The 1969 Manson Family killings gripped the nation for their sheer brutality and madness. But left unanswered is exactly how Charles Manson turned a group of hippies into assassins through mere persuasion. The book Helter Skelter says Manson convinced his followers of an impending race war, one they needed to be at the center of. But journalist Tom O’Neill uncovered loose connections between Manson and the head of the CIA’s secret program MK-Ultra. He says the Manson murders read less like a spree killing and more like the LSD-fueled mind control experiments the government had been perfecting.
From Oscar-winner Errol Morris and Netflix comes “CHAOS: The Manson Murders.” The director of “The Thin Blue Line” and “Wormwood” returns to the subject of MK-Ultra, exploring whether it can be blamed for the famous crime spree. Was Manson really a failed musician-turned-cult leader, or did he get help from an infamous Cold War program?
OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "CHAOS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.
For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.
Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.
This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.