Doc 0000184395

STANDARD FOAM NO. 64 \ Office Memorandum · j . ~ -~ UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO DATE: 16 November 19 51 /) . Via ~- FROM SUBJECT: "Side Tone Delay" ;:? ., c~. Since Chief of the was in- I strumental in setting up the demonstration for the "side tone delay" instrument and since he has been in continuous consultation 1-lith the nriter and his associates in this matter, the writer took the liberty ;1 of showing the attached memorandum and related papers. /l 2. informed the writer t.hat he agrees with the general thought in the attached memorandum concerning the instrument. tf - -. •' . "!,_ 1\• .. • .. ,. - . ' I ~·~:r.~~ . - ~~~~·~ . ... -=-... ·~<:.--~---~:-.>~.:.-·. . t~:~~~~-7·:~ ... ~,;..~. .- ~~-~·--·.:~ __ ~~.~~:·-t;.~·- .... _ --->~ -.. - • ~.:.--. ~·. .. \.,-,~ .· .· ......... -v .... • . . -.. ' 1• .:·- .(.--.·J.~ ..... ' •. ...,. . STANOAFI.,.? FORM NO. &4 .... Office Me1norandum · uNITED~ sTATEs GovERNMENT TO DATE: 16 November 1951 !l Via .. .. . FROM SUBJE_f:T: "Side Tone Delay" __ __ ....;;. l. Reference is made to the attached memorandum from , OSI, and other related papers. . ~~ 2. For a matter· 6! record, the "side tone delay" is an instrnTrlent, or series of instrUMents, which is designed to confuse and an confoun~ individual under interrogation. The principle of the device simpiy stated is that an individual1s speech is confused when sound uttered by the in di~.ridual is carried to the indi vidual1 s ears a fraction of a second or longer after he has uttered the sound. This confusion, it is believed, will cause an individual who is lying or evadinc; an ans1.;er to have the feeiing that his confused speech is due to guilt. Hence forcing him to ad'llit guilt or becoming so confused as to make obvious the fact that he is evasive or lying. - J, · The instrument proper, wluch is being used for demonstration at the present tim8, co-nsists of a tape recording 1mi t and a receiving unit which, in a rough sense, are portable. However, the laboratory instru ments have not yet ce8n perfected and are cumbersomP. and non-portable. ~. Concerning I & SO interests in this n.atter, it is believ~d that we would have two interests, The first would be in connecticn The image displays a digital graphic with a dark background. On the left, a stylized image of a vault door is visible, featuring circular gears and intricate locking mechanisms, bathed in a cool blue light. To the right of the vault, a title in large, stylized white font reads "THE BLACK VAULT." Below this title, white text provides information about the document's origin: it's from "The Black Vault," an online database of declassified government documents, specifically the "MKULTRA/Mind Control Collection." The text also states the collection contains over 20,000 declassified pages from the CIA and provides a URL for download. There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, official stamps, forms, diagrams, tables, redactions, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. The document is a U.S. Government "Office Memorandum" dated November 16, 1951. The subject line reads "Side Tone Delay." The body of the memo appears to contain handwritten annotations in the margins, indicated by the letter "A" and some illegible scribbles. There are also some obscured portions of text, particularly in the lower half of the page, suggesting redactions. The form itself is a standard government memorandum template, with fields for "TO," "Via," "FROM," and "SUBJECT," which are either blank or filled-in with typewritten text and the handwritten subject. No photographs, diagrams, stamps, or visual evidence of experimental procedures are present. and a receiving unit which, in a rough sense, are portable. However, the laboratory instru ments have not yet ce8n perfected and are cumbersomP. and non-portable. ~. Concerning I & SO interests in this n.atter, it is believ~d that we would have two interests, The first would be in connecticn po~si"ble ~:. Hith the Polygraph Section of I "< SO and the second in connection wit11 the "Artichoke" work. r- 5. In so far as the Polygraph Section is concermd, it is felt that if the instrume:1t co11ld be perfected, it might possibly be of use on in dividual cases where the polygraph clearly indicated deception, or lJ~ng, evasion, and ••here extremely important, and q1lestionable matters are in volved. TI1e writer doubts that the instrument could be used effectively on the normal or routine polygraph case and feels that it would have to be reservad for special work or cases that are not capable of being com pletely resolved by the polygraph technique. Hm..-'3ver, it is beli~v~d that if the instrument could be technically perfected, it would probably have value to_the Polygraph Section. 6. The use of !:.he instrurrJ.ent by "Artichoke" depends a r;reat deal upon its technical development. ''Artichoke" contemplates a far more ... subtle technique for obtaining positive information and, in addition, contemplates obtaining information frorn unwilling individuals or in -· dividuals who ref11se to co-operate in any way. At the present stage, it would appear that the instrument could only be used on a "volunteer basis". ,. ,... .• ... 