Mary Pinchot Meyer
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THE MURDER MARY PINCHOT MEYER Socialite, mistress of JFK, wife of CIA official, Ben Bradlee's tenant and sister-in- law, and victim of a terrible conspiracy. By Timothy Leary rom 1960 to Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, John Len- 1967 I was di- non, Jim Morrison; philosophers like Al- rector of re- dous Huxley, Arthur Koestler, Alan Watts; search projects swamis, gurus, mystics, psychics by the at Harvard Uni- troops. Scores of scientists from top uni- versity and Mill- versities. And, occasionally steely-eyed ex- brook, New perts, from government and military York which centers also participated. studied the ef- It was not until the Freedom of Informa- fects of brain- tion Act of the Carter administration that change drugs. we learned that the CIA had spent 25 mil- During this pe- lion dollars on brain-change drugs, and that riod a talented the U.S. Army at Edgewater Arsenal in group of psy- Maryland had given LSD and stronger psy- chologists and chedelic drugs to over 7000 unwitting, un- philosophers on our staff, ran guided informed enlisted men. "trips" for over 3000 volunteers. These The most fascinating and important of projects won world-wide recognition as these hundreds of visitors showed up in the centers for consciousness alteration and Spring of 1962. I was sitting in my office at exploration of new dimensions of the mind. Harvard University one morning when I Our headquarters at Harvard and Mill- looked up to see a woman leaning against brook were regularly visited by people in- the door post, hip tilted provocatively, terested in expanding their intelligence--- studying me with a bold stare. She ap- poets- and writers like Allen Ginsberg, peared to be in her late thirties. Good look- Charles Olson, Jack Kerouac, Robert Low- ing. Flamboyant eyebrows, piercing ell; musicians like "The Grateful Dead," green-blue eyes, fine-boned face. Amused, 44 THE REBEL Nov. 22, 1983 Mary Pinchot Meyer and ber husband Cord Meyer Jr. Pbolo by Wide World arrogant, aristocratic. "Dr. Leary," she son were to turn on with his wife or girl- drugs, do you?" said cooly, "I've got to talk to you." friend it would be good for the world?" "We've heard some rumors about the She took a few steps forward and held "Nothing that involves brain-change is military," I said. out her hand. "I'm Mary Pinchot. I've certain. But in general we believe that for "It's time you learned more. The guys come from Washington to discuss some- anyone who's reasonably healthy and hap- who run things—I mean the guys who thing very important. I want to learn how py, the intelligent thing to do is to take really run things in Washington—are very to run an LSD session." advantage of the multiple realities avail- interested in psychology, and drugs in par- "That's our specialty here. Would you able to the human brain." ticular. These people play hardball, Timo- like to tell me what you have in mind?" "Do you think that the world would be a thy. They want to use drugs for warfare, "I have this friend who's a very impor- better place if men in power had LSD for espionage, for brainwashing, for tant man. He's impressed by what I've told experiences?" control." him about my own LSD experiences and "Look at the world," I said, "Nuclear "Yes," I said. "We've heard about what other people have told him. He wants bombs proliferating. More and more coun- that." to try it himself. So I'm here to learn how tries run by military dictators. No political "But there are people like me who want to do it. I mean, I don't want to goof up or creativity. It's time to try something, any- to use drugs for peace, not for war, to something." thing new and promising." make people's lives better. Will you help "Why don't you have your important I offered her some California sherry us?" friend come here with you to look over our from a half gallon jug, but she made a cute "How?" project for a couple of days. Then if it little face and invited me out for cham- "I told you. Teach us how to run ses- makes sense to all concerned, we'll run a pagne. She continued asking me questions sions, use drugs to do good." I felt uneasy. session for him." as we sat in the cocktail lounge. There was something calculated about "Out of the question. My friend is a pub- Then I saw her face go tense. Mary, that tough hit you get from people lic figure. It's just not possible." "You poor innocent thing," she mur- who live in the hard political world. "People involved in power usually don't mured. "You have no idea what you've got- I asked once again, "Who are these make the best subjects." ten into. You don't really understand friends of yours who want to use drugs for "Don't you think that if a powerful per- what's happening in Washington with peace?" THE REBEL Nov. 22, 1983 45 "Women," she said laughing. "Washing- know that almost anyone's mind can be She sounded tense. ton, like every other capital city in the changed in any direction." For the next few months I was too busy world, is run by men. These men conspir- "Any direction?" with my own problems to think much about ing for power can only be changed by wom- "With a minimum of information about Mary Pinchot. In May 1963 I got fired en. And you're going to help us." the subject's personal life and two or three from Harvard because of the controversial I drove Mary to the airport the next day LSD sessions, you could get the most con- drug project. Then a large research center and loaded her with books and papers ventional person to do outrageous things." we had established in Mexico got shut about our research. "Suppose the person wanted to be down; American pressure on the Mexican "I don't think you're quite ready to start brainwashed in a certain direction . government. running sessions," I told her. "I agree. wanted to change himself?" The phone call from Mary Pinchot came be hack soon for more practice. And don't "Easier yet. Our research is conclusive a week after our return from Mexico. She forget," she said. "The only hope for the on this. Changing your mind, developing a was at the Boston airport. She could spend world is intelligent women." new reality-fix, is a simple and straightfor- only the afternoon. We met at a seafood The next contact with Mary Pinchot, my ward proposition. Of course, altering your restaurant downtown. mysterious visitor from Washington, came mind is one thing. Changing the outside "Oh, you reckless Irishman. You got about six months later. She phoned me world to conform to your new vision re- yourself in trouble again. It's magnificent, from across the river in Boston. "Can you mains the difficult problem for us . ." I these headlong cavalry charges of yours. meet me right away in Room 717, Ritz struggled for a word. "Utopiates." Mats ce n'est pas la guerre." Hotel?" Mary clapped her hands together like a What'd I do wrong?" Enchanting as before, she motioned to a birthday girl. "Utopiates? Beautiful. That's "Publicity. I told you they'd let you do silver ice bucket with a bottle of Dom Per- what it's all about, isn't it? Make it a better anything you want as long as you kept it ignon tilting out. "I'm here to celebrate," world." She sat down next to me and held quiet. The plan to set up psychedelic train- she said. my hand. ing centers around the country was inge- I twisted the bottle to make the cork pop "I told you the first time we met. I want nious from all sides. They would have gently. "Your hush-hush love affair is go- to learn how to brainwash." infiltrated every chapter to get some of ing well?" "That doesn't sound very ladylike." their people trained. But they're not going "Oh yes. Everything is going beautiful- At this she burst into laughter. "If I can to Iet CBS film you drugging people on a/ ly. On all fronts in fact. I can't give details, teach the use of utopiates to the wives and lovely Mexican beach. You could destroy of course. But top people in Washington mistresses of important people in our gov- both capitalism and socialism in one month are turning on. You'd be amazed at the so- ernment, then we can . well shit, Timo- with that sort of thing." phistication of some of our leaders. And thy, don't you see what we can do?" I was struck again by the brittleness this their wives. We're getting a little group "What?" aristocratic woman had picked up from together, people who are interested in "We can do on a bigger scale what you those stern-eyed business-suited WASPs learning how to turn on." are already doing with your students—use who shuttle from home to office in limou- "Really. I thought politicians were too these drugs to free people. For peace, not sines—the information brokers, editors, power-oriented." war. We can turn on the Cabinet. Turn on board members, executive branch offi- "You must realize, implausible as it may the Senate.