Frank Kitson

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Britain holds its main psychological operation courses at Ashford

in Kent, Caterrick in Yorkshire, Bradbury Lines (The SAS camp

in Hereford) and Old Sarum in Wiltshire, where psyops courses

for RAF officers are held. On average 16 men, consisting of

Green Jackets, SAS, Royal Marines and Royal Artillery,

together with members from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), take part.[30]

The existence of psyop courses which includes the demonstration and the use

of sensory deprivation was kept secret until Robert Brown, the UK Army

Minister was forced to admit in 1976. Approximately 250 take these courses

every year. Frank Kitson,[31] one of the organizers of psyop courses, had

complained about the small number of 18 taking part in Old Sarum. According

to British Government figures up to 1976, 262 civilians and 1858 Army

officers had taken these courses.

The SAS training courses in the Bracon Beacons, also includes sensory

deprivation as part of its toughening up policy.

As further experiments Sensory deprivation was applied through the Control

Units in British prisons. The very nature and existence of these units were

kept secret by the British Home Office. The Control Unit at the Wakefield

Prison was one of the first to receive its first share of inmates in August

1974, to be subjected to SD. The concept was to break down the troublesome

prisoners using modified version of SD. Sunday Times Insight Team uncovered

the existence of these units and the purpose of their creation, in October

1974. As result of publicity and sever criticism UK Government was forced to

disband its Control Units in Wakefield and Wormwood Scrubs prisons. The

"Treatment" designed for a period of six months was divided into two parts.

Sensory deprivation was the main focal point. In the first 90 days, a strict

solitary confinement, with almost no communication was applied to the

inmate. If result proved successful, the victim was allowed to have a

limited amount of communication in the next three months phase. Otherwise,

the entire phase one would have been repeated more solitary confinement. No

conversation between the prisoner and the guards were allowed, only gestures

were permitted.

John Masterson was the first inmate subjected to this "Treatment" in 1974.

With no positive results, and more psychological scars left on the victims,

eventually on May 20, 1976, Dr. Pickering, ex-Director of Prison Medical

Service admitted in BBC's "Man Alive" programme, that "control units were a

mistake." It is ironic, since he was in charge when John Masterson was

subjected to this mental torture.

Roy Jenkins, the Home Secretary at the time expressed his

satisfaction about these units and their operations. "I am

satisfied that the safeguard and procedures are such that the

trained staff of Wakefield are able to maintain a careful and

caring watch on the progress and condition of prisoners in the

control unit."[32]

A year after he was still adamant that; "I am satisfied that allegations,

which have received considerable publicity, of sensory deprivation, cruelty

and brutality in the unit, are completely unfounded and that the Governor

and staff have conducted themselves in a commendably professional

manner."[33] Yes, but what about the fate of the victims?

What started in Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1951, came to full fruition in 1971,

throughout the ordeal of Ulster guinea pigs.

As Professor Robert Daly[34] stressed; "The whole SD process

in Northern Ireland was a package deal. Being awaken in

the middle of the night, being beaten, confused as to your

whereabouts, lied to and insulted, was all part of the

'unfreezing process' through which your psychological

defences were broken down, and terror and humiliation were

induced. Hence, the photographing in the nude, being forced

to urinate while running, refusal to allow toilet visits, the

sadism and abuse. Meanwhile the psychological functions of

the body were being disturbed by the very low or non-existent

intake of calories, high temperature caused by sweating which

could lead to dehydration, coupled with the cold at night,

sleep deprivation and loss of sense of touch. The whole

experience was a package. Whether you want to call it

interrogation in depth or brain washing is academic. The aim

of the treatment was to cause temporary psychosis, temporary

insanity, which was a severe psychological injury liable to

having lasting consequences."[35]

Like the CIA, Britain too, as part of its mind control operation applied

hallucinogenic drugs LSD, on unwitting subjects, including the Irish

internees;

"Mr. Murphy alleges; He was given tea and says that after

drinking he saw images on the wall."[36]

"Mr. Bradley alleges; He suffered from hallucination after

drinking a cup of tea."[37]

Despite Article 22 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

which guarantees "the free development of ...personality," and

"in spite of the various United Nations provisions concerning

the personal integrity of individuals, no state is expressly

precluded from altering the mental processes of its

nationals."[38]

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," said Albert Camus.

Nowhere is this more clear than in the protection of freedom

of the mind, our most precious human right.[39]

Armen Victorian

June 1996.

REFERENCES:

1. CIA memorandum "An Analysis of Confession in Russian Trials," 1950. Also

see "Are the Cominform Countries Using Hypnotic Techniques to Elicit

Confession in Public Trials?" By;

Irving L. Janis; US Air Force Project Rand Memorandum, April 25, 1971.

2. "Behavior Drugs, and Testing," Feb. 5, 1975. CIA document.
3. Documents from the collection of the Manuscript Division, Library of

Congress.

4. Tizard, Sir Henry Thomas, born 23 August 1885, GCB, AFC, FRS, LLD, DSc,

ScD, and holder of other titles (see Who is Who 1951, and Who is Who

1951-1960).

5. op. cit. 3.
6. In 1973 several key documents on the CIA's mind control programmes were

destroyed on the order of Richard Helms, the CIA Director.

7. op. cit. 3.
8. op. cit. 2.
9. "Confidential" letter, Dr. Solandt, August 3, 1954.
10. ibid.
11. ibid.
12. ibid.
13. ibid., and Dr. Solandt's conversation

with author 1989.

