MDMA and the Military

Summary

In the 1920s, psychoactive substances were explored for their potential in interrogation, with early experiments by the Nazis on 'truth drugs'. Following concerns about American POWs during the Korean War, US military research shifted from hallucinogens like mescaline and LSD, deemed too irritating, to less irritating substances like MDA. However, after an accidental death during MDA testing, research was paused pending animal studies, and it appears MDMA was likely not tested on humans.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract In the 1920s, physicians discovered the potential for ‘speech induction’ offered by psychoactive substances. The German Nazis were the first to conduct experiments on the use of ‘truth drugs’ for interrogation purposes. Later, after some American prisoners of war ‘confessed’ to the use of biological weapons in the Korean war, the United States (US) Army suspected that they had been manipulated by drugs. This triggered research into drug use for behavioural manipulation by the US military. Research concluded that hallucinogens, such as mescaline and LSD, were mentally so ‘irritating’ that they are not helpful in interrogations. Consequently, the focus of research changed direction towards less irritating substances with more consistent euphoria-inducing effects (such as MDA and similar ‘mescaline derivatives’). However, due to the accidental death of an unwitting patient in an experiment with MDA, research was put on hold until animal tests had been conducted, including with MDMA. Most of the documents related to the years in which the testing was done have been destroyed, but it seems unlikely that MDMA had been tested or used operationally on humans.