Doc 0000151549

. 't ---~ \ . 18 December 1956 ,. Dr. Harris Isbell,. M.D., Director Addiction Research Center or National Institutes Mental Health U.S. Public Health Service Hospital Box 2000 Lexington. Kentucky D~ar Dr. Isbell: . -~ .... I am forwarding under sep.arate cover a 20 gm. sample of material that would appear to be o! great interest to you. This compound ~·reputed to be a very potent antagonist of barbitur ates. The pharmacologist wq9 has been studying its action cl:.1irns that it is "infinitely superior '"to megimine". fie also states th~t "it is~ a convu-lsant ~aterial,. it has very low toxicity and that it acts by displacing the barbiturate !rein the site of action rather than by g;ncral stimulati9nt""· - I have more of this material en hand and it is quite readily ob tainable. /I will be able to furnish more precise information later but at present the above information and the fact that the LD in the 50 rat is greater than 300 mg/kg. is all that l can tell you. It occurred to me that if this material turns out to be a.s ad vertised for the barbiturates, it mi.ght be well to try it versus alcn~ol fc!' !:d:~:-i.":g cffed::;. I hope that you are enjoying the Christmas Season and I shall be in touch with you soon.· · Sincerely yours~ The image is primarily text-based with a superimposed graphic. On the left, there is an illustration of a large, metallic vault door with intricate mechanisms, reminiscent of a bank vault. The text on the right consists of a title, "THE BLACK VAULT," in a stylized font, followed by several lines of white text on a black background. This text explains that the document was obtained from "The Black Vault," an online database of declassified government documents, specifically mentioning the "MKULTRA/Mind Control Collection" and providing a URL for access. There are no photographs, handwritten annotations, official stamps, forms, diagrams, tables, redactions, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. The document is a typed letter dated December 18, 1956, addressed to Dr. Harris Isbell from an unnamed sender at the Addiction Research Center. There are no photographs, diagrams, or forms visible. The document contains handwritten annotations: a circled number "75" in the upper right corner, and at the bottom right, a handwritten alphanumeric code "A-248". There is also a black ink stamp or marking across the bottom third of the page, obscuring any potential content in that area. The text discusses a sample of material that is a potent antagonist of barbiturates and suggests its potential use for sobering effects from alcohol.