In 1942, industrial chemist Stanley Lovell received a mysterious order to report to an unfamiliar building in Washington, D.C. After a meeting with William "Wild Bill" Donovan, Lovell became the head of a secret group of scientists for the OSS, the precursor to the CIA. Their inventions included Bat Bombs, suicide pills, silent pistols, and camouflaged explosives. Based on archival research and personal interviews, John Lisle tells the story of Lovell and these scientists, examining their role in inspiring the most infamous program in CIA history: MKULTRA.