Episode · Stuff They Don't Want You To Know · 2024-06-05
Books mentioned on Did Charles Manson work with the CIA?
Years after his death, Charles Manson remains one of the most infamous cult leaders in US history. While the mainstream public seems pretty satisfied with the official narrative, people still struggle to understand how Manson could have held such an iron grip on the minds of his followers.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Helter Skelter
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry is widely recognized as the definitive true crime account of the Manson family murders and the motivations behind them.
Discussed“And that's where we get the most widely accepted narrative, popularized by the book 'Helter Skelter' written by Vincent Bugliosi, which says, "Look, here's why these murders occurred: Manson was convinced the U.S. would be Ground Zero for a civilization-ending race war."”
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Chaos
Chaos by Tom O'Neill is a deeply researched investigative book that examines the Manson family murders and uncovers surprising institutional connections involving the CIA and MK Ultra mind control programs.
Book club“Once you know book club, there's a book that came out in 2019 that Matt captured our attention.Oh yes.It is titled 'Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the 60s.'”
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing In Cold Blood
“This is up there with Truman Capote in 'In Cold Blood' in terms of the level of public interest in what we call true crime.”