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SUMMARY

The CIA-sponsored research project with the Texas Research Institute for Mental Sciences (TRIMS) was conducted to improve the usefulness of physiological measurements as indicators of emotional stress. The subjects were volunteer medical students who were both witting and consenting. Measurements were made of such things as heart and breathing rates of the students during final exam week when they were presumably under more tension than at other times during the semester. For comparison purposes, similar measurements were taken during periods of non-stress. During one phase of the work, stimulants and depressants (barbiturates and amphetamine) were administered to 7-8 student volunteers to determine the effects of these drugs upon the baseline measurements being made. At no time was LSD or any other hallucinogen used.

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List of Facts re Contracts with Dr. Burch and Texas Research Institute for Mental Sciences (TRIMS)

Reference: 17 July 1975 AP wire story and Mr. Thuermer notes re Washington Post reporter (Tom Curtis) conversation

1. Dr. Burch's statement concerning Agency-sponsored research is true.

2. No LSD was used in any CIA-sponsored activity with TRIMS. We were not involved with LSD work for the Air Force that.is mentioned in the AP wire story. The contractor's proposal included an experiment in which LSD might be used. That work was not done.

3. Stimulants and depressants (Amphetamine and barbiturates) were administered to witting and consenting subjects to investigate the effects of such drugs upon the rates of physiological measurements, such as heart rate, breathing rate, and skin moisture.

tour %47oghe studies were funded through the Air Force for the first three years.Agency association with the activities was classified, however, the. Director of TRIMS was totally aware of the source of funds. Subsequently, research was (unclassified association) directly with Dr. Burch through TRIMS(/968-69).

5. The studies had as their purpose the improvement of our understanding of physiological measuremènts as indicators of emotional stress (the polygraph problem). Another possible application is determination of evasiveness or deceptiveness--as indicated by observable physiological changes--at. meetings between U.S. and foreign officials.

6. The presence or absence of stress was inferred, in the first study, by making measurements of medical students during final exam week and comparing the measurements with those taken at other periods during the semester. In the latter studies, stress was produced by having the volunteer students participate to varying degrees in a mock crime situation in which subjects pretended to steal an object and then attempted to deceive a polygraph operator about their "guilt."

ofthe actinity furded firu the Air Force. OTTE aCTy uPOEG u

7. Only in the last phase/were any drugs administered and then to only about 7-8 subjects (all witting and consenting).

BACKGROUND MATERIAL FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

BACKGROUND MATERIAL FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY

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17 7

Tom Curtiss, Washington Post (calling from Houston)

Says doing story for tomorrow on CIA secretly Punle funding studies between l94 and 1971 into lie detector t chniques inv,lving use of LSD. Soute is said to be a Dr. Neil Burch and a congressman (appears to be Denton, according to call from which also being asked questions about this in Dallas). Studies are said to have been under the title: "Psychological and Physiological Corelates of Human Infomation PFocessing Under AlteFed States of Consciousness."

Texas Reseach Enxtx Institute of Mental Sciences involved, Mney conduits wee Air Force;' Contrect numbers given as: XG3102. 1968-69; XG3061. 1968;xzk XG324J, 1970-71. Also involved we-e J