For two decades, the CIA ran mind-control experiments in Montreal that later influenced modern “enhanced interrogation” techniques such as those used at Abu Ghraib. The CIA continues to skirt accountability for its actions.
Since its foundation in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has a long-standing reputation for meddling in the affairs of other countries. Known for its involvement in various cloak-and-dagger operations such as the Phoenix Program in Vietnam, drug trafficking in Central America, as well as elaborate and bizarre assassination plots, the CIA has become synonymous with a legacy of nefarious, clandestine activities.
The agency is also infamous for its involvement in mind-control experiments, although the specifics of these endeavors remain relatively obscure. What might come as a surprise is that one its most extensive mind-control operations didn’t occur in some remote country in the Global South with lax human rights protections; rather, they transpired within the borders of the large liberal democracy directly to the north of the United States. And these experiments didn’t take place in some bunker at the behest of ex-Nazi ghouls or sinister B-movie psychiatrists — they took place in Montreal, at one of Canada’s most prestigious universities.
The disturbing findings from the experiments would go on to serve as terribly effective psychological coercion methods, forming the basis for interrogation techniques and playing a significant role in the US Department of Justice’s infamous “torture memos.” These methods would exert a significant influence on the so-called counterintelligence practices employed during the Iraq War.
The experiments have not only crossed ethical boundaries but also raised profound questions of accountability and justice. This is particularly true in light of the ongoing class-action lawsuits initiated by those who suffered through the Montreal experiments. While the recent decision by Quebec’s Superior Court has brought this legal battle into focus, the elusive nature of justice in cases involving CIA black-ops continues to cloud the horizon, making a swift resolution seem far from certain. (more...)
The CIA Conducted Mind-Control Experiments in Canada for Decades
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