Final Paper- Psychological Warfare

by hkhoury ~ November 29th, 2010. Filed under: Uncategorized.

(Heather Khoury)

The basic idea for my final paper is to research the extent of Pynchon’s “claims” about intelligence agencies in Gravity’s Rainbow. My research will be focused specifically on psychological warfare and the projects formed by the CIA to research effective methods of interrogation. These projects include MK-Ultra, MK-Delta, Project Artichoke and Project Bluebird. All have to do with the use of methods of deprivation, stress, specific environmental conditions, and most importantly, hard drugs such as LSD and DMT in order to achieve forms of mind-control, brainwashing, interrogation, and torture. Most of the studies, although not effective in mind-control, have contributed to the CIA’s 1963 Kubark Counterintelligence Interrogation manual, containing torture procedures still used today.

In the articles I have been reviewing I came across a separate agency, which was created by the CIA to mask the funding of these projects, called The Society for the Investigation of Human Ecology (SIHE). The title of this agency immediately reminded me of Pynchon’s use of long, tedious titles for the organizations that were testing soldiers in the novel, such as the Psychological Intelligence Scheme for Expediting Surrender (PISCES). Even though Pynchon’s title is more revealing, the real, sub-agency created by the CIA shared similar goals of PISCES. In a novel as exaggerated as Gravity’s Rainbow, it is hard to believe that any of these government schemes can be granted credibility; however, preliminary research shows otherwise.

Working Bibliography:

Dyck, Erika. “Flashback: Psychiatric Experimentation With LSD in Historical Perspective.” Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 50.7 (2005): 381-388. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

Hodge, James, and Linda Cooper. “Roots of Abu Ghraib in CIA techniques. (Cover story).” National Catholic Reporter 41.3 (2004): 11-14. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

Price, David H. “Buying a piece of anthropology Part 1: Human Ecology and unwitting anthropological research for the CIA.” Anthropology Today 23.3 (2007): 8-13. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

Pynchon, Thomas. “Beyond the Zero.” Gravity’s Rainbow. New York, NY: Penguin, 2006. 1-180.

I’m also trying to get my hands on the full version if this Nat Geo documentary:

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1 Response to Final Paper- Psychological Warfare

  1. daniel.collins
    December 10th, 2010 at 8:35 pm

    First off I give you a lot of credit for deciding to include Gravity’s Rainbow in your final paper. The topic of mind control is always a very interesting topic and I think you will produce a great paper. One example you can use that I remember was in Gravity’s Rainbow was Pavlov conditioning. It consisted of controlling the minds of dogs causing them to feel hungry and salivate every time they heard a specific noise. Here is also an interesting video that deals with mind control and LSD:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IStoyUb697c
    Here is another TIME article on the effects on DMT that I felt was very intersting and may help with your paper.
    http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1841108,00.html

    Good luck with everything!
    ~Dan