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Approved For Release 2003/09/10 : CIA-RDP96-00788R001300020001-6 CONFIDENTIAL ST-CS-—-01-169-—72 July 1972 The US guests stressed the high degree of effectiveness of the Soviet psychiatric first aid centers, and the better quality of their staffs compared with US centers. The US delegation did visit the Serbsky Institute. As for compulsory treatment, the mission stated... . "It is possible that people who need treatment should be compulsorily hospitalized for their own good." 4. (U) Snezhnevskiy, in another document (33), said that when mentioning "brainwashing" many absurd allegations have been made, such as the talk of injecting a substance which paralyzes a person's will. Snezhnevskiy contends that “brainwashing," from a scientific point of view, is absurd. He further believes that the people dedicated to this sort of propaganda have very few scruples and direct the propaganda to laymen who know nothing about medicine. Interviews with Snezhnevskiy and Lebeden, chief of psychiatry at the Pavlov hospital in Leningrad, were obtained just prior to the Fifth World Psychiatric Congress in Mexico City which was held in early December 1971 (34). 5. (U) The literature from Soviet authorities denying the mal- treatment of detainees or other charges does not mention any of the more celebrated prisoners with the exception of Zhores Medvedev who was released after a very short stay. One can draw some obvious conjectures based on the avoidance of such personalities as Gershuni, Grigorenko, Bukovsky , Fainberg, and Borisov in the Soviet statements, The issue of inhumane treatment is usually responded to with the use of platitudes and counter-propaganda. If the Soviets have nothing to conceal, then it would seem that one could expect more scientific and concrete responses as to the actual situation in political detention and behavior manipulation with drugs. SECTION III -— SOVIET PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY PART A —- A General Review 1. (C/CD/NDA) The past fifteen years have witnessed a definite acceleration of growth in Soviet psychology (35). It has been observed by some American psychologists that an upward trend in the quality and quantity of Soviet published research began around the middle of the 1950's. Research designs improved, greater experimental controls were employed, and the level of sophistication in laborat ory techni ques started to rise perceptibly. Many new people are entering into the area of psychology and the increase has been (1966) as much as a factor of 2,3, or 4 (36). According to this source (36), Soviet | 9 CONTROLLED DISSEMINATION NO DISSEMINATION ABROAD CONFTDENTTAL Approved For Release 2003/09/10 : CIA-RDP96-00788R001300020001-6