MK Ultra and Culture

For many in the USA, project MK Ultra is a known, cruel psychological series of experiments carried out by the CIA during the cold war (1947-1991). Of course, with anything government related, rumors and talk will spread into the masses. MK Ultra is well known for its unethical experimentation on unsuspecting people, but the project had affected much more than those unfortunate individuals.

How was American culture affected by the news of these experiments? In the 21st century, is MK Ultra still relevant in current events? To answer these questions, a brief history and explanation must be provided beforehand.

What is MK Ultra? During the 50s and 60s, the United States feared that communists were using forms of mind-control on POWs in foreign countries. The United States feared that this mind-control was being used to gather information on US government secrets and intel. To counter this, The United States’ CIA created a program to deflect these mind-control attempts from the communists onto captured US soldiers and government workers. During the experimentations, over 150 test subjects were exposed to multiple experiments involving the use of different psychedelic drugs and electroshock therapy. These experiments were meant to be kept secret but eventually the secret was leaked to the masses; possibly by those who were tested upon.

Aside from the horrifying experiments that were done during project MK Ultra, It has had a large influence on Pop Culture and other government related conspiracies. The Secretive nature of this project would then lead to more people questioning the government and what other experiments they could be conducting. For example, most conspiracy theories are now fueled by the idea of the government doing social experiments akin to MK Ultra or scripted events in the world. A notable conspiracy theory on scripted events would be the first moon landing, as many believe it was faked for Cold war propaganda and that we didn't actually achieve this until many years later. These types of conspiracies would skyrocket over the following years even up until now.

So, how did MK Ultra and its unethical experimentation affect the American population and culture? It is a well known fact that during the 1960s and 70s, this period was known as the Hippie Movement. The Hippie Movement was created out of a response against the Vietnam war and civil injustice; however, some of the movement’s origins can be traced back to MK Ultra. According to the article “ How The CIA Accidentally Created The Hippie Counterculture By Misusing LSD ,” a certain test subject, Ken Kesey, had a mind-opening experience and proceeded to change American Culture. Kesey, and a few other followers, joined him in a painted bus and traveled throughout the States. The group introduced some new things; such as, free love, and tie dye clothing. They would also distribute LSD and other similar psychedelic drugs to those who were willing to try it. This group, among many others, opened the doors to counterculture and living care-free. Thus, the hippie movement spread throughout the Country. 

In the 21st century, Mk Ultra still holds a well-known presence in our media. A good example of this would be the Netflix Show: Stranger Things. While MK Ultra is never addressed, the idea of hidden government projects using drugs and other forms of psychological experimentation is an apparent theme in the show. Other films and TV shows that have themes of MK Ultra include The X Files, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Prisoner. Even though the MK Ultra Experiments were halted in 1973 (as multiple sources say) the fear and distrust in the government is still prevalent in the 21st century. Many other films, books, and music have themes of distrusting the government.

Boissoneault, Lorraine. “The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America.” Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Oct. 2023.  www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-brainwashing-and-how-it-shaped-america-180963400 

Cox, Savannah. “The History of Hippies: The ’60s Movement That Changed America.” All That’s Interesting, 7 Nov. 2023.  allthatsinteresting.com/a-brief-history-of-hippies. 

Logan, Megan. “9 Films and TV Shows Inspired by MK-Ultra.” Inverse, 20 July 2016.  www.inverse.com/article/18521-stranger-things-inspired-by-mk-ultra-the-manchurian-candidate-x-files .

Martínez, Alonso, et al. “70 Years of MKUltra, the CIA ‘Mind-control’ Program That Inspired ‘Stranger Things.’” EL PAÍS English, 13 Apr. 2023.  english.elpais.com/usa/2023-04-13/70-years-of-mkultra-the-cia-mind-control-program-that-inspired-stranger-things.html .

“MK-Ultra.” HISTORY, 16 June 2017.  www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/history-of-mk-ultra .

Tomoski, Miroslav, and Herb. “How The CIA Accidentally Created the Hippie Counterculture by Misusing LSD.” Herb, 19 Dec. 2019.  herb.co/news/culture/cia-accidentally-created-the-hippie-counterculture-lsd .