The phenomenon of brainwashing, also referred to as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education, is the notion that certain psychological techniques can alter or manipulate the human mind. Brainwashing is purported to diminish an individual's capacity for critical or independent thinking, enabling the implantation of new, unwelcome thoughts and ideas, as well as the alteration of attitudes, values, and beliefs. The term "brainwashing" was initially introduced by Edward Hunter in 1950 to describe the apparent ability of the Chinese government to compel cooperation during the Korean War. This occurred one year after the publication of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which O'Brien stated to Winston Smith in the Ministry of Love, "we make the brain perfect before we blow it out...Everyone is washed clean." The concept of brainwashing has been examined in relation to Nazi Germany, certain criminal cases in the United States, and the actions of human traffickers. The CIA's MKUltra experiments in the late 1960s and 1970s failed to produce any operational use of the subjects, leading to scientific and legal debate, as well as media attention, regarding the potential role of brainwashing in the use of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or the conversion of individuals to cults. The concept of brainwashing is not widely accepted as a scientific fact. In everyday language, "brainwashing" and its verb form, "brainwash," are used metaphorically to describe the use of propaganda to influence or sway public opinion.