Traditional medicine

Does truth serum really exist? Truth serum: Pentothal and Scopolamine the whole truth about dangerous substances Truth pill what.

Pentotal and Scolopamine are substances that have a psychoactive effect on the human brain.

“Truth serum” refers to the use of these drugs to obtain hidden information.

As a rule, it is used by intelligence services during interrogations to solve a crime. Truth serum was used by Indian intelligence agencies during the investigation of the terrorist attack in Mumbai, as well as by the American intelligence agency in the case of the shooting in the city of Aurora, Minnesota.

History of the creation of substances

In 1880, the German scientist A. Ladenburg discovered the substance plant origin– scopolamine, studies were carried out, as a result of which it was possible to find out psychological impact alkaloid on brain activity person.

Since 1900, scopolamine, together with other opioids, has been used for anesthesia during labor activity in women.

The history of the discovery of truth serum began in 1910 in the USA:

during a difficult birth, one patient was administered the painkiller Scopolamine by obstetrician R. House, while the woman was in a delirious, semi-conscious state; the doctor needed to determine the baby’s weight and asked the child’s father to bring scales; After some time, the husband of the woman in labor did not find the scales, after which he loudly exclaimed: “Where are these scales?”; and then the woman, who was still in heavy consciousness, said clearly in a loud voice: “They are in the kitchen, behind the painting”; after the spouse actually found them in specified location and brought it to the obstetrician, the doctor was amazed, because the woman did not yet fully realize that she had become a mother, but she clearly answered the question without delay; even then R. House thought about the impact of this substance on human consciousness;
despite the fact that the doctor was an obstetrician, he proposed using Scopolamine on criminals and was the first to translate his idea into reality; for the first time, the drug was used as a “truth serum” on a man who was in a Dallas prison, he was accused of assault and robbery of a pharmacy; The doctor later published his experiments in journals; but his work was not received properly; the majority of legally educated citizens completely denied the possibility of using the substance and its effect.

Chemical formula

Pentothal or Thiopental sodium truth serum: a substance consisting of sodium salt(RS)-5-(1-methylbutyl)-5-ethyl-2-thiobarbituric acid with anhydrous sodium carbonate.

IN large quantities the substance is used to euthanize animals; in America it was used to perform death penalty in injection form.

It is a white crystalline powder, poorly soluble in water and easily soluble in ethanol. Chemical formula presented in the following form - C11H17N2NaO2S.

Scopolamine is an alkaloid, a mixture of scopine and tropic acid, produced from plants of the nightshade family. Scopolamine is close in chemical properties to atropine.

Chemical formula – C17H21NO4. Used as crystalline powder white, easily dissolves in water and ethanol.

How are drugs used for medical purposes?

Today in medical practice Sodium Pentothal and Scopolamine are widely used, but not as truth serums.

Applications of Scopolamine:

in neurology for the treatment of parkinsonism;
in patients with mental disorders as a sedative;
together with or used for anesthesia before surgery;
at seasickness, as an antiemetic drug;
in ophthalmological practice for diagnostic purposes (to dilate the pupils), as well as for iridocyclitis (inflammation of the iris and ciliary body) and iritis (inflammation of the iris of the eyes).

How does truth serum work on patients? IN medical purposes the substance began to be used due to its effect on the body, which is compared with atropine: after administration of the solution, the following effect is observed:

pupils dilate;
heart rate increases;
visual dysfunction occurs;
muscle relaxation is noted;
reduces gastric secretion;
inhibits the functioning of the sweat glands;
reduces motor activity;
provokes the development of amnesia.

Application of Pentothal

This substance affects the central nervous system, reducing the activity of neurons, which leads to a drowsy state. In case of an overdose of the drug, life-threatening conditions develop.

Pentotal is used in the following cases:

in the form of anesthesia for short-term surgical procedures;
with epileptiform seizures;
as a treatment for increased ICP;
in order to prevent oxygen starvation brain in some diseases;
during drug analysis.

Substance addiction

How does truth serum work when taken uncontrolled?

When using one of these substances, some people try to cope with stress or insomnia on their own.

But the product begins to be used on an ongoing basis.

As a result the work internal organs and systems are disrupted, a person’s well-being deteriorates, in particular his psychological state. Uncontrolled use also leads to an overdose and, accordingly, fatal outcome.

