Doc 0000146120

. :]:o - • i! \' c _j .( v.Q-~r~..-L'- 1:6- 7 j-, .3;J ';) [: - ... , ,.~ I .i .;. . . . _. ./ I r.r; .. 6) 1 • 1 ' .• ~~.;; t- I . . iJ' ,~ ... ~ I J ' .'1 I ,{I<"' r. 2 0 OCT 1975 J.lEt·iORmlDUf·1 FOR: Director of Central Intelligence · FROH : Inspector General SUBJECT : Destruct·ion of Records on Drugs and Toxins . Action Requested: I 1. None. This memorandum is for your information.· Back~round: ·2. At your reque.st~ \·te looked into the destruction of Agency' J~ecor·ds related to dl~ugs and toxins. lie limited our investigation to avoid ·intel· ·fering \·ritl• other ·ongoing investigations of this matter, includin~J that of .the FBI.· l-Ie held discussions \·lith severa't pE!ople in the DD/S&T, Hccords Center~ and /\rchives .and revie\·led a number of OTS files. Our findings and conclusions fo11m·/. · .. Summary Conclusions: ·• . . . 3. NKULTRI\ Records: This \·tas an umbrella project for fund·ing sensitive · TSD activities including research into methods for controlling human behavior: . -- No drug-related. MKULTRA files \•/ere t~rned up during our investigation. · -- A number of documents concerning the destl·uct-ion of MKULTRA drug rec01·ds are attached at Tab A. In general. they show that the r.ec01·ds \·tere destroyed on the instruction of Dr. • Sidney Gottlieb~ then Chief; TSD~ on 31 January 1973 •. Both Branch. .r ·. files and records retrieved from Archive5 \'l'ere destroyed. · f _::· .. . -- Tab A also ~ontains statements by Hessrs ..: .· · . · :··.---. · .~~- ·. ..... r.: · · · · · ·---~of OTS. · These statements indicate that the I .. L.· ; destruction of HKULTRA drug files \otas or:dered by Mr. Helms. ... . ..··. . .· f . : . · ··~Io . -·· . ! '. . ... \ J • ' ! f .. .l ..... ( ( ·. • I -- Tab n contaiins a 2 ,Feb1·uary 1973 BOH by . . I .. . . . ... · former chief of Archiv.cs and Hccords Center. The destruction notices attached to n10R show that the records bearing Job No. 6~-746 (11KULTHA}.and Job tlo. 68-256 (other files possibly dealing with drugs as well. as with BW/CW detection) \·Jere destroyed on 30 January 1973 rather than the more cotmJonly accepted This page features a stylized image of a bank vault door on the left, colored in metallic grays and blues. To the right, prominent white text proclaims "THE BLACK VAULT" in a graffiti-like font against a dark background. Below this title, a block of white 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, containing over 20,000 pages from the CIA. The text concludes with a yellow URL for the website. There are no photographs of people, locations, equipment, handwritten annotations, signatures, official stamps, forms, diagrams, tables, redactions, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. · former chief of Archiv.cs and Hccords Center. The destruction notices attached to n10R show that the records bearing Job No. 6~-746 (11KULTHA}.and Job tlo. 68-256 (other files possibly dealing with drugs as well. as with BW/CW detection) \·Jere destroyed on 30 January 1973 rather than the more cotmJonly accepted 31 January 1973 date mentioned in most of the Tab /1. documents. . -- Ue identified three MKULTRA files \·Jhich, it turned • out, deal with · · · ··-·.!aspects of the project. no According to Dr. Sayre-Stevens, files related to those aspects of NKULTR/\ have been destroyed. .. I -- However, some NKULTRA material is mentioned on a list of items t-ctired to Archives by OTS on 11 Harch 1974. There is no record of de~.t1·uction of this material, but a careful search has failed to tum it up. The box containing this material was reca.lled from ·Archives by OTS on 8 Januury 1975 and returned to Archives ·somet·ime thereafter,· probably vri"thin thirty days. OTS advises tliat the NKULTRA cr.ypt in this · insta:ncc was not related to drug activity but to ~ - · -~ · · ..... -----···lThe fact remains,· however~ that the material is missing viith no satisfactory . exp 1a na ti on. --- \ole revie\'led an Archives file containing the minutes of the CIA Research Board from 1953-1962. The mjnutes mention severa 1 briefings of the Board by Dr. Gottlieb and others on at least some aspect.s.of the drug and toxin programs. Copies · of these documents are· attached at Tab C. . . 