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SUBJECT: Project ARTICHOKE

ARTICHOKE is the Agency cryptonym for the study and/or use of "special" interrogation methods and techniques. These "special" interrogation methods have been known to include the use of drugs and chemicals, hypnosis, and "total isolation," a form of psychological harassment..

A review of available file information obtaiued frqm Office of Security resources failed to reflect a comprehensive or complete picture of the ARTICHOKE progran as participated in by the Office of Security. .Fragmentary information contained in a variety of files previously -maintained by the Security Research Staff (SRS) reflected several basic papers which described, in general terms, the program known as ARTICHOKE. Information contained therein indicated that prior to 1952, the Office of Security had studied the use of drugs and chemicals in "unconventional intèrrogation." These studies were evidently coordinated with the Agency unit which was then called OSI. OSI at that time apparently was the coordinating unit within CIA.

One paper reflected that an Office of Security team as early as 194g-50 experimented with drugs and hypnosis under a project called BLUEBIRD. This paper also reflectcd that by l95l actual interrogations utilizing drugs were conducted by a combined team of Office of Security and Of.ice of Nedical Services personnel, but fow details were available.

Filè information indicated. that in 1952, overall responsibility for Project ARTICHOKE passed from OSI to the Office of Security. References to operational use of drugs as an aid to interrogation since that time were found in various files, but few details concerning these experiments were reflectcd. A memorandum, subjèct title: Project ARTICHOKE dated 21 November 1952, by Mr. Sheffield EDWARDS, reflected

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MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

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transfer of control of Project ARTICHOKE from .OSI to the Office of Security. The memorandum indicated that I&SO (Office of Security) should call upon the research and support facilities of the CIA Nedical Staff and the Office ofTechnical Services as required. Responsibility for the evaluation of foreign intelligence aspects of the project were to remain with OSI.

The unit within the Office of Security which apparently coordinated Project ARTICHOKE activities was SRS, with Mr. Nun for many years the focal point. Details of Office of Security involvement in individual Project ARTICHOKE operational utilizations were found in very few instances. A reference in an SRS log (1951-67) reflected, however, that SRS had been involved in the experimentation and use of hypnosis "from the start." In the same reference, it was stated that "SRS has examined and investigated numerous unusual techniques of interrogation including psychological harassment and such matters as 'total isolation!" The SRS log referred to above, which covered a period from l951 to 1967, indicated that, as of 1967,'the term ARTICHOKE is not in general use now, and drug interrogation is conducted fro the recommendation of an Agency committee of which the Chief, SRS, is the Office of Security representative." No record was found which reflected when or if overall tesponsibility for Project ARTICHOKE was transferred from the Office of Security to any other Agency component.

One of the few areas where detailed information was available was concerned with hypnotic experimentations. A log of hypnotic experiments conducted by Office of Security personnelwas revieved. The log reflected that numerous (probably several hundred) experiments with hypnotism were conducted' in Agency buildings, apparently utilizing the staff employee volunteers as subjects.In some instances, representatives from Agency components other than the Office of Security.were present. The log reflected hypnotic experimentations during 1951, 1952, and 1953. It couid not be determined froa available file information when the hypnotic experiments actually began or were caused to be ceased. No record was located which reflected hypnosis utilized as an actual operational tool in the·field. In connection with hypnotism, it appears that SRS utilized an Agency employee, one dts as an informant in various societics dealing.with hypnotism to keep abreast of current developments in the field.

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Few references kerc found pertaining to the area of "total isolation" as an interrogation aid. A memorandum pertaining to this subject, dated 21 March l955, was written by Mr. Mr of SRS to the Director of Security. The paper discussed "total isolation" techniques as an operational tool of potential. Another paper (a stcrilized version, probably written'by an element of' the Department of Defense) dated 16 March 1955, reflected the results of "total isolation" experiments on six voluntcers, all members of the U.S. military. No reference was found to any additional experiments in this field, nor was any reference found which reflected actual'use of this technique in an operational situation.

As far as the experimientation and/or utilization of various drugs is concerned, references to a few instances were located, but little detail was available, and it was clear from the files that much of the detailed information probably was maintained by Agency units other than the Office of Security, i.e., the Office of Nedical Services and the Office of Technical Services.

.Among the instances where details were located in which drugs were used in an operational environment under the auspices of Project ARTICHOKE, were the following:

(a) In 1954 three subjects were interrogated by a Project ARTICHOKE team utilizing drugs of an unspecified nature.The three subjects were identifiedaseomo,E andveess in a nemorandum dated 13 January 1955, with a cover sheet signed by Mr.s The interrogations took place in, and the memorandum mentioned injections of"solution sl" and "solution 2," but these drugs were-not further identified. It was noted in the memorandum that the cases were handled "under straight drug techniques -- hypnosis or narco-hypnosis was not attempted."