14. Letter to "The Minister", Ormond Solandt, Jan. 25, 1954.
15. ibid.
16. John C. Lilly, "Mental Effects of Reduction of Ordinary Levels of

Physical Stimuli on Intact Healthy Persons," Psychological Research Report

5, 1966, pp. 1-9. Also see Bexton et al., "The Effects of Decreased

Variation in the Sensory Environment," Canadian Journal of Psychology, vol.

8, 1954, pp. 70-76.

17. National Defence Headquarters [Canada] letter to author, dated April 18,
18. Also see D.O. Hebb et al., "The Effects of Isolation Upon Attitudes,

Motivation and Thought," 4th Symposium, Military Medicine I, Defence

Research Board, Canada, Dec. 1952 (Secret), and; D.O. Hebb and W. Heron,

"Effects of Radical Isolation Upon Intellectual Functions and The

Manipulation of Attitudes," 4th Symposium, Military Medicine I, Defence

Research Board, Canada, Dec. 1952 (Secret).

18. Biderman, Zimmer, "The Manipulation of Human Behaviour," Wiley, New

York, 1961.

19. J. Vernon, "Inside the Black Room: Studies of Sensory Deprivation,"

Penguin 1966.

20. Parker Report, Cmnd. 4901 (HMSO), para 10.
21. F.H. Lakin from Army Operational Research Establishment (AORE), Britain,

described the British Psychological Warfare research in Malaya between

1952-55. He was in charge of a nine man research team responsible to AORE,

and the Research Division of the Director General of the Information

Services [then the Federation of Malaya]. For six months two men from the

Operational Research Office of John Hopkins University, Maryland, worked

closely with his team, plus an Australian army psychologist.

22. Also see; 1. "Repression Trade - (UK) Limited," How the UK

Makes Torture and Death its Business. By Amnesty International, British

Section 1992. 2. "Submission to the United Nations Committee Against

Torture," for consideration during the Committee's scrutiny of UK

Government's Report. Committee on the Administration of Justice (Affiliated

of the International Federation of Human Rights), Nov. 13, 1993. 3. "A

Submission to; the United Nation's Human Rights Committee," Containing

Comments on the Forth Periodic Report by the United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland to the Human Rights Committee under Article 40 of the

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. By; Committee on the

Administration of Justice, June 1995.

23. "Report Of An Enquiry Into Allegation of Ill-Treatment in Northern

Ireland," Amnesty International, p.26.

24. For a more detailed account of the fate of the internees see "The

Guineapigs," John McGuffin.

25. op. cit. 23, p.36.
26. ibid.
27. op. cit. 23, p.38.
28. Findings of The World Conference on Religion and Peace, p. 31.
29. In answer to a Parliamentary Question, Archie Hamilton, the British

Minister of State for Defence listed 100 countries to which UK provides

military training of various nature including Portugal, and other countries

with notorious track records in violation of Human Rights, e.g. China,

Chile, Iraq, Uganda, South Korea, Egypt, Turkey. He fails to add Cambodia to

the list�See John Pilger's "Cambodia: Year Ten."

30. "Precis 6: Psyop unit - General," Training Report, Senior Officers'

Psyop Course, Royal Air Force, Old Sarum, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK February

14/18, 1972. A British document devoted to the organization and equipment of

psyops unit, both at headquarters, and broken down into subsections;

Consolidation Psyops; Counter-Insurgency uses and their use in peacetime, as

well as details of deployment of psyop units in UK. Also, "Technical Report

of the Senior Officers' Psyop Course Held at RAF Old Sarum, 14-18, Feb.

1972." This course clarifies the parallel nature of the British psyops with

that of US Army's. Amongst people that have addressed these courses are;

Keith Belbin, of Coleman, Prentice and Valery [Advertising Agency] on

recruitment. Peter Bartlett on target analysis with reference to the Chinese

use in Hong Kong. R.M. Farr [a psychologist from British Psychological

Society] on attitude change, and B.R. Johnston on information policy in low

intensity operations, mainly in Northern Ireland.

31. Now Sir Frank Kitson, Commander of the 39th Infantry Brigade Northern

Ireland between 1970-72. Author of "Low Intensity Operation: Subversion,"

London, Faber and Faber; and "Insurgency Peace-Keeping," London, Faber and

Faber 1971. Also, see "The Technology of Political Control," by; Ackroyd,

Margolis, Rosenhead and Shalice. Pluto Press 1980, and "The Silent

Conspiracy," Stephen Dorril (William Heineman Ltd.), 1993.

32. House of Commons, [British Parliament] November 14, 1974.
33. House of Commons, October 24, 1975.
34. Professor Robert Daly, expert in Sensory deprivation. A graduate from

Dublin University. Instructor in psychiatry at the University of North

Carolina. Later a lecturer at Edinburgh University before taking post at the

University College, Cork.

35. Robert Daly; "Psychiatric After-effects of Irish Prisoners Subjected to

Ill-Treatment and Torture," New Scientist, August 5, 1976.

36. op. cit. 23, p. 14.
37. op. cit. 23, p. 23.
38. Garland E. Burrell, Jr., "Mental Privacy: An International

Safeguard to Governmental Intrusion into the Mental Processes," 6 California

Western International Law Journal.

39. Alan Scheflin, "Freedom of The Mind As An International Human Rights

Issue," Human Rights Law Journal, Vol. 3, 1982.

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