Acid dreams : the complete social history of LSD : the CIA, the sixties, and beyond

Few events have had a more profound impact on the social and cultural upheavals of the Sixties than the psychedelic revolution spawned by the spread of LSD. This book for the first time tells the full and astounding story--part of it hidden till now in secret Government files--of the role the mind-altering drug played in our recent turbulent history and the continuing influence it has on our time. And what a story it is, beginning with LSD''s discovery in 1943 as the most potent drug known to science until it spilled into public view some twenty years later to set the stage for one of the great ideological wars of the decade. In the intervening years the CIA had launched a massive covert research program in the hope that LSD would serve as an espionage weapon, psychiatric pioneers came to believe that acid would shed light on the perplexing problems of mental illness, and a new generation of writers and artists had given birth to the LSD sub-culture. Acid Dreams is a complete social history of the psychedelic counter-culture that burst into full view in the Sixties. With new information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the authors reveal how the CIA became obsessed with LSD during the Cold War, fearing the Soviets had designs on it as well. What follows is one of the more bizarre episodes in the covert history of U.S. intelligence as the search for a "truth drug" began to resemble a James Bond scenario in whichagents spied on drug-addicted prostitutes through two-way mirrors and countless unwitting citizens received acid with sometimes tragic results. The story took a new turn when Captain Al Hubbard, the first of a series of "Johnny Appleseeds" of acid, began to turn on thousands of scientists, businessmen, church figures, policemen, and others from different walks of life. Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters, Allen Ginsberg and the Beat generation, the Diggers and the Age of Golden Anarchy in Haight-Ashbury, William Mellon Hitchcock, Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies, the Beatles--these are just some of a motley cast of characters who stride through the pages of this compelling chronicle. What impact did the widespread use of LSD have on the anti-war movement of the late Sixties? Acid Dreams traces the way the drug intensified each stageof counter-cultural transition to break the "mind-forged manacles" of a new generation in rebellion. In Acid Dreams, Martin Lee and Bruce Shalin have written the history of a time still only dimly understood. The events they recount and the facts they uncover supply an important missing piece of the puzzle of a crucial decade in our recent past. Praise "Engaging throughout. . . . At once entertaining and disturbing."--Andrew Weil, M.D., The Nation "Marvelously detailed . . . loaded with startling revelations."--Los Angeles Daily News "Excellent. . . . Captivating. . . . A generalist''s history that should replace all others."--San Francisco Chronicle "A landmark contribution to the sociopolitical history of the 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 "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 of psychedelia."--The Village Voice "A blistering exposé of CIA drug experimentation on Americans. It''s all there."--John Stockwell "Highly readable. . . . Well researched. . . . Filled with entertaining and bizarre episodes."--The Detroit Free Press "An important study of cultural history. . . . The scholarship is exquisite and the methods sensible."--Allen Ginsberg "An engrossing account of a period . . . when a tiny psychoactive molecule affected almost every aspect of Western life."--William S. Burroughs "A missing link, a work of combat history, a devastating combination of facts and poetry that is bound to arouse controversy."--Paul Krassner "An important historical synthesis of the spread and effects of a drug that served as a central metaphor for an era."--John Sayles

Acid Dreams is the complete social history of LSD and the counterculture it helped to define in the sixties. Martin Lee and Bruce Shlain's exhaustively researched and astonishing account-part of it gleaned from secret government files-tells how the CIA became obsessed with LSD as an espionage weapon during the early l950s and launched a massive covert research program, in which countless unwitting citizens were used as guinea pigs. Though the CIA was intent on keeping the drug to itself, it ultimately couldn't prevent it from spreading into the popular culture; here LSD had a profound impact and helped spawn a political and social upheaval that changed the face of America. From the clandestine operations of the government to the escapades of Timothy Leary, Abbie Hoffman, Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, Allen Ginsberg, and many others, Acid Dreams provides an important and entertaining account that goes to the heart of a turbulent period in our history. "Engaging throughout . . . at once entertaining and disturbing." - Andrew Weil, M.D., The Nation; "Marvelously detailed . . . loaded with startling revelations." - Los Angeles Daily News; "An engrossing account of a period . . . when a tiny psychoactive molecule affected almost every aspect of Western life." - William S. Burroughs; "An important historical synthesis of the spread and effects of a drug that served as a central metaphor for an era." - John Sayles.

