OBERVATIONS ON DR. FRANK OLSON

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00144978
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: November 22, 2024
• Document Release Date: January 15, 1983
• Publication Date: December 7, 1953

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placed both himeelf -n4 Dr. Olsen on...orders end net me and the Chief
of ry Divisice in W=zhire:ton. .1.fter a short dizeuezien, Dr. Olson,
the Chf.y-cf h4c. Dsien, 1=4. I b-erd,-;.i = roan^ for N-w Yor% and
arriveA at t!.e rew Yerk 2hye/-4-n's cff ice :out 1645. After a short
conferenee with the doetor, Dr. Olson yes left with him until about.
1600.
From the time I sc.y Dr. Olsen in Utzhini...;ten until I left him at
the tohyz,iefens oPice in rew Yor', he seeued rather depreezed, zomewh=t
confuzea, and convinced he weeld never return to his Lome and job.
These vere cluite etifferent frcm the attitudes I had observed prior to
the ex.perinent.
At about 1!.00 Dr. Olson, his Divizion Chief, and I cheched into
the Statler Hotel, hed dinner, returned to or room ene watched tele-
vision. 'rcm ateet 223D to 200 the New Yorh physieinn vieited the
three c: 113 in Our hotel room. Turin; the period coeered by this
pera::reph, Dr. Olson iniica'.ed in my preeence that he felt he had
fniled in hie he was a din:race to his collat....lies, frienle, and
fanily, end thnt his temory and mental ahility had fniled. Hewever,
in the ce.erze of nerrra cenversezion, It wae nuite er:-.nrent that both
his mesery nn.1 ability to Lizsuse zcientific topic:: were excellent.
Drie01.7.en ale.o indiceted he tee; eleepin, poorly, ani said we shouldn't
� bother with him, ue should let him just ':d,ieappearn.
The f.ollowin.e d=y (edreeiey) Dr. Olson crain hed a Private
� seesion with the ::ew Yorh deeter (about to 170.0). At the
conclusion cf this, the p.hyeicien tnlhed to the three of us, inlicetine
Dr. Oleen cou1.1 :es.hc7m for Thenhe:ivin:-. (Thursday) if he desired, or �
he could Lecciet his (the phynician'e)invitetien to z.)end Than'eseivin:
and the :ee::-end.Ith the nh:-z4cien's fresily at his hone at Co 'd r,rrinz
liarbor. Dr. Olsen preferrel to 7o hone, and an =7:71ointment as reede
for Dr. Olson to zee the ehyzicien the follewin7,
his Division Chief, and I returned to the hotel, had dinner, then went
to a pley. At the interni.ezion Dr. Olson became rather aeitated, and
said. he wanted to leave. He and his Divicion Chief returned to the
hotel.
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The followin cornin; (Thursday) when Dr. Olson':; Division Chief
ana i ovehened (obcut 0530), Dr. Olson was zone. 'le found him in the
hotel lobby. He said he had left the hotel hcut 0400 for a walk,
and 4relic=ted several thines that had transn4red. He felt his Division
Chief had been tanirer to him. He said he had to.rn up his moRey, thrown
it and several unshed chechz away (because he wouldn't need them
anymore), andhed thrown his wallet away, dcwn a chute sm.:niece.
Be sail he felt his Division Chief :as telijr. hin to do theseethinzs.
We then returned to Washin:ton. However, ve probably would not have
returnei :Ind it not been that Dr. Olson never eeencel to really believe
that we would return home, =n2 we htla mafx it a woint.of honor thet we
would return if he veneed to (this was dere after we had. cbt=ined.the
phyzicinnz' sie:erovn1). We were cot at the ;:-_thin ;to: Airport by a
crieber or Dr. Oleon'e Division, and Dr. Oleon and his Division Chief
set off for their hem� town. -.L �
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Shortly afterwards I received a tall fro= the Division Chief,
now on the ot:ir: of'.::=hin7ten. He s=id Dr. Olson had chan:ed his
mind, was o_uite a::itated, ani thst he (the Di..rision ::if) now felt
Dr. Olson sh-uld 'cc ho-rni`=":.:^o ani de,'4nite1y should not return hone.
X.told him to come to my spartment.=t once, meanwhile I contacted my.
Division Chief, uho also set ont for my srartment. When he arrived at
ny opartn-nt, Dr. Cl.cn a7r7.,ea-,-ed t>pr,.3.1..d and -^stless. c repe=ted .
his firm decisien th=t he could not face hcme. Dr. Olson's
Division Chief then returned to hi.r. here tcwn to enplain to rrs. Olsen,
and my Divizion Chief drove Dr. Olson and i.e to the airport, whore
Dr. Olson on 'over:led a plane for.::ew York. '.!e -met the I:ew York
physician at his Huntin-zton, Lon; offiec abott 1600, and Dr..
