Biography/Memoir

L.S.D., lies, and the C.I.A.: The incredible true story behind wormwood

[Frank] Olson’s possible murder, and the conspiracy to cover up the death of a man who may have been ready to reveal government secrets.

Morris’s inquiry began with his interest in a secret 1950s-60s C.I.A. program called “MK-Ultra,” which employed drugs and deception tactics—and most of whose records have been destroyed … A subsequent 1975 presidential review panel investigating the C.I.A.’s activities mentioned MK-Ultra—and said that an unnamed and “unwitting civilian” Army scientist had been surreptitiously given L.S.D. at some point before plummeting to his death in 1953. “What the ultimate goal is, is unclear,” Morris says of the panel’s findings. “Most likely the ultimate goal is to save the C.I.A. from itself. You could argue that it’s a kind of cover-up . . .” Shocked to learn there was more to his father’s death [Frank’s Son Eric] … spearheaded efforts to uncover the truth, which resulted in the family’s unprecedented meeting with President Ford in the Oval Office. Ford apologized to the Olsons—but didn’t say for what. The family was urged not to sue, instead pushing government compensation, a course of action Morris believes Rumsfeld and Cheney orchestrated. (He says it’s not clear whether Ford was a party to this or not.) A meeting with then-C.I.A. Director William Colby at Langley headquarters followed, during which Colby turned over documents supposedly detailing what happened to Olson. These documents are at the heart of Morris’s examination: “What really pleases me—yes, this is the kind of thing that deeply pleases me—is the documents might not be totally apocryphal, but part of them may be out-and-out fabrications and lies. . .

Original Article (Vanity Fair):
L.S.D., lies, and the C.I.A.: The incredible true story behind wormwood
Artwork Fair Use: Public Domain

Biography/Memoir

Patented…

Biography/Memoir

…launch of…

Leave a Reply