Saddam Hussein was pacing furiously in Basra on January 27th, 1991. Iraq had invaded Kuwait six months earlier, and the world responded with a devastating air campaign. The coalition’s relentless 2,000 daily air attacks had crippled Iraq’s defenses. Soldiers, once battle-tested, were now surrendering in droves without even firing a shot. Hussein was losing, and it was driving him mad.

One of his officers handed him a report about an FM transmitter in Khafji, Saudi Arabia. Hussein dismissed it as propaganda but reluctantly continued reading. The intelligence document suggested that the transmitter was broadcasting subliminal messages that made Iraqi troops surrender. Using mind control? It sounded absurd, but Hussein ordered the tower destroyed within three days, despite his officers warning that it would be a suicide mission without air support.

Meanwhile, Marine Corporal Jesse Culvin was stationed at an observation post in Khafji. It was a quiet night until, around 8 PM, he heard a rumble. Using his binoculars, he saw tanks and troops approaching. He tried to report the sighting, but the radio remained silent. The radios had worked earlier, so he assumed they were being jammed. Shortly after, Iraqi forces launched a massive attack, and within 90 minutes, they took the city. The transmitter was destroyed, but this victory for Iraq didn’t last long; the coalition’s overwhelming air power reclaimed the town soon after.

Curiously, reports about subliminal messaging have circulated for years. For example, in 1957, subliminal messages were inserted into a film in New Jersey, boosting popcorn sales by 58%. Despite the backlash and subsequent banning of such advertising, the concept lingered.

During the Vietnam War, the US Army used a device called the Squawk Box, which could manipulate emotions and behavior in the enemy by broadcasting certain sound frequencies. This device proved successful but was notoriously loud. To develop a quieter and even more effective weapon, the US military turned to microwave research, which began in the 1960s. Scientists discovered that certain microwave frequencies could induce emotional and physical reactions in subjects.

The evolution of these technologies led to the creation of devices capable of transmitting emotions. One such device, patented and known as the Silent Subliminal Presentation System, could broadcast subliminal messages that triggered emotional responses without the target being aware.

It’s rumored that this technology was used during the Gulf War to induce feelings of hopelessness in Iraqi soldiers, leading them to surrender en masse. While officials deny such technology’s existence, the sudden and widespread collapse of Iraqi resistance suggested otherwise.

In 1991, when the ceasefire was declared, Saddam Hussein’s power remained intact, but the following day, rebellions broke out across southern Iraq. Some believe this was spurred by the Voice of Free Iraq, a CIA-operated radio station.

Whether these mind control theories are fact or fiction, the combination of military and psychological operations has undoubtedly played a role in modern warfare strategies. The implications of these technologies, especially if used for more significant purposes, leave a lot to ponder.

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