Even before the infamous MKUltra became public, the U.S. intelligence community was already running another secret initiative focused on mind control. Declassified documents reveal details of the so-called Project Artichoke, which operated between 1951 and 1956 and investigated methods of behavioral manipulation, advanced interrogation techniques, and psychological influence strategies.
The report, titled “Special Research on Artichoke,” was added to the electronic reading room of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2025. Consisting of seven pages and an attachment called “Suggested Areas for Special Research Related to Artichoke,” the document outlines proposals for the development and application of substances capable of directly affecting human behavior.
Among the lines of research were drugs designed for immediate effects, such as so-called truth serums, as well as compounds intended to produce gradual and long-term alterations in an individual’s personality or psychological disposition. The text even mentions the possibility of administering these substances covertly, mixed into food, water, alcoholic beverages, or cigarettes.
Another proposal examined the concealment of such substances within medical procedures, including vaccines or injections, potentially expanding their reach while minimizing suspicion.
Beyond chemical experimentation, the program also explored non-pharmacological methods. The document references investigations into hypnosis, sensory deprivation, the use of gases, and other psychological approaches aimed at interrogation and behavioral conditioning.
The revelations further highlight the controversial history of research conducted during the early Cold War, a period marked by fears of brainwashing techniques allegedly used by rival powers. According to the records, Project Artichoke laid the groundwork for subsequent initiatives, including MKUltra, which would later become the subject of intense public scrutiny and official investigations.
The document was declassified in 1983 but remained largely unknown to the general public for decades. Recently, however, it resurfaced on social media, where it sparked outrage as users reacted to passages showing the Central Intelligence Agency discussing methods that appeared to involve “drugging entire populations.”
Project Artichoke emerged in the early years of the Cold War, a period marked by intense geopolitical tension and widespread anxiety over communist powers. At the time, reports that American prisoners of war in Korea had been subjected to brainwashing techniques fueled serious concerns within the U.S. intelligence community.
Internal CIA memoranda suggested that American officials feared hostile nations might have developed effective methods for controlling human thought and behavior. This perception prompted the agency to explore its own capabilities in psychological and pharmacological manipulation.
The declassified report reveals the depth of this research. In one section, it highlights the need for studies “to determine which drugs are most suitable for direct use on individuals, along the lines of amytal and pentothal,” as well as to assess “which drugs would be most appropriate for an indirect or long-range approach.”
Researchers involved in the secret program emphasized that long-term compounds should be capable of producing “an agitating effect, causing anxiety, nervousness, tension, etc.” or, alternatively, “a depressive effect, creating feelings of discouragement, hopelessness, lethargy, etc.”
The document also outlines practical considerations for concealment, noting that such substances could potentially be introduced surreptitiously into “food, water, Coca-Cola, beer, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, etc.,” underscoring the agency’s focus on methods of influence that would be difficult to detect and potentially applicable on a wide scale.
In addition, the report recommended consulting the United States Army Chemical Corps, noting that it had already conducted “extensive studies in this field.” According to the document, such cooperation could provide specific technical and strategic guidance for advancing the program.
Beyond the use of drugs, Project Artichoke investigated a broad range of psychological tools.
Sections of the report reference hypnosis, psychological techniques, and the use of gases, aerosols, and oxygen deprivation, showing that the CIA sought to integrate chemical, environmental, and mental approaches in its research on behavioral control.
Researchers also questioned whether these methods could compel individuals to carry out actions against their own will, including potentially criminal acts, without being fully aware of what they were doing.
Experiments conducted under the program frequently involved vulnerable individuals, including prisoners, military personnel, and psychiatric patients, often without any form of informed consent.
Although much of the documentation was destroyed in 1973, a significant portion of the files survived. The remaining material indicates that the CIA, working alongside institutional partners, pushed the boundaries of psychological manipulation research. Ethical concerns appear to have been frequently subordinated to strategic priorities tied to national security.
In 1953, Project Artichoke was absorbed into a more ambitious initiative: the MKUltra program. With an expanded scope, the new project intensified experimentation, particularly with hallucinogenic substances such as LSD, deepening investigations into mind control.
MKUltra operated through hundreds of subprojects conducted at universities, hospitals, and prison facilities. In many instances, participants were unaware that they were being subjected to experimentation. The exposure of these practices in the 1970s triggered strong public backlash during hearings in the United States Congress, especially in the investigations carried out by the Church Committee.
