Head scratcher, right? What if someone told you a famous TV anchorman, a legendary rock band, and a convicted murderer were all tangled up in a conspiracy? One that dates back to secret government programs. Picture this: a chilling incident. Right there in the media capital of the world. Then, zoom out. Broader implications for sure. Like, chilling questions about mind control. And that infamous MKUltra California connection. It’s haunted us for decades. We’re talking deep, dark rabbit holes. Seriously. Makes you wonder about the very nature of reality.
Crazy Stuff Invites Talk
October 4, 1986. Dan Rather. America’s long-time evening news anchor. He leaves work in New York City. Two guys jump him. On the street. One repeatedly smacks him, asking, “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” Rather escapes. The attacker keeps yelling that weird question. Later, the band R.E.M. Writes a hit song, “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” Yep, all based on this totally surreal event.
It sounds like a bad dream or a random street attack. But the question, “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” Became a pop culture obsession. Almost like a trigger. The whole thing blew up. Huge buzz. Still unsolved though. Just another cryptic piece of the puzzle.
Paranoia, Wild Claims, and Mental Issues
Fast forward to 1997. A newspaper runs this mugshot. A guy named William Ueker. He was arrested for the 1994 murder of an NBC TV tech, Robert Company, in New York, mind you. A psychiatrist, recognizing Ueker’s unique look and the murder’s NBC connection, immediately calls Rather. Ueker? Yeah, that was the same dude who attacked Dan Rather years back.
Ueker’s explanation for his actions was… totally wild. He claimed to be a time traveler from 2265. Arrived in our dimension on September 1, 1986. A convicted bad guy in his own time. He agreed to be a pilot in a time-travel experiment. For a pardon. He said a device was put in his head. If he stayed too long, he’d get bombarded with agonizing messages from his Vice President, Kenneth Ross Wilson, telling him to scram.
Wandering around New York, Ueker spotted Rather. He figured Rather was his dimension’s Kenneth Ross Wilson. Wham, attack. And the NBC tech, Company? His murder? Supposedly caused by Ueker’s desperate try to use NBC’s long-wave frequencies. Just needed to block those awful signals from his, uh, own world. He claimed he was a victim of parallel universe interference, not mental illness.
Government Experiments Cause Worry
So, William Ueker. Crazy paranoid? Or something way darker? Tests after his arrest. Weirdly, they said he was sane. So, prison. Not a padded room. That detail? Totally unsettling. It points to theories of targeted mind games.
Some buzz suggests Ueker might’ve been targeted by “gangstalking.” That’s this highly organized, secretive harassment by a group that messes with a target’s life – social media, money, relationships – so subtly. So subtly, folks start to question their own sanity. It’s designed to make them seem totally nuts, even when their experiences are real. And Ueker? He calmly described being controlled. Signals. Made him do stuff he didn’t wanna do. Mind messed with. This is where that dark stuff, MKUltra California and other projects like it, that’s where they fit in.
The MKUltra project. Real program, alright. Started by the CIA in the 50s. Ran until 1973. And honestly? Totally messed up. It involved eight colleges. Eighty institutions. All doing mind control work. Often giving out hallucinogens and other chemicals. To people who had no clue. Just wild. Goals, man? Make people think nuts. Slow their brains. Mess up their brains, maybe for good. Even make ’em forget everything. Wanted “truth serums.” Also, ways to break people during questioning. Subjects? Mentally ill. Prisoners. Drug addicts. Sex workers. Basically, anyone vulnerable. Couldn’t fight back. An official involved admitted, “we used anyone who couldn’t resist.”
The Media’s Pull & Cultural Stuff
All this secret stuff. Mind control. Sparked by things like MKUltra. Man, it’s everywhere in our culture. Then there’s that chilling “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” thing. Not just some quirky R.E.M. song, you know? It’s a storyline. In “Black Mirror,” that British show. Villains keep asking, “Where’s Jessica Hyde?” Big nod to the Rather attack’s weird repetition.
Trigger words. Yep, known MKUltra trick. Shows up in books, movies. Actual suspicious events. And Dan Rather? For a month before the attack, he just, uh, ended his news broadcasts with “courage.” Every night. So weird. People made fun of it. Totally odd. And some in charge? They wonder if “courage” was a pre-programmed trigger. A quiet prompt. For who knows what? Maybe tied to MKUltra’s whole deal. Also, the 1976 movie “Marathon Man.” It gets into this stuff too. That “Is it safe?” bit? Classic. Just shows how movies dive into mind games and manipulation.
Why We Still Dwell on the Unusual
So, William Ueker. Real time traveler? Just delusional? Or a victim of some super dark mind-control thing? His story. Totally mixed up with all the American conspiracy theories. You can’t separate ’em. The government, you know? Messing with its own citizens. Here in California. Or anywhere else. Making them pawns. Without them knowing. Man, that’s heavy.
It’s a big reminder, actually. Some things are just crazier than fiction. And the real truth behind certain events? Might never come out. Always question everything, especially when it seems too unbelievable to be true.
Questions People Ask
What was the strange incident involving Dan Rather?
Okay, so in ’86, legendary news anchor Dan Rather. He got attacked. Two guys. Kept asking him, “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” Nobody ever fully explained it. But R.E.M. got an idea. Wrote that song, “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”
Who was William Ueker and what were his claims?
William Ueker. Guy was convicted of murder. NBC technician, 1994. But then he says, “Yup, that was me, attacking Dan Rather.” Said he was a time traveler. From 2265. Just got Rather mixed up with his Vice President back home, one Kenneth Ross Wilson.
What was Project MKUltra and how does it relate to this case?
Project MKUltra? Big secret CIA program. Ran from the 1950s to 1973. All about unethical mind control experiments. Think hallucinogens. Psychological manipulation. On people who had no clue. So how does this case fit in? Well, theories suggest Ueker might’ve been one of those experiment victims. Or, hey, his whacky claims? About mind control and signals? Could point to other secret projects like it.


