Crazy Cold War Projects, Part 3 Quiz

Answer: The moon

Two years before President Kennedy's challenge for NASA to put a man on the moon and bring him back alive by the end of the 1960s, Heinz-Hermann Koelle decided that by the middle of the decade the United States could send dozens of missions to the moon for the aim of keeping men there for the long-term.

The main building would be only ten feet by twenty feet, and was supposed to hold up to twelve people at one time. It also included two nuclear reactors, two lunar rovers, and eventually a bioscience and physics laboratory.

Answer: Gemini 2

Project Horizon was in no way short of daring in its aims. In 1964, it planned forty Saturn rocket launches followed by stocking and manning missions the following year. By late 1966, the entire outpost was meant to be operational after nearly 150 launches, all of which would land on the moon. However, the project was deemed not feasible and was scrapped early on.

Answer: At sea off of the Isle of Lewis

Operation Cauldron included infecting several thousand guinea pigs and dozens of monkeys with multiple biological agents through various means at sea. After their exposure, they would be taken on board the "Ben Lomond" and if the animals died, they would be dissected and studied.

Answer: In 2005 when preparing for a BBC interview about the incident

On September 16, 1952, one minute before the "Ben Lomond" released another trial of biological agents, the "Carella" came into view and was warned to stay clear of the area. The "Carella" ignored the warnings, and sailed within two miles of the "Ben Lomond." The British government was not want to admit to biological testing with the bubonic plague, so the ship was allowed to dock at Blackpool while being shadowed by several vessels monitoring radio signals to see if they called for medical help. When no symptoms were reported, they determined that there was no point in telling the crew after the fact.

It was not until 2005, when BBC radio was going to broadcast a report about the experiment, that the surviving crew find out about the incident.

Answer: Fleas

Two types of cluster bombs were used to hold either 100,000 or 200,000 fleas to be dropped. However, the E23 bomb (which was supposed to hold 200,000 fleas) misfired inside the aircraft and the smaller bomb was used for the rest of the trials.

Answer: 1 day

The fleas dropped around the area suffered very little die-off and they were able to find the guinea pigs with no problems, although they did not live for more than a day. A similar experiment, Operation Big Buzz, was used with mosquitoes and included far more detailed statistics, including the specific cost per death that the infection would cause with yellow fever.

Answer: AIDS

Operation Whitecoat allowed all potential subjects to know what would happen to them and were also allowed to contact their family and clergy (many were Seventh-day Adventists) for advice. All of them were conscientious objectors, and therefore were the perfect group for the Army to test as they would not be fighting.

In the end, 80% of those invited to participate chose to go ahead with the project.

Answer: 0

During the time that the testing went on, no subjects died from their diseases, although a few claimed to feel effects of the trial after it was completed. For the scientific community, the operation was a success, leading to FDA-approved vaccines for yellow fever and hepatitis, and also drugs for several other diseases.

The US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) also developed equipment and procedures to contain and treat the diseases properly.

Answer: LSD

The prostitutes brought the men back to CIA safe houses, where the subjects were given doses of LSD in order for the agency to study its effect behind one-way mirrors inside the house. In the end, the CIA gained ample information on the possible use of drugs in the field as well as the possibility of using the same techniques against Soviet assets.

Answer: Interrogation and mind control

While members of the CIA insist it was not trying to create mind control techniques, several projects were developed for the specific purpose of attempting to make subjects perform actions against their own will. Still, its main purpose was to create the most effective ways to perform interrogations.

The agency knew that while controlling someone's mind could have its perks, it was far too risky, and getting reliable information from assets was much more reliable.