Case study

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During the early 1950s, the newly formed 22 Central Intelligence Agency developed a top secret mind control operation called “PROJECT ARTICHOKE” as a technique of interrogation.  "ARTICHOKE" refers to the agency’s cryptonym for studying or performing unconventional methods and techniques of interrogation which may involve the use of drugs, hypnosis, or "total isolation" as a form of psychological harassment. It was preceded by Project “BLUEBIRD" and was operated by the CIA's office of scientific intelligence, with the primary goal of finding out whether a person could be manipulated into involuntarily performing an assassination.  American prisoners who returned from the Korean war were the primary targets of this project and these servicemen were subjected to behavioral modification programs that included the use of drugs as well as special interrogation methods.

In order to test the project's effects, CIA agents were initially administered drugs such as  LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and morphine forcibly and frequently in large doses. A recorded report also stated that one of the agents was kept on LSD for 77 days, hence stressing upon the intensity with which the project was carried out. Several studies carried out with regard to drug and substance abuse showed that the usage of LSD in minute doses results in a peculiar mental state marked by anxiety, signs of autonomic dysfunction, perceptual distortion, mood alterations, feelings of depersonalization, and hallucinations.  Although the operation involved the utilization of various drugs on test subjects, LSD and morphine were reported to be the most frequently used ones.

Experiments based on hypnosis were also said to be performed during the interrogation process but there was no sufficient information available about the same concerning the project. According to a log report, numerous hypnosis tests were carried out in the agency building, mainly using staff and employees as test subjects. The intention behind this was to see whether an assassin could be created from an ordinary agent by using hypnosis or brainwashing techniques. Psychological torture methods such as complete isolation of the test subject was another method used in carrying out project artichoke. Most of these experiments performed were largely unsuccessful and also resulted in the death of some human subjects due to drug overdose or mental torment. Though the project was exposed and shut down during the mid-1960s,  it opened the door for extensive research on the use of mind control in the field of operations and inspired the creation of additional CIA projects like Project MKULTRA and Operation Midnight Climax.

Due to the project being carried out overseas as well, “ARTICHOKE” was also considered as an act of racism since the majority of the CIA members, involved in the conduction of the project were Anti-Semites and Pro - Nazis who called for amnesty of Nazi war criminals. The CIA's initial mind control activities, which shared a close association with many key figures in the racist and anti-immigration eugenics, clearly indicated the role of racism in the project. 

Since time unknown, the CIA has been instrumental in using and exploiting the psychodynamic theories and practices for intelligence purposes. These theories were employed with a purpose of research on mind-altering drugs and techniques as well as for interrogation tactics, including the induction of accelerated and regressive processes, and its findings were used in operational programs. Project Artichoke was one of many CIA-planned methods of psychological abuse against humans. A large chunk of its aftermath wasn't even recorded, thus making it one of the most heinous cases of torture ever administered to humans.


About the author

Sparsha Rai is a first-year student, currently studying B.Sc in Applied Psychology from NMIMS, Mumbai. She is originally from Mangalore, a stunning city located in the Indian state of Karnataka. She is a creative and funny individual, who uses music and jokes to get through the obstacles in life. She intends on being the best at whatever she does and aspires to become the best and most original version of herself.



References

            https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB54/st02.pdf

            https://www.bestpsychologydegrees.com

            https://jamanetwork.com/journals/archneurpsyc/article-abstract/652297

           https://truthout.org/articles/cries-from-the-past-tortures-ugly-echoes/

           https://prezi.com/p/lkmljbs_ql6o/project-artichoke/

           https://dbpedia.org/page/Project_ARTICHOKE


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