What is thy bidding, Master?

MKULTRA was the codename for a covert CIA mind-control research program, which was begun in 1953, supposedly in response to Soviet, Chinese, and North Korean brainwashing techniques used on U.S. POWs during the Korean War.  The program quickly grew beyond simple psychological warfare to include 149 projects who’s main focus was the study of the following, which is by no means an exhaustive list: 

1. Substances which will promote illogical thinking and impulsiveness
   to the point where the recipient would be discredited in public.
2. Substances which increase the efficiency of mentation and perception.
3. Materials which will prevent or counteract the intoxicating effect of alcohol.
4. Materials which will promote the intoxicating effect of alcohol.
5. Materials which will produce the signs and symptoms of recognized
   diseases in a reversible way so that they may be used for malingering,
   etc.
6. Materials which will render the induction of hypnosis easier or otherwise enhance its usefulness.
7. Substances which will enhance the ability of individuals to
   withstand privation, torture and coercion during interrogation and
   so-called “brain-washing”.
8. Materials and physical methods which will produce amnesia for events preceding and during their use.
9. Physical methods of producing shock and confusion over extended periods of time and capable of surreptitious use.
10. Substances which produce physical disablement such as paralysis of the legs, acute anemia, etc.
11. Substances which will produce “pure” euphoria with no subsequent let-down.
12. Substances which alter personality structure in such a way that the
    tendency of the recipient to become dependent upon another person is
    enhanced.
13. A material which will cause mental confusion of such a type that
    the individual under its influence will find it difficult to maintain a
    fabrication under questioning.
14. Substances which will lower the ambition and general working efficiency of men when administered in undetectable amounts.
15. Substances which promote weakness or distortion of the eyesight or hearing faculties, preferably without permanent effects.
16. A knockout pill which can surreptitiously be administered in
    drinks, food, cigarettes, as an aerosol, etc., which will be safe to
    use, provide a maximum of amnesia, and be suitable for use by agent
    types on an ad hoc basis.
17. A material which can be surreptitiously administered by the above
    routes and which in very small amounts will make it impossible for a
    man to perform any physical activity whatsoever.

All of this would be fine and dandy if the research was being carried out in a manner which at least acknowledged the scientific method.  However, many of these experiments were carried out on unwitting American citizens, with no informed consent, and with little to no scientific value.  In an effort to study the 17 steps outlined above, people were subjected to lethal amounts of radiation, electric shocks, and most (in)famously mind-altering (read:psychedelic) drugs.  In fact, in the 1950s, the CIA became so fascinated with the notion of controlling its adversaries through the use of LSD, that it attempted to buy up the world’s supply of the drug, and was for many years the principle source of LSD, both legally and illegally.  Notoriously, the CIA created several brothels, got the prostitutes working there to slip drugs to the unwitting Johns, then watched through one-way mirrors to see the effects.  As if that weren’t bad enough, the agency also experimented on its own employees, as well as other government employees, leading to the death of at least one person for certain.

In 1973, outgoing CIA Director Richard Helms ordered all records pertaining to MKULTRA destroyed, forcing subsequent investigations to rely on the sworn testimony of direct participants.  Both the Ford administration and Congress investigated the CIA operations in the U.S., during which Senator Ted Kennedy stated:

The Deputy Director of the CIA revealed that over thirty universities and institutions were involved in an “extensive testing and experimentation” program which included covert drug tests on unwitting
citizens “at all social levels, high and low, native Americans and foreign.” Several of these tests involved the administration of LSD to “unwitting subjects in social situations.” At least one death, that of Dr. [Frank] Olson, resulted from these activities. The Agency itself acknowledged that these tests made little scientific sense. The agents doing the monitoring were not qualified scientific observers.

Trust me, I'm a doctor.

So what was the overall effect of MKULTRA?  It’s hard to say for sure since the few surviving documents related to the program are still highly classified, but one thing is for certain; the effects are long-lasting.  Some theorists believe that Jonestown, Guyana was an MKULTRA research site, citing Jim Jones’ connection to the CIA, and the fact that preliminary autopsy reports from the Guyanese coroner indicated that 25% of the bodies had injection marks and no traces of cyanide in their bodies.  Theodore Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber, reportedly participated in a study that fell under the umbrella of MKULTRA in the late 1950s.  His attorneys would argue, unsuccesfully of course, that his exposure to this study contributed to his emotional instability.  Finally, the American people are more docile now, than at any other time in history.  Over the course of the last 30 years, the Executive branch of the Federal government has taken power from Congress and the States, with little resistance from the citizenry.  Add to that the fact all stories about the Iraq war had to go through a clandestine psychological operations group of the Department of Defense before being released to the media and the public, and it’s safe to say that MKULTRA never left us.

For more information on Project MKULTRA, read The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA and Mind Control, or visit HowStuffWorks.com for their take on this subject.