

SOCIAL MEDIA

• https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/
• https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory

HOSTED BY JOSEPH L. FLATLEY. For bonus content and to sign up for my newsletter, check out:

http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

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 aspiring superhero to conspiracy-fueled vigilante eerily foreshadowed our current era of weaponized misinformation. The parallels between McCaslin's 2002 raid and the 2016 Pizzagate incident at Comet Ping Pong are striking — both men were convinced they would rescue trafficked children based on conspiracy theories, found nothing, and ended up behind bars. McCaslin's story reveals how genuine concerns about power and inequality can be twisted into dangerous delusions, and how the line between superhero and villain becomes blurred when reality is filtered through misinformation.

GUEST: Tea Krulos is an author and journalist specializing in fringe subcultures and unique characters. His books include Heroes in the Night about the real-life superhero community and American Madness, which chronicles his eight-year relationship with the Phantom Patriot.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Phantom Patriot: An Inside Look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlxPQaB45N8
• David Icke on 9 11 and lizards in Buckingham Palace (BBC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wa1sorZqwY

SOCIAL MEDIA

• https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/
• https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory

HOSTED BY JOSEPH L. FLATLEY. For bonus content and to sign up for my newsletter, check out: http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

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 physiological responses to stress can manifest as real physical symptoms. And it reveals how institutional failures by government agencies, media outlets, and even prestigious medical journals amplified a narrative that fit political agendas despite contradicting scientific evidence.

From the Salem witch trials to modern diplomatic crises, this story demonstrates how our beliefs shape our perception of reality, and how these psychological mechanisms can be exploited to advance geopolitical interests.

GUEST: Dr. Robert Bartholomew is a medical sociologist and Lecturer on Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand who has spent over 35 years studying mass psychogenic illness. Co-author of Havana Syndrome: Mass Psychogenic Illness and the Real Story Behind the Embassy Mystery and Hysteria, Bartholomew specializes in how beliefs can manifest as genuine physical symptoms in otherwise healthy individuals. With dozens of published articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and part of his PhD focused on this phenomenon, he offers critical insight into how social factors influence our health experiences. Bartholomew approaches these topics with scientific rigor while making complex psychological concepts accessible, helping audiences understand how cultural context shapes our interpretation of ambiguous physical sensations.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• Havana Syndrome Could Have Been Weaponized (NBC News): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLyswGG4Tk

SOCIAL MEDIA

• https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/
• https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory

HOSTED BY JOSEPH L. FLATLEY. For bonus content and to sign up for my newsletter, check out:

http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

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 investigation, including FBI reports suggesting more bullet holes than Sirhan's eight-shot revolver could have produced, autopsy evidence indicating Kennedy was shot from behind at point-blank range while witnesses placed Sirhan in front of him, and claims that Sirhan was "hypno-programmed" and has no memory of the shooting.

Dan Moldea is an investigative journalist who spent years investigating the case — conducting polygraph tests, prison interviews with Sirhan, and meticulous examination of the evidence that had fueled conspiracy theories for decades. What he discovered about the supposed "extra bullets," the ballistics inconsistencies, and the flawed original investigation would fundamentally change his understanding of what really happened that night at the Ambassador Hotel.

For more info, check out Dan’s book The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy: An Investigation of Motive, Means, and Opportunity.

SOCIAL MEDIA

• https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/
• https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory

HOSTED BY JOSEPH L. FLATLEY. For bonus content and to sign up for my newsletter, check out:

http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

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 sport by Dick Cheney and having occult symbols carved into her body by Hillary Clinton.

This episode explores how Project Monarch emerged at the intersection of documented history and conspiracy theory. While the CIA's MK-ULTRA mind control experiments were real and declassified in the 1970s, Project Monarch has never been substantiated by credible evidence. Yet this urban legend has evolved into one of the most persistent conspiracy theories of our time, now encompassing claims about celebrity programming, the Illuminati's control of the entertainment industry, and the use of butterfly imagery as secret signals.

Interviews by Tyler Rabbit

GUESTS

• David McGowan (1960-2015) was an independent researcher and author known for exploring the darker corners of American political conspiracies. His work included investigations into government mind control programs, the 1960s counterculture, and political assassinations. McGowan's book Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon examined alleged connections between the CIA and the Laurel Canyon music scene. Though skeptical of supernatural elements in conspiracy theories, McGowan maintained that government agencies had invested significant resources in developing mind control techniques.
• Tracy Twyman (1978-2019) was an author, researcher, and occult historian whose work explored alternative history, secret societies, and conspiracy theories. Her book Mind-Controlled Sex Slaves and the CIA investigated claims of government mind control experimentation.

FURTHER INFORMATION

• MK-Ultra: The shocking Cold War experiments hidden by the CIA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_-ek5CsTGc

SOCIAL MEDIA

• https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/
• https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory

HOSTED BY JOSEPH L. FLATLEY. For bonus content and to sign up for my newsletter, check out:

http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

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 terrorism. We explore Mason's journey from teenage American Nazi Party member to Charles Manson devotee, and how his concept of “leaderless resistance” — advocating lone wolf terrorist attacks — became the strategic foundation for contemporary white supremacist violence.

GUEST: Spencer Sunshine, antifascist researcher and author of Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism: The Origins and Afterlife of James Mason’s Siege

FURTHER INFORMATION

• PBS Frontline: Documenting Hate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XFBVAAzXjc

SOCIAL MEDIA

• https://www.instagram.com/paranoidhistory/
• https://twitter.com/paranoidhistory

HOSTED BY JOSEPH L. FLATLEY. For bonus content and to sign up for my newsletter, check out: http://lennyflatley.substack.com/