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1. Mental conditioning is pre-eminent in thcory, concept, end practice in the U'SOR and has poroated the entire Soviet sphere of influence. It is in consonance with Pavlov's physiological teaching, the rost recmnt Soviet research work on conditioned reflexes, and Soviet ideolog.

2. Counist mental ccnditioning covers all methods, fron persistent education and mild persuasion to techniquos for forced transient softening or complete perzanent breakdown of the mental faculties of the victia. This can be done without drugs.

3. The volucinous Soviet tedical literature definitely conveys the impressien that the USs? is using all of the modern psychiatric techniques used on patienss in this .cowntry.

4. Although the Soviets have relegated psychology to the field of pedago/, the esphasis placed on research in neurophysiology, physiological psyoholog, and neuropsychiatry iniicates 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 pental conditioning, ineluding the hendling of prisoners.

5. There have been sore reports on Comwnist mental conditicning of prisoners in general, such as the cormon practice of handing pazphlets on Communisn to prissners, follcved by the delivery of talks on the advantages of Cozmunisn. They sell Comunism to many prisoners by daily repetitien, even three times a day at regular intervals.

6. The Comunists have had thousands of prisoners and years of experience in the developzont of methods for the mental conditioning of prisoners.

7. They are ruthless in the use of methods to force prisoners to reveal inforzaticn which Fay be truthful or false.

8. Becauso of the effeot on world opinion, we can expect that the Comsuists will use conventional psychological interrogation techiqucs on many priscners, and treat them in accordance with Geneva agreezents. This has and will be done with prisoners they willingly retura.

9. There were psychological reasons, including favorable propaganda as well as problems of care of the wounded early in the Korcan conflict, for the Chinese release of sall groups of prisoners to the Azerican lines.

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CONIUNIST MEITAL CONDITIC.IING FOR COIFESSIONS

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10. There is no reason for not believinr that the Comunists can readily obtain confescions without, as they clain, "old-fashioned torture," or the use of drugs. No doubt they have in mind mutilation and other ancicnt practices of physical torture, and do not consider that torture includes mental curess, starvation dicts, and other methods of cxhaustion to the degree of submission.

11. There are reasons for telicving that drugs would to a certain dcgrce accclerate cbtaining confessions, but no reasons for. bebieving that drugs are reliable for obtaining truthful inforation.

12, The vast exerience of the Coaunists surely has convinced them that sozewhere along the line of increasingly drastic measures the resistance of any rai will break and he will usually, but not alxays, reveal the truth, Also, that mental resistance, including subconscious resistance of soze ren, is strong enough to withholá secret inforation. The breaking toint in sone men would not be reached until their rental faculties are so atnoral that the inforration they give tay or ray nct be the truth. The Cezmunists probably have been successful in obtaining truthful inforaticn from rany Ren by their methods because most nen would tell the truth before they reached the : later stages of nental duress.

13. We have no indicaticns that they kow any rethcds not kmown in this country for deterining the truthfulness of inforzation obtained fron prisoners.

lh. They carefully select their victins for specific purposes, such as those who will zake an izpression for propaganda purposas, as did the Arerican Air Force officers who apparently cooperated as propaganca dupes in ths production of the sound picture to help the Cozmunists convince the world that their Ef charges were true. Probably the reasons for their apsarent cooperaticn will not be kmown until there is an cpportuity to debrief then.

. 15. Some of their victins are casy prey, not by direct threats , and mre drastic duress, tut by another aotreach such as telling then they vill be treated well and returned to their hozeland in good rental and physical condition if they cooperate.

l6. Some prisoners are well aware of stories about the handling of victims, such as subjection to exhibiticn for ridicule, traumstisn, and even death by public mobs; physical duress; never retumning home; and even beheadins, shooting, or other penalties ty their captors.

17, The fear complex produces rany subzissive persons. They kow open defiance of cantors is not healthy and have not had adequate training to save thenselves and protect security.

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18. The unual.techniqucs arainst rcsistant prisoners appear to bo elever persistent conventioxnal psyciblocicil interrogation followed in some cases by methpda of exhaustion, particularly of the nervous system. Apparently this is accozplished by starvation diets, barbarous quarters, not allowing sleep, and strained constant standing and other postures. In scme instances, nerve stimulant drugo are used as adjuncts in exhaustion.

19. Although we have no evidence that the Comaunists depend upsn the use of any one drur or cczbination of products or devices routinely in interrogations, their past treatment of sone prisoners rives us warning that we can exeect then to use drugs and other produets, devices, and nothods under certain circunstances and as hopeful supple-. ments in the handling of prisoners they have no intention of releasing.

20. Azong Ccmunist activities agairst special prisoners, we can exoect all kinds of trickery, crugs including toxic substances, electric and other applicaticns to induce shcck, the polyeraph, hypnotism, nerve blocking injuctions, and even lobotozy and other surgery.

2l. Drugs and other supplszentary techniques may be used not because any Eothod assures veracity in every individual, but because any means of loosonine tonques such as the effects of euphoric drugs and alcohol or narcotios and other zethods for obtaining infornation in aubconscicus states ray evoke true or false inforration fron a nuzber of persons. Sodiwn aryral and othor well knowm drugs would ce effeetiva in a limited nuber of cases, without the nerve exhaustion techniques. By an analysis of the combined statezents froz a nunber of prisoners it might be possitle to delete false statezents.

22. Defense against eney actions should cover careful seleotion of our agents including special testing with hamless techniques, thorough rontal conditioning, and the use of materials to counter enemy actions. Hany will break doim regardless of preparation.

24 February 1953

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