Trickery Part 2: (Triple Crown Publications Presents)
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The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
Magic or spycraft? In 1953, against the backdrop of the Cold War, the CIA initiated a top-secret program, code-named MKULTRA, to counter Soviet mind-control and interrogation techniques. Realizing that clandestine officers might need to covertly deploy newly developed pills, potions, and powders against the adversary, the CIA hired America’s most famous magician, John Mulholland, to write two manuals on sleight of hand and undercover communication techniques. In 1973, virtually all documents rel
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(out of 22 reviews)
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Review by E. M. Van Court for The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
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During the height of the Cold War, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employed an American sleight of hand artist, a magician by the name of John Mulholland to provide instruction on illusion and deception as part of the sinister and shadowy MKULTRA program. Two of his texts have survived and been declassified, and are reproduced here, along with a brief history of some of the CIA’s spookiest programs.
The history portion; “The Legacy of MKULTRA and the Missing Magic Manuals” will entertain, delight, and provoke conspiracy theorists everywhere. This section touches on operations of the Cold War, formerly classified experimentation, and gadgets from the sublime to ridiculous. It also discusses the long-standing relationship between magicians and intelligence operations going back to WW I. There are some super vignettes about Harry Houdini and his stagecraft in there too.
The first text by Mulholland is mostly about covert (covert; “An operation that is so planned and executed as to conceal the identity of or permit plausible denial by the sponsor.”) administration of liquids or pills, and petty theft. The first section, however, is a superb discussion of the mechanics and psychology of sleight of hand, with a special emphasis on dispelling myths.
The second text is about clandestine (clandestine; “An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental departments or agencies in such a way as to assure secrecy or concealment.”) signals between operators. Again, this is based on performance magic, like the cues an assistant will give the magician during a mind reading act. Again, worth while reading for aspiring sleight of hand artists.
This book will benefit students of the history of the Cold War, the CIA, and espionage in general, as a novel snapshot of efforts by the US intelligence community between WWII and the fall of the Soviet Union. Folks interested in real-life James Bond tricks and techniques will love this book. Magicians and other practicioners of illusion will find material of interest here from a master of the craft, even though the intent of the effects, the mindset of the audience, and enthusiasm for morally dubious behavior might be pretty icky.
As a historian and amateur illusionist, this was a darkly facinating book.
E. M. Van Court
Review by Michael A. Duvernois for The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
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Stage magician John Mulholland wrote this pair of manuals for the CIA in the early 1950s. All copies were believed to have been destroyed, though stories of the sleight of hand and secret communication documents have carried down through the decades. One copy of each manual were discovered though, and now declassified, appear here in print. It’s an interesting book for both the stage magic and the history of CIA spycraft folks. Though the cover makes it clear that they figure the market will be from those interested in the CIA “trickery and deception.”
It’s not as exciting as a James Bond version would be, unless you can put the movies and fiction aside and feel the thrill of the real deal. These manuals were written to help CIA case officers pass documents to agents without notice, or to hold-out hide small objects. The real nuts and bolts of espionage. Makes sense to go to the magicians who do that sort of thing daily, though with lower consequences of failure.
Anyway, it’s an odd glimpse into the CIA’s past, before electronics and email intercepts, before senate investigations, and with the looming threat of the Cold War a very real part of the story. I enjoyed it.
Review by Thomas Duff for The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
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So what does magic and spycraft have in common? Actually, more than I thought. The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception by H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace take the reader back to the 1950’s when the CIA was doing everything possible to counter the Soviet threat to the “American way of life.” A program codenamed “Mkultra” included some non-conventional ways to match the Soviets when it came to mind control and covert activities. One of those side projects included the study of how magic techniques could help agents disguise their moves and communications. The CIA called John Mulholland, a very well-known magician of the day, and had him teach agents his ability to create distractions and misdirections. The result of this project was a manual thought to be destroyed in the 1970’s. But a couple of preserved copies were later found, and we now have a look into a unique period in espionage history.
The book starts off with the two authors giving some historical background and context to the project and to Mulholland. While the CIA had a vast array of devices and drugs for use in the field, they weren’t exact easy to administer and use in a covert fashion. Mulholland then started changing the mindset of agents around things like stage management, misdirection, sleight of hand, disguises, escaping, concealments, and other topics. After the introduction material, the book consists of the actual text of the Mulholland manual, complete with clarified illustrations that were present in the original report.
I found the subject interesting, in that I normally don’t connect magic with the type of works a covert agent would employ. But they really are similar in many senses. Misdirection when you’re trying to plant a bug or drug someone… Hiding tools on one’s person to help with escape… Working with partners to establish a cover that will distract the watcher. It is certainly a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in how to be more “sneaky” if that’s something they need to be able to do on a regular basis. It’s not the best read in terms of flow (remember, this *was* a classified CIA report initially), but the content stands out.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed
Review by Loyd E. Eskildson for The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
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In 2007 the authors discovered a long-lost CIA file, once top secret, created by magician John Mulholl while employed as the agency’s first magician. The intent was to guide CIA officers on how to use magicians’ craft in clandestine operations. That lost file comprises the material in “The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception.” Readers get the lowdown on ‘flash paper’ that burst into flame when touched by a lit cigarette, water-soluble paper, disguises, switching clothes and persons, an agent impersonating a 180-lb. large dog, how the sawing a woman in half trick works, sleight of hand in dropping pills in someone else’s drink etc. Nice, but it gets old after awhile, and one doubts how useful the lessons learned were in practice.
Review by Steve Crozier for The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
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Really fun! This book casts some light on the funny side of covert operations.
Somehow, I cant imagine James Bond doing a conjuring trick in a bar, but it was so, to enable
agents to palm items and conduct sleight of hand when in the field. The tricks are fun to learn.
Its a very well packaged book, delivered in record time and a useful stocking filler.