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Rating: 
Summary: Institutionalized Paranoid Schizophrenia
Review: A fascinating look at the CIA's mind control programs and some of the loose cannons involved in them, particulary Dr. Ewen Cameron of Montreal's Allan Memorial Institute and his questionable experimental practices in the late 1950s and early 1960s.From a Canadian perspective, if ever there was a need for oversight over such clandestine activities, Cameron's so called "depatterning," "psychic driving" techniques (not to mention the infamous "sleep rooms") certainly called for it. If we are to believe the author -- and there is no reason why we shouldn't -- even the CIA, who traveled periodically to Montreal to observe his work, found his proposals "chillingly explicit." Why? Well, even some of the CIA agents must have felt that Cameron's methods were -- to use THAT word, again -- chillingly close to or mirrored those adopted by the Nazis, many of whom would have enjoyed the hangman's noose were it not for Project Paperclip. In Cameron the CIA found the perfect candidate to perform experiments on unwitting subjects without accountability and that could only be considered as crimes against humanity. "In Cameron," states the author, "they [the CIA] had a doctor, conveniently outside the United States [for obvious reasons], willing to to terminal experiments [not unlike the Nazis, meaning even to the extent of losing the subject's life, a process devoid of either ethical or moral considerations] in electroshock, sensory deprivation, drug testing, and all of the above. By literally wiping the minds of his subjects clean by depatterning and then trying to program in new behavior, Cameron carried the process known as 'brainwashing' to it its logical extreme." Out of the entire book, this one statement by the author on page 141 is the most important. And "Dr." Ewen Cameron, who was considered too powerful to be touched due to his political connections (something to consider when weighing the nonsense going on in Clinton's Senate Impeachment Trial and its foregone conclusion, itself a chilling prospect), there is an interesting statement about the mentalities involved in MKULTRA made by one of Cameron's study-team members, and I quote: "I probably shouldn't talk about this, but Cameron -- for him to do what he did -- he was a very schizophrenic guy [What pure, naked irony...the very thing by Hippocratic oath he was sworn to cure!], who totally detached himself from the human implications of his work...God, we talk about concentration camps. I don't want to make this comparison, but God, you talk about 'we didn't know it was happening,' and it was -- right in our own back yard." Indeed, and we sanctimonious Canadians have always thought it could never happen here. In spite of the countless, battered victims left in his wake, one former associate had the nerve to say that Cameron "truly cared about the welfare of his patients," that he "wanted to make them well." That this same associate would refer to Cameron's victims as patients only underscores the brutality and amorality of what was going on, and probably still is in a more subtle and sophisticated fashion. But most crucially, in this context, we have to thank the author for revealing that the frequent screams echoing though the Allan Memorial hospital "did not deter Cameron or MOST of his associates in their attempts to 'depattern' their subjects COMPLETELY." Emphasis mine. So far had Cameron sunk to the level of personal depravity that "he welcomed this kind of impairment as a sign the treatment was taking effect and plowed ahead through his routine." This then is the value of the book itself: that doctors and other men of professional standing would dare use the excuse that it was largely due to the temper of the times (fear of the Russians, etc.)and the do-anything mentality to acquire research funds which the CIA somewhat brilliantly orchestrated through various front companies. In the final analysis, accountability counts, especially if you are one of the victims of the CIA's mind control programs. And thanks to author for putting it into its proper perspective.
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Summary: Happiness is a warm gun.
Review: For decades,during the 20th Century,intelligence & military agencies were investigating the science behind mind/behaviour control & complementing their work with unbelievably insane experiments upon human beings. John Marks lifts the lid on these once top secret operations that in some ways,more or less,altered a generation. The book is an engrossing inquiry into the "Manchurian Candidate" assassin-patsy theory...i.e; that the project was initiated & designed,by the CIA,for the sole purpose of breeding "re-programmed"/brainwashed trigger-gripping people who would kill & have no memory whatsoever of what they had done....like almost as if they just HAD to kill to stop the voices in their heads. The most famous mind control research came out of the CIA's "MK-ULTRA" program which highlighted the use of LSD among other techniques of experimentation(such as hypnosis,electronic chips in the brain,microwave transmissions,shock therapy,etc) One scientist who worked for the CIA & helped with some of the experiments described it as being like "Dante's inferno". John Marks,though,takes the OFFICIAL ending that the whole operation was a complete bust,which isn't my OWN opinion,but I'm glad the info has risen above board & I'm happy that it's been documented for the future generations. Intriguing stuff,Give it a whirl!
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Summary: Truth Outpaces Fiction Every Time
Review: I read this book when I was in high school playing hookey in the public libraries of Manhattan, NY. My public high school was That bad! At the time I knew nothing about the Korean War or the extremely brilliant Manchurian Candidate movie starring Frank Sinatra but I knew I was interested in governmental mind control plots and the CIA. I think this book was the first to show me that all fiction, no matter how FANTAStic is but a shadow of reality. That concept really explodes when as the previous reviewer points out, we consider, that the book's author focuses on the CIA's involvement with MK Ultra neglecting that of the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, etc. etc. Its the etc.s that really count!! Most of us have such a vague understanding of what the CIA actually does much less that there are scores of such publically and privately funded "Intelligence" organizations. Readers of this book would probably also enjoy the book The Control of Candy Jones. I think I learned about the Candy Jones book from this book and its certainly as weird, if not weirder, than any Philip K. Dick sci fi movie/book (Bladerunner "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"). Scary, chilling, true, tip of the iceberg and relegated to fiction. Stealth is important and we probably can't do without military, no less the Intelligence component of military. It would be great, however, to see people become literate on the subject of secret government mind manipulation and how it determines government and society.
