The Linacre Quarterly

Volume 31 | Number 4 Article 14

November 1964 The thicE s of Brainwashing Joseph H. Crehan

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Recommended Citation Crehan, Joseph H. (1964) "The thicE s of Brainwashing," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 31: No. 4, Article 14. Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol31/iss4/14 The Ethics of Brainwashing

JOSE PH H. CREHAN, S.].

N ORDER to simplify this discus­ si lent corridors on what seems an end­ I sion, one may premise that leucot­ less journey. At each corner the guard omy and surgical treatment of the stops to listen, looks in both direc­ brain is excluded from the strict defi­ tions and then goes on. If he hears nition of brainwashing, this being de­ or sees any other person approaching, fined as the artificial removal of a he pushes the prisoner round to face man's settled principles of action and the wall until the others have passed. their replacement by others that are When the prisoner reaches the inter­ different and even opposite. The op­ rogation room the treatment varies erative word in this definition is the very much. Questioning may be in­ adjective artificial, which implies that formal, as he sits in an arm-chair and the means used whether chemical, elec­ is offered a cigarette. At another time trical or sensitive (hypnosis or possibly he may be beaten until he loses con­ telepathy), are somehow below the sci ousness, revived with cold water, human level at which a human per­ and then beaten again. If his confes­ son has the right to conduct his af­ sion is not satisfactory, he is removed fairs . Obviously there are many men back to the cells for further softening­ who go into a Directors' meeting or a up. Back in his cell he will be waked Governors' meeting with one idea up at any time of the night, or called quite firmly held and who come out fo r questioning just as he has out having agreed to the opposite, and begun to eat the food provided for yet they cannot be said to have been him. He may be deprived of all pos­ brainwashed, since they have, as they sibility of exercise or of sleep by a say, "had it out" with their fellow team of questioners who take over Directors and have been convinced by from the other until he is exhausted. a process of rational argument. Each questioner may begin all over T echniques of brainwashing vary, again without reference to the answers but a brief summary of the kind of given to his predecessors. If the pris­ process followed may be given as a oner stays awake long enough during background for discussion. The pris­ this process, he will begin to suffer oner, before questioning begins, is hallucinations, thinking that there are confined in various types of cell, in insects crawling over him or rats run­ one of which the inmates have been ning about the floor. He will finally beaten, in another of which they have confess from sheer physical weakness. confessed, while in a third they may If in the course of his interrogations have been waiting for months for the prisoner, without giving away any something to happen. All this exposes vital matter, lets slip some clue or the mind of the prisoner to strain and some slight admission, his questioners uncertainty about the future. After will stick at this point and use it to this he is removed to a tiny cell, drag more out of him, taunting him scarcely big enough to contain him, with it as if it were the whole of there to await interrogation in silence the matter. When (and if) he has and meditation. After some days he is eventually confessed, there will set in surprised by the sudden opening of a reaction of remorse and self-re­ his door. A silent guard beckons him proach, and during this period the to follow, and he is escorted through positive build-up will start. He will

NOVEMBER, 1964 201 be told that he is now on the side of on two planes. These were distin­ his questioners and their revolution guished by medieval theologians as or whatever it may be. He will be intentio and electio, and may be in­ encouraged to throw in his lot with terpreted as the plane of ideals and them completely, as his former friends the plane of choice. It is in the light will now loath him and a new start of his ideals that a man makes his will become necessary. A certain eas­ day-to-day choi ces. It is not quite a ing of his co nditions will go with this, matter of the mind making up a moral so that the returning sense of eu­ syllogism with the major premise phoria will brace him to make his serving as ideal and the minor premise choi ce effective and to reconcile him providing the factual information with what is being asked of him. This which will lead to the immediate is the most delicate part of the whole making of a choice, but rather that job and only the most skilled inter­ the ideals are settled principles rest­ rogators will be used to put before ing in the mind which enter into ordi­ him the id eals such as they may be nary choices, not perhaps singly but of the new movement he is being as a complex group. St. Thomas in­ asked to join and to outline for him deed thought that it was the duty of his new path. They may say to him a man on coming to the use of reason that they have been through a si mi­ to make hi s fundamental decision, to lar process themselves or may indi­ seek God or to turn away from Him, cate that the whole world is coming thus making sure that all his subse­ over to their side, as an encourage­ quent choices would be informed ment to him. either by a principle of good or of The chemical and electrical aids evil. Some theologians sti ll hold this may be interposed in the process of view but it is not by any means uni­ questioning at any point where a versal. It may be that a moment comes hold-up has occurred. It is obviously to most people when they can say not required in the present context that they came to a realisation of what that the working of sod ium pentothal the existence of God should mean to and sodium amy tal should be described them, but to say that this was at the or the manner in which shock-treat­ moment of their com ing to an age ment can alter the structure of mem­ when they could first make a rational ory. Attack may be made on the sense­ choice would not seem true to experi­ apparatus by music or rhythm of a ence. sort. In Evelyn Waugh's horror novel The structure of the Spiritual Exer­ he makes Pinfold say: "The three­ cises of St. Ignatius is also on this eight rhythm. The Gestapo discovered pattern. A man is encouraged to de­ it independently. They used to play velop an ideal of doing something for it in the cells. It drove the prisoners Christ, and is then brought up against mad. Yes: thirty-six hours did for the question : "What have I done for anyone. Twelve was enough for most. Christ? What am I doing for Christ?", They could stand any torture but that. and the immediate choices are then to It drove them mad, raving mad, stark be made in the light of the ideal. In staring mad. The Russ ians use it now. the discussion which followed the read­ The Hungarians do it best." In the ing of this paper, the point was coffee, drugs; in the air, sounds, but raised that to some minds the making after all it is the psychological mech­ of a retreat by a Catholic was more anism of human choice that has to than submitting oneself to brainwash­ be altered at the last. ing. It is true that in going through The human will seems to operate the Spil·jtllal Exercises, one is trying

