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LEMORAMUE TO1PT. Chicf,ChenicalDivision.

FROL Chlef, Lecicire Division/CSI

SUBJECT

1. In an cxrizent on influencing conversaticaal continuaticn, twenty four subjects, civided into four groups, carried on cenversatiens mith seventeen eperisenters. This reduced the situation, already numerically small in a statistical sense, to an almost person to person relationship. The extensive tscunt of individual interprotation . possible in such a situation reduces the scientific aspect to alacst zero.

2. As indicated in transmittal mero fron author, an implicatien for "brainwoshing" night be found in such an exçerirent as this. In its present fcr this rerert of excerirent offers littls to sither "prainnashing" or interrosetion techricves. Tis lack is best zanifestod by the author's reccmitien that. the relationship effect between the experinenter (interrcgator) and subject (interrogee) was not roasured. The auther hinself poses cur question as to whether or not verbal behavior rould or coulá bs reinforced by agrcerent in a situaticn rherein the subject (interrogee-priscner).disliked the eizerimenter (interrogator - ceptor).

... 3. Despite the individualistic assessrent afferded by scventoen expericenters intervieving tuenty feur subjects, the results obtadnsd are prectically wivorcally censtant, and are as vould norzally.be expccted, viz:

e) the rato of opinions expresscd showed no significant chaaies es e function of reinfcreezent during the operant (initial control) period;

b) Each of tho subiccts shored an increesed freqcency of opinions expressed during the agreenent period;

c) Tronty one of twenty four of tho subjoots showed a decreesed frequeney of epinions expresced during the cxtincticn (cisegreement) poriod.

27 ay 1955

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h. These results vould soeia thea to offer little prospeet for their utilinaticn ty a Coscanist "experimonter" to achieve any degree of success in a "brainwashine" or "brainchanging" abteapt cxeept in thc very inaodiate initial stage..

5. The applicction in this initial stage would bc the situation wherein the subjoct (prisorer) is enccurageu by the experironter (captor) to exprass his opinions as to 'vhat the war is cout'; 'why the prisoner joined the military service'; ete. By the experimenter's . encouragesent through egreesent, the subject may go on end on in his opinion expressicn. Thus the subject sight afford the experimenter a psychological profile of hinself, and thus might expose a psychological point of vulnerability vhich could be used as a ceparture point or entry wedge in the depersonalization of "brainwashing".

6. Even this initial soslication to "brainrashing" cannot be deduced frcm this report of experiment, hoxever, because tha effpot of a situation of antarcrisn betaeen experinenter and subject (see paragfaph 2) has not been reasured.