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/