The CIA mind control program active in the 1960s was officially known as Project MKUltra (sometimes written as MK-ULTRA). The covert program, which ran from 1953 to approximately 1964 (followed by successor projects like MK-SEARCH until the early 1970s), involved the use of drugs, psychological torture, and other methods to influence and control human behavior.
Program Details
- Objective: The primary goal of MKUltra was to develop mind-control techniques to use against Soviet bloc enemies, in response to fears that U.S. prisoners of war in Korea had been subjected to communist "brainwashing". The CIA wanted to create a perfect "truth serum" for interrogations and explore the possibility of creating a "Manchurian Candidate"—an unwitting assassin or subject who could be programmed to perform acts against their will.
- Methods: The program involved a wide range of ethically indefensible experiments on human subjects, often without their knowledge or consent. Methods included:
- Psychoactive Drugs: Extensive testing of high doses of LSD, mescaline, heroin, and other substances on various individuals, including CIA employees, soldiers, prisoners, psychiatric patients, and members of the general public.
- Psychological Techniques: The use of electroshock therapy, hypnosis, sensory deprivation, and verbal and sexual abuse in an attempt to erase existing memories and reprogram the psyche.
- Front Operations: Experiments were conducted at over 80 institutions, including universities, hospitals (such as the Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal), and prisons, often funded through CIA front organizations to hide the agency's involvement.
- Key Figures: The project was initiated by CIA Director Allen Dulles and led by chemist Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, who was in charge of the Technical Services Staff's Chemical Division.
Revelation and Aftermath
Most records related to MKUltra were destroyed in 1973 by order of then-CIA Director Richard Helms, making a full investigation difficult. The program was first publicly exposed in 1975 through investigations by the U.S. Congress (the Church Committee) and the Rockefeller Commission.
The revelations prompted public outrage and led to a 1976 Executive Order by President Gerald Ford that banned non-consensual drug experimentation on human subjects. Several victims and their families later sued the government and received compensation, including the family of Frank Olson, an Army biochemist who died by suicide after being unknowingly dosed with LSD as part of the program.
More information can be found in declassified documents available through the CIA FOIA Reading Room and on the National Security Archive website.