The use of such drugs is prohibited in elderly people, since the aging body is not able to cope with a strong substance that acts like a drug.

To avoid the development of addiction and withdrawal symptoms, a gradual reduction in the dosage used is carried out, up to the complete cessation of treatment.

First aid for overdose

In cases of exceeding doses of Scopolamine, first aid is required, which consists of the following steps:

Gastric lavage - administered through a tube large number warm solution of water in which about 30 g of suspension is diluted activated carbon. Or washing is performed using potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) in proportions of 1:1000, after which it is introduced saline solution and activated carbon suspension.
If it is impossible to rinse the stomach using a probe, Apomorphine is administered subcutaneously. A siphon enema of a 0.5% tannin solution is used.
With increased restlessness motor activity antipsychotic drugs are prescribed (aminazine, previously dissolved in novocaine for intramuscular administration).
A sympathomimetic that reduces swelling is used - ephedrine hydrochloride.
When overheating of the body increases, ice compresses are applied to the head, and the body is wrapped in a damp, cool sheet.
In severe cases, forced diuresis is performed, with the help of which the poison is removed from the bloodstream and detoxification hemosorption.
In case of violations respiratory function oxygen is supplied through a special mask; in case of asphyxia, the patient is connected to an artificial respiration apparatus.

Emergency assistance for Pentothal poisoning consists of the following measures:

To neutralize toxins, improve respiratory function and restore blood circulation, bemegride is administered.
Patients often experience contraction of the laryngeal muscles - to prevent this state muscle relaxants are administered together with oxygen;
Anticonvulsants are used;
The patient is connected to the device artificial ventilation lungs.
Plasma-substituting and blood-substituting solutions are administered.

Conclusion

The drug, considered a truth serum, has no proven effectiveness as a means of revealing classified information.

One can only guess how truth serum works in the hands of intelligence services.

But you should not use these substances independently, regardless of the purpose. Since these drugs are addictive, any uncontrolled use should be avoided.

The truth about "Truth Serum"

Widely used in his stories psychotropic drugs, known as truth serum, in many different variations. They are present in books, films, TV series and popular shows. But does such a drug really exist? If so, what are its real capabilities?

A little history

Application idea special means, which could force a person to speak only the truth, has existed for a long time. The first version of such a drug officially appeared at the beginning of the last century - in 1913. A similar effect of the drug was described by the American doctor Robert House. He witnessed how women giving birth, under the influence of the then-used scopolamine, told the people around them the most hidden secrets while being in a slightly foggy state.

First use

For interrogation purposes, this substance was used in the 20-30s of the twentieth century during the height of crime in the United States. Similar actions were even sanctioned by the court. The remedy was also widespread during the Second World War. However, it was not used for interrogations, but as a sedative, after which seriously wounded soldiers could at least say what exactly was hurting them. In parallel with scopolamine, its analogues - sodium amytal and sodium pentothal - were also used. Truth serum was then also used in surgery as an anesthetic.

Modern use

The largest experiment using these drugs was carried out by the CIA. In the mid-twentieth century, several projects were launched that investigated the effect of psychotropic substances on human behavior. The most famous of them, undoubtedly, was the MK-Ultra project. An attempt to use this drug for interrogation was made in 2012, after massacres in the American city of Aurora. Despite the seriousness of the charges, the interrogation never took place, since this procedure violated the arrestee's right to remain silent.

Despite numerous studies, this remedy has not found its application. Doctors argued that a person under the influence of such drugs can easily fall under the influence of the investigator who is interrogating him and answer according to his prompts and leading questions. In addition, under the influence of this substance, a person did not adequately perceive reality, which also affected the reliability of his words. That is why even in the USA, where the polygraph has an official legal force, the truth serum did not find the necessary support.

Examples of use

Unlike the US, such drugs have been used several times in India. Most famous case occurred in 2010 when a Pakistani terrorist suspected of the Mumbai attack was being interrogated. Under the influence of psychotropic substances, he admitted his guilt, which was later proven in judicial procedure, and also handed over other accomplices. Similar drugs were also used by the Indian police during the search for the killer of a tiger in one of the states of the country.

How does the drug work?

