There was a time when human psychic powers were a legitimate line of scientific inquiry. The ultimate conclusion was "nah, never mind", but the CIA probably got a whiff of the more mainstream research and wanted to know how to weaponize it.
From what we know of Mk Ultra, their "experiments" barely deserve the term. No controls, no good statistical models, and not even a clearly described hypothesis. It's unlikely they figured out anything of value, and probably caused unnecessary human suffering along the way.