U.S NARCOTICS BUREAU IS LINKED TO [ ]

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00901R000500110027-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 5, 2000
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: September 22, 1977
• Content Type: NSPR

roved For Release 2001/0q//Tl1 1~01 R000500
22 September 1977
U.S.- Narcotics Brea Is . - . e o - l
By JO THOMAS
5pec!ai to T7e Na-, York TIrei
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21-Dr. Sidney
Gottlieb, who supervised the Central In-
telii;ence Agency's tests of drugs on un-
suspecting human subjects, told a Senate
subcommittee today that the old Federal
Bureau of Narcotics had cooperated in
the ttests.
Dr. Gottlieb's testimony before the Sen-
ate Subcommittee on Health and Scientif-
1c Research was the first to link the gar-
cotics bureau, since supplanted by the
Drug Enforcement Administration; direct-
iy.to drug testing. He said the,bureau
couriers so that documents could be
stolen from them.
Even after the death in 1953 of Frank
Olson, an Army scientist who developed
a psychotic reaction and committed sui-
cide after unwittingly drinking a glass
of liqueur containing LSD,. Dr. Gottlieb
said that no additional safeguards were
provided. He explained that physicians
advising the agency had been unable to
find any "absolute" connection between
the LSD and the suicide. .
Senate investigators had hoped that Dr.
Gottlieb could describe the manner in
which the drug tests were conducted, but
he told. the subcommittee today that,-al4
though he had visited the: apartments
maintained by the-intelligence. agency,, he:
had never witnessed a test,
Acted.on Own initiative.
had: wanted. to find out :whether, secretly
administered drugs could make potential
narcotics informers talk.
Former officials of the Bureau of Nar-
cotics have denied knowing anything,
about drug tests on unwitting subjects,
evesii though their agency shared under-
coder apartments with the C.I.A. and
eyed though one of their officials, the
late George H. White, using the code
namme Morgan Hall, ran the tests for the
agency.
Drug Agency Chief Shocked -
"I was shocked and appalled such ac-
'tivity did take place," Peter. Bensinger,
this drug agency administrator,' told the
subcommittee later. "I can see no circum-
stances in which such activity could be
justified:'
Dr. Gottlieb, `who 'said that -a health
problem made it difficult for him to testi-
fy in the crowded hearing room, testified
in: closed 'session, and his voice was
:broadcast to reporters waiting outside.
Testifying under a grant of immunity
froi-4 prosecution, Dr. Gottlieb said that
from 20 to 50 persons had been made
the unwitting subjects of C.I.A. drug ex-
periments from 1952 to 1965 in houses
? and apartments. leased by the agency in
San.Francisco and New York City.
Questioning the numbers, Senator Ed-
ward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massa=
chusetts, the subcommittee chairman, ob-
served that more. than 200 payments had
been made in San -Francisco alone by
Morgan Hall, or Mr. White. He-said that
32 , of these.. checks bore the notation
Dr. Gottlieb 'destroyed the documents
describing these experiments in :1972.. He
testified today that his action had had
"nothing to do with covering up illegal
activities," but was done, in part, because
"this material was sensitive and capable
of being misunderstood."
Dr. Gottlieb said. he had destroyed the
Liles on his own initiative and not, as
was previously reported, under orders
from Richard' Helms, then Director of
Central Intelligence. Mr. Helms testified
under oath in 1975 that he never ordered
the destruction of the drug records. -
A document that came to light in
today's hearing indicated that Dry. Got-
tlieb's deputy had attempted to stop the
destruction of these files. Asked about.
this, Dr. Gottlieb replied, "I can't recall."..-
Dr. Gottlieb said that at the time he
considered his work to be "extremely un-
pleasant, extremely difficult,. extremely
sensitive, but above all, to be extremely
urgent and important."
He said lie believed that hostile coun-
tries were still attempting to administer
drugs covertly, and that "the final chap-
ter hasn't been written.": . -
To illustrate this point, he said he had
been asked in "approximately 1971" to
determine whether members of the staff
of President Nixon, including his physi-
STATI NTL
ity of their successful.and effective use;i
either against us or by us, was very low. `-;
i-Ie said the drug experiments contin-j
tied, however, even after it was clear that
they were not very valuable, and he said;
he would "freely admit. to bureaucratic;
inertia" in failing to discontinue them:;
Dr. Gottlieb said the leadership of thel
intelligence agency reviewed the drug]
testing programs "at least once a year,"'
and added: "I specifically remember brief-1
ing the directors of the Central Inteili-i
gence Agency." Theses, he said. were]
Allen W. Dulles, John A: McCone and,
Mr. Helms. .
Adm. Stansfield Turner,- the current]
Director of Central Intelligence, assuradai
members of the Senate subcornmitteei
today that no'unwitting drug testing hasi
been sponsored by the agency since 1564.]
"This is history," he said
"I don't know-how many times we'val
been told these programs have -been;
turned off only to have them spring up
again," enator Kennedy-told him. .- -
The Senator - and- other subcommittee
members questioned --Admiral :Turner
about his Aug. a testimony ire- which he
said the agency did not test drugs on
human - subjects .in - Project Often;-which
was coordinated with the Department of-
the r. Army before - it was terminated d a
1973.
Committee members referred to a Sept
20 memorandum for the Secretary of- De-
fense which described C.I.A. sponsorship
of tests of an incapitating drug that the
agency thought could be applied through
the -skin. with adhesive tape. ASlthough.
most of the tests -were performed on ani-
mals, the memorandum noted, -two; mili-
tary volunteers. were- tested in-June .1973=
at Edgewood Arsenal research laborato-
ries.
Adm. Turner told' the sub&'snmittee he
believed that test had been sponsored by
the Department of the' Army. Deanne C.:
iemer, general counsel- far, the Depart_
meet of Defense, told members.: of the
,subcommittee she believed the test had
been sponsored. by the intelligence apn-
5formy, a code, name for LSD de-l
veloped by Mr. hite, out that other
checks seemed to ave- gone to the same
Speculation on Use - . ?
"The disbursements could have been
for the administration of drugs," Dr. Got
tlieb conceded, "but I'm not persuaded
that' they were."- - r . .
Risk Called Reasonable
15r. Gottlieb told the subcommittee that
there was "no advance knowledge.:. or
protection''' of the- people-who were un-
knowingly given drugs, which he identi-
fied as LSD and Meretran..
_
"Harsh as it may seem in retrospect,"
he, said, `?.'it was felt that in an issue
,vhrre national survival might be con
cern p ~~E 9~ IE ?Wlgo
was-a to sortable one to- take.. ...
Tare Gottlieb?testi{fed that the. agency
had : been jcnncerned about, "well-docu
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