Anna Hartz
During the Cold War, governments were worried about controlling minds and influencing behavior.
Stories of brainwashing in the Korean War made American intelligence agencies anxious. They wanted to know if they could protect themselves or even use similar techniques.
Project Artichoke
A recently republished CIA document brings attention to Project Artichoke, a secret program that ran from 1951 to 1956. The project focused on interrogation, behavioral control, and substances that could influence the human mind, writes Ziare.
The seven-page report, called “Special Research for Artichoke,” lists areas of study. It explores chemicals that could act immediately, such as so-called “truth serums,” and substances meant for long-term influence. Researchers considered ways to give these compounds through food, water, alcohol, or cigarettes. They even suggested disguising them in medical treatments, including vaccines or injections. These ideas caused strong reactions online when the document resurfaced.
The report distinguishes between compounds that could cause agitation, anxiety, or nervousness and those that could induce depression, apathy, or despair. Sedatives like amytal and pentothal were mentioned as examples of direct-use substances. The study also recommended consulting the US Army’s Chemical Warfare Service, which had done extensive research on related methods.
Publicised in the 1970s
Project Artichoke was not just about drugs. The program investigated hypnosis, psychological techniques, sensory deprivation, gases, and aerosols. The central question was whether a person could be made to act against their own will without clear awareness afterward.
In 1953, Project Artichoke became part of the larger MKUltra program. MKUltra expanded research into hallucinogens like LSD and included hundreds of subprojects in universities, hospitals, and prisons. Many participants were prisoners, military personnel, or psychiatric patients, often without their consent. Most of the records were destroyed in 1973, leaving the full scope unknown.
The public learned about the program in the 1970s during congressional hearings led by the Church Commission. Revelations caused outrage and prompted reforms in intelligence oversight. Some participants, like former Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, later claimed to have been tested in prison. Bulger described severe hallucinations, paranoia, and intense fear.
Project Artichoke and MKUltra remain examples of secret experiments that pushed ethical boundaries. They show how far intelligence agencies once went to explore the human mind and the dark side of Cold War fears.
