7 Mind-Blowing Things We Learned From Joe Rogan's Charles Manson Podcast With Tom O'Neill
Think you know everything about the Manson Family murders? Well, think again...
The mystery behind Charles Manson and the numerous murders he and his "family" committed has fascinated people for years. Whether it's been in the form of books, films, television or even podcasts, every little detail of the life and crimes of Manson have been dissected. Or at least we thought that was the case.
Last year, journalist Tom O'Neill finally released his highly anticipated book, Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the secret history of the Sixties, and it had some truly startling discoveries. Following 20 years of dedicating his life to researching every possible aspect of the case, O'Neill discovered that Manson was linked to people involved in some extremely shady government drug research.
It doesn't end there, as O'Neill and Rogan breakdown the various story holes, complicated, disturbing characters and unethical behaviour that all led to one of the biggest criminal cases in US history. Although their epic three hour episode is perfect for those who want to delve deep into the madness that ensued, we've picked out some of the most insane reveals from the show that you need to know.
Let's begin...
7. Did A CIA Agent Infiltrate The Manson Family?
We mentioned at the very beginning that Manson had some powerful friends in the government who were making sure he stayed out of jail regardless of what he did. However, if you thought they were letting him roam around California without keeping on eye on everything he was doing, then you'd be very wrong.
One of the ways the CIA were able to keep tabs on the cult was by making agents grow their hair out, dress like hippies and join the Manson family in whatever commune they were in at the time. O'Neill explains how one specific agent, Reeve Whitson, claimed that he had infiltrated the cult prior to the Tate-LaBianca murders.
Not only was Whitson there to see Manson build his killer cult, he also stated that he'd gone to the house where the killings took place before the police arrived and regretted not being able to stop it from happening. Which makes you wonder, how much of this tragic tale could've been avoided.