April 10th 1953 Allen Dulles spoke to an audience of Princeton University graduates. It was a rather unimportant occasion but as the world knew tensions were escalating. The Korean War was drawing near its end and just that week The New York Times reported that American soldiers who had returned from Korea may have been “turned” by “Communist brainwashers.”
Soldiers were admitting to committing acts of war crimes. Including spreading germ warfare on the communists (which the US did not admit to). Some soldiers were so brainwashed they didn’t want to come home to America. To make things worse America was just weeks away from helping to fund an overthrow of Iran’s prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh which was elected through democratic means.
Dulles had recently become the Director of the CIA as the first civilian to hold this position. His speech gave us an insight into what he wanted the CIA to achieve. “For the past few years we have become familiar with much talk of the struggle for the minds of men–the war of ideas,” Dulles told his listeners. “I question if we understand how great of a problem it is, if we know how evil the struggle for the minds of men can be when conducted by the Russians”. He went on to say that “It might be called ‘brain warfare’ in its new dimension.”
He went into detail about the Russians “perverse methods of controlling the brain.” Although they were efficient they were “despicable” and “evil” methods. He pointed to the soldiers returning from Korea as hollow shells of who they once were repeating what they were told by the communists for weeks. He wondered if they were using chemicals or maybe even hypnosis. “We in the west,” he said “have been somewhat limited in our ability to wage brain warfare.” It was against our morals to conduct this type of experimentation even if it was on your enemy he stated. Not only was it against our morals but that of humanity.
Many Americans feared and became intrigued by brain washing and this new idea of “brain warfare” during the 1950’s. After the CIA brought it to light and the many stories of brainwashed G.I. ‘s coming home from China, Korea and Russia. There were articles in newspapers such as “New Evils Seen in Brainwashing” and “Brainwashing vs. Western Psychiatry.” They discussed new ways and methods of brainwashing people that no one could defend themselves against. It became prevalent in American culture. Books were being written about it such as The Manchurian Candidate and The Naked Lunch. Both books dealt with crazy scientists and conspiracy theories.
Another reason why people were scared of brainwashing was that it helped them understand why Communism took over so quickly. Because the Russians used brainwashing on their citizens. How else would you believe so many countries fell under communist rule? America’s ability to think for yourself vs Russia controlling your mind was what separated the two countries.
MK-Ultra
After speaking about how the Russians used these evil ways of mind control Dulles approved the start of MK-Ultra three days later. The CIA was now going to “experiment with covert use of biological and chemical material.” Having nice things to say about American values only got him so far. Dulles had bigger ambitions for the CIA.
Mind Control experiments were mainly focused on changing a persons behavior. Through electro shock therapy, hypnosis, polygraph machines, radiation and different types of drugs, poisons and chemicals. People who volunteered and people who did not know they were participating in the CIA’s experiments. Children with mental deficiencies at a state school, soldiers and people that were classified as “sex psychopaths” at a state institution were some of the people used for MK-Ultra. Prisoners were also a target for the CIA. Since they could offer them incentives to participate in the experiments. Such as more leisure time or less time in prison.
Whitey Bulger was one of the inmates who participated in the experiments. “Eight convicts in panic and paranoiac state.” He described the tests that took place at the Atlanta prison in 1957 while he was serving time. “Lost all appetite. Hallucinating. The room changed shape. Many hours of paranoia and feel violent. We had many nights of nightmares and blood coming out of the wall. Men changed to skeletons before my eyes. I saw a camera turn into a dog’s head. I thought I was losing my mind.”
Whitey Bulger states he was injected with LSD. LSD became a major interest to the CIA. Because they thought it could be used to extract information from suspects. When the CIA found out the Russians were making “extensive efforts to create LSD.” And they were trying to buy all of the LSD available. One CIA official stated that the CIA was “literally frightened” of the Russians having this power. Since we knew very little about the drug here in America. “[This] is the only thing that we have ever been able to find that had real fantastic potential if abused.”
