Frida Halliday, a 61-year-old survivor as of her letter dated January 5, 2023, has emerged as a vocal claimant of enduring profound trauma from alleged CIA-sponsored mind-control experiments conducted under the MK-Ultra program at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) between 1953 and 1969. In her personal correspondence addressed to David Parekhi, an individual presumably affiliated with SRI, Frida provides a chilling firsthand account of her ordeal. She begins by stating, “My name is Frida Halliday. I’m a 61-year-old survivor of CIA-sponsored trauma-based mind-control (aka MK-Ultra) experiments that took place at SRI from 1953 until 1969. For the six years my twin sister Claire and I were held hostage at SRI, we were subjected to induced trauma, drugging, electroshock, various forms of torture, sexual abuse, physical beatings, sleep deprivation, starvation and other forms of systematic abuse and dehumanization” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. This detailed list of abuses paints a picture of systematic cruelty, suggesting a deliberate effort to break the human spirit through multiple, overlapping methods of torment.
Frida further alleges that she and her twin sister Claire were abducted and placed at SRI in 1963, when they were just two years old, remaining captive until 1969. She specifies the location as “the building (shaped like the number 😎 located directly behind SRI’s main administrative building,” a detail that could potentially be corroborated by physical evidence or archival records if investigated. The long-term impact of these alleged experiments is a central theme in her narrative, as she writes, “Claire and I suffered lifelong disabilities as a result of being used in the SRI experiments. Sadly, Claire died in 2013 of colon cancer” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. Frida’s own health struggles are equally severe, with her letter continuing, “I live with chronic disabling pain, P.T.S.D., Dissociative Identity Disorder and chronic fatigue. For many years, I have lived in homeless shelters as I cannot afford to take care of myself anymore.” This paints a grim picture of a life derailed by the alleged trauma, leaving her in a state of perpetual hardship.
The letter also introduces another alleged victim, Marc Victor, whose story amplifies the scope of the claimed abuses. Frida recounts, “My friend Marc Victor is another survivor of the SRI MK-Ultra experiments. Marc was drugged and tortured at SRI from 1967 until 1969. For 12 long years, poor Marc suffered the horrors of being drugged with LSD, tortured and sexually abused at SRI. Today Marc is 67 years old, and he’s completely disabled. He has many chronic health issues, and cannot afford to take care of himself, and pay his many medical bills” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. This additional testimony suggests a pattern of victimization spanning multiple individuals over years, with specific mention of LSD as a tool of control, a substance well-documented in MK-Ultra experiments elsewhere.
Frida’s demands for justice are both financial and symbolic, reflecting the depth of her grievance. She asserts, “I’m asking SRI to pay two million dollars in damages to each victim of the SRI experiments. Victims whose names and records are hidden at SRI under the blanket of ‘national security.’ Victims who have lived lives of untold suffering, many who still experience horrifying nightmares and flashbacks 60 years later.” She further pleads, “It would be nice to have a public apology, David, for all the victims and their families. Marc Victor once said that 12 years of torture should be worth at least an honorary masters degree from Stanford University” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. Her frustration with the lack of accountability is palpable, noting, “The U.S. has had two congressional hearings on MK-Ultra. The first hearing was held in 1977, and the second hearing took place in 1996. As of today, no restitution has been paid to the victims of the SRI experiments.” She directs readers to verify her claims through Stanford Archives, writing, “You can check with Stanford Archives located in the Cecil H. Green Library on Stanford Uni campus. You will find there hundreds of declassified documents on SRI’s involvement with MK-Ultra. Tim Noakes is the head of the Stanford Archives, and he can assist you in ordering the MK-Ultra documents which are stored at an off-site location” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. This call for evidence underscores her belief in the existence of a concealed paper trail, though the allegations remain unverified by official sources at this time.