Rating: 
Summary: Well documented & inciteful book
Review: I was a bit hesistant to purchase this book, fearing that it would be nothing but conspiracy drivel, but I was happily surprised to see that Marks had done his homework and had "not" strayed from his supporting documents. With this type of book there is always a concern that the author will rely on over generalization and speculation rather than grounding the work on substantial supporting evidence, but Marks does well to stay within the confines of his knowledge and the facts at hand. For those interested in this book, which I recommend, I would also like to recommend "Pyschiatry and the CIA" by Harvey M. Weinstein, M.D. Weinstein describes a specific account of CIA funded behavioral modification research that was unwittingly foisted upon his father via his father's psychological treatment by Dr. Ewen Cameron. I think this book would be a nice compliment to Marks' book. Another book I might mention, although I'm sure many academics as well as other alumni would disagree with me, is "Michel Foucault: Ethics" Vol. 1 edited by Paul Rabinow. Pages 66-85 are especially relevant, which deal with the State's power over its population ("Bio-power"). Other books dealing with behavior modification, albeit with less emphasis on State complicity, are: "Age of Propaganda" by Anthony Pratkanis & Elliot Aronson, and "Battle for the Mind" by William Sargant.
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Summary: Well documented & inciteful book
Review: I was a bit hesistant to purchase this book, fearing that it would be nothing but conspiracy drivel, but I was happily surprised to see that Marks had done his homework and had "not" strayed from his supporting documents. With this type of book there is always a concern that the author will rely on over generalization and speculation rather than grounding the work on substantial supporting evidence, but Marks does well to stay within the confines of his knowledge and the facts at hand. For those interested in this book, which I recommend, I would also like to recommend "Pyschiatry and the CIA" by Harvey M. Weinstein, M.D. Weinstein describes a specific account of CIA funded behavioral modification research that was unwittingly foisted upon his father via his father's psychological treatment by Dr. Ewen Cameron. I think this book would be a nice compliment to Marks' book. Another book I might mention, although I'm sure many academics as well as other alumni would disagree with me, is "Michel Foucault: Ethics" Vol. 1 edited by Paul Rabinow. Pages 66-85 are especially relevant, which deal with the State's power over its population ("Bio-power"). Other books dealing with behavior modification, albeit with less emphasis on State complicity, are: "Age of Propaganda" by Anthony Pratkanis & Elliot Aronson, and "Battle for the Mind" by William Sargant.
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Summary: A Classic !
Review: John Marks has done a wonderful job of piecing together the available information on the clandestine operations done by the CIA in their attempt to accomplish mind control.He begins in the early stages of their program in the 1940's and carries it through until the last of the mind control programs allegedly was shut down in 1973.In this book the author covers topics such as brain washing, hypnosis, LSD experiments, and the very tragic death of Dr. Frank Olson (as a result of an experiment gone bad). I highly recommend this book if you are interested in what occurred during the CIA's secret attempt at creating "Manchurian Candidate's"
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: John Marks is an excellent researcher. MK Ultra is an extremely dark chapter in the history of the intelligence, military, and R&D community. There are some troubling insights that I feel compelled to repeat here. First, this covert community destroyed an enormous amount of their records and documentation on secret activities in the late 60's and early 70's. They obviously destroyed the most damning portion of the paper trail. Yet out of the relatively benign information still available, we get proof of unethical conduct and allusions of possible illegal acts. There is even a hint that research was conducted on microwaves, ultrasonic, and electrical stimulation of the brain. There's little or no information on what was discovered in *these* subjects, or even whether the activities were truly halted. We now have indication that the military just so happens to have data on the use of sub & ultra sonics in nonleathal weapons. It's possible that the information, and possibly even current MK Ultra influenced research, is still around. I've heard military personnel say most of the very sensitive research does not occur on the CIA operative level, but in subcontractors and middle management who keep their own research records and staff. Didn't Sirhan Sirhan say he'd been in a hypnotic trance? Did he say this before MK Ultra was revealed, or after? I wonder...
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Summary: Excellent resource.
Review: This book is probably the most quoted book I've seen on the topic of government experimentation on mind control. However, John Marks only follows the trail of the CIA. Many other branches/units of the government and military were involved in MK-Ultra. The Army, Navy, Air Force, NSA, DOD, DOE. Would be nice to see all resources pooled together to have one complete story of these experiments instead of just one small segment of it. In spite of the single focus, it is the best information out there for documentation...especially since many of the other agencies involved destroyed all or most of their MK-Ultra documents (which is another conspiracy in itself). Thank heavens for the persistence of John Marks to find these documents!
Rating:
Summary: controlling people
Review: This is a very well written; book that detailing a lot of information about secret test conducted on controlling people. This book should go on the same shelf as "Body of knowledge", Puzzle Palace", and "Influence: Science and Practice ". In addition, if you are thinking about taking LSD, hallucinations, or smoking dope, read this book before you do.
Rating:
Summary: controlling people
Review: This is a very well written; book that detailing a lot of information about secret test conducted on controlling people. This book should go on the same shelf as "Body of knowledge", Puzzle Palace", and "Influence: Science and Practice ". In addition, if you are thinking about taking LSD, hallucinations, or smoking dope, read this book before you do.
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