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Montreal Experiments Timeline Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

Timeline of Montreal Experiments

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Background and Context

Late 1950s–­Early 1960s
MKULTRA was in full swing; the CIA sought more contro­lled, scientific enviro­nments to study LSD, hypnosis, and behavioral modifi­cation.
 
McGill Univer­sity, Montreal, Canada, led by Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron, a prominent psychi­atrist and past president of the American Psychi­atric Associ­ation, became a primary site.
 
Cameron’s work on “psychic driving”—a combin­ation of sensory depriv­ation, repetition of audio messages, and drugs—­aligned with CIA interests in mind control.
 
The CIA funneled funds through front organi­zations (notably the Society for the Invest­igation of Human Ecology) to obscure the source of funding.

1957–1959: Initial CIA Contact and Planning

1957
Cameron expresses interest in “curing” schizo­phrenia and other psychi­atric conditions through extreme experi­mental therapies.
 
MKULTRA identifies Cameron as ideal for research into behavioral progra­mming.
 
CIA sets up financial support via grants disguised as indepe­ndent research funding.
1958
Planning begins for systematic experi­ments combining: LSD and other psycho­active drugs. Electr­oco­nvu­lsive therapy (ECT) at intens­ities far beyond therap­eutic norms. Sensory depriv­ation (including isolation chambers). Repetitive audio loops for “psychic driving.”

1959–1962: Core Experi­ments Begin

1959
Cameron begins intensive experi­ments at Allen Memorial Institute, Montreal.
 
Patients admitted for ordinary psychi­atric care are subjected to extreme regimens without informed consent: Drug admini­str­ation: High-dose LSD and other halluc­ino­gens. Electr­oshock therapy: Up to 30–40 times normal therap­eutic levels, sometimes inducing total memory loss. Psychic driving: Repeatedly played recorded messages for hours or days, often after drug-i­nduced sedation or sensory depriv­ation. Isolation and sensory depriv­ation: Patients placed in locked rooms or padded chambers for days.
1960
CIA funds continue under MKULTRA Subproject 68, which specif­ically supported Cameron’s work on “psychic drivin­g.”CIA funds continue under MKULTRA Subproject 68, which specif­ically supported Cameron’s work on “psychic driving.”
 
Experi­ments increa­singly focus on “erasing” existing person­ality structures to rebuild them, aligning with CIA goals of potential mind control agents.
 
Reports indicate severe, often permanent, psycho­logical damage in patients: memory loss, incont­inence, cognitive deficits, and person­ality fragme­nta­tion.
 

1961–1964: Escalation and Expansion

1961
Cameron introduces massive drug combin­ations including LSD, barbit­urates, and paralytic agents.
 
Psychic driving protocols intensify: Patients subjected to repeated messages for 16–24 hours per day over weeks. Drugs used to keep patients compliant during sessions.
 
CIA receives detailed reports on experi­mental outcomes.
 
Early ethical concerns raised within MKULTRA, but experi­ments continue.
1962
Cameron begins long-term studies on memory erasure and behavioral reprog­ram­ming.
 
Experi­men­tation becomes more system­atic: Isolation for weeks combined with ECT and continuous audio loops. Goal: “depat­tern” subjects to allow new person­ality traits to be implanted.
 
At least dozens of patients affected; many are vulnerable psychi­atric patients, unaware of CIA involv­ement.
1963
CIA continues funding but grows concerned about the high visibility and risk of exposure.
 
Cameron’s experi­ments documented in detailed reports but kept secret from public and Canadian author­ities.
 
Some internal memos note that patients show “severe and permanent damage,” but deem the work scient­ifi­cally valuable.

1964–1965: Termin­ation and Aftermath

1964
Cameron’s experi­ments wind down; funding transi­tions to other research projects under new MKULTRA subpro­jects.
 
Ethical concerns and scrutiny from university admini­str­ators begin to rise.
 
Patients discharged with little or no support for severe cognitive or psycho­logical damage.
 
Official records indicate at least 30–40 seriously harmed patients, though exact numbers remain uncertain.
1965
CIA begins scaling down direct involv­ement in MKULTRA’s human experi­men­tation programs.
 
Cameron continues psychi­atric work, but without CIA funding.
 
Many survivors remain unaware of CIA sponso­rship for decades.

1970s–­1980s: Exposure and Public Scandal

1977
CIA documents released under FOIA reveal Cameron’s experi­ments were funded covertly by MKULTRA, shocking the public and Canadian author­ities.
 
Victims begin to connect their suffering to CIA-funded programs.
1980s
Class-­action lawsuits and compen­sation claims filed by patients and families in Canada.
 
Public hearings reveal: Ethical violat­ions: experi­ments on vulnerable patients without consent. Permanent psycho­logical and physical harm. CIA cover-up through front organi­zat­ions.
 

Key Features of the Montreal Experi­ments

Psychic Driving
Repeated audio messages combined with sensory depriv­ation and drug sedation.
 
Goal: erase existing person­ality traits and implant new ones.
Drug Regimens
LSD, barbit­urates, and paralytic agents.
 
Doses often far beyond safe therap­eutic levels.
Electr­oco­nvu­lsive Therapy (ECT)
Admini­stered at extreme levels to erase memory and disrupt cognition.
Target Population
Vulnerable psychi­atric patients.
 
Often admitted for routine treatment, unaware of CIA involv­ement.
CIA Involv­ement
Funding through front organi­zat­ions.
 
Objective: explore human mind control for interr­ogation and espionage.

Long-Term Impact

Many patients suffered permanent memory loss, person­ality changes, and mental illness.
Frank Olson and other MKULTRA cases gain historical notoriety, but the Montreal Experi­ments are the most extreme example of CIA-funded psychi­atric abuse.
Case remains central to studies of bioethics, human experi­men­tation, and Cold War paranoia.