CIA’s 1960s experiments to create ‘remote control’ dogs by implanting electrodes in their brains
Documents from the CIA’s “ remote-controlled ” dog experiments in the 1960s were released in 2018, but images have recently surfaced of the canines equipped with electrodes in their brains.
The black and white photos show beagles strapped with a receiver stimulator on their back and a protective helmet cover where the devices have been surgically placed in their skull.
The recently released documents also detail three test subjects in the program that withstood shocks of up to 90 volts, one of which was zapped 2,000 times until he started twitching and died.
The study was designed to determine whether it is feasible to control them through a brain stimulation reward, but it is not known if any of the surviving dogs were used in military missions.
The top secret experiments were part of the infamous mind control project MKUltra, which conducted hundreds of experiments, sometimes on ignorant civilians, to assess the potential use of LSD.
Documents from the CIA’s “ remote-controlled ” dog experiments in the 1960s were released in 2018, but images of the canines equipped with electrodes have recently surfaced. The black and white photos show beagles strapped with a receiver stimulator on their back and a protective helmet
For decades, US officials tried to hide top secret ‘behavior modification’ files but were forced to release the documents to the public under the country’s freedom of information laws.
“The specific goal of the research program was to investigate the feasibility of directing a dog’s behavior in an open field by means of remotely stimulated electrical stimulation of the brain,” states one of the documents.
Such a system depends for its effectiveness on two properties of electrical stimulation delivered to certain deep-lying structures of the canine brain: the known reward effect and the tendency for such stimulation to initiate and maintain locomotion in a direction that accompanies it. with the continuous delivery of stimulation. ‘
John Greenewald, creator of The black safe, petitioned the Department of Defense in July 2020 for one of the classified documents entitled, “Some Behavioral Correlates of Brain-Stimulation Reward: Part B.” to release.
Scientists initially used a plastic helmet (shown schematically) that delivered the stimulation to the dog’s brain, but then proceeded to embed the electrode in a heap of dental cement in the skull.
The recently released documents also detail three test subjects in the program that withstood shocks of up to 90 volts, one of which was zapped 2,000 times until he started convulsing and died
This report describes the process dogs go through during the experiment – from surgery to the field for testing. According to the document, the CIA began this work on rats and monkeys, and after successful experiments, the agency moved to dogs
This report describes the process dogs go through during the experiment – from surgery to the field for testing.
According to the document, the CIA began this work on rats and monkeys, and after successful experiments, the agency moved to dogs – especially beagles.
The researchers first tried out a plastic helmet, but then opted for a new surgical technique in which “the electrode was completely embedded in a heap of dental cement on the skull,” the documents said.
“The dog’s skull was planed with the drill to give ‘grip’ to the dental cement.”
‘In addition to roughening the skull, we drilled a number of small holes in but not through the skull.
They fed the lines just under the dog’s skin to a point between the shoulder blades, where the lines were brought to the surface and attached to a standard dog harness.
The dog test was intended to determine if it is feasible to control them through a brain stimulation reward, but it is not known if any of the surviving dogs were used in military missions
They guided the straps just under the dog’s skin to a point between the shoulder blades, where the straps were raised to the surface and attached to a standard dog harness.
After the electrodes were implanted, the staff delivered about 80 to 90 volts of electricity to simulate the dog’s behavior by having him press a lever.
“After about 2,000 ‘rapid’ responses, convulsions of sufficient severity developed to kill the dog,” says the document on one of the beagles.
After the dog’s death, researchers continued their work with another beagle they named Eureka.
Unlike the previous one, over the course of a few days, the workforce started at about 12 to 15 volts.
After the tests were completed, Eureka showed no signs of deterioration in performance.
A question arose: should we continue to work with Eureka I or should we sacrifice it for histological analysis? We opted for the later course, ”the report reads.
That dog’s histology has just been completed, and our judgment is that the electrode tip was in the forebrain of the media, perhaps in the Campi Foreli.
After this loss, Eureka II was brought on board for experiments and, showing positive results in the field, was brought in for an endurance test.
The dog was kept in an experimental box for eight consecutive hours, shocked to see how many times he could push a lever – there is no mention of what became of Eureka II.