4. f.IKN/\OHI Recm~ds: This was a TSD project at Camp Detrid \·thich ma·intained an R&D competence to provide a minimal support capability in ·defensive and offe.fls_ive 13H/CH: -- There are t~m existing f'.KNAOi·H files. These files contain CIA documents covering the period 5 Hay 1952 to 18 February 1970 and reports originated at Camp. Detrick·dudng ·the period 1960. "· to 1969. · · · -- These files do not present a detailed account of f.IKNAO!·U activity over the years. From his investigiltion of the project, .. ·· . Dr. Stevens has concluded that gaps in the· files are the result . ... : .. . of a conscious policy on the part of those involved to keep very .· little paper on the project from its inception in 1952 to its dcmi sc in 1970. Peop l c formerly connected The document is a declassified memorandum with handwritten annotations and official stamps. Handwritten notes in the upper right corner include "IG Analytical" and a series of numbers and letters, possibly a reference code, along with a circled "B" or "8". An official stamp indicates "20 OCT 1975". A handwritten number "388" is also visible in the top right. There are no photographs, diagrams, or visual evidence of experimental procedures. The text is primarily typed, with some handwritten additions. has concluded that gaps in the· files are the result . ... : .. . of a conscious policy on the part of those involved to keep very .· little paper on the project from its inception in 1952 to its dcmi sc in 1970. Peop l c formerly connected \•lith the pl~ojec t intcrvic\·Jed by Dr. Stcven5 asserted that the practice of l~ceping ··.:. little .or no record of the activity \-tas standard I·~Kf.!/\O:.U procedure. ; .• I 2 .: I .• • .... . \ . ., .. ~ ( ........ I ( l -- Dr. Steven~ also learned that the Army has no records on HKNAOHI or on the Special Ope1·ations Division~ Fort Detrick. He surmises these records \oJerc destroyed \'/hen the B\·1/CH materials \·;et·e destroyed at the President • s order •. -- There i-s one final consideration connected \'lith the possible destruction of 1·ecords related to NKNAOHI. Approxi mately one safe drm-1er full of Dr. Gottl·ieb's personal files t1e1·e destroyed by his secretm·y at h'is order in June 1973~ shortly befm~e Dr. Gottlieb's retirement. ·The secretary wa.s ne\'1 to OTS at the time and had been \·torking for Dr. Gott'lieb for only six \<Jeeks •. She knevi little about OTS activities> ' crypts» or projects. She remembers· destroying some technical I journals, papers \'tr.itten by Dr. Gottlieb, some files dealing \'lith sensitive personnel matters, and some SECRET SENSITIVE papers about \·thich she recalls nothi11g. Given the sensit·ivit.v of l·lKNAOiv\I, some l·iKNAOl1I papers could -havQ been included among those destroyed in June 1973. Ho1,rever, we have no evidence this \"las the case. · . - . ·' --In general. we concur in Dr. Stevens~. belief that no papers. \·terc 1·emoved_ ft·om the two extant f.lKNA01-II files. I~KN/\01-II records-keeping procedures appear to account .at least part·i a'Jly for the lack of a •continuous detailed record ·of l1KflAOIU activity .f I over the years. Sol)le papers relating to NKNAOt-ll may have 1-ieen destroyed in June 1973 or at some other.time) but this cannot be demonstrated \'ti_th the information nm·ravai 1a ble to us. I . 5. · ...~ .-.:.~. • : J and Other Drug Related _Nater.ial :. _- ...•: . . ~ involved CIA . :t · contractors ~esting.drugs on hL~an volunteers: ·I.I I " ; -- On 24 June 1975, on Hr. ·Duckett • s 01·ders, ·] ' I' ' _·· -····;of his o.ffice examined OTS The image is a scanned document with text-heavy content. There are no photographs, diagrams, forms, or tables present. However, there are a few handwritten annotations and marks. A vertical line in red ink appears on the right side of the document, and a bullet point mark is visible in the top left corner. There are also several small black dots, likely from the scanning process or the original paper, scattered throughout. No official stamps or redations are visible. This is a scanned page from an official document, characterized by typed text and marginalia. There are several instances of the text being struck through, indicating edits or redactions, particularly in the upper portion of the page. Handwritten markings, such as a bracket, appear in the right margin alongside the typed text. The document is formatted with numbered sections and bullet points, suggesting it's a report or memorandum. There are no visual elements such as photographs, diagrams, forms, or stamps indicating experimental procedures. .