(b) A memorandum dated 20 January 1959 to Mr.E from Aee indicated that a fiel request had been made for a "p\~l interrogation." The writerridentified a ."p-1 interrogation" as one using LSD. Approval was granted on 27 January 1959 by the initials "prcsuablyMre No further reference to the case could be found, thus no details were available.

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(c) A series of, cables betweensSa and Headquarters in 195S requcsted ARTICHOKE intorrogations for ninc persons. No disposition in this instance was found, however, a transmittal slip affixed to the materials dated in l960 indicated that the ARTICHOKE interrogations probably did not actually take place in See at that tine.

(d) A memo contained in the security file of reflected that an ARTICHOKE team was dispatched to in June 1952 to conduct ARTICHOkE interrogations on .No further reference to this operation was noted, and no disposition could be.found.

(e) In the case of S, e operation in rdrugs were utilized in the interrogation which took place i Again, details of the operation. were not available. However, an interview with the Office of Security representative who participated in the interrogation revealed thata form of LSD was used in this instance. In this case, approval was granted'by Headquarters for the ARTICHOKE interrogation. A memorandum dated 6 July l960, signed byMr.smcsaDeputyDirectorofSecurity, reflectcd that approval for use of drugs in this casc was granted at a meeting of the Drug Committee on 1 July 1960 and cabled to

As stated earlier, little detail was available in filc information.concerning the conduct of actual cases utilizing Project ARTiCHOKE techniques:·It appearsobvious, however, that the few cases noted above were only a small part of. the actual utilization of ARTICHOKE techniques in the·ficld. For one thing, almost no information wasavailable for the period prior to 1952, so that Project BLUEBIRD experiments and operations were not noted specifically. In addition, annual reports of accomplishments found in SRS log materials reflected a substantial amount of activity in the Project ARTICHOKE area. The revicw for 1953-1954 stated in part that SRS had "dispatched an ARTICHOKE team for permanentlocation in an overseas area." The review for 1954-l95S stated in part that SRS conducted numerous ARTICHOKE experiments and "prepared and dispatched an ARTICHOKE team to an overseas area to handle a number of sensitive cases."

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Review of file materials consistently reflected that the Office of Security exercised caution in the utilization of drugs under the ARTIChiOkE Program. Although it is apparent that SRS for a nunber of years was,engaged with certain other Agency components in research and operational work with hallucinogenic drugs, the work was apparently conducted under strict controls. As previously stated, no information pertaining to when or if control of Project. ARTICHOKE was transferred from the Office of Security to another Agency component was located. Apparently, SRS at one time maintained an inventory of ARTICHOKE materials which contained nunerous drugs of all types including LSD-25. A memorandum dated 14 October 1957 requested authorization for SRS to transfer ARTICHOKE materials and apparatus to Dr. Eof Hedical Services.The emorandum was written by Mr. A and approval to transfer the materials was granted by Mr. on 17 October1957.

In the review of file information contained in SRS materials, one incident which occurred in November 1953 appears worthy of note. Although it was not clear from file information whether or not the incident occurred under the auspices of Project ARTiCHOKE, the incident did involve use of LSD in an experimental exercise. One Frank OLSON, a civilian employee of the Department of the Army, committed suicide a week or so after having been administered lSD by an Agency representative. Details concerning this incident apparently wili be reported in a separate memorandum, but it appears that the drug was administered to several unwitting subjects by a Dr. GOTTLIEB, at that time a branch chief in TSS (now OTS). A short time after the LSD was administered, the subjects were told that they had been given LSD. On the day following the experiment, OLSON began to behave in a peculiar and erratic manner and was later placed under the care of a psychiatrist. A.few days later, Ol.SON crashed through a window in a New York hotel in an apparent suicide.

A memorandua dated 1 December 1953 from the IG Staff caused the impoundment of all LSD materials. Information contained in the above mentioned files reflected that the drug had been administered without the prior knowledge.or approval of the Office of Security or the Office of Medical Services.

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It should be noted that the infornation contained herein is based on resources available within the Office of Security only, and no effort has beeu made to dolve into files of other Agency units such as the Office of Medical Services or the Office of Technical Services. As the rcader is by now acutely aware, insufficient information was available to provide a clear understandingof either Project BLUEBIRD or Project ARTICHOKE. Investigative efforts reflected that nunerous files and collected data had been routinely purged or destroyed in the normal-course of events at some time in the past.

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