<p> The report that follows is a condensation of a study by training experts of the important classified and unclassified information
available on this subject.</p>
<p>BACKGROUND</p>
<p> Brainwashing, as a technique, has been used for centuries and
is no mystery to psychologists. In this sense, brainwashing means
involuntary re-education of basic beliefs and values. All people
are being re-educated continually. New information changes one's
beliefs. Everyone has experienced to some degree the conflict that
ensues when new information is not consistent with prior belief.
The experience of the brainwashed individual differs in that the inconsistent information is forced upon the individual under controlled
conditions after the possibility of critical judgment has been removed by a variety of methods.</p>
<p> There is no question that an individual can be broken psychologically by captors with knowledge and willingness to persist in techniques aimed at deliberately destroying the integration of a personality. Although it is probable that everyone reduced to such a confused,
disoriented state will respond to the introduction of new beliefs, this
cannot be stated dogmatically.</p>
<p>PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN CONTROL AND REACTION TO CONTROL</p>
<p> There are progressive steps in exercising control over an individual and changing his behaviour and personality integration. The following five steps are typical of behaviour changes in any controlled
individual:</p>
<p> 1. Making the individual aware of control is the first stage in
changing his behaviour. A small child is made aware of the physical
and psychological control of his parents and quickly recognizes that
an overwhelming force must be reckoned with. So, a controlled adult
comes to recognize the overwhelming powers of the state and the impersonal, "incarcerative" machinery in which he is enmeshed. The individual recognizes that definite limits have been put upon the ways
he can respond.</p>
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(Date: 8 FEB 1984)</p>
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<p> 2. Realization of his complete dependence upon the controlling system is a major factor in the controlling of his behavior.The controlled adult is forced to accept the fact that food, tobacco,praise,
and the only social contact that he will get come from the very interrogator who exercises control over him.
<p> 3. The awareness of control and recognition of dependence result in causing internal conflict and breakdown of previous patterns
of behaviour. Although this transition can be relatively mild in
the case of a child, it is almost invariably severe for the adult
undergoing brainwashing. Only an individual who holds his values
lightly can change them easily. Since the brainwasher-interrogators
aim to have the individuals undergo profound emotional change, they
force their victims to seek out painfully what is desired by the
controlling individual. During this period the victim is likely to
have a mental breakdown characterized by delusions and hallucinations.</p>
<p> 4. Discovery that there is an acceptable solution to his problem is the first stage of reducing the individual's conflict. It
is characteristically reported by victims of brainwashing that this
discovery led to an overwhelming feeling of relief that the horror
of internal conflict would cease and that perhaps they would not,
after all, be driven insane. It is at this point that they are prepared to make major changes in their value-system. This is an
automatic rather than voluntary choice. They have lost their ability to be critical.</p>
<p> 5. Reintergration of values and identification with the controlling system is the final stage in changing the behaviour of the
controlled individual. A child who has learned a new, socially desirable behaviour demonstrates its importance by attempting to asapt the new behaviour to a variety of other situations. Similar
would be communicated to the camp administrators, lost faith in their
fellow man and were forced to "untrusting individualism." Informers are
also under several stages of brainwashing and elicitation to develop
and maintain control over the victims.</p>
<p> 5. Induction of Fatigue. This is a well-known device for breaking
will power and critical powers of judgment. Deprivation of sleep results
in more intense psychological debilitation than does any other method of
engendering fatigue. The communists vary their methods. "Conveyor belt"
interrogation that last 50-60 hours will make almost any individual compromise, but there is danger that this will kill the victim. It is safer
to conduct interrogations of 8-10 hours at night while forcing the prisoner
to remain awake during the day. Additional interruptions in the remaining
2-3 hours of allotted sleep quickly reduce the most resilient individual .
