I finished Steve Coll’s The Achillies Trap last month. Good book. Readwise reminded me last week that I had saved the quote below about the use of music by the C.I.A. prior to the 2003 invasion to signal to Iraqi generals that the United States was ‘around.’ It reminded me of the story of how the C.I.A. used music both to help capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega (Bush the Elder) and to torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay during the administration of Bush the Younger. Metallica’s Enter Sandman was apparently a favorite. According to Sgt. Mark Hadsell of the 361st Psychological Operations Company, “If you play it for 24 hours, your brain and body functions start to slide… that’s when we come in and talk to them.” This practice, of using western music as torture, eventually led to a Freedom of Information Act request by many artists who wanted to know if their music was used and why it was chosen. Interesting list of artists.

This illustrates an important philosophical and spiritual point, which is that music (and everything else for that matter) is not inherently pleasurable or horrible. It depends on the mind that perceives it and in this case, how often one hears it! You know, the first bowl of ice cream is usually pretty yummy, but being forced to eat 20 of them would make you sick.

In the end, I find that It is a sobering reminder that the same melodies that offer us liberation or comfort can, in a different context, be weaponized to break the human spirit.