MKUltra

A top-secret CIA research program that aimed to investigate mind control and other forms of psychological manipulation that ran from the early 1950s to the early 1970s.

Goal

Its goal was to develop methods of interrogation and mind control that could be used against the Soviet Union and other potential enemies. The program was run by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence and involved a wide range of illegal and unethical activities, including the use of drugs, hypnosis, and torture on unsuspecting human subjects.

Use of psychoactive drugs

One of the most notorious aspects of the MKUltra program was the use of psychoactive drugs, such as LSD, on human subjects without their knowledge or consent. The CIA recruited doctors, scientists, and researchers to administer these drugs to both willing and unwilling participants, including government employees, military personnel, and civilians. The effects of these drugs on the human mind were studied and the information was used to develop methods of interrogation and mind control.

Hypnosis and other manipulative methods

Another aspect of the MKUltra program was the use of hypnosis and other forms of psychological manipulation to control the behavior of subjects. The CIA recruited experts in hypnosis and other forms of mind control to develop methods of interrogation and espionage.

Unethical activities

The MKUltra program also included other unethical activities such as secret experiments on children and prisoners, as well as the use of torture to extract information from subjects. Some of the subjects were left permanently damaged by the experiments, suffering from chronic anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

Exposure

The MKUltra program was eventually exposed in the 1970s as a result of investigations by the US Congress and the Rockefeller Commission. The CIA Director at the time, Richard Helms, ordered the destruction of most of the program's records in 1973, but some documents were found and released through the Freedom of Information Act.

Investigation

In 1975, the Church Committee of the United States Senate investigated the CIA's activities and published a report on the MKUltra program, which concluded that it had been "a sinister effort to control human behavior" and that the CIA had engaged in "unlawful and unethical activities."

Violation of human rights

The MKUltra program is considered a gross violation of human rights, as it's a violation of the Nuremberg Code that established the ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. The program is also a clear violation of the CIA's charter, which prohibits the agency from conducting domestic operations.

Class action law suit

In 1977, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the surviving subjects and the families of those who had died as a result of the program. The case was settled out of court in 1988, with the CIA paying out settlements to the plaintiffs.

Summary

The CIA's MKUltra program was a top-secret research project that ran from the early 1950s to the early 1970s, whose goal was to develop methods of interrogation and mind control that could be used against the Soviet Union and other potential enemies. The program involved a wide range of illegal and unethical activities, including the use of drugs, hypnosis, and torture on unsuspecting human subjects. The program was exposed in the 1970s, and it was concluded that it had been "a sinister effort to control human behavior" and that the CIA had engaged in "unlawful and unethical activities."

References

1. "The CIA's Mind Control Experiment: MK-Ultra", Time, June 27, 1977, https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914949-2,00.html
2. "Project MKUltra", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra
3. "The CIA's Secret Experiments on Humans", The New York Times, August 3, 1977, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/03/archives/the-cias

External links

Entire Four CD-ROM set of CIA / MKUltra Declassified documents released by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), image format, The Black Vault

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