# CIA's Secret Weather Weapon in Vietnam

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-shorts-6691663/cia-s-secret-weather-weapon-in-vietnam
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-shorts-6691663/cia-s-secret-weather-weapon-in-vietnam.md
Podcast: [History Shorts](https://stenobird.com/podcast/history-shorts-6691663)
Published: 2026-09-01T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://2c68e044-1b71-48bf-a5c5-2792f5a14f4c.libsyn.com/cias-secret-weather-weapon-in-vietnam
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pdcn.co/e/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/2c68e044-1b71-48bf-a5c5-2792f5a14f4c/Project_Popeye.mp3?dest-id=4947215
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/history-shorts-6691663/episodes/cia-s-secret-weather-weapon-in-vietnam
Duration seconds: 770

## Resource

During the Vietnam War, the United States launched a secret operation with an extraordinary objective: use the weather as a weapon. Beginning in the 1960s, American aircraft flew missions over Southeast Asia seeding clouds with chemicals in an attempt to extend the monsoon season. The goal of Operation Popeye was simple—produce more rain over key sections of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, turning roads into mud, triggering landslides, and making it harder for North Vietnam to move troops and supplies south. The program remained secret for years before being exposed to the American public, prompting outrage and uncomfortable questions about how far governments should be allowed to manipulate the natural world during wartime. SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.patreon.com/c/HistoryShortsPodcast ADVERTISE : https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/advertise LEARN MORE: https://www.historyshortspodcast.com/ SPONSORED BY: https://www.podcastrepublic.net/get-it-now

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## Transcript

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