The CIA’s infamous MKUltra program officially ended decades ago, but questions about whether similar projects continue in secret resurfaced during a recent US congressional hearing.
Two experts who have spent years researching the controversial Cold War-era program suggested it is possible that covert mind-control research may still exist in some form. However, both acknowledged they have no direct evidence to support that claim.
What was MKUltra?
MKUltra was a top-secret CIA program that operated from the 1950s until the early 1970s. The project aimed to explore methods of behavior modification, interrogation and psychological manipulation during the Cold War.
Led by CIA chemist Sidney Gottlieb, the program involved 149 subprojects and included experiments using drugs such as LSD, hypnosis, sensory deprivation and other techniques. Many of the experiments were conducted without participants’ informed consent.
The program became public after congressional investigations in the 1970s revealed widespread ethical violations.
What did experts tell Congress?
During a hearing before the House Oversight Committee on June 30, author and Brown University senior fellow Stephen Kinzer and investigative journalist Tom O’Neill discussed the legacy of MKUltra.
Kinzer argued that advances in technology have dramatically expanded what intelligence agencies could theoretically accomplish today.
“There have been enormous advances in cyber technology, neuroscience and artificial intelligence,” he told lawmakers, suggesting modern tools could far exceed anything available during the original MKUltra program.
O’Neill also said he believes it is possible similar research could continue.
“I imagine it’s being used; I have no evidence it’s being used,” he said.
He added that given the CIA’s decades-long investment in the program, it would not be surprising if related technologies had continued to evolve.
Is there evidence MKUltra is still operating?
No.
Neither witness presented documentary evidence, classified records or firsthand testimony demonstrating that MKUltra or a successor program is currently active.
Their comments reflected personal opinions based on historical research rather than verified findings.
The CIA has publicly stated that MKUltra was terminated in the early 1970s following internal reviews and subsequent congressional investigations.
What happened during the hearing?
During the hearing, Representative Tim Burchett questioned whether modern mind-control technologies could have played a role in recent acts of political violence, including the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
Both witnesses declined to make that connection.
O’Neill and Kinzer said they were not claiming that Thomas Crooks, the gunman accused of attempting to assassinate Trump, had been influenced by any government mind-control program.
What else was revealed about MKUltra?
The hearing revisited several established facts uncovered during previous investigations.
Lawmakers heard that:
- MKUltra included at least 149 separate research projects.
- More than 80 universities, hospitals and institutions participated in some capacity.
- Around 185 non-government researchers were involved.
- Some test subjects were unknowingly administered drugs or subjected to psychological experiments.
Many records related to the program were destroyed in the early 1970s, making it difficult for investigators to fully reconstruct its scope.
What was Operation Midnight Climax?
One of MKUltra’s most controversial projects was Operation Midnight Climax.
Under the operation, CIA-run safe houses were disguised as brothels, where sex workers lured unsuspecting men. The individuals were secretly given LSD and other substances while intelligence officers observed their behavior behind one-way mirrors.
The operation was intended to study interrogation techniques, psychological responses and methods of influencing human behavior.
Why does MKUltra still attract attention?
More than 50 years after it ended, MKUltra continues to fuel public fascination because it combined genuine government misconduct with secrecy, destroyed records and unethical human experimentation.
That history has also inspired numerous conspiracy theories suggesting similar programs continue today.
While experts acknowledge that intelligence agencies continue researching emerging technologies, there is currently no publicly available evidence that a modern version of MKUltra is operating.