About this episode
The episode discusses the vast conspiracy known as 'The Octopus' investigated by journalist Danny Casolaro, including its connections to various historical events and his mysterious death.
This is our continuing series pulled from archives going back to 2005. This week, we present a program from 2009 in which we summarized a conspiracy so vast it’s come to be known as The Octopus. Originally released October 4, 2009 THE TITLE of tonight’s show is a reference to the conspiracy investigated by journalist Danny Casolaro--whose death, despite the official ruling, remains a mystery. Casolaro believed it tied the United States government to the Inslaw case (a software company that accused the Justice Department of stealing its extremely powerful PROMIS case management software), the so-called “October Surprise” theory that Iran had held back the American hostages to help Ronald Reagan win the 1980 presidential election, the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, and the Iran-Contra scandal. The scheme was so vast and complex that Casolaro referred to it as “the Octopus.” Casolaro was found dead in a hotel room in Martinsburg, West Virginia in August of 1991, his wrists slashed 10 to 12 times. His death was, of course, ruled a suicide. Casolaro’s story might have continued its slow fade into the dusty corners of conspiracy theory folklore, except that…
People in this episode
Hosts: Derek Gilbert, Sharon Gilbert
Topics covered
- conspiracy theories
- government corruption
- historical events
- mysteries
- journalism
Keywords
- conspiracy
- Danny Casolaro
- Inslaw
- October Surprise
- Iran-Contra
- mystery
- government
- journalism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Inslaw, Justice Department, Bank of Credit and Commerce International, Iran-Contra
Places: United States, Martinsburg, West Virginia
More episodes of PID Radio
- Throwback Thursday: Expendable Elite · June 11, 2026 · 1h 0m
- Aliens, Demons, and Artificial Intelligence · June 6, 2026 · 1h 24m
- Throwback Thursday: Jesuits and the Plot to Kill JFK · June 4, 2026 · 1h 0m
- P.I.D. Radio 5/30/26: Summer of Disclosure · May 30, 2026 · 1h 15m
- Throwback Thursday: The Pedophocracy · May 28, 2026 · 55 min
- P.I.D. Radio 5/23/26: Rise of the Cybergods · May 23, 2026 · 1h 48m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the PID Radio podcast page.