By George Paul Tillerman

Project Acoustic Kitty

Source: "The CIA's Appalling Human Experiments With Mind Control" by Stephen Kinzer, 2019.
Strawman: "The CIA wasted taxpayer dollars on trying to turn cats into spies, which proves their incompetence."
Steelman: "The CIA explored all avenues of intelligence-gathering during the Cold War, including unconventional methods, to ensure the U.S. had an upper hand against adversaries."

The “Gay Bomb”

Source: "Research Report Summaries" by Wright Laboratory, 1994.
Strawman: "The U.S. military's idea to make enemy soldiers attracted to each other is ludicrous and reveals a lack of serious strategy."
Steelman: "In pursuit of non-lethal alternatives in warfare, the military brainstormed various concepts, aiming for psychological disruption over physical harm."

Majestic 12

Source: "The FBI's Declassified Documents on the Secret MJ-12 Group" on the official FBI Vault website.
Strawman: "The government's secretive UFO investigation committee is evidence they're hiding alien encounters from us."
Steelman: "Government agencies explored various reports to ensure national security, even if those reports were on unidentified flying objects."

Operation Northwoods

Source: James Bamford's "Body of Secrets", 2001.
Strawman: "The U.S. government was willing to harm its own citizens just to start a war with Cuba."
Steelman: "During the Cold War, various contingency plans were drawn up, but checks and balances ensured extreme proposals like Northwoods were never approved."

Star Gate Project

Source: "Reading Room: STAR GATE [Controlled Remote Viewing]" on the CIA's official website.
Strawman: "The government wasted resources believing in psychic powers rather than focusing on tangible intelligence methods."
Steelman: "It's important to investigate all potential avenues of intelligence, especially when rivals may also be exploring such methods."

The Avrocar

Source: Bill Zuk's "The Avrocar: Canada's Flying Saucer", 2001.
Strawman: "Trying to make a flying saucer shows a sci-fi fantasy rather than practical defense strategies."
Steelman: "Innovation often requires thinking outside the box, and challenging conventional aircraft design can lead to breakthroughs."

Operation Midnight Climax

Source: Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain's "Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD", 1985.
Strawman: "The CIA drugging unknowing participants is evidence of its disregard for basic human rights."
Steelman: "The Cold War era was a time of uncharted territories in intelligence, and mistakes made then have informed current ethics in operations."

The “Heart Attack” Gun

Source: The Church Committee's "Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders", 1975.
Strawman: "Creating covert assassination weapons like this shows the CIA's malevolent intentions."
Steelman: "Spy agencies develop covert tools to ensure national security with minimal overt conflict, even if such tools are ethically questionable."

Operation Mongoose

Source: Tim Weiner's "Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA", 2007.
Strawman: "Plotting against foreign leaders is an overreach of U.S. power and is unethical."
Steelman: "In the context of the Cold War, proactive measures were considered essential to curtail potential threats."

“Habbakuk” Ice Aircraft Carrier

Source: Geoffrey Pyke's "To Ruhleben – And Back", 2002.
Strawman: "An aircraft carrier made of ice sounds like a foolish idea destined to fail."
Steelman: "In wartime, especially with resource constraints, innovative and unconventional solutions are often explored to address strategic challenges."

Each of these declassified documents reveals not just the sometimes bizarre paths that government and military research can take, but also the overarching commitment to national security and strategic advantage—even when those paths seem outlandish at first glance.

10 Most Insane Declassified Government Documents: A Balanced Look