NEWLY DISCOVERED DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO THE AGENCY'S RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION WITH DRUGS--PROJECTS ARTICHOKE AND BLUEBIRD (U)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00261R000300050003-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 6, 2000
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: August 17, 1977
• Content Type: MF

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DD/A Registry
ITP'977
MEMORANDUM FOR: Acting Director of Central Intelligence
VIA: Acting Deputy Director for Administration
FROM: Robert W. Gambino
Director of Security
SUBJECT: Newly Discovered Documents Pertaining to
the Agency's Research and Experimentation
with Drugs--Projects ARTICHOKE and BLUEBIRD .(U)
REFERENCE: Memo from A/DCI to Deputy Directors and
Heads of Independent Offices, dated
29 July 1977, subject: Implementation
of Records Control Schedules
1. (U) Action Requested: None; for information only.
2. (U/AIUO) Background: In complying with reference
request, representatives of my Office initiated a review of
all Office of Security materials currently being stored
within the A ency'.s Archives, located 25X1A
On 15 August 1977 I was in orme- that a 25X1A
review of the inventory of materials located within the
Agency's Archives disclosed the existence of eighteen boxes
labeled Project ARTICHOKE. It was further determined that
the inventory of the archival material is not incorporated
into the primary Office of Security file index. In view of
the fact that the boxes of Project ARTICHOKE material are
not retrievable through our Security indices, it was presumed
that the material had not previously been reviewed during
the Congressional inquiries into Agency drug-related activi-
ties. The materials were immediately returned to Headquarters
and are presently being reviewed.
3. (U/AIUO) Our review thus far has established that
while eighteen boxes of material were stored within Archives
under the label "Project ARTICHOKE", only fourteen of the
boxes actually contain material related to Project ARTICHOKE.
The remaining four boxes contain material totally unrelated
to Project ARTICHOKE or drug research activities. The four-
teen boxes, which contain approximately fourteen linear
feet of documents,-have now been inventoried, and a cursory
IMPDET
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 CONF1101N T IAL
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review of the documents contained therein has been completed.
In essence, the boxes contain extensive information relating
to the 1949-1956 period, during which the Office of Security
was deeply involved in the Agency's research and experimenta-
tion with various drugs. The programs under which these
activities were conducted were known as Project BLUEBIRD
initially, then later changed to Project, ARTICHOKE.
4. (U/AIUO) While it must be stressed that our initial.
review was quite limited, it would appear that the material
within these fourteen boxes generally does not contain any
major activities in this area which were not previously
reported to either the Rockefeller Commission or the
Congressional Committees during their investigations of
the Agency. However, the boxes do contain detailed infor-
mation related to Projects ARTICHOKE and BLUEBIRD which
appears to elaborate on material previously reviewed in
this regard. In short, these boxes would,seem to contain
the specifics regarding Projects ARTICHOKE and BLUEBIRD
which were lacking during our past attempts to locate all
documents pertaining to the Agency's drug-related activities.
5. (C) Our initial review revealed several types of
information contained within these boxes which appear to
be of significance in terms of either new or expanded
information.
a. The boxes contain approximately 300-400 soft
files relating to individuals who were of interest
to Projects ARTICHOKE and BLUEBIRD. These are
apparently individuals who were utilized, or contem-
plated for use, as consultants by the Agency in
conducting research concerning the use and experi-
mentation with drugs. The fact that the Agency
utilized.many individuals in a consultant capacity
in this area has been previously reported; it is
probable that the identities of many of these indi-
viduals were not previously retrievable from Agency
files.
b. The documents reveal that circa 1954 certain
experiments were apparently conducted during an
Agency-sponsored training class related to defensive
measures against the use of drugs. It appears that
Agency employees were utilized during these experi-
ments and concern was expressed since the employees
had not been asked to sign a waiver of liability.
The names of the employees were not listed nor can
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it be readily determined whether the experiments
involved the administration of drugs or the use of
hypnosis.
f. The documents contain extensive materials
relating to the history, administrative, and
budgetary aspects of Projects ARTICHOKE and BLUEBIRD
in much greater detail than that previously available.
g. The materials contain one large volume which
deals with the history of drug-related research and
experimentation carried out by the Office of Strategic
Services.
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h. The boxes contain extensive information
related to the Agency's research and experimentation
with the use of hypnosis, to include several photo-
graphs of subjects under the influence of hypnosis.
It is probable that several of the subjects were
Agency employees. In addition, several movies and
35mm cartridges of film., which have not yet been
examined, are located within the boxes which appear
to relate to experiments in the field of hypnosis.
i. The boxes contain one ampule of Thorazine,
a tranquilizing drug, and a display board containing
samples of several drugs--some of which were then
being studied
25X1A The boxes also contain a
crudely fashioned automatic injection device which
was apparently tested by the Agency. It should be
noted that the automatic. injection device is quite
similar to one developed by the military services
for the use of combatant troops to inject an anti-
dote for poison gas.
6. (U/AIUO) As indicated, the general facts surrounding
the Office of Security's participation in Projects ARTICHOKE
and BLUEBIRD were previously made known to the appropriate
Congressional Committees. Further, while the fourteen boxes
do provide the background of these projects in much greater
depth and detail, the documents were almost entirely origi-
nated by and/or addressed to I I, a retired
Office of Security employee who was interviewed by the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence. I have initiated a thor-
ough review of all of this material, to be conducted in
coordination with the Inspector General's Office.
7. (U/AIUO) It should also be noted that while the
review of the material related to Agency drug activities is
of immediate concern, I have also ordered the review of all
Office of Security material maintained in the Agency's
Archives since that material is not retrievable through our
primary indices. 25X1A
Distribution:
Orig - Addressee
1 - ADDA
1 - ER
4
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 ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional) Newly Discovered Documents Pertaining to
the Agency's Research and Experimentation
with - - E-E-l-RD .
FROM:
EXTENSION
NO. 7~}~
Robert W. Gambino
Director of Security
6777
DATE 17
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
INITIALS
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
Acting 7 D 24 ~
l~UG
i977
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.IJNCLASAI!I . ged For INTERNAL
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)WITIRAL
SECRET ^ CONFIDENTIAL ^ USE ONLY ^ UNCLASSIFIED