Top 10 U. S. Government Experiments Done on Its Own Citizens
Hey YouTube, Jim here! Welcome to Top 10 Archive! Conspiracy theories
surround almost any government, but with the United States being as influential as it is,
it seems to be the target of many. Of course, not all conspiracy theories are true,
but some can be quite persuasive. But the U.S. has actually admitted to experimentation
on its own citizens, which is the highlight of today's video.
This is the Top 10 U.S. government experiments done on citizens... that we know about.
10. HeLa Imagine being injected with cancer without your
consent. Sounds like something that would happen somewhere else, not in the United States, right?
Wrong. In 1952, a researcher at the Sloan-Kettering Institute injected live
cancer cells, called HeLa cells, into prisoners at the Ohio State Penitentiary. His name was Chester
M. Southam, and he also went on to inject healthy women knowing that they could cause cancer. He did
this to many patients and at one point was put on probation, but the consequences were mild.
So mild, he became the Vice President of the Cancer Association at some point.
9. Operation Sea-Spray When you hear Operation Sea-Spray, you
might think of a nice ocean breeze — I do, anyway. But in the 1950s, this operation was actually
part of an experiment to test how possible biological warfare was near the West Coast.
The government decided to release a bacteria into San Francisco without telling the citizens,
just to see how it would affect them. Even if this were just a common cold,
this would be a huge deal. But it killed several people. The result was that it was unlikely that
a biological weapon could be hugely successful in the area. Family members of a man who died sued
the government for gross negligence, but lost. 8. The Subway Bacteria
This experiment was called A Study of the Vulnerability of Subway Passengers in New
York City to Covert Attack with Biological Agents. Why they didn't just call it the Subway Experiment
is beyond me, but I digress. They released Bacillus globigii, a black-pigmented bacteria,
all throughout the tunnels of the New York City Subway system. Compared to the San Francisco
experiment, the New York Subway proved to be a prime location for a biological agent
attack. A similar experiment was also carried out by the Army in the Chicago Subway System.
7. The Vanderbilt Radioactive Experiment Post-WWII, researchers became more and
more interested in radioisotopes and their effects on the human body.
One particular question they had was how it could cross into the placenta of pregnant women. So,
what did they do? They experimented on pregnant women without their consent, of course.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University gave 829 pregnant women in Tennessee “vitamin drinks”
with radioactive iron. At least three children died years later from cancer and leukemia,
four babies died from cancers, and most of the women experienced rashes, bruises,
hair/tooth loss, and cancer. 6. Operation Big Buzz
In 1955, the government released millions of mosquitoes — specifically Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes — into the state of Georgia to find out how well they could be used in biological warfare.
Mosquito bites don’t seem like much of a weapon, until you realize this species is known to carry
yellow fever. They weren’t purposely infected with yellow fever, but their presence alone increased
the chances of a bite resulting in cases. It wasn’t the last time they did such a thing,
either. They also introduced mosquitoes just to study biting and travel habits, and fleas as well
to research the same topic. 5. Project Chatter
As fun as the name of this experiment is, the actual practices are less than quirky.
This experiment ran from 1947-1953, and was run by the US Navy. They started testing possible “truth
serums,” substances that could extract confessions and intelligence from people when necessary.
At the time, they were considering using it on Soviet spies. Chemicals used to attempt
this included mescaline and scopolamine. In the end, it seems none of the chemicals got
them any closer to the truth. 4. Tuberculin Infection
When researchers experiment on adults it's one thing, but children are a whole different
story. In 1908, three Philadelphia researchers infected children with tuberculin, a protein
derivative of tuberculosis. As a result, some of these children were left permanently blind,
and others had painful wounds and swelling. The worst part is how
they refer to the children in the study. Instead of “test subjects” or “children”,
they referred to them as “material used.” Brutal. 3. Willowbrook Experiments
Still shocked that people would use children in experiments? Brace yourself for another. While
trying to find the cure for hepatitis, researchers in 1970 took children from the Willowbrook State
School, an institution for mentally handicapped children. That on its own is extremely unethical,
but they didn’t stop there. They then injected them with experimental drugs that didn’t
work. Most children contracted hepatitis anyway. The officials said it was natural,
since the disease was prevalent in the institution and they expected the patients to become
infected at some point anyway. 2. Tuskegee Syphilis Study
You knew this one would be on the list! The Tuskegee Syphilis study is one of the most
well-known examples of US experimentation on its citizens. 600 African American men were chosen to
be in the study. They were tested for syphilis, of which 399 were positive, but were never told. For
40 years, they watched as the disease persisted and manifested. Even after penicillin was used to
treat it, the participants were denied access. All the victims got from this, after suing the
government, was free burial service. 1. Measles Vaccine Experiment
When the measles vaccine started being tested in 1990, doctors from the CDC wanted to know if
it could work to replace natural antibodies in babies. They tested it on thousands of babies
in developing countries. The results weren’t good; the number of babies who died is unknown.
So, now let’s talk about how it affected children in the US. After researchers knew the effects,
they started testing it on minority communities in Los Angeles. When they saw that African American
babies were dying at alarming rates, up to three years after getting vaccinated, they stopped. The
CDC later came forward saying the parents of these children never knew they were getting an
experimental drug not yet approved by the FDA. Thanks for watching! As a U.S. citizen myself,
I find these types of experiments horrifying and disheartening. Of course it makes you wonder if
these kinds of unethical experiments are still taking place here? If you live outside the U.S.,
what about your country? Have you heard of any similar activity by your government or
private enterprises? Let us know in the comments. You can inoculate yourself against
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