Publishers Weekly

This fascinating study examines how the CIA tested LSD on unwitting residents of Greenwich Village and San Francisco. Of particular interest are profiles of Timothy Leary, LSD chemist Ronald Stark and others. (May)

Introduction: Whose Worlds Are These? 3 Prologue 6 Part One: The Roots of Psychedelia 13 1 In The Beginning There Was Madness ... 13 The Truth Seekers 13 Enter LSD 21 Laboratories of the State 26 Midnight Climax 31 The Hallucination Battlefield 37 2 Psychedelic Pioneers 43 The Original Captain Trips 43 Healing Acid 51 Psychosis or Gnosis? 56 3 Under The Mushroom, Over The Rainbow 63 Manna From Harvard 63 Chemical Crusaders 68 The Crackdown 77 4 Preaching LSD 82 High Surrealism 82 The Psychedelic Manual 89 The Hard Sell 94 5 The All-American Trip 99 The Great Freak Forward 99 Acid and the New Left 105 Part Two: Acid for the Masses 114 6 From Hip To Hippie 114 Before The Deluge 114 Politics of the Bummer 120 The First Human Be-In 126 7 The Capital Of Forever 135 Stone Free 135 The Great Summer Dropout 142 8 Peaking In Babylon 154 A Gathering Storm 154 Magical Politics 159 Gotta Revolution 165 9 Season Of The Witch 174 Armed Love 174 The Acid Brotherhood 182 Bad Moon Rising 195 10 What A Field Day For The Heat 200 Prisoner Of LSD 200 A Bitter Pill 206 The Great LSD Conspiracy 213 Postscript: Acid and After 221 Afterword 227 References 229 229 Prologue 229 Chapter One: In The Beginning There Was Madness ... 230 Chapter Two: Psychedelic Pioneers 235 Chapter Three: Under The Mushroom, Over The Rainbow 237 Chapter Four: Preaching LSD 240 Chapter Five: The All-American Trip 241 Chapter Six: From Hip To Hippie 242 Chapter Seven: The Capital Of Forever 244 Chapter Eight: Peaking In Babylon 246 Chapter Nine: Season Of The Witch 249 Chapter Ten: What A Field Day For The Heat 252 Postscript: Acid And After 256 Bibliography 257 “An engrossing account” of the history of LSD, the psychedelic 1960s, and the clandestine mind games of the CIA (William Burroughs). Beginning with the discovery of LSD in 1943, this “monumental social history of psychedelia” tracks the most potent drug known to science—from its use by the government during the paranoia of the Cold War to its spill-over into a revolutionary antiestablishment recreation during the Vietnam War—setting the stage for one of the great ideological battles of the decade (The Village Voice). In the intervening years, the CIA launched a massive covert research program in the hope that LSD would serve as an espionage weapon; psychiatric pioneers came to believe that acid would shed light on the perplexing problems of mental illness; and a new generation of writers and artists in countercultural transition sought to break the “mind-forged manacles” of cultural repression—among them, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, the Beatles, Allen Ginsberg, William Mellon Hitchcock, and Abbie Hoffman. Painting an indelible portrait of an unforgettable era and using startling information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Acid Dreams also exposes one of the most bizarre, shocking, and often tragic episodes in American history. “An important historical synthesis of the spread and effects of a drug that served as a central metaphor for an era.” —John Sayles “Marvelously detailed... loaded with startling revelations.” —Los Angeles Daily News Acid Dreams is the complete social history of LSD and the counterculture it helped to define in the sixties. Martin Lee and Bruce Shlain's exhaustively researched and astonishing accountpart of it gleaned from secret government filestells how the CIA became obsessed with LSD as an espionage weapon during the early 1950s and launched a massive covert research program, in which countless unwitting citizens were used as guinea pigs. Though the CIA was intent on keeping the drug to itself, it ultimately couldn't prevent it from spreading into the popular culture; here LSD had a profound impact and helped spawn a political and social upheaval that changed the face of America. From the clandestine operations of the government to the escapades of Timothy Leary, (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17245.Abbie_Hoffman) Abbie Hoffman , Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, Allen Ginsberg, and many others, Acid Dreams provides an important and entertaining account that goes to the heart of a turbulent period in our history. Also called: Acid Dreams. The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, The Sixties, and Beyond "Acid Dreams is the complete social history of LSD and the counterculture it helped to define in the sixties. Martin Lee and Bruce Shlain's exhaustively researched and astonishing account - part of it gleaned from secret government files - tells how the CIA became obsessed with LSD as an espionage weapon during the early 1950s and launched a massive covert research program, in which countless unwitting citizens were used as guinea pigs. Though the CIA was intent on keeping the drug to itself, it ultimately couldn't prevent it from spreading into the popular culture; here LSD had a profound impact and helped spawn a political and social upheaval that changed the face of America. From the clandestine operations of the government to the escapades of Timothy Leary, Abbie Hoffman, Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, Allen Ginsberg, and many others, Acid Dreams provides an important and entertaining account that goes to the heart of a turbulent period in our history."--Jacket Provides a social history of how the CIA used the psychedelic drug LSD as a tool of espionage during the early 1950s and tested it on U.S. citizens before it spread into popular culture, in particular the counterculture as represented by Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, and others who helped spawn political and social upheaval. In the spring of 1942 General William "Wild Bill" Donovan, chief of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the CIA's wartime predecessor, assembled a half-dozen prestigious American scientists and asked them to undertake a top-secret research program. Very interesting. If you lived in the 1960's you'll appreciate the insight. If you didn't live through the 1960's, you'll get a very good idea of what went down.