The CIA’s secret MKUltra program is back in the spotlight after a scientist’s mysterious death
mystery
Express newspaper
05/05/2026 20:45
The controversial mind control program, MKUltra, developed by the CIA during the Cold War, has returned to the spotlight following the announcement of a hearing in the US Congress.
The hearing, scheduled for May 13, aims to shed light on this secret program that ran from 1953 to the mid-60s and included experiments on humans, using drugs, hypnosis and psychological techniques to manipulate and extract information.
Anna Paulina Luna had requested the resumption of Congressional hearings on the matter, referring to an article published in February by the Daily Mail, which reported that a newly discovered document on mind control experiments had been placed a year earlier in the CIA reading room.
Pictured is Dr. Frank Olson with his wife Alice and their children (from left to right) Eric, Lisa and Nils.
One of the most controversial cases involves the death of scientist Frank Olson, who was secretly exposed to LSD during an experiment and died a few days later after falling from a New York hotel. While the death was classified as a suicide, family members and some researchers suspect that he may have been eliminated for security reasons.
Documents show that MKUltra involved over 140 projects and experiments on various categories of people, including prisoners, mentally ill patients, and ordinary citizens, often without their knowledge.
The CIA was testing drugs and other techniques on American citizens during the 50s and 60s to develop new interrogation methods, including mind control. Former CIA deputy director Allen Dulles (pictured) ordered the agency to develop mind-manipulating substances.
Gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, a former organized crime boss, was used as a test subject in 1957 while incarcerated in an Atlanta prison. He revealed that he was one of eight inmates who experienced states of panic and paranoia during the MKUltra experiments.
Although a large portion of the documents were destroyed in 1973, a Congressional investigation in 1975 revealed the existence of the program, causing strong public backlash and leading to the creation of oversight mechanisms for intelligence agencies.
Recently, the publication of over 1,200 pages of new documents has increased interest and concerns about the scale and ethics of these experiments.
American officials have stated that the program was terminated due to a lack of results and ethical concerns, while new investigations aim to fully shed light on this dark chapter of history. /GazetaExpress/