Alternate administration of drug stimulants and depressants hastens the
process of fatigue and sharpens the psychological reactions of excitement
and depression.</p>
<p> Fatigue, in addition to reducing the will to resist,also produces
irritation and fear that arise from increased "slips of the tongue." forgetfulness, and decreased ability to maintain orderly thought processes.</p>
<p> 6. Control of Food,Water and Tobacco. The controlled individual
is made intensely aware of his dependence upon his interrogator for the
quality and quantity of his food and tobacco. The exercise of this control usually follows a pattern. No food and little or no water is permitted the individual for several days prior to interrogation.When the
prisoner first complains of this to the interrogator, the latter expresses
surprise at such inhumane treatment. He makes a demand of the prisoner.
If the latter complies,he receives a good meal. If he does not, he gets
a diet of unappetizing food containing limited vitamins,minerals, and
calories. This diet is supplemented occasionally by the interrogator if
the prisoner "cooperates." Studies of controlled starvation indicate
that the whole value-system of the subjects underwent a change. Their
irritation increased as their ability to think clearly decreased. The
control of tobacco presented an even greater source of conflict for heavy
smokers. Because tobacco is not necessary to life, being manipulated by
his craving for it can in the individual a strong sense of guilt.</p>
<p> 7. Criticism and Self-Criticism. There are mechanisms of communist
thought control. Self-criticism gains its effectiveness from the fact
that although it is not a crime for a man to be wrong, it is a major crime
to be stubborn and to refuse to learn. Many individuals feel intensely relieved in being able to share their sense of guilt. Those individuals</p>
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<p>however, who have adjusted to handling their guilt internally have difficulty adapting to criticism and self-criticism. In brainwashing ,after
a sufficient sense of guilt has been created in the individual, sharing
and self-criticism permit relief. The price paid for this relief, however,
From the many fragmentary accounts reviewed, the following appears
to be the most likely description of what occurs during brainwashing .</p>
<p> In the period immediately following capture, the captors are faced
with the problem of deciding on best ways of exploitation of the prisoners.
Therefore, early treatment is similar both for those who are to be exploited
through elicitation and those who are to undergo brainwashing. concurrently
with being interrogated and required to write a detailed personal history,
the prisoner undergoes a physical and psychological "softening-up" which
includes: limited unpalatable food rations,withholding of tobacco,possible work details,severely inadequate use of toilet facilities, no use of
facilities for personal cleanliness,limitation of sleep such as requiring
a subject to sleep with a bright light in his eyes. Apparently the interrogation and autobiographical ,material, the reports of the prisoner's behaviour in confinement, and tentative "personality typing" by the interrogators, provide the basis upon which exploitation plans are made.</p>
<p> There is a major difference between preparation for elicitation and
for brainwashing .Prisoners exploited through elicitation must retain sufficient clarity of thought to be able to give coherent,factual accounts. In
brainwashing , on the other hand, the first thing attacked is clarity of
thought. To develop a strategy of defense, the controlled individual must
determine what plans have been made for his exploitation. Perhaps the best
cues he can get are internal reactions to the pressures he undergoes.</p>
<p> The most important aspect of the brainwashing process is the interrogation. The other pressures are designed primarily to help the interrogator
achieve his goals. The following states are created systematically within
the individual . These may vary in order, but all are necessary to the
brainwashing process:</p>
<p> 1. A feeling of helplessness in attempting to deal with the impersonal
machinery of control.</p>
<p> 2. An initial reaction of "surprise."</p>
<p> 3. A feeling of uncertainty about what is required of him.</p>
<p> 4. A developing feeling of dependence upon the interrogator .</p>
<p> 5. A sense of doubt and loss of objectivity.</p>
<p> 6. Feelings of guilt.</p>
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<p> 7. A questioning attitude toward his own value-system.</p>
<p> 8. A feeling of potential "breakdown," i.e.,that he might go crazy.
