Marc Hartzman Live at Tattered Cover Colfax
About this Event
From inflatable tanks to weaponized goat dung and beyond, this hidden history for fans of The Men Who Stare at Goats takes you on a wild ride through stranger-than-fiction stories of declassified US government and military programs.
Marc Hartzman, born and raised in Denver, historian and chronicler of the strange whose work explores the intersection of fact, folklore, and documented history, is joining us on Thursday, January 21st at 6:00 PM at our Colfax location to share about his darkly funny, fully documented history of America’s most bizarre declassified covert operations.
Registration includes the following options:
- A signed Paperback copy of the book … OR
- A $5 Gift Card to Tattered Cover Book Store
This event includes an opportunity to meet the author, participate in an audience Q&A after the presentation, and get your book signed and personalized. Photos with the author are welcome!
We will have a limited supply of additional books for guests to purchase in store. Only a book ticket guarantees you a copy of the book.
If you are unable to attend the event after purchasing a ticket, you are required to pick up your copy of the book (with proof of purchase from your event registration) within 7 days after the event date. If the book is not picked up by that date, you relinquish your copy to Tattered Cover Book Store.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Booby-trapped seashells. Exploding pancake mix. Pigeon-guided missiles. These aren't fictional cartoon antics, but rather real top-secret projects commissioned by the US government and military—and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The most shocking, bizarre, and obscure secret programs in American history are compiled into an eye-popping compendium for the first time, including:
- Military-grade stink spray: This stink spray was no gag, and was developed by the OSS for civilians to use against occupying Nazis during World War II.
- Project Acoustic Kitty: The CIA wired a cat to spy on Soviet adversaries—then discovered cats don’t take orders.
- Nuking the moon: Project A119 was an early space race plan to detonate a nuclear bomb on the lunar surface as a show of American superiority over the Soviets.
- MKUltra Subproject 4: As part of its mind control research, the CIA enlisted a famous magician to teach agents sleight-of-hand techniques to poison targets.
- Facial hair assassination: The OSS and the CIA targeted both Adolph Hitler’s mustache and Fidel Castro’s beard in the hopes that eliminating their iconic facial hair would embarrass and humiliate the leaders.
Exploding Cigars and Psychic Spies will shock, infuriate, and entertain you with the often unbelievable antics of the FBI, CIA, and US military, revealing the dark side of operating in secrecy—and the human cost in the quest for national security.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marc Hartzman is a historian and chronicler of the strange whose work explores the intersection of fact, folklore, and documented history. For this project, he combed through declassified CIA files, FBI documents, and military archives and conducted interviews with historians, scientists, and intelligence specialists—including participating in a remote viewing class with a retired US Army major. He specializes in presenting unusual but verified historical material with clarity and wit.
Where is it happening?
USD 7.25 to USD 25.39
