Operation Often: The CIA’s Foray into Black Magic and the Occult

This is based on the available historical information Operation Often. It covers how Dr. Sidney Gottlieb used “Operation Often” to “explore the world of black magic” and “harness the forces of darkness” Military WikiMichael M. Hughes, and details the CIA’s systematic recruitment of fortune-tellers, palm-readers, clairvoyants, astrologers, mediums, psychics, specialists in demonology, witches and wizards, Satanists, and other occult practitioners Military WikiMichael M. Hughes.

It explores the program’s origins in 1968, its connection to the broader MK-ULTRA mind control research, and the various ways the CIA attempted to weaponize supernatural practices for intelligence purposes. It also addresses the ethical implications and ultimate ineffectiveness of these experiments.

The information is based on declassified documents, investigative journalism, and historical research, particularly drawing from the work of investigative journalist Gordon Thomas and other researchers who have studied the CIA’s more unconventional Cold War programs.

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Operation Often: The CIA’s Foray into Black Magic and the Occult
The Dark Chapter of American Intelligence Research

In 1968, at the height of the Cold War’s psychological warfare arms race, the Central Intelligence Agency embarked on one of its most bizarre and controversial research programs. Under the direction of Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA launched Operation Often (also known as MKOFTEN), a classified project that sought to explore the potential applications of occult practices, black magic, and supernatural phenomena for intelligence and mind control purposes.

The Man Behind the Operation

Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, born in 1918 to Hungarian Jewish immigrants in the Bronx, had already established himself as the CIA’s most controversial figure by the time Operation Often began. As the head of the MK-ULTRA mind control project, he had directed brutal experiments at secret prisons on three continents, earning him the moniker “poisoner in chief.” A chemist by training with a master’s degree in speech therapy, Gottlieb was described as both a visionary scientist and a “gentlehearted torturer” who oversaw some of the agency’s most ethically questionable research programs.

Gottlieb’s approach to intelligence work was methodical yet unconventional. Having already exhausted traditional pharmacological and psychological approaches to mind control through MK-ULTRA, he turned his attention to more esoteric possibilities. The transition to Operation Often represented a dramatic shift from scientific methodology to supernatural investigation.

The Genesis of Operation Often

Operation Often was inaugurated as part of the CIA’s broader behavior control research program, specifically incorporating occult and demonological elements. The program emerged from the agency’s frustration with conventional mind control techniques and their limited effectiveness. CIA leadership, including those in the Office of Research and Development (ORD), believed that exploring supernatural and occult practices might yield breakthrough methods for psychological manipulation and intelligence gathering.

According to investigative journalist Gordon Thomas, Dr. Gottlieb used Operation Often to “explore the world of black magic” and “harness the forces of darkness and challenge the concept that the inner reaches of the mind are beyond reach.” The program represented a desperate attempt to find unconventional weapons in the psychological warfare arsenal.

Recruitment of Occult Practitioners

The scope of Operation Often’s recruitment efforts was remarkably broad and systematic. CIA employees, under Gottlieb’s direction, visited with and recruited an extensive network of practitioners including fortune-tellers, palm-readers, clairvoyants, astrologers, mediums, psychics, specialists in demonology, witches and wizards, Satanists, and other occult practitioners.

The recruitment process involved CIA agents spreading across the United States to identify and engage individuals with purported supernatural abilities. These practitioners were brought into the program through various means, from direct recruitment to consulting arrangements. Many were likely unaware of the true nature of their involvement with the intelligence community.

The agency’s interest in these practitioners stemmed from several theoretical applications:

Divination and Intelligence Gathering: Psychics and fortune-tellers were tested for their ability to provide actionable intelligence about foreign adversaries, missing persons, or future events that could benefit national security operations.

Psychological Warfare: Practitioners of black magic and Satanism were studied to understand how fear of the supernatural could be weaponized against enemy populations or individuals.

Enhanced Interrogation: The CIA explored whether occult rituals or supernatural intimidation could break down psychological barriers in subjects more effectively than conventional techniques.