202 LINACRE QUARTERLY to improve one's settled ideals so that soon as they di scover this intentio in subsequent choices may be more pleas­ the man, know what they have to do, ing to God, but the means by which and all is over. If, like the late Mac­ one effects that improvement bear no kenzie King, in Canada, their great comparison with the technique of aim in life is to succeed in communi­ brainwashing. After their experience cating with the dead by means of in Korea, when one-third of their sol­ Spiritualism, the brainwashing tech­ diers who were taken prisoner were nique would have to be much more suspected of having gone over to the subtle. It might be risky to try to Communists, the American Army introduce in the man a belief that he evolved a technique of inculcating was communicating with the dead and their men with the ideal : "I am an that they were telling him to join American fighting man," and hope the Party and work for it, since his that in future emergencies that will credulity might not go so far. These prevent similar breakdowns. Unless examples will, however, show that such an ideal is rationally presented to once a settled principle of action has the mind and adequately motivated, it been discovered, the man is open to would not seem to have much efficacy. manipulation in terms of that prin­ At this point one must advert to ciple. If new principles have to be sup­ the concept of Original Sin. The fram­ plied to him, then he wi ll need the ing of an ideal has to be in accordance whole treatment of breaking down and with human nature, but it has also to building up. be able to correct the bias to which The plain moral question involved human nature is shown to the sub­ in brainwashing is this : "How far is ject. Thus in the Spiritual Exercises it right to use outside influences to a man has to be encouraged to over­ change a man's inlentio? Can one ever come himself in order to find the will rightly force an individual to be free) of God, to fi nd what he can do for Can one use such a technique to im­ Christ. In the political sphere there prove a criminal during his imprison­ may be a similar attempt to bring a ment ? In general one may answer that man to overcome his self-interest in the State is there simply to provide order to work for the good of the the conditions that favour freedom and party or of a movement, but in the that help a man towards happiness nature of things such appeals are not and the greater knowledge of God; so firmly based in reality. It is inter­ it has not the right to use human esting to note that members of the persons as if they were things. One Communist party are suspended for may see this by the fearsome example private immoralities that are notorious. of what was recently proposed by a It may be that this is a security meas­ corres pondent in the Eugenics Review, ure, to avoid having party-members that the State should administer to the who are open to blackmail, but it may whole population (by adulterating also be an admission that if they are some staple food) the essential ele­ not somehow integrated characters­ ments of the sterilizing pi ll and then even if integrated on wrong lines­ allow some, for reasons and under they are of no use. li cense, the use of an antidote which When a man has made it hi s chi ef would make them once again capable end in li fe to get more strong drink, of bearing children and begetting he does not need much manipulation them. The moral sense is revolted by to be perfectly brainwashed. If his such a proposal, but it is well to thin k drink supply is cut off, he will come out why this should be so. to terms at once. The interrogators, as There has to be made a distin ction

<\ • NOVEMBER, 1964 203 between rational argument and what therefore left this matter an open may for the want of a better word question and left each man entirely be called suasion. It is wrong for the free to decide what to believe. He State, or any of its organs, to act as made only this provision, to be en­ a hidden persuader, and so to condi­ forced with great strictness, that no tion the citizens that they produce an one should so far fall away from the almost automatic reaction of consent dignity of human nature as to believe to a State directive. Citizens are not that the soul dies with the body or to be equated with Pavlov's dogs. Ar­ that the world is ruled by chance with­ gument is fa ir; conditioning is not. out any Providence from God. One St. Thomas More put all this very who fai ls in this way they do not count clearly in his Utopia where he was in Utopia as a man . He is given no sketching a policy which had the full honours and is not admitted to any use of reason but as yet no light of public office .. Still, they do not revelation to help it. His ideas may punish him nor compel him by force be paraphrased thus: to conceal his opinion. H e is for­ King Utopus decreed that each one bidden to argue in favour of his could follow what religion he pleased, opinion before the multitude, but in and he might thus far try to persuade the presence of the pries ts and other others to join him, that he should grave men he is not only allowed but bring forward reasons to support his even encouraged to do so, for they religion with peace and restraint, not trust that reason will finally di spel striving to tear other religions to bits that foolish prejudice. Others there if he fa iled to persuade men to his are, and these are not a few, on whom own, not using any force at all and there is no prohibition, and these are not stooping to abusive words. Any they who hold that the souls of ani­ who offend in this particular the mals are likewise immortal, though Utopians punish with exile or with not destined for the happiness that enslavement. The intention of King is ours nor to be compared with them Utopus was not only to preserve peace, in dignity. but also he had in view the good of Utopia leaves us then with the re­ religion itself. He would make no sidual question : Granted that it is hasty decision in such a matter ... One wrong to use suasion on a man in thing was clear to him, that to exact place of reason, when it is desired to f rom others by force, or threat of change his course of action, does there force, adherence to what one beli eved ever come a time (as Utopia implies) oneself was quite stupid and arrogant. when a man has so far sunk below H e realised that the truth would make the rational level and the dignity of its own way and eventually come to man as to be exempt from this moral the fore by its own power, if all was prohibition ? One may also be moved ruled by reason and moderation, but to wonder what, if anything, the mod­ that if force and tumult prevailed the ern State is doing about fostering in worst types of men, being always the its citizens a regard for the immortal­ most forward, would crush the most ity of the soul and the Providence of holy and the best religion under their God, which are the two essential pre­ own load of idle superstitions. He suppositions of civi c li fe?

Reprinted, with permission, from Catholic Medical Quarterly (London) 14:6-10 Jan. 1962.

204 LIN ACRE QUARTERLY