MK-ULTRA CIA mind-control program Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/MK-ULTRA Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Nick Tabor Nick Tabor is a freelance journalist and the author of Africatown: America's Last Slave Ship and the Community It Created. Nick Tabor Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Aug 13, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was MK-ULTRA? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "MK-ULTRA was an illegal mind-control research program run by the CIA from 1953 to 1964, using drugs, hypnosis, and other methods to attempt to control minds during the Cold War." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " Who oversaw the MK-ULTRA program? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "MK-ULTRA was overseen by Allen Dulles, the CIAu2019s head of covert operations, and Sidney Gottlieb, a chemist and the CIAu2019s top drug expert." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What methods were used in MK-ULTRA experiments? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "High doses of LSD and other drugs, hypnosis, electroshock, and sensory deprivation were used as part of MK-ULTRA. Some participants experienced paranoia, hallucinations, and violent feelings." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What happened to MK-ULTRA? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "By the early 1960s Allen Dulles and Sidney Gottlieb determined that the goal of mind control could not be achieved, and the program was wound down. To avoid public outrage and ensure no one would be prosecuted, many of the records were destroyed in 1973. The existence of the program came to light through congressional and journalistic investigations." } } ] } Top Questions What was MK-ULTRA? MK-ULTRA was an illegal mind-control research program run by the CIA from 1953 to 1964, using drugs, hypnosis, and other methods to attempt to control minds during the Cold War.

　　Who oversaw the MK-ULTRA program? MK-ULTRA was overseen by Allen Dulles, the CIA’s head of covert operations, and Sidney Gottlieb, a chemist and the CIA’s top drug expert.

　　What methods were used in MK-ULTRA experiments? High doses of LSD and other drugs, hypnosis, electroshock, and sensory deprivation were used as part of MK-ULTRA. Some participants experienced paranoia, hallucinations, and violent feelings.

　　What happened to MK-ULTRA? By the early 1960s Allen Dulles and Sidney Gottlieb determined that the goal of mind control could not be achieved, and the program was wound down. To avoid public outrage and ensure no one would be prosecuted, many of the records were destroyed in 1973. The existence of the program came to light through congressional and journalistic investigations.

　　MK-ULTRA was an illegal mind-control research program that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operated between 1953 and 1964. The CIA conducted experiments using high doses of LSD and other drugs, hypnosis, electroshock, and sensory deprivation on subjects who often had no idea that they were part of a covert test. The ultimate goal was to find a way to erase the memory and then control the mind as a tool in fighting the Cold War. In his book Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control, author and journalist Stephen Kinzer called the program “essentially a ...(100 of 1027 words)

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