MKUltra Subproject 45

Subproject 45 covered the lab work of a single research group, directed by the Chemical Division of TSS. The hearing testimony says it ran from 1955 to 1963. The science was described as three lines of biochemical study. These included the curare-like effect of certain thiols, the making of certain quinolines and indole alkaloids, and the study of toxic states in the brain.

The brain work aimed to understand conditions such as toxic delirium, uremic coma, and brain poisoning. Over time, the project also studied the body's stress reaction. Later memos describe work on the nerve and hormone pathways of stress and on chemicals that could trigger or block it. The records also tie the project to the "K," or knockout, field, with plans to focus more on the practical side of the "knockout problem."

Some testing involved patients. The papers say clinical screening would be done on appropriate patients, with the first screening done on advanced cancer patients. The lead researcher also served as a general consultant and provided cover and cut-out services to the agency. The cost was set at up to $100,000 a year in some memos and $40,000 in others. The project also touched the Gorman Annex question, since its years overlapped, but no document places it in that building.