CIA ADMITS WIDER DRUG TESTS ON CIVILIANS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00498R000100100037-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 37
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2007/06/28: CIA-RDP99-00498ROO0100100037-3
A LI_
> PAGE
By Walter. Taylor
Washington Star Stalt W tite r
THE WASHINGTON STAR
16 July 1977
cldie after being given LSD without/
1 has knowledge and. another man who
was given mescaline at a New York
City mental Hospital. Both of those
cases occurred in 1953. .
`r:. The newly discovered information,
according. to Turner's letter, bears on
a project conducted by the CIA from
Secret CIA drug., experiments on
disclosed, Adm. - Stansfield: Turner,'.
revealed yesterday.::':,:
In a letter to Sen. Daniel K.Inouye,?
intelligence Committee,, Turner said
an internal CIA investigation has dis-
covered documents, suggesting that
there were "possible additional cases
of drugs being tested on_ American
. citizens, without their knowledge"
during the 1950s.and early 1960s.. ' , -'-
The White.:House. made' the letter
available to reporters late yesterday,
`?.but presidential Press Secretary
Jody Powell was unable to give much
of the-drug experiments beyond what
was contained in Turner's letter.
whether. the newly discovered docu-
ments revealed any additional deaths
or injuries related. to the, CIA drug
experiments:
..1153 to 1964 and known to the agency.
-.as "MK-ULTRA. ".:
During' the 1975 -Senate investiga-
.tions; at which-. time -Sen. Frank-]
Church, D-Idaho, was chairman of.
the panel, the intelligence agency re=:_
cttnar.carrPt hTnOram T,a.T hon.. ae_ f been more widespread than was previous known.
.~ .-,. .....
ahnnt the v".MSI~-oo_TTT T..)? Daa';va laa44+vs1 has takenplace.
wnere tne-experiments on drug addicts, alcoholics
M^TURNER TOLDaINOUYE that the and cancer patients were conducted. Turner said
turned up by "our continuing search ':volving "knockout" drugs
for drug-related, as well as other - :Without identifying it: Turner's Ietter'said.'the
'-1
documents." . records indicate the "possibility" of 'an "improper i
The CIA director, who toox over payment- to a private institution in connection
the agency just this year. as Presi-- with the experiments. Briefing reporters,: Powell.j
-dent, Carter's appointee, character declined even-to characterize the type of institu<
= iz d the new material as "primarily tion.involved. _
Zoi'afinan lnature."
TURNER'S LETTER,ywhich_was
_ _ _
hand-carried to Inouye: on Capitol AI though Turner's letter was made'' ` POWELL"SAID'he anticipated that the-Senate
Hill, said the CIA investigation indi public, the White- House did not, re- committee would want to hold hearings on the
- cated- that-individuals: on- whom the ' lease any :of the documents cited in :? newly discovered material, but he said Turner still
drugs-,were- tested. included drug ad- -it. Powell said Turner. was "still.very ' -was examining the information and was not yet
read
to
testif
,
y
diets, alcoholics and cancer patients.- riuch in the process,?. of reviewing
y. Turner said in his letter he needed time to finish
- Investigations in 1975 by the Senate the material and as yet had not made
- a?" of it available even t? Inc'?,o reading the "fairly voluminous material involved"
commission- headed by then-Vice atuner sLressea in t.ne tecrer_tna -
he did not believe the 'information peared before thecommittee:.
President Nelson A._Rockefeller first Powell said the material first came to Turner's
h
ad been deliberately withheld from
disclosed a variety of secret drug. ex attention only last Tuesday-
or Thursday, the
the Sedate committee previously. press secrets
periments conducted by the CIA dur- "Let me hasten to add that I am ' p secretary said. Turner informed Vice Presi-
ing the-1950s and 1960s and traced a dent Walter F. Mondale who, in turn, notified the
. . persuarTed that there was. no
. ' _ __
revi
p
ous
Among those who died was an attempt, to conceal this in -m. - . Powell-said Mondale also has discussed the mat
Army, researcher who committed sui- ter with Inouye and expressed an- administration
STAT
in, the original 1975 exploration," he said. "The
? material recently discovered was in the retired
archives filed under financial accounts and only
uncovered by using extraordinary and. extensive
search efforts.".
.., Turner. also renewed assurances by the agency
that the activities disclosed by the documents had
-been discontinued more than a decade ago. and "do.
nottake place today."
BECAUSE THE DOCUMENTS. were of a finan
ciat nature, the CIA chief said, they do not present
ments. He added, however, -that they do provide
"more detail than was previously available to us.",
: Beyond. the fact that the experiments may have-
desire forhearings on the new documents: - : -:
Powell. cautioned 'reporters - not to - attempt 'to
cicumstantially link any of the activities cited in
,Turner's letter to past or present CIA officals or to
any previous administrations without further
information.
"We. certainly do not know at this point about
that kind of information," he said. _? -
Approved For Release 2007/06/28: CIA-RDP99-00498ROO0100100037-3