(UNTITLED) RE PROJECT AT TEXAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR MENTAL SCIENCES (TRIMS) RE STRESS INDICATORS; INCLUDES COPYRIGHTED NEWS ARTICLES

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00173494
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: January 21, 2025
• Document Release Date: January 15, 1983
• Publication Date: July 7, 1975

SUMMARY �
The CIA-sponsored research project with the Texas Research Institute'
for Mental Sciences (TRIMS) was conducted to improve the usefulness of
physiological measurements as indicators of emotional stress. The subjects
were volunteer medical students who were both witting and consenting.
Measurements were made of such things as heart and breathing rates of the
students during final exam week when they were presumably under more ten-
sion than at other times during the semester. For comparison purposes,
similar measurements were taken during periods of non-stress. During one
phase of the work, stimulants and depressants (barbiturates and amphet-
amine) were administered to 7-8 student volunteers to determine the effects
of these drugs upon the baseline measurements being made. At no time was
LSD or any other hallucinogen used.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
List of Facts re Contracts with Dr. Burch and Texas Research Institute
for Mental Sciences (TRIMS)
Reference: 17 July 1975 AP wire story and Mr. Thuermer notes re
Washington Post reporter (Tom Curtis) conversation
1. Dr. Burch's statement concerning Agency-sponsored research is
true.
2. No LSD was used in any CIA-sponsored activity with TRIMS. We
were not involved with LSD work for the Air Force that. is mentioned in
the AP wire story. The contractor's proposal included an experiment in
which LSD might be used. That work was not done.
3. Stimulants and depressants (Amphetamine and barbiturates) were
administered to witting and consenting subjects to investigate the effects
of such drugs upon the rates of physiological measurements, such as heart
rate, breathing rate, and skin moisture.
Kfc,147,?.,;Ahe studies were funded through the Air Force for the first threc
years.' Agency association with the activities was classified, however, the..
Director of TRIMS was totally aware of the source of funds. Subseguently,
research was '(unclassified association) directly with Dr. Burch
through TRIMSt9'U-6f)1
5. The studies had as their purpose the improvement of our under-
standing of physiological measurements as indicators of emotional stress
(the polygraph problem). Another possible application is determination �
of evasiveness or deceptiveness--as indicated by observable physiological
changes--at meetings between U.S. and foreign officials.
6. The presence or absence of stress was inferred, in the first
study, by making measurements of medical students during final exam week
and comparing the measurements with those taken at other periods during
the semester. In the latter studies, stress was produced by having the
volunteer students participate to varying degrees in a mock crime situa-
tion in which subjects pretended to steal an object and then attempted
to deceive a polygraph operator about their 1:gui1t."
tf JAE etc/reify ftlt d 71;t�
7.\ Only in the last phase4were any drugs administered and then to
only about 7-8 subjects (all witting and consenting).
BACKGROUND MATERIAL FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
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'17 Jul'
.2bm Curtiss, Washington Post (calling from Houston)
is .. w . �
Says doing story for tomorrow on CIA secretly flmap funding studies
between 190;. and 1971 into lie detector t chniques Inv-Jiving use of LSD.
SouIbe is said to be a Dr. Neil Burch and a mco ngressman (appears to be Denton,
according to call from , which also being asked questions about this in
Dallas). Studies are said to have been under the title: "Psychological and
Physiological Correlates of Human Information Processing Under Altered States
of Consciousness." . .
Texas Research MIXbi Institute of Mental Sciences involved. Honey
conduits were Air Force;', _ ,
. Contract
numbers given as: X0102. 1968-69; n3061. 1968;nic XG324j, 1970-71. Also
involved were .....)
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