Overview
- The Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets held a high-profile hearing on June 30 to examine MKULTRA, the CIA’s Cold War human‑experiment program.
- Chairwoman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said the CIA is declassifying newly discovered MKULTRA materials that she described as relating to a forgery program and said her team will review the records closely.
- Witnesses and documents presented at the hearing recounted deliberate experiments on unwitting U.S. subjects and cited internal accounts that then‑CIA director Richard Helms ordered the program’s files destroyed in January 1973.
- Experts warned that advances in neuroscience, cyber tools, and artificial intelligence mean past research could have evolved, but both witnesses said they have no direct evidence MKULTRA‑style experiments continue today.
- The session was marked by partisan conflict and disputed claims about removed declassification boxes, and the task force said it may pursue subpoenas and international cooperation, including inquiries in Germany, as next steps.