U MAY HAVE DONE 1950S CIA TRUTH SERUM STUDY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000201140118-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 30, 2010
• Sequence Number: 118
• Publication Date: January 3, 1978
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/30: CIA-RDP90-00806R000201140118-3
Till; 'lil`w Utr: 1t11LL
3 January 1978
U may have done 195(1s
truth serum study
By JANE BEDNAR
A University researcher may have-
performed truth serum experiments
for the CIA during the 1950s, al-
though recently released CIA docu-
ments on the project are inconclusive.
The documents, released to the
University in December, describe CIA
efforts to engage a University anes-
thesiologist in research for the CIA
project ARTICHOKE, which in-'"r
volved the use of narco-analysis, or
"truth serum," on criminal suspects.
However, all names-of people and
places have been blacked out of the
documents and it is not clear whether
the anesthesiologist actually - per-._
formed the experiments.
The project was the predecessor to
MKULTRA, a CIA behavioral drug
research project conducted during the'
1950s and '60s. That project -em-
ployed University researchers who
performed hypnosis experiments.
Sixteen pages of the ARTICHOKE
documents are a transcript of an in-
terview between the anesthesiologist
and a CIA employee about the possi-
bility of performing narco-analysis'
research at the University. Research-'
ers at four other universities also were
contacted. In the interview, the anesthesiolo--
gist indicated he was willing to do the:
research but did not want to work co-1
yertly for the-CIA. "I would prefer to have this association known to
(blank) and (blank) and a few others.
since this would greatly facilitate the
work," the transcript reads.
"Money is no objective," the anes-
thesiologist added. "I would work at
any reasonable basis."
? The 'anesthesiologist apparently al-
ready was engaged in narco-analysis
research at the University. He states,
"Hanscom and I have worked on one
actual case. This case we regarded as.
unsuccessful and very rare since the
'subject was totally negativistic."
The name inadvertently left in the
transcript is that of C.B. Hanscom,
''former director' of the University
Police Department. Hanscom in the ,
1950s was involved in research for
Minnesota police departments that in-
volved use of chemicals and lie-detec-
tors - in interrogating criminal
suspects.
However, Hanscom has denied that
he did any work for the CIA.
None of the anesthesiologist's im-
mediate associates were involved in
narco-analysis research, according to
the transcript. "In fact, some of them
doubt the real value of it," he states:
"They believe that the only interests of concern to me are police-type
interests." - -
A section detailing the anesthesi-
ologist's connections with Minneapo-
lis police and other state police
departments has been blacked out of
-?
the documents.
The documents were discovered i
during a review of CIA records by
that agency. The review was begun
after MKULTRA records were dis-
covered last summer. -
"The discomforting prospect .of
your receiving an endless series of
"these letters is an unlikely one since
there is no reason to believe that any
large amount of material of this
nature remains undiscovered," CIA
assistant general counsel A.R. Cin-
quegrana assured University Presi-
dent C. Peter Magrath in a. letter
attached to the documents. -
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/30: CIA-RDP90-00806R000201140118-3