<p> 10. A final sense of "belonging" (identification).</p>
<p> A feeling of helplessness in the face of the impersonal machinery
of control is carefully engendered within the prisoner. The individual
who receives the preliminary treatment described above not only begins
to feel like an "animal" but also feels that nothing can be done about
it. No one pays any personal attention to him. His complaints fall on
deaf ears. His loss of communication, if he has been isolated, creates
a feeling that he has been "forgotten." Everything that happens to him
occurs according to an impersonal; time schedule that has nothing to do
with his needs. The voices and footsteps of the guards are muted. He
notes many contrasts,e.g.,his greasy,unpalatable food may be served
on battered tin dishes by guards immaculately dressed in white. The
first steps in "depersonalization" of the prisoner have begun. He has
no idea what to expect. Ample opportunity is allotted for him to ruminate
upon all the unpleasant or painful things that could happen to him. He
approaches the main interrogator with mixed feelings of relief and
fright.</p>
<p> Surprise is commonly used in the brainwashing process. The prisoner
is rarely prepared for the fact that the interrogators are usually friendly
and considerate at first. They make every effort to demonstrate that
they are reasonable human beings. Often they apologize for bad treatment
received by the prisoner and promise to improve his lot if he, too, is
reasonable. This behaviour is not what he has steeled himself for. He
lets down some of his defenses and tries to take a reasonable attitude.
The first occasion he balks at satisfying a request of the interrogator ,
however, he is in for another surprise. The formerly reasonable interrogator unexpectedly turns into a furious maniac. The interrogator is
likely to slap the prisoner or draw his pistol and threaten to shoot him.
Usually this storm of emotion ceases as suddenly as it began and the interrogator stalks from the room. These surprising changes create doubt
in the prisoner as to his very ability to perceive another person's motivations correctly. His next interrogation probably will be marked by impassivity in the interrogator 's mien.</p>
<p> A feeling of uncertainty about what is required of him is likewise
carefully engendered within the individual . Pleas of the prisoner to
learn specifically of what he is accused and by whom are side-stepped by</p>
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<p>the interrogator. Instead, the prisoner is asked to tell why he thinks
he is held and what he feels he is guilty of. If the prisoner fails to
come up with anything, he is accused in terms of broad generalities (e.g.,
espionage, sabotage,acts of treason against the "people"). This usually provokes the prisoner to make some statement about his activities.
If this take the form of a denial, he is usually sent to isolation on
further decreased food rations to "think over" his crimes. This process
can be repeated again and again. As soon as the prisoner can think of
something that might be considered self-incriminating, the interrogator
appears momentarily satisfied. The prisoner is asked to write down his
statement in his own words and sign it.</p>
<p> Meanwhile a strong sense of dependence upon the interrogator is
developed. It does not take long for the prisoner to realize that the
interrogator is the source of all punishment , all gratification,and all
communication. The interrogator , meanwhile,demonstrates his unpredictability. He is perceived by the prisoner as a creature of whim. At
times, the interrogator can be pleased very easily and at other times
no effort on the part of the prisoner will placate him. The prisoner
may begin to channel so much energy into trying to predict the behaviour
of the unpredictable interrogator that he loses track of what is happening inside himself.</p>
<p> After the prisoner has developed the above psychological and emotional
reactions to a sufficient degree, the brainwashing begins in earnest.
First, the prisoner's remaining critical faculties must be destroyed.
He undergoes long, fatiguing interrogations while looking at a bright
light. He is called back again and again for interrogations after minimal sleep. He may undergo torture that tends to create internal conflict. Drugs may be used to accentuate his "mood swings." He develops
depression when the interrogator is being kind and becomes euphoric when
the interrogator is threatening the direst penalties. Then the cycle is
reversed. The prisoner finds himself in a constant state of anxiety
which prevents him from relaxing even when he is permitted to sleep.
Short periods of isolation now bring on visual and auditory hallucinations.
The prisoner feels himself losing his objectivity. It is in this state
that the prisoner must keep up an endless argument with the interrogator .