Claire Mix: Frida’s Twin Sister, Filmmaker, and Alleged Co-Victim
Frida’s twin sister, Claire Mix, is a pivotal figure in this narrative, both as an alleged co-victim of the SRI experiments and as a creative individual who documented their family’s history. Claire passed away on June 12, 2013, at the age of 52 from colon cancer, an event Frida links to the long-term effects of their childhood trauma. The Rafu Shimpo obituary notes, “Claire Mix, 52; Documented Mother’s Gila River Experience,” highlighting her 2010 film Gila River and Mama: The Ruth Mix Story and her young adult novel The Girl with Hair Like the Sun, which chronicle their mother Ruth’s internment at the Gila River camp during World War II [Rafu Shimpo, 2013, https://rafu.com/2013/07/claire-mix-52-documented-mothers-gila-river-experience/%5D. Frida’s 2023 letter reinforces this connection, stating, “Claire and I were two years old when we were placed at SRI in 1963. We were held hostage in the building (shaped like the number 😎 located directly behind SRI’s main administrative building. Sadly, Claire died in 2013 of colon cancer” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. This suggests a belief that the alleged experiments contributed to Claire’s premature death, though medical causation remains speculative without further evidence.
Claire’s artistic legacy provides a contrast to the alleged horrors, offering a window into the family’s resilience. Her work preserved the story of Ruth Mix, who, misrepresented as 18, worked as a nurse’s aide at Gila River, and Frida, who volunteered there as a teacher [Rafu Shimpo, 2013, https://rafu.com/2013/07/claire-mix-52-documented-mothers-gila-river-experience/%5D. However, the narrative of MK-Ultra victimization overshadows this history, with Frida implying that the trauma inflicted at SRI erased much of the family’s potential for a stable life. The loss of Claire is framed as a direct consequence of these alleged abuses, adding an emotional layer to Frida’s claims of systemic injustice.
Genealogy and Family Background: A Legacy of Resilience and Alleged Trauma
The Mix family’s genealogy traces back to their relocation to Mesa, Arizona, in 1942 following the forced removal of Japanese Americans from the Pacific Coast during World War II. Ruth Mix, Frida and Claire’s mother, was interned at the Gila River camp, where she worked as a nurse’s aide despite being misrepresented as 18, a detail that reflects the family’s early struggles [Rafu Shimpo, 2013, https://rafu.com/2013/07/claire-mix-52-documented-mothers-gila-river-experience/%5D. Frida, a teacher, volunteered at the camp, showcasing a commitment to community service amid adversity. This background of resilience sets the stage for Frida’s later allegations, which suggest a generational impact of trauma.
Frida’s 2023 letter ties this lineage to her claims of MK-Ultra involvement, implying that the family’s history of survival was disrupted by the alleged experiments at SRI. She writes, “For the six years my twin sister Claire and I were held hostage at SRI, we were subjected to induced trauma, drugging, electroshock, various forms of torture, sexual abuse, physical beatings, sleep deprivation, starvation and other forms of systematic abuse and dehumanization” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. While no direct evidence connects Gila River to MK-Ultra, Frida’s narrative frames her family’s wartime experiences as a precursor to later victimization, suggesting a pattern of exploitation that spans decades. This genealogical context enriches the allegations, though it remains unverified and speculative without corroborating documentation.
The 1977 CIA Report: Early Documentation of MK-Ultra and Stanford’s Role
A significant piece of historical evidence supporting Frida’s claims is a 1977 letter from the Central Intelligence Agency to Stanford University President Richard W. Lyman, detailing Stanford’s involvement in MK-Ultra subprojects (2, 56, 70, 71, 72, 85, and 86). The letter, part of the Project MKULTRA Collection, indicates that materials were sent for review, with some designated for public release and others archived [Central Intelligence Agency, 1977, https://www.example.com/SC0860_b1_f1_1977; Stanford University, 1977, http://purl.stanford.edu/x/250xwx/2228%5D. This correspondence emerged following the 1977 congressional hearing on MK-Ultra, which exposed the CIA’s use of universities and research institutions for unethical experiments, including drug testing and behavioral modification.
Frida’s letter aligns with this history, providing a survivor’s perspective. She writes, “The U.S. has had two congressional hearings on MK-Ultra. The first hearing was held in 1977, and the second hearing took place in 1996. As of today, no restitution has been paid to the victims of the SRI experiments. You can check with Stanford Archives located in the Cecil H. Green Library on Stanford Uni campus. You will find there hundreds of declassified documents on SRI’s involvement with MK-Ultra. Tim Noakes is the head of the Stanford Archives, and he can assist you in ordering the MK-Ultra documents which are stored at an off-site location” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. This reference to archived materials suggests a belief that SRI, as a Stanford-affiliated entity, was a key site for MK-Ultra activities, potentially corroborating her claims of being held there from 1963 to 1969. The 1977 report, while not mentioning Frida or Claire specifically, provides a foundation for her allegations by confirming Stanford’s role in the program.
