CIA Spy Reveals MKUltra’s More Sinister “Twin” Experiment | John Kiriakou

Overview

The video is an interview with former CIA officer John Kiriakou, focusing on alleged CIA / U.S. government abuses, particularly in covert programs and foreign “soft power” funding. It argues that lack of transparency and oversight can allow wrongdoing to persist.

USAID, “soft power,” and alleged covert use

• Kiriakou says that during his CIA career he paid little attention to USAID, though he knew it funded organizations such as the National Endowment for Democracy, and he faced accusations that it acted as a CIA front or enabled “money laundering.”
• He describes a 2009 investigation he conducted while working for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee: after the Taliban were overthrown, Afghanistan allegedly shifted from food production to opium poppy cultivation—by 2009 accounting for about 93% of the world’s heroin supply.
• He recounts trying to enter poppy fields in Helmand province and interviewing a farmer who claimed American forces told him that if he helped locate Arabs, he could grow as much poppy as he wanted. Kiriakou says the military escort then cut the meeting short and removed him due to “threat” concerns.
• He further claims he met with DEA contacts and was told (in his account) that the goal was to keep foreign populations (e.g., Russia and Iran) “addicted” as a way to weaken societies—framing it as cynical geopolitical strategy rather than a purely anti-drug effort.
• The broader argument: even when U.S. programs have legitimate components (such as infrastructure and humanitarian work), they can be repurposed or enabled by intelligence priorities, while oversight remains weak.

“Dasht-e Leili massacre” and CIA presence allegations

• The discussion revisits the Dasht-e Leili massacre (late 2001), describing Taliban soldiers surrendering in large numbers and being transported in trucks without adequate conditions (no air holes, water, or food), with only 16 surviving—described as mass death by exposure/neglect.
• Kiriakou says a new witness reported seeing two English-speaking men in civilian clothing (blue jeans/black shirts) on site. He interprets this as potentially CIA personnel, contrasting with CIA denials.
• He says he wrote to the CIA seeking clarification. After a delay, he was told the response was classified “top secret,” and that his ability to publish would be blocked.

MKUltra and the pattern of illegality

• Kiriakou asserts that MKUltra was “real,” heavily illegal, and involved experimentation on American citizens without consent.
• He references allegations from MKUltra-era reporting, including:
  • A virus allegedly weaponized into San Francisco fog
  • Recruiting and drugging sex workers to extract “innermost secrets” using LSD and other drugs in CIA safe-house settings
  • Claims that much documentation was destroyed (which he attributes to CIA leadership, specifically Director Helms)

Oversight breakdown (Church Committee onward) and politicized accountability

• He argues that congressional oversight existed in the 1970s and in the early period after major revelations (e.g., the Church Committee / Pike Committee), but later eroded.
• He claims later CIA and intelligence operations were shielded from effective review, including references to partisan-only torture-report production and counter-narratives.
• He argues investigations can become self-protective—summarized as “CIA investigates itself and finds no wrongdoing.”
• He adds that lack of transparency can cause “good” programs to be discarded alongside “bad” ones.

USAID as a “beachhead” for CIA covert operations (historical claim)

• Kiriakou argues there was a formal agreement between the CIA and the State Department about cover arrangements, and says USAID is unusual in this context.
• He claims the CIA did not embed agents “under cover in USAID,” but instead used USAID to conduct covert operations via funding channels.
• A specific declassified example is presented: he claims Ted Kennedy wrote to the CIA about the CIA paying Laotian mercenaries through USAID, and that Kissinger / CIA replied confirming payment over multiple years.

Examples of propaganda/operations and media influence

• The interview expands to alleged influence operations and media manipulation, including:
  • ZunZuneo: described as a supposed Cuba-based Facebook alternative intended to encourage unrest; Kiriakou suggests it allegedly failed due to lack of participation
  • Bolivia: an alleged covert media infiltration meant to discredit Evo Morales, involving staged or purchased content
• They discuss how modern technology can make covert influence easier and more widespread, while Kiriakou emphasizes that public understanding often varies—sometimes understating, sometimes overstating claims—depending on politics and media narratives.

Bureaucratic politics and the 2016 “anti-Trump” intelligence controversy (alleged)

• The conversation touches on claims that the intelligence and law-enforcement ecosystem became more politically biased around 2016.
• Kiriakou suggests there may have been an environment in which dissenting or “nonsensical” allegations were less vetted when people wanted a particular political outcome.
• He also describes a theory tied to the Christopher Steele dossier: he argues that once intelligence becomes campaign-driven without a robust analytic verification team, unverified or low-credibility information can be amplified and weaponized.

Afghanistan state-building critique

• Kiriakou argues U.S. democracy-promotion in Afghanistan was misguided, contrasting Western-style elections with Afghan mechanisms such as the Loya Jirga (described as a consultative council of tribal leaders).
• He contends the U.S. installed figureheads and misread Afghan history and culture.
• He argues U.S. strategic choices—including overstretch from Iraq and shifting resources—contributed to the eventual Taliban resurgence.

Presenters / contributors

• John Kiriakou (interviewee; former CIA officer)
• Video host / interviewer: “John Kiriakou” podcast host (name not provided in the subtitles)