7. Since the instrument is to be developed as an Agency project and not as an I & SO specific function, it is the opinion of the >.;ri ter and his associates that the projE!ct is probably worthwhile and should be supported. There are, however, from our point of viei.J, a number of items which should be considered in the development of the project. These are set forth immediately following: l. If the instrument is perfected and has been demonstrated to be eff~ctive, ·a-.rJortable instrument, if it could be developed, would be of great advantage. This would be valuable for Agency personnel overseas or for special work requiring teams to go ~nto the field. 2. If at all possible electronically, it i.Jould be of great advantage if, by the use of a directional microphone and directional .loud speakers, the earphones could be elinunated and no attachments required This appears to be an office memorandum, likely a form, with typed text and handwritten annotations. The form itself is titled "Office Memorandum" and "UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT," with fields for "TO," "Via," "FROM," "SUBJECT," and "DATE." The handwritten annotations include a name or identifier at the top right, "A/B, I, 42, 8," and a prominently displayed "A" in the left margin for some of the numbered paragraphs. There's also a handwritten "A" to the lower left which appears to be an initial or identifier. No photographs, stamps, diagrams, tables, or evidence of experimental procedures are visible. be valuable for Agency personnel overseas or for special work requiring teams to go ~nto the field. 2. If at all possible electronically, it i.Jould be of great advantage if, by the use of a directional microphone and directional .loud speakers, the earphones could be elinunated and no attachments required for placing on the subject. k• - J. Experiments should be run as to Hhether or not the device be linked directly into a polygraph. Hm..;ever, these experi co,~ld ments should be. very cautiously '.-forked out so as '10t to give arti ficial or overstrong responses due to the confusion resulting from the 11side tone delay". 4. If tests are to he run by and his Associates on the device, they should not be confined to crimim.l investigations alone nor should they be confined to purely personnel mattl'!rs. The instrument should he checked against all types of q•1estions, par ticularly identity questions and questions involving a person's loyalty, etc. et~., 5. Specific efforts should be made to see that the instrt~ent does not produce indications of guilt in individuals who are inno cent, but who become confused by the operation of the machine. 6. Although the project was brought to our attAntion and fully 0 co-ordinated with the , it is felt that this Agency, if it is paying for the development of the instrument, should have at all times, access to the testinf, rtnd authority to c consult with and advise and his Associates. Further- more, if experimP-ntaticn shoHs that the instrument has a decided advantage and is testing successfully, this Agency, and particu ... larly I & SO, should be authorized to send men to the project to "' be trained in the use of the instrwnent as soon as possible. - -2- _____ , ------~ ,. 7. :·/lule the instrument is being tested, tests should be con ducted in foreign languages if possible and tests should also be run involving the use of an interpretator. This may be necessary in some future work of this Agency. 8. The writer and his as:;ocia tes and , Chief of the Polygraph Section, hav-e discusse_d this matter at some length. All are agreed that the device.may have merit and, if effectively developed, may be a definite aid to interrogation. Its use as a routine in- adv~nced c_ strument is doubted. Since · ' and his Associates appear to have started The page is a typed document with handwritten marginalia in blue ink. There are several underlining marks and a small circle with a line drawn through it. One section of text is underlined multiple times and has a caret mark above it, suggesting it was meant to be an edit or addition. The document also contains a page number "-2-" at the bottom center. There are no photographs, diagrams, stamps, forms, or tables visible on this page. The overall appearance is that of a working document undergoing review. the Polygraph Section, hav-e discusse_d this matter at some length. All are agreed that the device.may have merit and, if effectively developed, may be a definite aid to interrogation. Its use as a routine in- adv~nced c_ strument is doubted. Since · ' and his Associates appear to have started work in this field, it is believed they are b~st suited to'carry c on this work although, undoubtedly, -will directly profit from the development of the instrument in his corrunercial polrgraph work • . 9. The writer is unable to state whether or not .. :.J 5,000 is excessive for this type of a project but on the basis of the budget submitted, the costs do not appear too heavy. - '· # - -3- The page is primarily text, with visible handwritten annotations in dark ink. There are no photographs, diagrams, charts, or forms. Several lines of text are redacted with thick black bars, obscuring specific information. The handwritten marks include a large "A" in the top left corner of the page and at the bottom, and a smaller "A" near the bottom. There are also some faint, possibly typed, marks and what appear to be small, scattered ink dots as visual noise. The page is numbered "-3-" at the bottom.