At last: Shickshinny Knights of Malta linked to the Draper/Vonsiatsky Condon ManCand crowds

[Jan Klimkowski]

It's time to explore some basic concepts, such as what is meant by Manchurian Candidate.

The wiktionary definition is as follows, and acknowledges that it is incomplete:

Etymology
From the title of the 1959 novel or 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate. This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Manchurian candidate (plural Manchurian candidates)

A person who, unbeknownst to himself, has been convinced to act toward some interest.

Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Manchurian_candidate"

John is entirely correct that the first and original usage - to my knowledge - is by Richard Condon. I suspect that John is also correct in that Condon's primary meaning is of a constructed Presidential candidate, a "sleeper" programmed by a foreign power, in this instance in Manchuria.

John - do you further interpret this to suggest the creation of a White Russian Fuhrer who may not himself be programmed?

Meanwhile, it should be noted that John Marks' usage is somewhat different. Marks is talking about the search of intelligence agencies to create a "sleeper" or programmed agent in general. The programme implanted in that agent need not be that they are to be "a Presidential candidate". The programme could be a top secret message hidden behind hypnotic triggers - the "hypnotic courier" spoken of by Prof Estabrooks and created perhaps as early as WW1 and operational by WW2 - or, in ultimate usage, a programmed assassin. When Oswald is described as a "Manchurian Candidate", the meaning is that he was a programmed assassin, or programmed patsy, with a mission to kill or shoot at the American President; not that he was programmed to be a Presidential candidate.

I should state that whilst Marks' book is invaluable, and was pioneering in its exposure of MK-ULTRA, subsequent revelations show that the claim that the projects failed are entirely wrong and represent an attempt at cover-up and limited hangout by Gottlieb and other protagonists. Gottlieb famously burnt as much documentation as he could find, but forgot about several boxes of receipts.

In addition, much of the testimony in front of the Congressional Committee was couched in terms limited to MK-ULTRA, when there were many such projects in place, not all run by the CIA (eg ONI, Military Intelligence, British Intelligence), and it is clear that much of the work was deliberately sub-contracted in such a way as it to create plausible deniability. Note that Cameron's experiments took place in Canada. In addition, inherently "weird" and thus deniable fronts were used, such as cults.

Colin Ross MD, a former President of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, has undertaken much important work into understanding the mechanisms which might be used to programme a person to perform a particular action. His original book, Bluebird, was updated and reissued in 2006 as The CIA Doctors.

Ross' own definition of Manchurian Candidate is as follows:

According to my definition, the Manchurian Candidate is an experimentally created dissociative identity disorder that meets the following four criteria:

1) Created deliberately
2) A new identity is implanted
3) Amnesia barriers are created
4) Used in simulated or actual operations.

From Ross, The CIA Doctors, p 35

The known predecessor programmes to MK-ULTRA included BLUEBIRD and ARTICHOKE, and Ross found many documents which clearly reveal the ultimate intention of the projects. For instance:

A document entitled "Hypnotic Experimentation and Research, 10 February 1954", describes a simulation experiment of relevance to the creation of Manchurian Candidate assassins:

Miss (whited out) was then instructed (having previously expressed a fear of firearms in any fashion) that she would use every method at her disposal to awaken Miss (whited out) (now in a deep hypnotic sleep) and failing in this, she would pick up a pistol nearby and fire it at Miss (whited out). She was instructed that her rage would be so great that she would not hesitate to "kill" Miss (whited out) for failing to awaken. Miss (whited out) carried out these suggestions to the letter including firing the (unloaded pneumatic pistol) gun at (whited out) and then proceeding to fall into a deep sleep. After proper suggestions were made, both were awakened and expressed complete amnesia for the entire sequence. Miss (whited out) was again handed the gun, which she refused (in an awakened state) to pick up or accept from the operator. She expressed absolute denial that the foregoing sequence had happened.

From Ross, The CIA Doctors, p 46

In short, the phrase "Manchurian Candidate" has differing meanings. For clarity, from hereon in, I will endeavour to use the phrase "programmed assassin" or "programmed agent" in this thread when I am referring to a person who has been programmed as assassin, patsy or in some other fashion.