Project Artichoke

[ZGenesis211]

I just finished reading Project Artichoke by David Silvey. In the general 'Z' community there seems to be a lot of skeptisism about his writings overall, but I did find some points of the book intriguing and thought I would start a thread on it. Basically he claims Darlene Ferrin was the infamous "girl in the polka dot dress" during the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles and she needed to be silenced because of what she witnessed and knew about the human experimentation and mind control at the Santa Rita "safe" house in North Livermore. Some of his claims are quite a stretch, but I have had a gut feeling that drugs, specifically LSD, played a major role in some way in this case and drug use is at the core of his claims. Silvey also states that Darlene Ferrin was with Zodiac during the December 1968 murders--another reason for her to be silenced. Bottom line, his work makes some very interesting claims, some very far-fetched and he does ramble a lot and goes off in a lot of different directions...but I definitely feel some of the points are worth further investigation, particularly all of the strange activity in the tiny town of Sunol, CA. (off I680 between Pleasanton & Fremont).

[entropy]

Here's the book. You can read an overview of the hypothesis by clicking "Look Inside". It would probably be an interesting read.

http://www.amazon.com/Project-Artichoke ... 1449044697

I always try to keep an open mind about crazy theories considering the time and place Zodiac was operating. There was indeed a lot of crazy stuff going on at the time and a lot of nefarious government projects/experiments that sometimes treated people like lab rats or human guinea pigs. Who would have guessed at the time, for instance, that the Manson murders were an effort to incite an apocalyptic race war? I've always believed that Zodiac, like the Manson family, had strong countercultural ties and perhaps LSD or other drugs were a factor.

That said, I've seen too many wacky theories that try to tie Zodiac into every other cultural phenomena going on at the time. Making Darlene Ferrin an accomplice is a bit overboard or was the Zodiac serial killer persona just a front for rubbing out people who knew too much about Project Artichoke? I guess we would need to read the book to find out everyone's true involvement. At $24.29 I'll pass but if anyone else wants to take the plunge, I'd appreciate if someone could summarize the theory in 20 words or less.

[ZGenesis211]

I opted for the Kindle download version (only $3). I don't have a Kindle device, but for those who don't know, there is a free Kindle reader available for PC, so I was able to read it right on my laptop.

[Zamantha]

Thanks for this post. I like strange theories from the late sixty's. Just downloaded the book on my Kindle, geeze great price. We should do a book review, after we read it.

Zam*

[onewhoknows]

I wonder how he knew that Darlene was with Zodiac during the Lake Herman road murders, but it is a fascinating idea.
My POI used children as ride-alongs, probably so he would look less suspicious driving around. I can see him putting a young
female in this position, the night unfolding beyond her control. And then he had to stalk and kill her. Didn't someone report
Darlene as claiming she saw a man "kill someone"?

[ZGenesis211]

Yes absolutely the theory is quite intriguing, and I never bought Graysmith's claim that Darlene witnessed Arthur Leigh Allen kill someone in the Virgin Islands and that was the reason for her murder. The "ride-along" theory to me seems to make a lot more sense and that Darlene witnessed a murder or multiple murders right in her back yard.

I am digging into more of the alleged activity in Sunol, CA. Do you recall your POI ever mentioning anything about Sunol or if he knew anyone there or in that area? Sunol would be on the way to San Jose from the north bay area if taking 680 instead of the Nimitz. Just curious...

[morf13]

Yes absolutely the theory is quite intriguing, and I never bought Graysmith's claim that Darlene witnessed Arthur Leigh Allen kill someone in the Virgin Islands and that was the reason for her murder. The "ride-along" theory to me seems to make a lot more sense and that Darlene witnessed a murder or multiple murders right in her back yard.

I am digging into more of the alleged activity in Sunol, CA. Do you recall your POI ever mentioning anything about Sunol or if he knew anyone there or in that area? Sunol would be on the way to San Jose from the north bay area if taking 680 instead of the Nimitz. Just curious...

You want som activity for Zodiac in Sunol? I am convinced he may have killed a couple on a lovers lane there in June, 1967.
See the thread about them in the 'possible zodiac victims' section of this site, Rodriguez/Molina

[ZGenesis211]

Thanks for this post. I like strange theories from the late sixty's. Just downloaded the book on my Kindle, geeze great price. We should do a book review, after we read it.

Zam*

Yes absolutely, I would love to get your take on it...I need to go back an re-read a few sections. I am also thinking about constructing a time line for the events described in the book as I think that will help visualize it from a high-level.

[steve duffy]

Hi all,
Some further info on this book. I read it when it first came out and was not impressed with it's central theory. The information on Livermore was interesting, but it was a shame the book was so disjointed and felt rushed.
I wrote a review on Amazon asking for more information on Dave Silvey and his background, and became an occasional email correspondent with a close friend of his, who informed me the book was rushed due to Silvey's untimely death. He gave me some background to the book which was helpful, but nothing that convinced me his theory was accurate.
I have studied the RFK assassination and am more than positive that the identity of the mysterious girl with the polka dot dress has been positively identified by Lisa Pease, who has written many articles on the case and is writing a book, as Shirin Khan and the other shooter, if not Caesar, was Michael Wayne. Articles she has written appear in the book "The Assassinations' and on CTKA.net. William Turner and Phil Melanson's Book's are worth reading as well.
I have a problem with the idea that Ferrin was singled out as a victim. She is often portrayed as a Rosetta Stone to the murders, this may be so, but it becomes very difficult to then explain the M.O in earlier crimes. I find her background very interesting however, and there are areas worth exploring.

Silvey posits the strange idea that the wanted posters for The Zodiac, as featured on the cover, are for two different individuals. His friend confirmed this but I find it baffling. The wanted poster, to my knowledge, was just updated when Foukes and his partner gave further descriptions of the suspect they saw. The original was based on the witness statement of the teenagers who saw the killer of Paul Stine.
I''d like some further information on Frank Boscarello, but don't think he is related to the case.

As an aside, the MK/ULTRA experiments and in particular, George Hunter White, are deeply explored in the Book " A Terrible Mistake"by H. P Albarelli. He is currently writing a biography on White named "Operation Midnight Climax". White can also be linked to early experiments in New York City, and may have had contact with Lee Oswald on the mid 50's through Youth House in Brooklyn. See the book "A Secret Order". I have a chapter in the latter work. More information on this is being explored, but the links are solid.

In any case, whatever the flaws, there are certainly areas mentioned that Silvey may have been privy too. There are many synchronicities in the Zodiac case and other events occurring in Southern California that seem truly frightening. Dave Talbot covers many of the crucial events in his book "Season of the Witch".... but I cat help feeling there is further linkages to explore.

[Marclean]

I found this video on youtube about RFK killer ,a girl is mentioned, and project control minds. I find this pretty bizarre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQSjxEU7TKU

Marcelo