Jon Ronson investigates a clandestine lineage of military experimentation that began with the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion in the late 1970s. He tracks down former officers and psychic researchers who believed they could harness paranormal abilities for psychological warfare. The narrative follows specific projects where soldiers attempted to walk through walls, become invisible, or kill animals simply by looking at them. Ronson links these New Age military theories to more sober modern realities, including the interrogation techniques used at Guantanamo Bay and the development of non-lethal acoustic weaponry.
Readers interested in the intersection of government policy and institutional eccentricity find a detailed record of how fringe beliefs influence official defense strategies. The book serves those who study the evolution of psychological operations and the bureaucratic history of the Cold War. After reading, the audience understands the historical progression from hippie-influenced experiments in extrasensory perception to the harsh psychological tactics used in contemporary global conflicts. The text clarifies how absurdity and tragedy coexist within high-level military intelligence structures.
Outward-looking; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2004
- Language
- EN
