Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: the CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond

388 Pages·1992·53.53 MB·English

by  Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain

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COMPLETE
THE C SOCIAL
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HISTORY OF THE
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BEYOND Introduction bv
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Andrei Codrescu
"Engaging throughout ... at once entertaining am
disturbing. "—Andrew Weil, M.D., The IMatiar
&
Martin A. Lee Bruce Shlain

— —— — —
"A fascinating social history Makes connections between
. . .
people linked with the CIA and the widespread availability of
LSD during the 1960s."—Publishers Weekly
"An important study of cultural his—tory . . . The scholarship is
exquisite and the methods sensible." Allen Ginsberg
A
"Excellent Captivating ... generalises history that should
. . .
replace all others." San Francisco Chronicle
"A landmark contribution to the sociopolitical history ofthe U.S.
Some of the liveliest, most absorbing, best-documented
. . .
historical analyses to appear in recent years ... A seminal
contribution to understanding America's most turbulent modern
decade." Choice
"As splendidly written as it is fascinating ... A remarkable
history ofan unforgettable time." The Oakland Tribune
"This funny and irreverent book brings it —all back."
The Washington Post
"Recounts some of the most bizarre incidents in the history of
U.S. intelligence." The Boston Globe
"A monumental social history ofpsychedelia.—"
The Village Voice
"A blistering expose ofCIA drug experimentation on Americans.
It's all there."—John Stockwell
"Highly readable Well researched Filled with entertaining
. . . . . .
and bizarre episodes." The Detroit Free Press

Acid Dreams
THE COMPLETE SOCIAL HISTORY OF LSD:
THE CIA, THE SIXTIES, AND BEYOND
MARTIN A. LEE and BRUCE SHLAIN
With an Introduction by Andrei Codrescu
^Br
GROVE PRESS
NEW YORK
Copyright© 1985byMartinA. LeeandBruceShlain
Introductioncopyright© 1992byAndreiCodrescu
Afterwordcopyright© 1992byMartinA. LeeandBruceShlain
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without permission in writing from the publisher, except bya reviewer, who may quote
brief passages in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to
photocopy part or all ofthe work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to
obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to
Grove/Atlantic, Inc.,841 Broadway,NewYork,NY 10003.
PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada
Printedinthe UnitedStatesofAmerica
Due to limitations ofspace, permissions and acknowledgments appear on p. v, which
constitutesanextensionofthiscopyrightpage.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Aciddreams:thecompletesocialhistoryofLSD:theCIA,the
sixties,andbeyond/MartinA. LeeandBruceShlain.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-8021-3062-3
1.LSD(Drug) 2.Drugabuse—UnitedStates—. 3.UnitedStates.
CentralIntelligencesAgency. 4. Socialhistory 1960-1970.
5. Socialhistory—1970- I. Shlain,Bruce. II.Title.
HV5822.L9L45 1992
306M—dc20 92-1238
DesignedbyAbeLerner
GrovePress
841 Broadway
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Permission toquote from thefollowingsourcesisgratefullyacknowledged:
The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley, Harper & Row, Publishers,
Inc. Copyright © 1954byAldousHuxley. ReprintedbypermissionofHarper
&
Row, Publishers, Inc.
The Yage Letters by William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. City Lights
Books. Copyright © 1963, 1975byWilliamS. BurroughsandAllenGinsberg.
Reprinted by permission of City Lights Books.
"Lysergic Acid" from Collected Poems 1947-1980 by Allen Ginsberg,
Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 1984 by Allen Ginsberg. Re-
&
printed by permission of Harper Row, Publishers, Inc.
"Seeking the Magic Mushroom" by G. Gordon Wasson, from Life. Co-
pyright © 1957 by Time, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Time, Inc.
High Priest by Timothy Leary, World Publishing Company. Copyright ©
1968 by Timothy Leary. Reprinted by permission of Timothy Leary.
The Brotherhood of Eternal Love by Stewart Tendler and David May,
Granada/Panther Publishing, Ltd. Copyright © 1984by StewartTendlerand
David May. Reprinted by permission of Granada/Panther Publishing, Ltd.
This TimelessMomentby LauraArcheraHuxley, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Inc. Copyright © 1968 by Laura Archera Huxley. Reprinted by permission
&
of Farrar, Straus Giroux Inc.
TheLettersofAldousHuxley, editedbyGroverSmith, Chatto &Windus,
Ltd. Copyright © 1969 by Laura Archera Huxley. Reprinted by permission
of Laura Archera Huxley.
AldousHuxley'slettertoTimothyLeary, 6February 1961, excerptedfrom
p. 186 of Moksha: Writings on Psychedelics and the Visionary Experience
(1931-1963) by Aldous Huxley, edited by Michael Horowitz and Cynthia
Palmer, Stonehill Publishing Company. Copyright © 1977 by Michael Ho-
rowitz and Cynthia Palmer. Reprinted by permission of the Fitz Hugh Lud-
low Memorial Library. All rights reserved.
Ken Kesey's letter to Timothy Leary, October 1970. Reprinted by per-
mission of Ken Kesey. All rights reserved.
Portions of ChapterOne appeared previously inMotherJones, May 1982,
and Rolling Stone, September 1, 1983.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2012
in
http://archive.org/details/aciddreamscompleOOIeem
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people helped to make this book possible. Above all, we wish
to express our gratitude to Allen Ginsberg and Dr. Oscar faniger for
their counsel and generosity of spirit. And for their enduring friend-
ship: Bret Eynon, oral historian and New Left scholar, andJeffCohen,
who nurtured the manuscript in countless ways from start to finish.
We'd also like to thank James Grauerholz for encouraging us in
the early going; Carl Oglesby, for his ever-articulate insight, and the
other members of the Assassination Information Bureau; Peter Berg
and Judy Goldhaft, for sharing their perspective on Haight-Ashhury
and the Digger experience,- Robert Ranftel, Paul Krassner, and Steven
Ben Israel, for their comedic genius; Beverly Isis and Liz Her, for
their unwavering support; and Michael Aldridge, the curator of the
Fitz Hugh Ludlow Memorial Library, an invaluable resource for six-
ties and counterculture historians. Very special appreciation to Mi-
chael Rossman, William Burroughs, Peter Stafford, Tim Leary, Bill
Adler, Ed Sanders, Mark Dowie, Tim Scully, Jonathan Marshall, Ber-
nard Ohanian, Dorianna Fallo, and the late Julian Beck.
In addition, we'd like to thank Charles Allen, Eugene Anthony,
Michael Bowen, Ann Charters, Allen Cohen, Ira Cohen, Jim Fouratt,
Todd Gitlin, Abbie Hoffman, Michael Horowitz, Ken Kelley, John
Marks, Eric Noble, Dr. Humphry Osmond, John Sinclair, David
Solomon, Bill Zirinsky, Miles, and Ken Kesey. And a silent nod to
those who preferred that their names not be mentioned.
Our heart-felt appreciation to Alana Lee, for coming through time
and again. To Goodwin and Silva Lee, Marvin and Hilda Shlain, and
Joe and Emily Krinsky, for providing the kind of support that only
family can give.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
And to Gayle, for her love and faith.
And finally, we'dlike to thank Geri Thoma ofthe ElaineMarkson
Literary Agency; Joy Johannessen, for her excellent copy editing;
Fred Jordan, our editor; Laura Lindgren, Laura Kane, and the staff at
Grove Press.
Martin A. Lee
Bruce Shlain
Vlll