The U.S. government apologized to Guatemala for conducting experiments in the 1940s in which people were purposely infected with syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases.

President Barack Obama called Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom to "personally express that apology," the White House said. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also issued a joint statement.

"Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health," Sebelius and Clinton said. "We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices."

Indigenous people and mixed-race indigenous people make up the majority of the population in Guatemala.

Get the Story:
U.S. infected Guatemalans for STD tests (The Washington Post 10/2)
U.S. Apologizes for Syphilis Tests in Guatemala (The New York Times 10/2)