Doc 0000173523

The page features a stylized graphic of a bank vault door on the left, with subtle blue lighting. To the right of the vault, white text in a playful font reads "THE BLACK VAULT." Below this, a block of white text details the origin of the document as a declassified government record from the MKULTRA/Mind Control Collection, hosted by The Black Vault. The text also provides a URL for online access. There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, official stamps, forms, diagrams, tables, redactions, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. ~- ( - j _______· . .... -... ---·- ~~-·-----· .. ) . ./' ·' ·' '··' r ·'.:; .# • ....::---- 31 j'),~CCt)")lJL:l" 1970 1 TO: Dept. of SUHJF.:CT: Con>rnents on i 1'-ion- Letha;·.Wcapon Brocht-.:-e l REFEH.BJ\CES: A. Non-_-!:-etha~ Wcap_2~''_Bro_£1~ur~_, I B. Roth, E. M., 11Electric Current11 in NASA- CR- 1205 , (1}, Washington, D. C., 1968. (UT\CL.) C. Walter, C. W., Electric Hazards in rTospitals, National Academy of Sciences, \Yashington: D. C., 1970. (UNCL. • ) ·we have been much interested by the /brochure subm.itted by 1vfr. ) The principle of controlled electroshock can offer an effective solution to the personnel incapacitation problern. It is unfortun<ttc that the brochure is in the form. of ?.n ad~'ertising pamphlet rather than a scientific presentation. The brochure gives no definite enginee1·ing specifications, but v:e assume that (has tne following conditions in J mincl: (l) a single net with left and right halves connected to the System by a two conductor insulated cable; (2) projection of the net onto the subject in such a way that the subject would tend to grasp one half of the net '\'.'ith each hand and take the current in an arn>- to-a'nn direction (rather than U?per body to feet*); (3) five shocks per second to be delivered (about 0. 5 joule each, dur<~tion of each pulse about 500 microseconds); and (4) the subject is hc~lthy. The sornewhat confusing num.bers presented with Figure A of the brochure app~,rcnt1y make the key assumption that t1\e circuit resistance is 10,000 ohms, prcsumc..bly including the two series contacts b:::tween the net and the subject. :>(: A sing1e conducto~: system using the gro;.:nd loop would require th<:'.t the shod: bo:-: it:.;clf be thorour~hl';' £rol-..ndcd or the n·.. .. rson holdinrr the shockbox \\·ould be: ...... ....... L.- Q sLockc:d just as severely as the subject. Approved for Releasa - l)a't.e 9. 7 FE S ~Qi) . \ ,• ( ( ( .• ~. ; is correct that currents above 20 rnillian1pcrcs will cause paic1.ful tel< •1y of the umscles through which the current p<1sscs <'.nd that individual shocks of ?.bout 0. 5 joule arc not likely to kill healthy people. (Ref. B) :tvlr. -/states tktt he has verified the effectiveness z:.nd safety of the repcc;.tcd sho:i't pulses n1entioncd above by appropriate tests .._ Such a result seems reasonable, but it would be nice to sec the report o.f his cxpcrin1ental procedure. The document is a memorandum dated December 31, 1970, concerning a "Non-Lethal Weapon Brochure." It contains official stamps and handwritten annotations in the top right corner, including what appears to be a tally mark and a date. There are also lines drawn on the page, possibly for emphasis or categorization. One section, near the bottom, is an "Approved for Release" form with a handwritten date. The document's content discusses an advertising pamphlet about electroshock technology. 5 joule arc not likely to kill healthy people. (Ref. B) :tvlr. -/states tktt he has verified the effectiveness z:.nd safety of the repcc;.tcd sho:i't pulses n1entioncd above by appropriate tests .._ Such a result seems reasonable, but it would be nice to sec the report o.f his cxpcrin1ental procedure. We question the reliability ~f the net- shockbox combination in incapacitation of c:. high percentage of subjects under field conditions. In order to be effective, tetanizing amounts of current m.ust pass through muscles that 'vill incapacitate the subject. In order to get to the muscles, the current must get through the skin somehow. A large area of firm. contact '\Vith swe<l.ty skin can have a resistance of a few hundred ohms; a small a1·ea of dry contact with light pressure c2.n range up into millions of ohms. (Ref. B) If the net provided two contacts with the subject1s body, amounting to· a series resistance of one me go1nn or n1ore, the shockbox would have to de liver a voltage of 20, 000 volts or higher in order to force the required current through the sk.in. '\Ve doubt J that a shockbox of the small dimensions specified by . could provide such voltages and energies .. What if the subject is wearing a leather jacket, motorcycle helmet and dry leather gloves? What if part of the net hap:)·~ns to get into the subject1s m.outh? \Yhat keeps the net from shorting itself out? Why wouldn 1t a subject with painfully paralyzed anns start to run, thereby breaking contact? Engineering detctils and extensive field test results of the system are neces-sary for evaluation of this approach. The primary rncdical ha,..;ard of the system is the possibility of inducing . vcn~ricular fibrillation of the heart. Ventricular fibrillation is almost in- - ·· . I- l , . . 1 , , variably hl::cl unch.:r field condi~ions. J[ 1 C J c VJ c e 1nc t:c:c (! cur .:·cnt limiLing circuitry so that tl1e energy in each brief pulse was limite:cl lo abc·~~t 0. 5 joule applied hand- to-hancl, the risk of ventricular fibrillatio:1 in a hcz:.lthy subj.:::ct should be ncgligiulc. (Ref. B) If the subject happened to be "elcct:-:c2.lly sensitive" (due to coronary artery disease wilh irri.l?.blc m.yoc?.rc:iurn, pacc n1<d~er device, etc.) a much sm.aller shock could lead to unconsciot~sness within scccnds and death within a few minutes. (Ref. C) ··-Jackno·.'.'leclgcs such a The document is a typed page with no photographs, diagrams, tables, or filled-in forms. There are a few small, faint handwritten marks near the top left corner that appear to be pen or pencil scribbles. A curved, handwritten line is also present in the upper right quadrant of the page. There are no official stamps or visible redactions. The content appears to be a technical or research-related document discussing electrical shock and incapacitation. in a hcz:.lthy subj.:::ct should be ncgligiulc. (Ref. B) If the subject happened to be "elcct:-:c2.lly sensitive" (due to coronary artery disease wilh irri.l?.blc m.yoc?.rc:iurn, pacc n1<d~er device, etc.) a much sm.aller shock could lead to unconsciot~sness within scccnds and death within a few minutes. (Ref. C) ··-Jackno·.'.'leclgcs such a possibility by noting that his device should be used on 11healthy croo~s11 only. Most young people, aside from. invalids, do not fall in lhe 11electricc..lly scns: itivc 11 category. In sum.n1ary, we feel that such a device is not likely to cause pcrrnancnt i:-~jury to <m 2.ctivc yo1.:ng adult subject, but we question its reliability 2.s 2.n inca pacitation system. under field conditions. Our engineering staff h?_s roug}_e:d out a circuit diagra1n for a unit that would deliver 0. 5 joule under the low resistance conditions assumed by \ We will be happy to provide a copy of this diagram. or con1n1.ents on ccny other points that you may reqt:est. This page consists of typed text on off-white paper, with some faint gray smudges and scattered speckles. There are several handwritten annotations in black ink, including short lines, checkmarks, and what appears to be a section of text or a diagram in the upper left quadrant. A small, curved ink mark is also visible in the upper right portion of the page. There are no clear photographs, stamps, forms, or structured data present. The text discusses the potential risks of a device delivering electrical pulses, with references to "Ref. B" and "Ref. C".