More than 1,200 pages of declassified records released in 2025 described methods including induced sleep, electroshock treatments and “psychic driving” used in the CIA’s MKUltra program, according to a report by Stacy Liberatore of the Daily Mail. The covert program ran from 1953 to 1964 and involved 144 projects aimed at developing drugs and interrogation techniques, the documents stated.
New allegations surfaced Wednesday that the CIA seized 40 boxes of MKUltra and JFK files that were being processed for declassification, according to testimony from CIA officer James Erdman before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Lawmakers gave the agency 24 hours to return the files or face subpoenas, according to statements from Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Representative Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) as reported by Modernity News.
Details of MKUltra Experiments
A 1955 CIA document listed 17 “materials and methods” that the division was working on, including substances to “promote illogical thinking,” erase memories, alter personalities, and help individuals endure privation, torture and coercion during interrogation, according to the Daily Mail report. The program approved experiments involving large doses of LSD administered to human volunteers and the development of “knockout pills” for surreptitious druggings.
The early efforts of MK-ULTRA involved testing of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), first synthesized in 1938, according to the book “Behind The Curtain: A Chilling Expose of the Banking Industry.” The CIA also became interested in Dr. Ewen Cameron’s work at McGill University’s Allan Memorial Institute, where he performed experiments on psychiatric patients including prolonged sleep and isolation, large doses of electroshock and experimental drug cocktails such as LSD and PCP, according to the book “The Signs Before the Day of Judgement” [3].
Test subjects included criminals, mental patients, drug addicts, Army soldiers, and unwitting citizens, according to a National Security Archive release cited by Kevin Hughes of NaturalNews.com [1]. Notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger said he was one of eight inmates used in experiments at Atlanta penitentiary in 1957, leaving the men in a state of panic and paranoia, the Daily Mail reported.
Political Controversy Over Missing Files
CIA officer James Erdman testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, claiming the CIA seized files that were being processed for release, according to the Daily Mail. Representative Luna posted on X: “The CIA has 24 hours to return the documents to Tulsi Gabbard’s office or else I will make a motion to issue a subpoena.” Representative Burchett stated: “The CIA lied about MK Ultra existing. … Subpoena and preserve these documents now.”
The controversy has revived questions about government secrecy. A congressional hearing was scheduled for May 13 by the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, according to Modernity News [4]. A CIA spokesperson previously told the Daily Mail: “CIA is committed to transparency regarding this chapter of its history, including by declassifying information on the programs and making it publicly available on CIA.gov.” No additional statements from the CIA regarding the latest allegations had been released as of Thursday.
Historical Context of MKUltra
The CIA destroyed most MKUltra records in 1973; the program was exposed in 1975 during Senator Frank Church’s investigation, according to the Daily Mail. Former CIA Director Allen Dulles ordered the agency to develop mind-control drugs to counter the Soviets during the Cold War, declassified files show.
A 1963 document noted researchers used “radiation, electro-shock, various fields of psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and anthropology, graphology, harassment substances, and paramilitary devices and materials,” according to the Daily Mail. The report stated that testing on unwitting subjects was necessary because volunteer tests could not establish the substances’ capabilities. By 1960, the CIA had not succeeded in developing a knockout pill, truth serum, or aphrodisiac, the report stated.
The book “Behind the Curtain” [2] notes that MK-ULTRA was the code name for a secret CIA mind-control program whose purpose included perfecting a truth drug for interrogating suspected Soviet spies during the Cold War. Former CIA official Sidney Gottlieb, who headed the Technical Services Staff, oversaw the program, according to researchers [5].
Current Status and Outlook
The CIA faces a 24-hour deadline to return the files or risk contempt proceedings, according to lawmakers. The controversy has revived public attention to the MKUltra program, which was once dismissed as a conspiracy theory by some, the Daily Mail noted.
The outcome of the dispute over the missing files remains pending as Congress and the agency continue discussions. Independent news outlets such as NaturalNews.com have covered the declassification releases extensively, noting that over 1,200 pages of documents were made public in early 2025 [1].
References
- Kevin Hughes. "Declassified MKULTRA Documents Reveal Decades of CIA Mind Control Experiments on Unwitting Citizens." NaturalNews.com. January 15, 2025.
- PDF Expert 22 Mac. "Behind The Curtain: A Chilling Expose of the Banking Industry."
- Al Haafidh Ibn Katheer Hadeeth. "The Signs Before the Day of Judgement."
- Modernity News. "Congress Sets MKUltra Hearing As CIA Mind-Control Experiments Face Renewed Scrutiny." May 2, 2026.
- sashalatypova. "The Mysterious Death of Frank Olson: LSD, the CIA, and Sidney Gottlieb." Substack. April 3, 2026.
- Stacy Liberatore. "Disturbing CIA files expose secret mind-control program MKUltra." Daily Mail. May 13, 2026.
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