Igor Viktorovich Smirnov (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Абакумов Игорь Викторович, Смирнов Игорь Викторович) (April 5, 1951 – November 5, 2004) was a controversial

scientist best known for his role in Soviet-era

mind control Mind control may refer to: Psychology and neurology * Brainwashing, the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques * Brain–computer interface * Hypnosis * Neuroprosthetics, the technology of cont ...

research as well as an obscure field of human behavior study he called "psychoecology". He was a son of Soviet Minister of State Security

Viktor Abakumov Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov (; 24 April 1908 – 19 December 1954) was a high-level Soviet security official who from 1943 to 1946 was the head of SMERSH in the USSR People's Commissariat of Defense, and from 1946 to 1951 of the Minister of St ...

, who was executed for his role in

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

's political repressions.

Career

Smirnov has been characterized in the media as a

Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...

-like character with "almost mystical powers of persuasion". According to his wife Rusalkina, the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

military enlisted Smirnov's psychotechnology in the 1980s to combat the

Mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' (), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' (), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in ''jihad'' (), interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the commun ...

and treat post-traumatic stress syndrome in Russian soldiers during the

war in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

. Smirnov's background included military research, and the care of drug addiction and mental illness. He founded the Psychotechnology Research Institute at the

Peoples' Friendship University of Russia The Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (Russian language, Russian: Российский университет дружбы народов имени Патриса Лумумбы), also known as RUDN University and until 1 ...

to work on ideas like "psychocorrection", a term he used to denote the use of subliminal messages to alter a subject's will, or even modify a person's personality without their knowledge. The Institute caught the attention of Chris Morris and

Janet Morris Janet Ellen Morris (May 25, 1946 – August 10, 2024) was an American author of fiction and nonfiction, best known for her fantasy and science fiction and her authorship of a non-lethal weapons concept for the U.S. military. Background Writing ...

who were reportedly attempting to sell technology to the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

consulted Smirnov regarding the

Waco Siege The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the siege by US federal government and Texas state law enforcement officials of a compound belonging to the religious cult known as the Branch Davidians, between February 28 and April 19, 1993 ...

in 1993. Smirnov proposed piping subliminal messages from sect members' families through the phone lines during negotiations so as to effect the surrender of

David Koresh David Koresh (; born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was an American cult leader. who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. As the head of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect, Koresh claimed to be its fin ...

, but the FBI declined the plan. Smirnov died in November 5, 2004, leaving his wife to run the Institute. In May 2009, the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

announced plans to award a contract for testing of an airport screening system based partly on Smirnov's concepts to ManTech SRS Technologies in association with Northam Psychotechnologies, a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

company acting as distributor for the Psychotechnology Research Institute.

Published works

Books

* I.V. Smirnov, E. Beznosyuk, A. Suravlyev, ''Psychotechnologies'', 416 pages –M.:

Progress Publishers Progress Publishers was a Moscow-based Soviet Union, Soviet publisher founded in 1931. Publishing program Progress Publishers published books in a variety of languages: Russian, English, and many other European and Asian languages. They issued ma ...

1995

Articles

* Smirnov I.V., Kvasovets S.V., Fedorenko V.N. "Principles of Psycho-probing // Reports of information." The collection of abstracts VIMI. Publication N 11.90.9.39, î., 1990, With. 101–109. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Diagnostics and correction using Psycho-semantic methods. Sb. Scientific. Works for non-medicinal therapy of diagnostics and correction of health." MMA him. Setchenov, î., 1993. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Computer psychoanalysis and psychotherapy." ''Journal of Medical Help'' N 4, 1994. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Method of not subconscious psychotherapy, Psycho-correction and Psycho-semantic analysis with subthreshold introduction of the information." ''Journal Psychotherapy of Russia'', N 3, 1994. * Smirnov I.V., Beznosjuk E.V. "Computer Psychotechnologies of the semantic analysis of the unconscious." ''Russian Psycho Analysis Bulletin'', N 3, 1994.

References

External links

Northam Psychotechnologies
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Video * (Interview from Smirnov I.) * (Interview from Smirnov I.) * (Interview from wife Smirnov I. Misses Rusalkina Elena) {{DEFAULTSORT:Smirnov, Igor 20th-century Russian psychologists Soviet inventors 1951 births 2004 deaths People of the Federal Security Service People of the KGB Russian military doctors Russian academicians Parapsychologists I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University alumni