MKUltra was a secret human experimentation program designed and undertaken by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from the 1950s until the early 60s. The program was intended to develop procedures and identify drugs that could be used during interrogations to weaken people and force confessions. The program included the development, testing, and management of drugs, psychotherapy, and other techniques to alter human behavior. The program was initially launched for defensive purposes, but agency officials quickly began exploring offensive measures. The program was run by a chemist named Sidney Gottlieb, who was selected to run the program. The program was highly secretive, and most records on the program were destroyed upon its termination. The program was officially ended in 1963, but the experiments continued to echo into the early years of the 21st century. The program has become the subject of conspiracy theories, and its name is often used as a buzzword to blame the US government for committing horrible acts against its own people.