Today's mechanism of action this tool fully researched and understood. The drug blocks certain receptors of the autonomic nervous system and brain. The drug calms a person, increases drowsiness, causes a rapid heartbeat, and dilates the pupils. When used at a certain dose, scopolamine and its analogues can cause memory loss regarding events that occurred under the influence of the drug. TO side effects of this product also include headache, misperception reality and hallucinations. A person feels tired, lethargic, his volitional control and adequate assessment of his actions and the actions of the people around him disappear. Depending on their health, the test subject may exhibit other symptoms caused by a drug known as truth serum. At home use this drug quite possible. The necessary components can be bought at the pharmacy, sometimes even without a prescription, and with the appropriate knowledge and skills you can prepare it yourself. The finished drug can also be purchased online, although not always legally. Here, however, one should be extremely careful, since an incorrectly selected dose and different level human health conditions can be fatal.

Current situation

Despite all the data, truth serum is practically not used in investigations and interrogations. This is due to several factors:

unethical towards people;
the unreliability of the information that a person gives, since it can be distorted by hallucinations and an inadequate assessment of reality (a person can invent events himself and believe that it is true);
Some researchers believe that if a person deliberately aims to hide truthful information, then he will continue to do this even under the influence of psychotropic drugs.

In addition, one of decisive factors The danger of not using this drug is its danger. If the dosage is exceeded, the substance can stop breathing and lead to death! Various drugs that could force a person to tell the truth have been researched for many years. Despite numerous experiments, this technique didn't find it wide application, which is due various factors. Truth serum, however, is widely used in film plots and literary works and in other media of mass culture.

An insatiable desire to know and seek the truth at any cost has haunted people throughout their entire existence. First use potent drugs is attributed to a certain Monteggia, who used an injection of opium to obtain testimony from a suspected criminal in the late eighteenth century.

The term “truth serum” appears in the thirties of the last century, denoting work on the search for such substances obtained chemically. American doctor Robert House conducted experiments with scolopamine in 1916, confident that this drug would force anyone to tell the truth.

Later, in the forties of the last century, a drug “favorite” of Carlos Castaneda, obtained from the Mexican cactus - mescaline, was used for these purposes. The American intelligence services of that time became very interested in this drug. The result of their research was official legislative permission for the use of “truth serum” in the fifties.

Then in 1953 Rossiter Lewis, an English doctor, tested sodium pentothal on an accused murderer, administering the drug to obtain confessions. It is known that, having failed to achieve a confession, the doctor wrote that the accused confessed. Over time, Lewis made several more similar “disclosures.” French criminologists picked up the baton of dubious triumphs of forensic science by interrogating Nazi collaborator Henri Sensou. His unconscious “yes” was interpreted as a confession.

During the war, sodium pentothal was widely used by American doctors to treat mental injuries and for anesthesia. After the war, the use of the drug as remedy has practically stopped. Knowing the relaxing effect on memory recovery in patients, former military doctors are beginning to advise police on the use of sodium pentothal for interrogating suspects.
Similar research was carried out in the USSR. Under the auspices of the State Security Agency there worked a laboratory to study the use of potent substances.

So, sodium pentothal - so-called. “truth serum” - what is it? This is a remedy for general anesthesia Very fast action, due to the ability active substance slow down neural activity between central neurons nervous system. The drug causes drowsiness, and in large doses is life-threatening. When using “truth serum,” the enthusiasm of associates was always balanced by the skepticism of specialists who argued that under the influence of sodium pentothal a person becomes easily suggestible and willingly says what they want to hear from him. Therefore, in an American court, testimony obtained in this way is not considered evidence. There are occasional reports of truth serum being used in special isolated cases in some countries, but this is not common judicial practice.

The term “truth serum” itself appeared in the 30s of the twentieth century. Work to find such a “drug” began even earlier. Even the ancient Romans proclaimed In vino veritas (the truth is in wine) - and they were not so far from the truth. “When you’re high,” it’s much easier for a person to loosen his tongue. Sigmund Freud, by the way, an ardent fan of cocaine, considered intoxication a means of awakening the dormant subconscious. Directly in criminology, what would later be called “truth serum” was first used in late XVIII century - an Italian named Monteggia. He injected opium into a suspected criminal to extract a confession from him.

Nevertheless, scientific method obtaining truthful testimony from a person using certain chemicals It's called "drug analysis". According to foreign experts, narcoanalysis, like hypnosis, in police and investigative practice is mainly used when the person being interrogated, for one reason or another (for example, due to shock) is not able, at the time of a normal interrogation, to remember the event of interest to the investigation and its details essential to the investigation.

The history of the method is as follows (explained according to: Obraztsov V.A., Bogomolova S.N. “Forensic psychology”). Thought of possibility practical use side effect anesthesia did not originate with criminologists, but with doctors. Using mild anesthesia to relieve labor pain, they noticed that women were telling things about themselves and their loved ones that they would never have said normally. In 1922, Texas physician Robert Ernest House, known as the "father of truth serum," published in the Texas Journal medical journal article entitled "Use of Scopolamine in Criminology." (In 1931, this article was reprinted in the English Journal of Police Science.) Dr. House conducted numerous experiments, selecting optimal dosages drugs and frequency of injections, and came to the conclusion that if necessary conditions his method is a win-win.

In 1924, speaking to police officers in Houston, he said that he had managed to create a method that allowed, against the will of the subject, to extract from his memory information “hidden” at the subconscious level of the psyche. This is achieved by injecting a dose of scopolamine into the blood. This drug, as Dr. House assured his listeners, causes either deep sleep, or being awake with “consciousness turned off.” In such an artificial unconscious a person can answer questions like a small child - honestly, directly, without trying to evade the answer, deceive or cheat. Later, after conducting numerous experiments, Dr. House became convinced that there is no person who could resist the effects of scopolamine, and that the method he created was as reliable as fingerprinting of the fingers. After this, the method was adopted by the police.

Neither the creator of the “truth serum” nor his many followers imagined how decisively he would face resistance in the courts. The first incident occurred in Missouri, when the lawyer of a rape accused tried to use the testimony of a medical expert who interrogated the accused under anesthesia as evidence of his client's innocence. The court found the expert’s explanations unconvincing and untenable scientific point vision. Since then, both in the Old and New Worlds, courts have for a long time no longer take into account evidence obtained under anesthesia. Motivation - the testimony was obtained “in an altered state of consciousness” and, therefore, may be a product of psychological pressure. In addition, subsequent experiments forced a more restrained attitude towards the reliability of the drug analysis method itself. As it turned out, there are people who are capable of lying even under anesthesia, and people who give truthful testimony are confused while in this state. Life, however, has shown that abandoning the drug analysis method is premature.

After World War II, narcoanalysis began to be used to treat war psychoses (narcoanalysis is sometimes called “rapid psychoanalysis”) and to treat amnesia in persons who had suffered shell shock. Psychiatrists use drug analysis to recognize malingering when assessing sanity.

As for the investigative process, drug analysis has come to be used to help a witness or victim remember the circumstances surrounding a crime. It is believed that these days drug analysis is rarely used when interrogating suspects, and only in cases where the testimony of the interrogated person differs from the results of a polygraph test. At the same time, in information space There are widespread rumors that law enforcement agencies and especially the intelligence services of many countries widely use “truth serum” against stubborn interrogators.
It is typical that testimony under anesthesia is not accepted as evidence. They can be a source of valuable guiding information and help the investigator form an internal conviction of the guilt or innocence of the interrogated person. With this information, the investigator can also focus his efforts on a specific area of investigation and collect the necessary evidence.
The interrogation of a suspect under anesthesia is carried out in accordance with the law Western countries, in conditions medical hospital. Once the appropriate decision has been made, a working group, which may include representatives of the defense, prosecution, judges, psychiatrists, psychologists, experts on foreign language, experimental scientists, investigators. The selection of specialists is dictated by the specifics of the act under investigation. Required terms in all cases, there is scientific objectivity, the usefulness of the research, knowledge of the personality characteristics of the suspect and the details of the case. The commission always includes an anesthesiologist who performs the injection. pharmacological drugs in the dosage necessary to achieve the state required for interrogation.

In a conversation preceding the test procedure, the interrogator establishes psychological contact with the suspect, tries to gain his trust, convincing the persons conducting the examination that the procedure is safe for health, and that the truth will certainly be established. The suspect is explained his constitutional rights that allow him to refuse the examination. He is also warned that if he agrees, the results of the drug analysis may be used in further investigation and trial.

The drug analysis procedure itself is carried out in a regular operating room. The most comfortable atmosphere is created whenever possible. All drugs (belonging to the barbiturate group) are administered intravenously (this way the desired effect and it is easier to control the effect of the drug). In this case, scopolamine, sodium amytal or sodium pentonal are usually used. When they are administered, a twilight, drowsy state occurs, the so-called “half-consciousness”. IN In this case, the “censorship of consciousness” is removed and deep, true experiences and attitudes are released.

As the injection takes place, the suspect is interviewed on topics unrelated to the crime. By the end of the first stage of anesthesia, when the interrogated person already has difficulty perceiving questions and answering them, the conversation is transferred to the subject of the interrogation. After the initiators of the interrogation feel that the suspect is determined to true story, the latter is slowly brought out of the state of anesthesia until he begins to speak clearly and intelligibly so that all his testimony can be recorded on a tape recorder.

At the end of the drug interrogation, a conversation is held with the suspect, at which all members of the commission are present. The suspect is presented with a recording of his testimony given under anesthesia; he is often so surprised that he gives confirmation of this testimony in a “procedurally acceptable” form.

A professionally conducted drug analysis helps to obtain information about the guilt or innocence of the suspect. (In the latter case, suspicions against him are removed.) A similar procedure is used to prepare and interrogate victims and witnesses under anesthesia.

In the book by A.I. Kolpakidi and D.P. Prokhorov's "KGB. Special Operations of Soviet Intelligence" reports that in Stalin's times, in the depths of the KGB, a secret laboratory functioned to study the use of toxic substances in operations carried out by Soviet intelligence services. In the same laboratory, developments were also carried out regarding psychotropic substances that “untie” the tongue.
For the first time about laboratory "X", which for more than 30 years has been developing chemicals for special operations, P. Sudoplatov said in the open press. There is no doubt that domestic specialists were able to quite competently and successfully solve the assigned tasks of developing substances with unique characteristics. In the context of the topic raised, it is enough to mention that all German saboteurs sent to Moscow as part of Operation Monastery were euthanized in a safe house and arrested without firing a single shot. No traditional sleeping pill is guaranteed to put several people to sleep. strong men not only quickly, but also simultaneously (and the simultaneity of euthanasia in in this case is the main criterion for the effectiveness of special equipment). Without a doubt, even then - in 1943-44. - The NKVD had at its disposal effective special means of the widest range of actions: for euthanizing, immobilizing, interrogating and killing the enemy, as well as tonics and analgesics.

After a series of failures with the use of scopolamine (the Japanese driver admitted guilt in the murder of the boy while “high”, and then it turned out that he was innocent), toxicologists around the world were looking for other “truth-based” means.

Mescaline

In the 40s, the “last squeak” was mescaline - the same drug from the Mexican peyote cactus, on which (among other things) Carlos Castaneda made his name. Both the SS and the OSS (US Bureau of Strategic Services - the predecessor of the CIA) took it seriously. The intelligence services became interested in the effect that mescaline had on the Indians of Mexico, who used it in rites of repentance.

Ethnographer Weston La Barre, in his monograph “The Cult of Peyote” (1938), wrote: “At the call of the chief, the members of the tribe stood up and publicly confessed the wrongdoings and insults inflicted on others... Tears, by no means ritual, flowed down the faces of those who frankly confessed and completely repented. They all asked the leader to guide them on the right path." Scientific experiments have proven that during a mescaline high, the will completely disappears and the tongue becomes loose. By the way, these experiments were carried out not in laboratories, but in concentration camps - unsuspecting prisoners were injected with a drug, and they “revealed their deepest secrets.” One thing was bad - the effect of mescaline lasted very long. short time.

Marijuana

When mescaline did not live up to the hopes of criminologists, marijuana was used. The American police could not get enough of it when the stoned August del Garcia - a small fry in the gang of mafioso Lucky Luciano - became unusually talkative and betrayed all his accomplices. After this, the CIA even began to “test” suspected communist sympathizers with marijuana. However, it turned out that weed only affects people who are temperamental and talkative by nature. People who are closed and talkative are not inclined to make revelations even when high.

LSD

The Soviet intelligence services did not lag behind their Western colleagues - they, too, were clearly racking their brains over the creation of a “truth serum.” The most striking confirmation of this is the trial of the head of the Hungarian catholic church Cardinal Joseph Mingenti. He made his “confessions” so mechanically that it was obvious: there was a dose of “chemistry” here!