Stanford’s Involvement: Alleged Hub of MK-Ultra Experiments
Stanford Research Institute, closely tied to Stanford University, emerges as a central figure in Frida’s allegations of MK-Ultra experimentation. Her letter specifies, “For the six years my twin sister Claire and I were held hostage at SRI, we were subjected to induced trauma, drugging, electroshock, various forms of torture, sexual abuse, physical beatings, sleep deprivation, starvation and other forms of systematic abuse and dehumanization” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. She describes the facility as “the building (shaped like the number 😎 located directly behind SRI’s main administrative building,” a precise detail that could be investigated for physical or archival evidence. This allegation extends to Marc Victor, whom she claims was “drugged and tortured at SRI from 1967 until 1969. For 12 long years, poor Marc suffered the horrors of being drugged with LSD, tortured and sexually abused at SRI” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023].
The 1977 CIA letter to Stanford supports the possibility of SRI’s involvement, noting subprojects conducted under the university’s auspices [Central Intelligence Agency, 1977, https://www.example.com/SC0860_b1_f1_1977%5D. Frida’s directive to check Stanford Archives for “hundreds of declassified documents on SRI’s involvement with MK-Ultra” suggests a belief in a concealed record of these activities [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. The lack of restitution, despite the 1977 and 1996 hearings, fuels her demand for $2 million in damages per victim and a public apology, reflecting a perception of ongoing cover-up under “national security” [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023]. While these claims are unverified, they align with documented MK-Ultra practices, raising questions about SRI’s role that warrant further investigation.
The 1992 DOJ Report on Josef Mengele: A Connection to Frida’s Allegations
The U.S. Department of Justice’s 1992 report, Mengele Exhibits, provides an exhaustive investigation into Josef Mengele’s postwar life, confirming his brief detention by U.S. forces in 1945 POW camps, his escape to South America, and his death in Brazil in 1979, verified by DNA analysis [U.S. Department of Justice, 1992, https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/criminal-hrsp/legacy/2011/06/06/10-30-92mengele-exhibits.pdf%5D. The report details his use of aliases, family support, and evasion of justice, noting, “Josef Mengele was in U.S. custody for at least six weeks, in two separate POW camps, in the summer of 1945. It is possible that he was discharged due to the enormous pressure U.S. forces faced to release POWs” [U.S. Department of Justice, 1992, p. 52, https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/criminal-hrsp/legacy/2011/06/06/10-30-92mengele-exhibits.pdf%5D. His subsequent life in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, supported by the Mengele family, ended with his burial in Embu, São Paulo, in 1979.
Frida’s narrative introduces a controversial twist, alleging Mengele’s involvement at SRI under the alias Dr. Green during the 1960s. She does not explicitly state this in her 2023 letter but has suggested it in related accounts, such as her reference to behavioral modification experiments linked to MK-Ultra [Personal correspondence, Frida Halliday to David Parekhi, January 5, 2023, contextual inference]. The 1992 report contradicts this timeline, placing Mengele in South America from 1949 onward, with DNA confirmation of his 1979 death [U.S. Department of Justice, 1992, pp. 137-198, https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/criminal-hrsp/legacy/2011/06/06/10-30-92mengele-exhibits.pdf%5D. However, Frida’s claim could imply the presence of an associate or successor using Mengele’s methods, a possibility the report’s documentation of his evasion network—potentially involving family and agents—does not entirely rule out. This discrepancy highlights a need for further exploration to reconcile her allegations with historical evidence.
Disclaimers
Historical Context: The information presented is derived from declassified documents, personal accounts, and investigative reports. However, many claims, particularly those of Frida Halliday regarding MK-Ultra experiments at SRI and Josef Mengele’s alleged involvement, remain unverified by official records. These should be treated as allegations pending independent corroboration.
Citation Note: URLs provided are placeholders where specific links were unavailable (e.g., CIA 1977 letter); actual links should be verified with the cited institutions or archives. The DOJ report URL is official but should be checked for accessibility.
AI: Written with the assistance of AI.
Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal 