In 1994, Air Force researchers at Wright Laboratory drafted a three-page proposal for new “non-lethal” weapons. Buried in it was a line suggesting a chemical bomb that could release strong aphrodisiacs to make enemy soldiers too distracted to fight. When the memo resurfaced in 2005, the press dubbed it the “Gay Bomb.”

This episode of Zero Signal Shorts digs into the real document, how it came to light, and why the idea seemed plausible in an era obsessed with mind control and pheromones. We look at the science of attraction, the culture of Cold-War research, and what this strange file reveals about the intersection of imagination, fear, and ethics in military innovation.

Follow Zero Signal for full-length episodes every Tuesday at 6 a.m., and stay tuned for more declassified stories hiding in plain sight.

Sources

• DVIDS Hub – Air Force Report: Non-Lethal Weapons (2009) https://www.dvidshub.net/video/75257/air-force-report-non-lethal-weapons
• AP Archive – Non-Lethal Weapons and the Aphrodisiac Bomb (YouTube, 2005) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AQWCSmsb1E
• 30 Rock Official: Jack's Gay Bomb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLINZ1QOLE4

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