Meanwhile, in the West they began to rush around with a new idefix: LSD. The United States and England made joint efforts to proclaim this drug a “truth serum.” The experiments of the researchers were monstrous - for example, the American doctor Harris Isabel, testing the tolerability of LSD, prescribed the drug to seven “volunteers” for 77 (!) days in a row - and... again did not come to particularly convincing results.

Sodium pentothal

This, however, did not prevent the use of “truth serum” from being recognized as legal. Legislative approval for truth-containing drugs was given in the 50s - just when the English doctor Rossiter Lewis distinguished himself. In 1953, he injected sodium pentothal (another type of “serum”) into a man who was accused of murdering his partner. And although there was no confession, Lewis wrote in his report that the defendant confessed. They believed the report. Subsequently, Dr. Lewis brought in several more accusations in the same way. French criminologists followed his example. They injected the same sodium pentothal to Henri Sens, accused of collaborating with the Nazis. Being in semi-conscious, Sens said the word “yes.” Prosecutors interpreted this as evidence of guilt.

Is it the end?

Little by little, already in the 50s, the idea of a “truth serum” began to evoke skeptical grins. British psychiatrist Stephen Horsley wrote: “I used anesthesia as a means to obtain a confession. And in this state, even innocent people often admitted their guilt. The results of the experiments convinced me that anesthesia cannot be used to make an innocent person admit what he denied fully conscious." It became clear that intoxication can make a person more suggestible, disinhibited, talkative, and can force him to admit some guilt attributed to him, but it is unlikely to force him to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Moreover, under the influence of such drugs, memory was turned off, and the defendants did not remember not only their own answers, but even the questions they answered - how could they answer the truth if they did not record the question? Even in the new edition of Webster's Dictionary, the entry on "truth serum" was changed to read: "A truth serum is a drug believed to temporarily enhance truthfulness."

But, albeit without the same enthusiasm, the search for a substance that would make everything secret clear continued until the early 70s. For example, the CIA conjured psilocybin mushrooms and curare poison. Yes, they are still used today various types"truth serum" However, they are used not in forensics, but in medicine - for diagnosing hysteria.

But it’s too early to relax! Today's belief in mind control technologies such as brain chips or electronic memory erasing is very reminiscent of the "truth serum" hysteria of half a century ago. Electronic spies took the place of chemical spies.

New lie detector

This method was first used in the investigation of the murder of a police officer in Iowa. The guy who was considered guilty spent twenty years in the camps. And only when a contraption was placed on his head, with which his memory could be tested, it turned out that in the poor fellow’s brain... there were no memories of the crime. But there are details of the concert the young man attended on the evening of the murder.

A person's memory is tested using a special helmet with electrodes. And experts consider this method to be much more reliable than old-generation lie detectors. Detectors, used in forensic science since the 20s of the twentieth century, determine whether a person is lying or telling the truth based on physiological parameters: blood pressure, breathing, sweating, etc. So crystal honest, but nervous people, when tested with such detectors, appear to be complete liars, and cold-blooded liars appear as models of truthfulness. It is easy to mislead the detector and thereby force it to... lie.

As for the helmet, invented by Lawrence Farwell, a scientist and businessman from Iowa, it operates on a completely different principle - it detects the electrical signal that the human brain emits when perceiving familiar images (this signal is conventionally called P300). The subject looks at the screen inside the helmet, which shows, for example, various combinations of numbers. Suddenly, among completely arbitrary digital combinations, his own home phone number flashes - and the person’s brain reacts to familiar information with the same P300 signal, and this happens completely independently of the will of the subject.

The policeman's killer fled the crime scene through a vacant lot overgrown with weeds. He couldn't help but remember how he made his way through the tall, thorny stems. However, when they put a helmet on the accused’s head and showed him internal screen the phrases “cement and asphalt”, “sand and gravel”, “grass and thorns”, the device did not record the P300 signal in any case. Of course, this does not yet prove the innocence of the accused, but it gives important information court, and it’s up to him how to interpret them.
In 2001, the American newspaper Washington Times wrote that American federal courts might allow investigators to use “truth serums” to obtain information about bin Laden and his terrorist network, al-Qaida.
relations." Well, this is not the first time for Americans. It is known for sure that during the Second World War, drugs were administered to suspected spies.