Project ARTICHOKE



Project ARTICHOKE was a CIA project that researched interrogation methods and arose from project BLUEBIRD on August 20, 1951. A memorandum by Richard Helms to director Allen Welsh Dulles indicated it became Project MKULTRA on April 20, 1953.

The project studied hypnosis, forced opiate addiction (and subsequent forced withdrawal), and the use of other chemicals, among other methods, to produce amnesia and other vulnerable states in subjects. Magician John Mullholland was consulted for the project.

Artichoke was an offensive program of mind control that gathered together the intelligence divisions of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and FBI. In addition, the scope of the project was outlined in a memo dated January 1952 that stated, "Can we get control of an individual to the point where he will do our bidding against his will and even against fundamental laws of nature, such as self preservation?"