Top 10 Secret Government Programs You Won't Believe Existed

#10: Project 1794

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It seems like conspiracy theorists have been speculating that the US government has been hiding evidence of UFO activity from the public forever. But what if those mysterious objects were being made by humans? Back in the 1950s, Canadian and United States intelligence started collaborating on what was known as Project 1794. Aviation engineers were trying to create a flying saucer using cutting-edge aerodynamic concepts of the time. It was designed to go up to 2,600 mph! Unfortunately, work on this speedy craft was likely scrapped because it was far too expensive. In 2012, technician Michael Rhodes revealed the files about this saucer project. The prototype “Avrocar” was refurbished and can be seen at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

After World War 2, many countries within the NATO alliance were fearful of Soviet influence and potential invasions. As a result, the nations collaborated with the CIA to create paramilitary organizations that would stay behind in other countries. These networks were a part of “Project Gladio”. Members hid weapons, prepared escape routes and recruited loyal members in other countries. They largely remained hidden from the public until news of a group in Italy emerged. Reports suggested that the Gladio members knew about several violent incidents without taking action to stop them. While the US government acknowledged their network in Italy, they denied having any direct connection to heinous acts.

#8: The Stargate Project

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Whether you believe in psychic abilities or not, certain US government agencies entertained the possibility of extrasensory powers enough to fund this project. In 1978, a U.S. Army unit was established to harness psychic abilities for multiple applications. They were particularly interested in a method called “remote viewing”. With this technique, a psychic would potentially be able to see secret documents and events in other countries without ever leaving the U.S. The government thought it was worth spending 20 million dollars to get this extrasensory program working. Unfortunately, the CIA didn’t foresee that it wouldn’t yield consistently reliable results. They shut the program down in 1995.

#7: CIA Adult Films

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In 1945, President Sukarno became Indonesia’s first president after Dutch colonial rule ended. The US saw this as a problem because the country was of significant importance during the Cold War and had ties with communist countries they weren’t friendly with. After a paramilitary response failed, they concocted a plan to exploit the president's womanizing tendencies. The CIA produced an adult film allegedly featuring an actor wearing a mask so he resembled Sukarno. They were trying to hint that a KGB agent seduced the political figure. However, they never ended up releasing this film. In the end, the agency left the movie behind and facilitated a coup with MI6.

How far would you go to get the upper hand on your enemy? After the end of World War II, the tense atmosphere of the Cold War put everyone on edge. This drove intelligence organizations to recruit scientists, engineers, and technicians that had served former enemies. They nicknamed this program Operation Paperclip. The aim was to get ahead of the Soviet Union in everything from weapons technology to the Space Race. However, a big reservation many people had was that a number of these individuals were former members of the Nazi Party. President Truman reportedly debated whether to go ahead with the controversial program for 16 months. Eventually, he gave it the green light.

#5: Jack-In-The-Box

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One of the most incredible things about spy movies is the endless gadgets agents use to get the job done. But this invention seems almost comical. As the KGB were getting wiser to undercover agents, the American spies needed a way to duck pursuers. So some technicians had an exciting idea. Agents would carry around a special suitcase whenever traveling in a vehicle. If they suspected someone was tailing them, they would press a button that would deploy the device. An inflatable person would appear to be driving the vehicle while the spy slipped out. As ridiculous as it sounds, there were reports that this program was actually useful.

This project aimed to figure out ways to manipulate people’s minds for whatever purpose the CIA could think of. They did this by giving subjects illegal substances, hypnotizing people and even physically harming targets. And since a number of people didn’t exactly volunteer for these experiments, this program was a gigantic human rights issue. Unfortunately, it was executed on both US and foreign soil and wasn’t afraid to pull in American citizens. Around the time of the Watergate scandal, CIA Director Richard Helms ordered files about MK Ultra be destroyed. The evidence that this program existed comes from sworn testimony and a few surviving documents. But the true reach of this heinous program may never be fully known.

When Cuba was identified as a considerable concern for the U.S in 1962, the CIA made many attempts to overthrow or assassinate President Fidel Castro. This series of missions was known as Operation Mongoose. (xref) When these covert attempts failed, a much more horrifying proposal came to the Oval Office. The Department of Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff suggested what was known as a false flag operation. Government operatives would commit violent acts on US soil and put the blame on Cuba. Eventually, they believed Americans would support a war. While President Kennedy rejected the idea, it’s scary that the proposal even got as far as the president in the first place.

#2: Project Pigeon

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Believe it or not, there was a plan to make pigeons work for the government. The idea was that these birds would be trained to identify a specific person or place. Next, they would be strapped into a frame with an explosive and a screen with the image of the target. If the pigeons pecked the screen in front of them in the right place, they would get feed as a reward. And a bomb would also be aimed at a target. Despite the National Defence Research Committee doubting the idea, they still contributed $25,000 to the research. And it actually saw some success! However, the military decided to spend less time on pigeons and focus on less far fetched projects.

As we’ve previously mentioned, the CIA was trying everything they could to spy on the Soviet forces in the Cold War. While plenty of miniature cameras and microphones could fit into pens and lipstick, getting close enough to use them was the main problem. The CIA then sank 20 million dollars into a project called “Acoustic Kitty.” This program involved implanting listening technology into a cat so it could later eavesdrop on conversations. However, the CIA learned firsthand that getting a feline to do what you want isn’t easy. While reports of one of these cats being struck by a car are hard to confirm, the program was definitely im-purr fect.