Olson va: alone with him about one hoUr, fciloued by =bout 20 minutes
'with Dr. Olen and r2. The phyzi-4-n obtained local lodzin..:: fcr us,
and Dr. Oleon nnd I then went to a restaurant fcr a Than;m:zivin- dinner,
after vhieh we went to 'ced. Durin-; the covered by this'
para:Ir=7.h, Dr. Olson tolo. mc he felt he hall cheated the 0overnnent in
connecticn with his retirement from the ,%rmy, ani that he should he
punishel for thin. (I am not familiar with the det.:il!: of vh=z. he
wnsreferrin: to, 1.ut both Dr. Olcsn's Di::ic': Cicfnnd the ::ew Yar �
physicion hmi iniiented to r.2 that they could see nothin: di:hone:et or
morally ,:ucstionnble in connection with Lis retire=nt.) 1):-. Olson
everyone, in-,lndin:.me, in n T.Ilot to "..qt" him; .e soil I and th..
others :-new the =ter plan fcr the plot, and he wr.nted to know what it
Va3. He said he htd failed inhis�,::Os, thnt he was Jo 4i3;racrd he
could not face retftrnin;: to h4s os4a he :elt h- ur.s
cuilty of se'curity viclations.becauJe he felt he on occasions hnri
exceeded his inter2retation of the need-to-%ncw principle. ".neeT:t
iD certain well derined areas be spohe intelliently and rationally,
and he acted in a socially accerta'zle manner.
The follcwin.; mcrnin- (Friday) we dror.-e. with the r:lysician to hi:
New Yor!: office. There 1.:2 had a conference durin; w:lich the physician
told DT. Olson that hospit=lination would e in his best interests.
After a while Dr. Olson azrecd. Dr. Olson preferrel some place near
his homc =nl friends, so after diseussion and a tele:lhone conference
vith vy Division Chief, a private hospital near.Washinton was selected.
The phyoician m=de arranzements with the hospital, but they had to
prepare his room and could no; take Dr. Olsen until the follsw4n5 day
(Saturday). Dr. Olson anreed he would be = voluntary patient (it was
azreed he would no; be folly committed).
� VC could obtain no reservations for a return to Wc..shin;...ton that
day, so we m.tde reservations for Saturaay mornin; and checkel into the
'Stotler ::etel. .tt this time and for the rem=inder of the evoninz,
DT. Olson appeared no loner particularly denreszed, and. almost the '
Dr. Olson I %new prior to the exIleriment, althou:h he still maintained
the v=ricus misconcentions I have rentioned before. He washed out
his dirty clozhin:, and when I c=1101 his Div;s4on Chief to clear our
proposed cottrse of setion with him, Dr. Olson taned to hi= in a-
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cheerful ranner on! hanpfly antici:latcd rcet;n3 hi= at the ;4r-shin:tan
Airport u:ton our arrival t%ere. On his_own vol4tIon he telev.hone4
his wife (th:z waz the fir: ti he telt 1:-. 4a-ed speak to her).
At about 1�%0 we went to the hotel's main a:el:tail 'v.:are and each ?-4
two rartinis. At 2030 we enterei'the main dinir.*: ra;'Jm aad had dihner,
leavin- for our roe= at 220. At both the ceektall lounze an4thc
dininz reo= he was cheerful ani a7pecrel to in...4cy the entertaat.
He spo::e freely of t e hozpit^14--tion thA ''ollew4n7: day, onA in4fe-taA
he vuntza books fro= ho=e to ztudy, cni other th.in7z he want^1 to co
while hozoita'i-,-4. (me phys4cian had assurPi h4n he couldo this, Go � ft&
had.said he would help outline 3071C activities of tutual saientif:e
interest Dr. Olson could work on.)
Alter returnin-: to our roor., re watched television for a while,
then' Dr. Olson zu7:ested bei, sayin7, he felt =are rclaned and
than he hi since we came to nr.rverk. Ee ask^i the hotel
operotor to call u's at a z:leeifici tire in the nornin_: (zo we coulf.
take our plane).. I would zuens it vao a little after 2300 when we
retired.
Somewhere around 02'30 :s.atur!ay tornin: I war. awr.%ened � a lout
noise. Dr. Olson h=i crazhci throu:h the.elozed winacu and the
c1oze2 wialcw an-t he fell to biz ieath fret the win'..ou o^ cur roo=
on the'teath floor of the Ztutler Inter in the aay I official:ft
identifica the bolt for the rew York authorities.
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ROBSUT V. LAS'2'1C.;.:}f.
7 December 1953'