The Elusive 'SP-17': A Cold War Ghost
The question, 'What is the truth drug SP 17?' leads not to a pharmacy shelf, but into the shadowy world of Cold War espionage. There is no widely recognized medication or chemical compound with the designation 'SP-17' in standard pharmacology databases. However, the term does appear in historical accounts related to the KGB [1.3.8].
According to reports, SP-117 (Special Preparation 117) was a drug allegedly used by the KGB's First and Second Directorates in the late 1980s. It was described as a soluble, odorless, and tasteless substance designed to make a subject lose self-control within 15 minutes of ingestion. A key feature of this compound was that administering a second part, an 'antidote,' would supposedly leave the subject with no memory of the interrogation, simply feeling as if they had fallen asleep. Often, it was administered in an alcoholic beverage to explain the sudden drowsiness [1.3.8]. Some reports even speculate that SP-117 was a form of concentrated alcohol itself, designed to quickly inebriate a target [1.3.8]. Therefore, 'SP-17' is likely a misnomer or abbreviation for this purported KGB tool, not a clinically recognized 'truth drug.'
The Dawn of 'Truth Serums': Scopolamine
The concept of a truth-compelling drug first emerged in the early 20th century with an obstetrician named Dr. Robert E. House [1.5.1, 1.7.1]. In 1916, while using the drug scopolamine to induce a state of 'twilight sleep' for women in childbirth, he noticed patients became remarkably candid and could answer questions accurately despite their sedated state [1.2.8, 1.5.3]. This led Dr. House to propose its use for interrogating suspected criminals [1.3.2].
By the 1920s and 30s, some U.S. police departments began using scopolamine on suspects [1.2.1]. The drug, derived from plants of the nightshade family, functions as an antimuscarinic by blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine [1.7.3]. This induces effects like sedation, confusion, disorientation, and amnesia [1.7.1]. The theory was that under its influence, a subject loses the higher cognitive function and mental capacity required to invent and maintain a lie [1.2.4, 1.7.1]. However, its use was controversial and results were unreliable; while subjects became more talkative, they were also highly suggestible and could mix fact with fantasy [1.2.5, 1.3.5].
The Barbiturate Era: Sodium Pentothal and Sodium Amytal
Following scopolamine, barbiturates became the next class of drugs explored for narco-interrogation. The two most prominent are Sodium Thiopental (commonly known by the brand name Sodium Pentothal) and Sodium Amytal [1.2.2].
Sodium Pentothal (Sodium Thiopental)
Discovered in the early 1930s by Abbott Laboratories, Sodium Thiopental is a rapid-onset, short-acting barbiturate that acts as a central nervous system depressant [1.2.3, 1.2.6]. It works by enhancing the effect of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, which suppresses higher cortical brain functions [1.2.4]. Lying is a more complex mental process than telling the truth, so the suppression of these functions is thought to make deception more difficult [1.2.3].
Its use extended beyond anesthesia into psychiatry, where it was used to help patients recall repressed memories, and into intelligence, where agencies like the CIA investigated its potential in programs like Project MK-ULTRA [1.2.3, 1.2.5]. However, the information obtained was notoriously unreliable. Subjects could still lie, confabulate, or say what they believed the interrogator wanted to hear [1.2.4]. Despite this, it remains a fixture in popular culture as the quintessential 'truth serum' [1.2.4].
Sodium Amytal (Amobarbital)
Similar to Sodium Pentothal, Sodium Amytal is a barbiturate that depresses the central nervous system [1.2.1]. It gained prominence during World War II as a treatment for 'shell shock' in soldiers, as it helped traumatized individuals talk about their experiences [1.3.7]. Psychiatrists termed this process 'narcoanalysis' [1.5.4]. Like other so-called truth serums, it doesn't force truth but rather lowers inhibitions, making a person more talkative and potentially less guarded [1.2.6]. Its significant side effects, including cognitive impairment and high addiction potential, along with the risk of subjects developing false memories, led to its decline in use for interrogations [1.2.1].
Comparison of Real 'Truth Drugs'
| Feature | Scopolamine | Sodium Pentothal | Sodium Amytal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Class | Antimuscarinic [1.7.3] | Barbiturate [1.2.3] | Barbiturate [1.2.1] |
| Mechanism | Blocks acetylcholine, causing delirium and amnesia [1.7.3]. | Depresses central nervous system, reduces higher cortical function [1.2.3, 1.2.4]. | Depresses central nervous system, reduces inhibition [1.2.1, 1.2.6]. |
| Origin | Used in obstetrics for 'twilight sleep' in the early 1900s [1.2.8]. | Anesthetic developed in the 1930s [1.2.3]. | Used as a sedative and for treating 'shell shock' in WWII [1.2.1, 1.3.7]. |
| Effectiveness | Unreliable; subjects are highly suggestible and may confabulate [1.2.5, 1.3.5]. | Questionable; does not guarantee truth, subjects can still lie or create false memories [1.2.3, 1.2.4]. | Unreliable; can induce false memories and emotional outbursts [1.2.1, 1.2.6]. |
| Legal Status | Confessions obtained are generally inadmissible in U.S. courts [1.2.2]. | Information obtained is not considered legally admissible in court [1.2.4, 1.2.6]. | Not legally admissible in court due to unreliability [1.2.6]. |
| Other Uses | Motion sickness medication, surgery prep to decrease saliva [1.7.3]. | General anesthesia, medically induced comas, euthanasia, lethal injection [1.2.3]. | Treatment for insomnia, historical use in psychiatry [1.2.1]. |
The Verdict: The Myth of a Perfect Truth Serum
The search for a 'perfect' truth serum—a substance that can force an unwilling person to tell the complete and honest truth—has been a century-long endeavor by intelligence agencies and a staple of fiction [1.2.5, 1.4.1]. Projects like the CIA's MK-ULTRA extensively tested various compounds, including LSD, with mixed and ultimately unsuccessful results [1.2.5].
The fundamental problem is that memory is not a video recording. It is a reconstructive process, and drugs that depress the central nervous system make individuals highly suggestible and prone to creating false memories [1.2.6]. A subject under the influence may be just as likely to fantasize or confess to something they didn't do as they are to reveal a hidden truth [1.2.5]. In the 1963 Supreme Court case Townsend v. Sain, confessions obtained through the use of truth serum were deemed potentially involuntary and thus inadmissible [1.2.2].
Conclusion
So, what is the truth drug SP 17? It appears to be a phantom, a codename from the annals of the KGB, rather than a substance recognized by modern pharmacology [1.3.8]. The chemicals that are historically known as 'truth serums'—scopolamine, sodium pentothal, and sodium amytal—are not magic bullets for truth. They are powerful sedatives that lower inhibitions, but their ability to extract reliable, factual information is highly questionable and legally inadmissible [1.2.8, 1.6.2]. The idea of a drug that guarantees truth remains, for now, firmly in the realm of fiction.
For further reading on the history and ethics of these substances, a useful resource is the CIA's own declassified analysis: "Truth" Drugs in Interrogation
