In 1953, Project MK Ultra was set up by the CIA as a series of experiments that involved people, often those who did not know they were involved in the experiment, or who did not or were unable to consent to participating.
The project involved all sorts of experiments and was conducted at over 80 different research facilities, universities, prisons, hospitals, and other institutions. The goal of MK Ultra was to develop drugs and chemical that could control people's minds. At the time, the government feared that they would need to use these drugs against the Soviet Union in the event of a war. The program involved the use of a variety of drugs, hypnotism, isolation, sensory deprivation, and all sorts of abuse. Many of the methods employed by the program were prohibited under international agreements such as the Nuremberg Code.
When the program was discovered and brought to the attention of the public, the CIA director under Nixon, Richard Helms, ordered that all documents relating to the program be destroyed before they could be exposed. A few documents however were later discovered and did reveal some information on what the program entailed. The CIA utilized legitimate research from universities where many times they did not know that they were working for or being funded by the CIA. Former Nazi scientists were also recruited to share their work with the CIA.
One particularly notorious part of the program was the LSD experimentation.
Records show that the CIA administered LSD to people, often without their knowledge so that they could observe its effects. Others were told that they had been given LSD and were forced to share their experiences with the agency. The CIA clearly crossed a line after an Army scientist was given LSD and "fell" out of a 13th floor window. Evidence shows that he was actually killed however and after laws suits were filed, the government made a three quarters of a million dollar settlement with the scientist's family.
In addition to using LSD on unknowing civilians, Heroin, Morphine, Mescaline, Psilocybin, Scopolamine, Sodium Pentothal, alcohol, and other substances were administered to test subjects.
Because of laws stopping members of the army from suing the government and a few other loopholes, the CIA was not held accountable to the extent that they should have been according to many researchers. Although the project resulted in a handful of deaths, long term brain damage, physical and mental trauma, most individuals that fell victim to the program were never compensated.
Since most of the documentations on the program was destroyed or remains classified, it is unlikely that we will ever know the true extent of this operation.
Recently, the project has gotten alot of attention however, especially after the show "Stranger Things" was released on Netflix. This show although wildly fictional was in part inspired by the MK Ultra experiments. Also, scheduled to be released in the near future is a documentary on the mysterious death of Army Scientist Frank Olsen who was secretly given drugs after trying to quit his job upon discovering some of the terrible things the government was doing.
What do you think about the government drugging people without their knowledge?
As always, be sure to UPVOTE, FOLLOW, and RESTEEM.
--Aaron