COMMUNIST MENTAL CONDITIONING FOR CONFESSIONS WITH ATTACHED HANDWRITTEN NOTE

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00145896
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 17, 2024
• Document Release Date: January 15, 1983
• Publication Date: February 24, 1953

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co=mar 1:TAL, CCNDITIOJING FOR CONFESSIONS _I /7..
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1. Mental conditicning is pre-eminent in theory, concept, and
practice in the US;;P. and ha u permeated the entire Soviet sphere of
influence. It is in consonance with Pavlov's phyziological teaching,
the most :event Soviet rebearch work on conditioned reflexes, and
So'ziet ideologv.
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2. Communist mental conditioning covers all methods, from per-
sistent education and mild persuasion to techniques for forced
transient softening or cemclete permanent breakdown of the mental
faculties of the victim. This can be done without drugs.
3. The -voluminous Soviet medical literature definitely conveys
the impreezien that the USSR is using all of the modern psychiatric
techniques used on patients in this .country.
4. Althouch the Soviets have relegated psychology to the field
of pedazo7v, the emphasis placed on research in neurophysiole7y,
physiological psycholog7, and neuropsychiatry indicates that the USSR
considers these fields of practical imPortance. The Soviets are
adept in the application of the results of their research in these
fields to msntal conditiening, including the handling of prisoners.
� 5. There have been some reports on Communist mental conditioning
of prisoners in general, such as the common practice of handing pamphlets
on Communism to prizeners, followed by the delivery of talks on the
advantages of Ccmmunism. They sell Communism to many prisoners by
daily repetiticn, even three times a day at regular intervals.
�-6. The Qc=unists have had thousands of prisoners and years of
experience in the development of metheds for the mental ccnditioning
of prisoners.
7. They are. ruthless in the use of methods to force prisoners
to reveal infcrmaticn which may be truthful or false.
- 8: Because of the effect on world opinicn, we can expect that
the Communists will use cenventional psycholozical interrogation
techniques on many priscners, and treat them in accordance with
Geneva agreements. This has and will be done with prisoners they
willingly return. .
. - 13.. There were psychological reasons, including favorable
propaganda as well as problems of care of the wounded early in the
Korean conflict, for the Chinese release of all groups of prisoners
to the American lines.
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10. There is no reacon for not belicvinr that the Comunists
can readily obtain confessions without, an they claim, "old-fashioned
torture," or the use Of drugs. No doubt they have in mind mutilation
and other ancient practices of physical torture, and do not consider
that torture includes mental duress, starvation diets, and other
methods of exhaustion to the degree of submission.
U. There are reasons for believing that drugs would to a cer-
tain degree accelerate obtaining confessions, but no reasons for.
believing that drugs are reliable for obtaining truthful information.
12. The vast experience of the Communists surely has convinced
them that c'omewhere along the line of increasingly drastic measures
the resistance of any ran will break and he will usually, but not
always, reveal the truth. Also, that mental resistance, including
subconscious resistance of some men, is strong enough to withhold
secret information. The breaking point in some men. would not be reached
until their mental faculties are so abnormal that the information they
give ray or ray not be the truth. The Communists probably have been
successful in obtaining truthful information frcm many men by their
methods because most men would tell the truth before they reached the
later stages of mental duress.
13. We have no indications that they know any methods not
known in this country for determining the truthfulness of information
obtained from prisoners.
� 14. They carefully select their victims for specific purposes,
such as those who will make an impression for propaganda purposes,
as did the American Air Force officers who apparently cooperated as
propaganda dupes in the production of the sound picture to help the
Communists convince the.wcrid that their F.:: charges were true.
Probably the reasons for their apparent cooperatirn will not be known
until .there is.an opportunity 1.
to debrief them.
15. Some of their victims are easy prey, not by direct threats
and =ore draStic duress, but by another approach such as telling them
they will be treated well and returned to their homeland in good men-
tal and physical condition if they cooperate.
16. Some prisoners are well aware of stories about the handling of victims, such as subjection to exhibition for ridicule, traumatism,
and even death by public mobs; physical duress; never returning home;
and even beheading, shooting, or other penalties by their captors.
17. The fear complex produces rany submissive persons. They
know open defiance of captors is not healthy and have not had adequate
training to save themselves and protect security.
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18. The 11::ual.techniqes arainst resistant prisoners appear to
bo clover L c onventiGnal psycibloc,ical interro;:ation followed
in some cases by mothpds of exhaustion, partieularly of the nervous
system. Apparently this is accomplished by starvation diets, barbarous
quarters, not allowing sleep, and strained constant standing and
other postures. In some instances, nerve stimulant drugs are used as
adjuncts in exhaustion.
� 19. Although we have no evidence that the Communists depend
upon the use of any one drug or ccmbinaticn of products or devices
routinely in interrogations, their past treatment of some prisoners
gives us warning that we can expect them to usc drugs and other products,
devices, and methods under certain circumstances and as hopeful supple-.
ments in the handling of prisoners they have no intention of releasing.'
20. Among Communist activities against special prisoners, we
can expect all kinds of trickery, drur:s including toxic substances,
electric and other applications to induce shock, the polygraph, hypnotism,
nerve blocking injections, and even,lobotemy and other surgery.
� 21. Drugs and other supplementary techniques may be used not
because any method assures veracity in every individual, but because
any means of loosening tongues such as the effects of euphoric drugs
and alcohol or narcotics and other methods for obtaining information in
subconscious states may evoke true or false information from a number
of persons. Sodium amytal and other well known drugs would be effective
in a limited number of cases, without the nerve exhaustion technicues.
By an analysis of the combined statements from a number of prisoners
it might be posil-1- to delete false statements.
22. Defense against enemy actions should cover careful selec-
tion of our agents including special testing with harmless.technioues,
'thorough rental conditioning, and the use of materials to counter
enemy actions. any will break down regardless of preparation.
24 February 1953
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