Project MKUltra - Research Paper Example

? Introduction; Project MKUltra Project MKUltra refers to for the covert research operation for the U.S. government used in experimenting behavioral engineering for humans through scientific intelligence of the CIA. The program started in 1950s, officially sanctioned in 1953, curtailed in 1967 and halted officially in 1973. This program engaged in illegal activities, especially in unwitting the Canadian and U.S citizens due to the imposition of methodologies in manipulating the brain functions and mental states of people, including surreptitious drug administration and other chemicals. 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 knew1 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 sleep 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 compensated the affected families.3 The army sergeant, James Stanley, brought an unsuccessful lawsuit. According to the government, Stanley could not sue the government for the harms inflicted during service. However, the Supreme Court, in 1987, affirmed the defense that dismissed this case. According to Justice William Brennan, the need for preservation of military discipline never involved protection of government from punishment and liability for violation of the constitutional rights.3 The Nuremberg medical3 trials indicated that experimentation with human subjects is legally and morally unacceptable. Justice Sandra O’Connor in dissentient stated that no any crafted rule of the judiciary was to insulate the involuntary, liability and unknowing human experimentation. The United State prosecuted the Nazi officials for experimenting with human subjects in Second World War. As noted by tribunals, the voluntary consent of human subjects is crucial to satisfy legal, ethical and moral concepts. Violation of this principle requires thorough compensation by perpetrators. MKUltra acted as the sinister brainchild for most of the clandestine war warriors, who comprised of extreme anti-Soviets who stopped at nothing in order to see the defeat of their enemies during the cold war as well as enhance the expansion of the global influence and power of US. Violation of Constitutional Rights According the United States Constitution, the fundamental human rights refer to the legal protections within the context of the legal system. Such rights belong to all citizens without cost of 4privilege or presumption to transcend the jurisdiction, and their reinforcements take place with different emphasis. Such rights include the right to the self-determination, right to a due law process and freedom of thought. Legally, the fundamental rights, may be considered as human rights, but classification as fundamental invokes a legal test used by courts in determining the constrained conditions through which the government and various states within the government impose limitations on such rights. The Project MKUltra in all dimensions is a complete indication of the violation of the constitution as it violates the rights and freedom outline therewith. The abuse caused by MKUltra came into limelight when the church committee from the Congress conducted investigations in 1970s. Also, the Rockefeller Commission, under the vice president Nelson Rockefeller examined domestic activities of FBI, CIA and the military intelligence agencies. The citizens in America became aware of the illegal experiments on unwitting and willing subjects by Department of Defense and CIA in 1975. The experiments aimed at influencing the human behavior using psychoactive drugs, psychological, chemicals and biological methods. Most victims from McGill University received settlements and compensation from Canadian government several years after the damage happened. Studies indicate that the torture imposed on such victims cannot be compensated by any amount of money. Padilla, a gang member of Brooklyn stayed in cells for 1,307days under sensory deprivation and overloads. This denied him ability to stand in his defense. He instead considers his interrogators as protectors and his lawyers as interrogators. The constitution, however, required him to stand in 5his defense, but MKUltra had denied him the true personality he is. The project presents interference with the human rights whereby, whenever a person intentionally interferes through violence, damage, trespass or physical force to the other person’s rights secured under the United States Constitution. This may bring a civil action for the injunctive relief so as to protect peaceable exercise. In addition, this Project involved the violation of the restraining injunction or order. A person who violates rights of others knowingly issued in this section commits the Class D crime.5 Development of federal legislation for the government-sponsored research among the human subjects came as a result of governmental and institutional concerns and the public reaction to failures and perceived abuses by the government. In 1974, the National research Act came into operation, where a scandal arose upon discovery of chemical experiments done by CIA. There were reports of illegal activities by CIA on the US citizens. This prompted investigations by the presidential commission and Congress through the Church Committee. The investigative reports revealed to the public how CIA conducted experiments on unwitting and cognizant human subjects. This happened during their extensive program of controlling and influencing the human behavior using psychoactive drugs. The reports indicated death of at least one subject after LSD administration.5 The investigations indicated that conducting experiments happened without prior consent from the subjects. CIA took part in such discussions leading to issuance of the Wilson Memorandum. According to constitution, it is unlawful for the intelligence activities to experiment with human subjects, with exceptions of the availability of the informed consent witnessed by a disinterested party in line with the guidelines of the national commission. The revelations of the CIA experiments triggered the secretary to the US Army instruct the inspector general to the army to investigate on classified Wilson Memorandum. The investigation led to declassification of Wilson Memorandum in 1975. Reports showed that CIA failed in fully informing the volunteers prior to participation. The evidence reflected observation of each medical consideration by professional investigators from the Medical Research Laboratories.6 In America, 1960s and 1970s witnessed extra-ordinary growth in Institutional, public awareness and government on issues regarding use of human subjects, which increased as a result of increased emphasis and scandals on individual expression. Most military branches had articulated policies despite the numerous problems experienced during the implementation. DHEW established regulations and a local review system in order to issue recommendations to enhance further changes. The advances facilitated the creation of the model and established the ground work for the protection of human subjects among all federal agencies.6 Most of the conditions integrated so as to enhance regulation of use of the human subjects for any federally funded research. Three Belmont principles from the national commission undergird the Chapter 14 of the framework to enhance governing of research ethics through the use of human subjects. This is under the Beneficence, Justice and Respect for persons. The conceptual framework and federal regulations based on the Belmont principles enhance the end of adverse drawbacks associated with the federal research ethics and policies. The evaluation of such a position in light of part III of the contemporary studies of Advisory Committee supports such a decision. There have been extensive policies towards protection of the human subjects in its purview. Such policies vary among most government agencies. The Military branches, in 1975, set on developing comprehensive policies involving the human 7subjects, with the CIA having to comply with the consent requirements by the executive order. The evaluation of adequacy of efforts taken towards protecting people before the establishment of the policies must be considered before review of the rules and policies that outline practices and norms by the government. Comments by Gotlieb in 1972 reflect Project MKUltra 'useless’. However, reports indicate abandonment of MKUltra type-experiments by CIA, but observers argue that the project still continues under different acronyms. The CIA conducts disinformation campaigns routinely with the mind control research still being fully functional. According to Marchetti, the abandonment of MKUltra is ‘a cover story’. Bibliography Bergen-Cico, Dessa K. War and Drugs: The Role of Military Conflict in the Development of Substance Abuse. Boulder, CO: Paradigm, 2012. Nowak, Manfred. "What Practices Constitute Torture? US and UN Standards." Human Rights Quarterly 28.4 (2006): 809-41. Woodward, Ralph Lee. "Secret History: The CIA's Classified Account of Its Operations in Guatemala, 1952-1954 (review)." The Americas 57.3 (2001): 430-31. Read More