He may be faced with the confessions of other individuals who "collaborated" with him in his crimes. The prisoner seriously begins to doubts
his own memory. This feeling is heightened by his inability to recall
little things like the names of the people he knows very well or the date
of his birth. The interrogator patiently sharpens this feeling of doubt
by more questioning. This tends to create a serious state of uncertainty
when the individual has lost most of his critical faculties.</p>
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<p> The prisoner must undergo additional internal conflict when strong
feelings of guilt are aroused within him. As any clinical psychologist
is aware, it is not at all difficult to create such feelings. Military
servicemen are particularly vulnerable. No one can morally justify killing
even in wartime. The usual justification is on the grounds of necessity or self-defense. The interrogator is careful to circumvent such
justification. He keeps the interrogation directed toward the prisoner's
moral code. Every moral vulnerability is exploited by incessant questioning along this line until the prisoner begins to question the very fundamentals of his own value-system. The prisoner must constantly fight a
potential breakdown. He finds that his mind is "going blank" for longer
and longer periods of time. He can not think constructively. If he is
to maintain any semblance of psychological integrity, he must bring to
an end this state of interminable internal conflict. He signifies a
willingness to write a confession.</p>
<p> If this were truly the end, no brainwashing would have occurred.
The individual would simply have given in to intolerable pressure. Actually, the final stage of the brainwashing process has just begun. No
matter what the prisoner writes in his confession the interrogator is
not satisfied. The interrogator questions every sentence of the confession. He begins to edit it with the prisoner. The prisoner is forced
to argue against every change. This is the essence of brainwashing.
Every time that he gives in on a point to the interrogator, he must rewrite his whole confession. Still the interrogator is not satisfied.
In a desperate attempt to maintain some semblance of integrity and to
avoid further brainwashing, the prisoner must begin to argue that what
he has already confessed to is true. He begins to accept as his own the
statements he has written. He uses many of the interrogator's earlier
arguments to buttress his position. By this process,identification
with the interrogator's value-system becomes complete. It is extremely
important to recognize that a qualitative change has taken place within
the prisoner. The brainwashed victim does not consciously change his
value-system; rather the change occurs despite his efforts. He is no
more responsible for this change than is an individual who "snaps" and
becomes psychotic. And like the psychotic, the prisoner is not even
aware of the transition.</p>
<p>DEFENSIVE MEASURES OTHER THAN ON THE POLICY AND PLANNING LEVEL</p>
<p> 1. Training of Individuals potentially subject to communist control.</p>
<p> Training should provide for the trainee a realistic appraisal
of what control pressures the communists are likely to exert and what
the usual human reactions are to such pressures. The trainee must learn</p>
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<p>the most effective ways of combatting his own reactions to such pressures
this particular evil. On the other hand, certain meaningless concessions
will often get a prisoner a good meal.</p>
<p> g. In particular, it should be emphasized to the trainee that,
although little can be done to control the pressures exerted upon him, he
can learn something about controlling his personal reactions to specific
pressures. The trainee can gain much from learning something about internal conflict and conflict-producing mechanisms. He should learn to
recognize when someone is trying to arouse guilt feelings and what behavioural reactions can occur as a response to guilt.</p>
<p> h. Finally, the training must teach some methods that can be utilized
in thwarting particular communist control techniques:</p>
<p> Elicitation. In general, individuals who are the hardest to interrogate for information are those who have experienced previous interrogations. Practice in being the victim of interrogation is a sound training device.</p>
<p> Torture. The trainee should learn something about the principles of
pain and shock. There is a maximum to the amount of pain that can actually
be felt. Any amount of pain can be tolerated for a limited period of
time. In addition, the trainee can be fortified by the knowledge that there
are legal limitations upon the amount of torture that can be inflicted
by communist jailors.</p>
<p> Isolation. The psychological effects of isolation can probably be
thwarted best by mental gymnastics and systematic efforts on the part of
the isolate to obtain stimulation for his neural end organs.</p>
<p> Controls on Food and Tobacco. Foods given by the communists will
always be enough to maintain survival. Sometimes the victim gets unexpected opportunities to supplement his diet with special minerals,vitamins
and other nutrients (e.g.,"iron" from the rust of prison bars). In some
instances, experience has shown that individuals could exploit refusal to
eat. Such refusal usually resulted in the transfer of the individual to
a hospital where he received vitamin injections and nutritious food. Evidently attempts of this kind to commit suicide arouse the greatest concern
in communist officials. If deprivation of tobacco is the control being
exerted. the victim can gain moral satisfaction from "giving up" tobacco.
He can't lose since he is not likely to get any anyway.</p>
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<p> Fatigue. The trainee should learn reactions to fatigue and how to