Mind Control Through Ritual: Researchers investigated whether ceremonial magic, ritual practices, or occult symbolism could enhance existing hypnosis and programming techniques.

Research Methodology and Activities

Operation Often’s research methodology blended pseudo-scientific inquiry with occult practices. The program operated through a network of researchers, including psychiatrists and behavioral scientists who worked alongside occult practitioners to document and test various supernatural phenomena.

The research activities included:

Controlled Experiments: Laboratory settings where psychic phenomena were tested under quasi-scientific conditions, though the rigor of these experiments fell far short of legitimate scientific standards.

Field Operations: Real-world applications where occult practitioners were deployed in intelligence operations to test their effectiveness in practical scenarios.

Documentation Projects: Extensive recording and cataloging of occult practices, rituals, and beliefs to create a comprehensive database of supernatural techniques.

Cross-Cultural Studies: Investigation of occult traditions from various cultures and religious systems to identify potentially useful practices.

The Intersection with Existing Programs

Operation Often did not exist in isolation but was part of the broader constellation of CIA mind control research. MKOFTEN was designed as a joint effort alongside its sister project MKSEARCH, with the official Department of Defense goal being to “test the behavioral and toxicological effects of certain drugs on animals and humans.” However, the occult component represented a significant departure from the pharmacological focus of other programs.

The program built upon the infrastructure and personnel networks established through MK-ULTRA, utilizing the same research facilities, funding mechanisms, and administrative structures. This allowed Operation Often to operate with minimal oversight and maximum secrecy.

Outcomes and Effectiveness

Historical records suggest that Operation Often produced no verifiable supernatural phenomena or actionable intelligence through occult means. The program’s investigations into psychic abilities, fortune-telling, and black magic failed to demonstrate any measurable effectiveness beyond what could be attributed to psychological suggestion, cold reading techniques, or coincidence.

Despite the lack of supernatural results, the program did yield insights into the psychology of belief, the power of suggestion, and the ways in which fear of the occult could be used for psychological manipulation. These findings were incorporated into other CIA psychological operations programs.

Ethical and Legal Implications

Operation Often raised profound ethical questions about the boundaries of government research. The program involved:

Exploitation of Vulnerable Populations: Many occult practitioners recruited by the CIA were individuals operating on the margins of society, making them particularly susceptible to manipulation.

Religious and Cultural Insensitivity: The program’s approach to various spiritual and religious traditions showed a profound disrespect for diverse belief systems.

Violation of Scientific Standards: The program abandoned legitimate scientific methodology in favor of pseudo-scientific investigation of supernatural claims.

Constitutional Concerns: The government’s involvement in occult practices raised questions about the separation of church and state and religious freedom.

Legacy and Historical Context

Operation Often must be understood within the broader context of Cold War paranoia and the CIA’s willingness to explore any potential advantage over communist adversaries. The program reflected the agency’s desperation to find psychological weapons that could match perceived Soviet advances in mind control and psychological warfare.

The operation also demonstrated the dangers of unchecked intelligence agency authority and the need for robust oversight of government research programs. The willingness to pursue occult research revealed how far intelligence agencies were prepared to go in the name of national security.

Conclusion

Operation Often stands as one of the most bizarre chapters in CIA history, representing both the agency’s innovative thinking and its dangerous lack of ethical constraints. While the program failed to produce any supernatural weapons or reliable occult intelligence, it revealed the extent to which Cold War fears drove American intelligence agencies to explore the fringes of human knowledge and belief.

The operation’s legacy serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of scientific rigor, ethical oversight, and the dangers of allowing fear to drive policy decisions. Dr. Sidney Gottlieb’s foray into black magic and the occult ultimately proved that some boundaries of human knowledge exist for good reason, and that the pursuit of national security advantages should not come at the cost of scientific integrity or ethical conduct.

Today, Operation Often remains largely classified, with many details still hidden in government archives. However, the available evidence paints a picture of a research program that epitomized the excesses of Cold War intelligence operations and the willingness of government agencies to pursue any avenue, no matter how far-fetched, in the name of national security.