-.:.~. • : J and Other Drug Related _Nater.ial :. _- ...•: . . ~ involved CIA . :t · contractors ~esting.drugs on hL~an volunteers: ·I.I I " ; -- On 24 June 1975, on Hr. ·Duckett • s 01·ders, ·] ' I' ' _·· -····;of his o.ffice examined OTS holdings at Records Centel· I in search of·material \'lhich might have some bearing on the ~--'· • t drug related investigation .. Six. boxes. of material of possible i. t' . interest were 1·eturned to the Offi cc of the Dll/SH for rev·ie\11, Subsequently, they were returned to Records Center. Later these \•tere recalled by OTS \'11th an additional four boxes of ·files from .. '! Records Center. .r: ·. . . --- He reviewed three files from the.se boxes in July 1975: L<· .· -,These \·tere files on Project;· ·· ·· ]which involved the tcst·ing ! 0 .bf drugs on human volunteers--by var'ious institutional contractors ~-- :of CIA. 1\ copy of the 31 July 1975 NOR covering our revim-1 is t .. ·~ attached at Tab 0. • 0 ~~ - '[ .. ··! i. .. f • I· ··.:.· . 3 I . - --- -r . - .... ( ( .. . froin i OTS/ m-10, rcvi ev1ed the ten boxes of OTS files recalled ·Records Center. In addition to the .... --~ material desc1~i1Jed above, these boxes contain a considera-ble • amount of materia 1 de a 1 i ng \vith ·anima 1 scrceni ng tcs ts 6f various compounds, but they contain no material dealing \·lith tests j_nyQl.~ing_h!Jmans or identified as connected \·lith Project NKULTRA. ..... . . • ~1emorandum covering .h is revie\'1 is attached at Tab E. . --Three boxes.of OTS material formerly stored in Records Center \·Jere destroyed by OTS in January ·1973 at the time of · the destruction of NKULTRA records. · A10R at Tab B comments on .the destruction of thiS ·materiai:l Some of the records in these three boxes dealt·'itith environmental sampling _for ~\·t an9 q-1 p1anufacturing activity _· · . . . .. . · .. - . · . ·- _ , - I __ .. _ ... .... . . . .. j .. At least one file listed as "Project ARTICHOKE .,. 1951-'1954'~ must have dealt \'lith drug connected activities. OTS has attempted to identify the activities covered by the balance of the missing . · . ·- _ , - I __ .. _ ... .... . . . .. j .. At least one file listed as "Project ARTICHOKE .,. 1951-'1954'~ must have dealt \'lith drug connected activities. OTS has attempted to identify the activities covered by the balance of the missing material · with little success to date. A 10 October 1975 memorandum . describing the OT.S efforts in this connection is attached ·at Tab F• . -- On 3 OCtober 1975, the Director of Hedical Services fon-.rarded to us copies of unaddressed, undated, and uns i gncd documents ~ealing with LSD-25 (See Tab G). These documents· \•tere unearthed by ONS from· the Archives files of its Operations Div·ision. They \'Jere found in a folder labeleci "TSD File, 1956- ·1960." . 6. He believe it likely that a thorough search of Agency records.-- . particularly DDO operational records -- \·/Ould continue to produce additional pieces of the drug activity puzzle. He believe it unlikely that such a se<trch · \·tould p1·oduce ·any major intact repository of information on this subject. Recognizing that such a search \·tould heavily burden people already overtaxed \•lith investigative activities, \'le are ·'inclined to doubt that the rC!turn \'lould justify the investment. .....· :hP'...-A/ M----t.~ ....... .. Donald F. Chamberlain • ... . ..; ln~pector General ·· . . . . •. . · ~ . · ... ·. . • 4 -·· a : • ·••-' •••.• • '' •• The page is primarily composed of typed text, with faint lines and dots scattered throughout, suggesting it's a scanned document. There is a handwritten signature at the bottom right, along with the typed name and title "Donald F. Chamberlain, Inspector General." Several instances of redaction are present, appearing as blacked-out areas, primarily obscuring specific details within the text, most notably in section 6 and towards the bottom right. There are no photographs, diagrams, or forms visible on the page. The overall impression is of an official memorandum or report.