by Frank Bergman
Explosive declassified documents have revealed that the CIA has been experimenting with geoengineering for decades with the intention of weaponizing “weather modification.”
The newly resurfaced files are reigniting controversy over long-running claims that U.S. intelligence agencies explored manipulating the weather.
Although the resurfaced documents do not mention the specific chemicals used in the experiments, they did discuss the need for more funding of the weather modification projects that would soon be used as a weapon of war.
It is now raising fresh questions about how far those efforts went and whether the public has ever been told the full story.
The files were originally declassified in 2003 but date back to 1965.
They detail internal discussions about “weather modification” programs, including efforts to influence storms, rainfall, and atmospheric conditions.
The revelations appear to confirm that powerful government agencies have long pursued technologies capable of reshaping the environment on a massive scale.
Cold War Push to Control the Climate
The documents outline a period when U.S. government officials were aggressively pursuing weather-related technologies, in part to compete with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Funding for these programs was expected to surge dramatically, with memos indicating federal investment would quadruple by 1967.
That same year, the U.S. government expanded weather modification efforts during the Vietnam War through a program known as Project Popeye, which aimed to extend monsoon seasons and disrupt enemy supply routes.
Earlier efforts, such as Project Stormfury, involved flying aircraft directly into hurricanes and dispersing substances like silver iodide in an attempt to weaken the storms.