When the CIA started MK-Ultra they began to take an aggressive stance on the drug. LSD could be used to “[obtain] control of bodies whether they are willing or unwilling.” They could use it to move people out of Europe if there was a Russian attack. Or help with killing enemy leaders. On November 18th 1953 ten scientists met at a cabin in the woods of Maryland. They came to the conclusion that to get more out of the drug “it would be beneficial to perform experiments on unwilling subjects.”
The CIA knew that if there was ever a leak about MK-Ultra it would not sit well with the American people. They knew that these experiments were necessary for our country but it needed to stay a secret. What would they tell the American people when they found out that we were injecting them with LSD? “Steps should be taken to prevent not only exposure to the enemy but to the general American public as well.” Wrote the CIA’s inspector general in 1957. “If word got out that the CIA was performing unethical acts it would cause great harm in the political world and impede the CIA’s goals.”
Midnight Climax
The CIA’s experiments with LSD started out relatively simple. They would inject one person at a time and find people that wanted to volunteer. Sometimes they would give their own co-workers LSD without their knowledge. As time passed the experiments became more creative. One of those experiments was called Midnight Climax.
The CIA was working on a bedroom at 225 Chestnut Street in San Francisco in 1955. George White was in charge of the remodel. He wasn’t much of a decorator but he had a long history with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. When the CIA decided to delve into the world of drugs White was one of the first people they called.
White put up pictures of french girls dancing the can can. He put red curtains on the windows and put Toulouse-Lautrec posters on the walls with a black silk mat around them. If you were a middle aged man working for the Drug Administration each picture and object reminded you of sex.
White wasn’t creating a regular bedroom, he was creating a set.
White had a student from Berkeley install bugs and a one way mirror in the bedroom. White would sit behind the mirror drinking martinis and watch what happened. Prostitutes would lead men to the room and once inside they would be drugged with LSD. White would observe them from the one way mirror. White would pay the prostitutes small amounts of money and promise to get them out of trouble if they were caught by police.
Although the CIA created these houses to see what effects LSD would have on humans. White became interested in something else. The sex. These houses became known as the CIA “carnal operations.” They began to research how they could use prostitutes. Train them and what they would do if they knew about state secrets. They even researched at what point during intercourse a person would be most likely to give up information. They discovered that it was right after sex.
“I worked in the vineyards because it was FUN, FUN, FUN.” White stated. “What other opportunity does a healthy American male have to lie, kill, steal, cheat, rape and plunder with the blessing of God.”
How MK-Ultra Ended
The CIA experimented with LSD until 1963 when it came to an abrupt end. John Vance was an employee of the CIA’s inspector general office. In the Spring of 1963 he discovered that “human beings who were not consenting were given drugs.” MK-Ultra tried to convince the CIA that they should continue the research. But the Inspector General wanted them to abide by new rules that prohibited human experimentation on people who didn’t know they were participating.
During 1977 congress held hearings about MK-Ultra led by Senator Edward Kennedy. Former CIA employees were called in to answer questions. About who ran these experiments, how people were selected and if any of the experiments were still ongoing. Many disturbing facts were revealed about MK-Ultra. One was about Dr. Frank Olson who was an Army Scientist. He died after jumping out of a hotel window. After being unknowingly given LSD by the CIA. The irony of the U.S experimenting on drugs became apparent when drugs were becoming more criminalized. President Nixon had just declared drugs “Public Enemy #1.”
Congress was unable to learn more about MK-Ultra. Employees stated that they “didn’t remember” many of the details about human experimentation or even how many people participated. Well they could look at the files right? Well that would have been a good idea except that in 1973 when the CIA realized there were questions being asked about MK-Ultra they told the employees to destroy all files. Using excuses about protecting the privacy and embarrassment of the people who participated. They burned every record of one of Americas most unlawful programs. MK-Ultra began with secrets and will never reveal all of them.
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