Eyes Wide Open

War Conspiracy Vol. 2: The Rise of the CIA Imperium

Today we take a look at the Eisenhower years, specifically the coup in Guatemala, the influence of Rockefellers on foreign policy, the rise of South Florida as an intelligence center, and the beginnings of the mob-CIA alliance.

SOURCES:

[1] Costs of US funding of French Indochina War: 2024-06-06 00:46:06 +0000 UTC View Post

The War Conspiracy Vol. 1: The Origins of the Military-Industrial Complex

Volume 1 of the War Conspiracy, covering the beginnings of the military-industrial complex, the rising prominence of the aviation industry, the impact of the China Lobby, and the development of Rollback.

SOURCES:

[1] Peter Dale Scott - The War Conspiracy 2013 (p. 45-46, 64-66)
[1] James Bradley - The China Mirage (p. 19-23, 111-115, 203)

[1] Martin Wilbur - The Nationalist...

The War Conspiracy

Hello all, quick update about where I’m at.

Doing a bit of an interlude to Laos, looking at the build up to the Vietnam War from 1940s to 1960s. I have three scripts pretty much done now, each focusing on one president (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy) and each focusing on one elite network (the China Lobby, the Rockefeller network, and the Georgetown Set). These videos will be a sort of ...

LAOS 4: The Paramilitary CIA and the Seeds of a Secret War

We finally go to Laos, and explore the origins of the Secret War, the CIA coups, counter coups, and the beginnings of the paramilitary CIA.

Bibliography

[1] Joshua Kurlantzick - A Great Place to Have a War (p.59-61)

[1] Frederic C. Benson Genesis of the Hmong-American Alliance, 1949-1962 2024-04-25 03:15:59 +0000 UTC View Post

Part Four

Hello All, hope you're all enjoying the content so far in the Laos Secret War series.

I just finished recording Part 4 and its a long one. It's going to take me a bit longer to edit this one especially as there are very few clips of Laos covering the period I am discussing (1954-1962).

Just wanted to keep you all updated. More on the way shortly.

PS: If a...

LAOS 3: The Asian Side of the French Connection

Today we dive into Vietnam's interwar years, exploring the CIA's nation building initiatives in the new proxy state.

[1] Joseph Morgan - The Vietnam Lobby the American Friends of Vietnam, 1955-1975 (p. 1-10)

[1] Thomas L. Ahern Jr - The CIA and the House of Ngo (https://ns...

LAOS 1 and 2 are out now on Patreon

Hello All,

Happy to announce that the first two videos in my Laos Secret War series are out now on Patreon for all paid subscribers (5$ USD). This is a completely optional perk for all followers who wish to support my work. In total, these two videos total about an hour and fifteen minutes of content.

As I continue to complete the editing of this series, the episodes will be posted ...

LAOS 2: Operation X and the First Indochina War

Today we cover Operation X, the French's narco-counterinsurgency program during the First Indochina War. Under this operation, the French would contract the Hmong people to fight on their behalf, future allies of the CIA.

SOURCES: 

[1] Christopher Goscha, The Road to Dien Bien Phu (p. 36-40)

[2] Alfred Mccoy, the Politics of Heroin (p. 135, 156-157)

[2] Alexander Co...

LAOS 1: South East Asia's Heart of Darkness

An introduction to Laos as a country, the secret war there, and why it became so important to Western policy makers.

We explore the history of Laos from roughly 1890 to 1945.

SOURCES:

[1] Alexander Cockburn, Jeffrey St. Clair, Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs and the Press (p.243)

[1] 2024-03-19 00:30:53 +0000 UTC View Post

The CIA’s Secret War in Laos

Hello All,

First of all, I apologize for my absence. I have been really trying to focus in on my work, and as of lately I have been successful.

While working on Rocket City, I realized pretty quickly that I was still way out of my depth. It’s a pretty new topic to me, and although I am pretty comfortable with Operation Paperclip (and I’ll make a stand alone video abou...

