Project MKUltra Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Project MKUltra - Research Paper Example Project MKUltra scope is broad, with research happening within 80 institutions including colleges, universities, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and prisons. CIA operated through the institutions using some front organizations though the top officials from these institutions knew of the involvement of CIA. The Project MKUltra came to public in 1975 by US congress church committee and the Gerald Ford Commission in order to investigate on the activities of CIA in United States. However, the investigative efforts suffered adversely when Richard Helms, the CIA director, ordered destruction to MKUltra files. This compelled investigators to rely on sworn testimony directly from participants and few documents that survived the destruction order by Helm. A 20,000 documents cache emerged in 1977 through a freedom of Information request. This led to senate hearings in the same year, and in 2001, there was declassification of surviving information on MKUltra.1 Goals of MKUltra The agency used a lot of money to examine the methods used in controlling and influencing the mind, as well as enhancing the ability of extracting information from resistant subject when interrogating them. CIA attempted to focus the attention of the media on programs to divert the attention of people on the major goal of the research, which developed effective interrogation and torture methods. The substances used promoted impulsiveness and illogical thinking to a level of discrediting the recipient in public. Such substances enabled the subjects withstand torture, coercion and torture during interrogation, and enhanced mental confusion such that an individual cannot maintains any fabrication. In 19532, a secret memorandum granted up to 6 percent of CIA research budget to MKUltra with accounting or oversight. The LSD drug distorted sense of reality of a person. The administration of drugs targeted helpless people with no ability to fight back, and also to the officials of CIA, doctors and military personnel. However, the administration happened without the subjects’ informed consent or knowledge. After the administration, subjects answered questions in the presence of doctors, with stern warnings of punishment in case they failed to reveal the secrets. This aimed at bringing out drugs which irresistibly triggered deep confessions. Other drugs triggered a person to sl eep so that interrogators may ask questions and get answers with much ease. This enabled CIA asks questions, and sometime gets useful answers. Deaths The CIA destroyed most records purposely and failed in following up informed consent when administering the drugs. However, project MKUltra caused several deaths such as those of Frank Olson of United States Army and other CIA officials. CIA used the biological materials in their covert operations. In January 1953, Harold Blauer died after administration of secret army experiment using MDA. Legal Issues Associated with MKUltra Revelations of the army and CIA prompted most survivors and subjects file several lawsuits against the federal government for engaging in experiments without the informed consent. Despite the government trying to evade legal liability, most plaintiffs received compensation through court orders. The CIA and Army director also met together with victims offer their apologies. The Army and CIA had previously sought a successful incrimination of the information, and secretly