To understand the gravity of the current allegations, it is essential to establish what is already known and officially acknowledged. The CIA's MKUltra programme, which ran from approximately 1953 to 1973, involved covert and often non-consensual human experimentation in the fields of mind control, behavioural modification, and psychological coercion. Declassified documents — released following a 1977 Senate investigation — confirmed the use of LSD, hypnosis, sensory deprivation, and other techniques on unwitting subjects, including civilians.