Rocket City - An Outline

Hello All, I hope you are all doing well.

I assume that most of you have seen the trailer I posted on Youtube for Rocket City, my new short series. Let me give you all a quick overview of what the project will specifically entail.

This summer, I read a book that transformed my understanding of many things, the novel Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. Gravity's Rainbow is often cit...

Patreon Update

Hello All, hope you have all been good.

I have decided to pause billings on Patreon for the time being. I have a few reasons for doing so, and I will get to that in a bit.  The main reason is because I cannot guarantee that a video will come out in the next couple of months and I don't want to offer nothing in return for your generosity. I am NOT quitting, I simply have a new plan th...

The History of the CIA: Operation Paper and Trouble in the Golden Triangle [pt. 6]

Hi All! 

Here's the newest part of the History of the CIA Series. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it below. Especially, I am curious about your thoughts regarding a short section from 25:30-30:19. I am considering cutting this from the version that goes on Youtube. Although I stand by my points articulated, I'm not sure if bringing in the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan into th...

Coming soon 👁️

Thoughts on the thumbnail?

New video just around the corner

Hey all, just wrapping up the editing for the next part of the CIA series. Should be hitting Patreon early next week. I’ve poured my heart into this one, and made sure that the editing is top notch. It’s a story that is almost never told, that of Operation Paper in Burma. I’m really looking forward to hearing all your thoughts next week.

I also picked up a few more books from a used...

OSS Detachment 202: Secret Cold Warriors

Hey everyone! Here's the first video in a short series on South East Asia, going over four OSS Detachment 202 men. Please let me know what you think, your feedback is very much appreciated! 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1]

Douglas Valentine - Strength of the Wolf (p. 159)

Alfred McCoy - The Politics of Heroin (p. 168)

Whitney Webb - One Nation Under Blackmail (p.33-35)

New video on Patreon tomorrow night

Hey everyone, hope you’ve all been well!

Tomorrow night I will be posting a video here that will serve as a prelude to the South East Asia videos coming up. You’ll all be getting it a week early on this platform.

It’s a bit of a shorter one, but nonetheless will feature interesting characters and events.

This is all in preparation for two monster videos I’ve...

Update and THANK YOU

Hey everyone, sorry it’s been a while! Thought I’d drop in and give you a quick update on what to expect and thank you all for your ongoing support.

First of all, your support here on Patreon has allowed me to pick up a few books that I’ve been eying for a while as well as the biggest addition to the channel: a huge upgrade to my previous mic. Thank you for your generosity and belie...

Part 5.3 LIVE for Patrons

Hey guys! New video is now LIVE on the Patreon exclusive channel. 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxeZzaTnVYE&ab_channel=EyesWiderOpen

Let me know what you all think and if you have any feedback or catch any typos. Your feedback is ve...

Part 5.3 will be available to you all on Wednesday at 8PM EST

Hey folks, just wanted to give you all a heads up that part 5.3 of The History of the CIA Youtube Series will be available to you all in 48 hours! Just finishing up the editing now. I will share an unlisted video link to a second channel where I will be hosting the early previews for you all. 

I will be doing a premiere of the video this Wednesday at 8pm EST and will be ac...

Update on part 5.3 and beyond

Hey folks, hope you’re all doing well!

Just wanted to update you all on what to expect on the channel in the next few weeks.

I made the tough decision last night that part 5.3 will not include the French connection. Ive realized through my research that the French Connection is a big enough topic to cover a whole other three part miniseries after we’re done with this early Glad...

Welcome new Patrons and THANK YOU

First off, most humbly, thank you to you all who have been so generous to support my independent research and content. I am incredibly honoured. It is a dream of mine to be able to pursue the channel full time in the future so your incredible support is a start to that. So one more time, thank you.

As for perks, here is the link to a Discord server I created where we can discuss the video...