Let me start off by saying that I have always been a fan of conspiracy theories. I like reading about them, most don’t hold water, but it is fun mind candy. The Philadelphia Experiment and The Montauk Project are pretty much pure fiction in my opinion. That, however, doesn’t mean that they don’t make a great plot device for a TV show. I apologize in advance if this runs a little long.
The Montauk Project is believed to have grown out of the Philadelphia Experiment, which supposedly took place in 1943. The PE sought to make warships “invisible” to radar by using intense electromagnetic fields. Sometime in the 50’s, researchers began examining the technical aspects of manipulating the electromagnetic bottle (Desmond’s snow globe?) that had been used in the PE, and possible military applications of the psychological effects of high-level magnetic fields. Below the Montauk Air Force Base at Camp Hero in Montauk, NY a site was built for the research team and by the 70’s the experiments were underway.
Many things have claimed to have occurred at the Montauk Project. For the purpose of this discussion, I will try to list those that I feel are connected to Lost. Montauk is on Long Island. The electromagnetic connection jumps right out at first glance. As mentioned above, the MP used underground bases, much like Swan and other sites on the island. Wikipedia attributes the following to the Montauk site:
The facility was expanded without anyone in the town noticing the building materials or workers required. Some reports have the facility extending under the town of Montauk itself. (Interesting in light of the way the others can often move about without leaving a trace.)
Homeless people were abducted and subjected to huge amounts of electromagnetic radiation. (Using people who no one will miss for experimentation. Who better than people on a fight that was lost with all aboard?)
People had their psychic abilities enhanced to the point where they could materialize objects out of thin air.
And from Crystallinks
Extremely gifted and rigorously trained psychics were hooked up via psychotronic equipment to computers, which converted the waveforms of their thoughts to digital signals, and also relayed the waveforms to exceptionally high-powered EM/RF transmitters, which broadcast thought, mind and consciousness altering signals.
According to accounts, certain experiments achieved materialization, at varying levels of stability and solidity, of objects visualized by the psychics whose thoughts were then broadcast, as well as teleportation effects. (Materialize objects like polar bears, a horse, a dead father, imaginary friends and a bird that cries Hurley. There are teleportation effects like Walt showing up places he isn’t supposes to be. Thoughts being broadcast at varying levels of stability and solidity sounds like it could be whispers in the jungle, a strange black smoke or the image of someone’s dead brother. Could it be that the Others got more than they bargained for with Walt was the fact that he could achieve these wonders without Dharma’s enhancements?)
Mind control experiments were conducted and runaway boys were abducted and brought out to the base where they underwent excruciating periods of both physical and mental torture in order to break their minds, then their minds were re-programmed. (Sounds like some castaways we know. I would say most of the characters have been subjected to both mental and physical hardship. Maybe Jack, Kate and Sawyer were taken to begin the next round of challenges to prepare them for re-programming. Was Walt easier to break and now is working for the Others?)
Bioengineering projects undertaken there eventually created the Jersy Devil. (One of my personal favorites, I just have to laugh. Bioengineering is one of Dharma’s interests. Could explain some of the strange animals and the Hurley Bird.)
TWA Flight 800 was a passenger flight that exploded while flying from New York to Paris in 1996. A number of theories for the disaster have been proposed. The plane crashed in the Montauk area. It has been suggested by some that the MP was responsible. (This one speaks for itself.)
The Montauk Project was destroyed in the early 80’s, sabotaged from within by certain key participants who could no longer tolerate what was going on. (Could this have happened on the island as well? Henry claims they are the “good guys”. Early 80’s timeline would make the computers in Swan contemporary as well if they them moved the project to the Lost island.)
There are more connections and plenty of sites on the web to research the subject more fully. Wikipedia is a good starting point for both the Philadelphia Experiment and the Montauk Project overviews. I look forward to hearing your questions, comments and observation.
StKos
Theory by: Steve Kosinski
The Montauk Project is believed to have grown out of the Philadelphia Experiment, which supposedly took place in 1943. The PE sought to make warships “invisible” to radar by using intense electromagnetic fields. Sometime in the 50’s, researchers began examining the technical aspects of manipulating the electromagnetic bottle (Desmond’s snow globe?) that had been used in the PE, and possible military applications of the psychological effects of high-level magnetic fields. Below the Montauk Air Force Base at Camp Hero in Montauk, NY a site was built for the research team and by the 70’s the experiments were underway.
Many things have claimed to have occurred at the Montauk Project. For the purpose of this discussion, I will try to list those that I feel are connected to Lost. Montauk is on Long Island. The electromagnetic connection jumps right out at first glance. As mentioned above, the MP used underground bases, much like Swan and other sites on the island. Wikipedia attributes the following to the Montauk site:
The facility was expanded without anyone in the town noticing the building materials or workers required. Some reports have the facility extending under the town of Montauk itself. (Interesting in light of the way the others can often move about without leaving a trace.)
Homeless people were abducted and subjected to huge amounts of electromagnetic radiation. (Using people who no one will miss for experimentation. Who better than people on a fight that was lost with all aboard?)
People had their psychic abilities enhanced to the point where they could materialize objects out of thin air.
And from Crystallinks
Extremely gifted and rigorously trained psychics were hooked up via psychotronic equipment to computers, which converted the waveforms of their thoughts to digital signals, and also relayed the waveforms to exceptionally high-powered EM/RF transmitters, which broadcast thought, mind and consciousness altering signals.
According to accounts, certain experiments achieved materialization, at varying levels of stability and solidity, of objects visualized by the psychics whose thoughts were then broadcast, as well as teleportation effects. (Materialize objects like polar bears, a horse, a dead father, imaginary friends and a bird that cries Hurley. There are teleportation effects like Walt showing up places he isn’t supposes to be. Thoughts being broadcast at varying levels of stability and solidity sounds like it could be whispers in the jungle, a strange black smoke or the image of someone’s dead brother. Could it be that the Others got more than they bargained for with Walt was the fact that he could achieve these wonders without Dharma’s enhancements?)
Mind control experiments were conducted and runaway boys were abducted and brought out to the base where they underwent excruciating periods of both physical and mental torture in order to break their minds, then their minds were re-programmed. (Sounds like some castaways we know. I would say most of the characters have been subjected to both mental and physical hardship. Maybe Jack, Kate and Sawyer were taken to begin the next round of challenges to prepare them for re-programming. Was Walt easier to break and now is working for the Others?)
Bioengineering projects undertaken there eventually created the Jersy Devil. (One of my personal favorites, I just have to laugh. Bioengineering is one of Dharma’s interests. Could explain some of the strange animals and the Hurley Bird.)
TWA Flight 800 was a passenger flight that exploded while flying from New York to Paris in 1996. A number of theories for the disaster have been proposed. The plane crashed in the Montauk area. It has been suggested by some that the MP was responsible. (This one speaks for itself.)
The Montauk Project was destroyed in the early 80’s, sabotaged from within by certain key participants who could no longer tolerate what was going on. (Could this have happened on the island as well? Henry claims they are the “good guys”. Early 80’s timeline would make the computers in Swan contemporary as well if they them moved the project to the Lost island.)
There are more connections and plenty of sites on the web to research the subject more fully. Wikipedia is a good starting point for both the Philadelphia Experiment and the Montauk Project overviews. I look forward to hearing your questions, comments and observation.
StKos
Theory by: Steve Kosinski
