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MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence

\- FROM : Inspector General

SUBJECT : Destruction of Records on Drugs and Toxins

Action Requested:

1. None. This memorandum is for your information.

Background:

2. At your request, we looked into the destruction of Agency records related to drugs and toxins. We limited our investigation to avoid interfering with other ongoing investigations of this matter, including that of .the FBI. We held discussions with several people in the DD/S&T, Records Center, and Archives and reviewed a number of OTS files. Our findings and conclusions follow.

Summary Conclusions:

3. MKULTRA Records: This was an umbrella project for funding sensitive TSD activities including research into methods for controlling human behavior:

\_- No drug-related.MKULTRA files were turned up during our investigation.

-- A number of documents concerning the destruction of MKULTRA drug records are attached at Tab A. In general, they show that the records were destroyed on the instruction of Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, then Chief, TSD, on 31 January 1973. . Both Branch files and reçords retrieved from Archives were destroyed.

-- Tab A also contains statements by Messrs. lof OTS.·These statements indicate that the destruction of MKULTRA drug files was ordered by Mr. Helms.

388

70-17

200CT 1975

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-- Tab B contains a 2 February 1973 MOR by

former chief of Archives and Records Center. The destruction notices attached to /HOR shoW that the records bearing Job No. 68-746 (MKULTRA) and Job No. 68-256 (other files possibly dealing with drugs as well. as with BW/CH detection) were destroyed on 30 January 1973 rather than the more commonly accepted 3] January 1973 date mentioned in most of the Tab A documcnts.

-- We identified three MKULTRA files which, it turned out, deal with jaspects of the project. According to Dr. Sayre Stevens, no files rclated to those aspects of MKULTRA have been destroyed.

-- However, some MKULTRA material is mentioned ón a list of items retired to Archives by 0TS on 1 March 1974. There is no record of destruction of this material, but a careful search has failed to turn it up. The box containing this material was recalled from Archives by 0TS on 8 January 1975 and returned to Archives sometime thereafter, probably within thirty days. OTS advises that the HKULTRA crypt in this instance was not related to drug activity but to \_

The fact remains, however, that the material is missing with no satisfactory explanation.

\- We reviewed an Archives file containing the minutes of the CIA Research Board from 1953-1962. The minutes mention several briefings of the Board by Dr. Gottlieb and others on at least some aspects.of the drug and toxin programs. Copies of these documents are attached at Tab C.

4. MKNAOMI Records: This was a TSD project at Camp Detrick which maintained an R&D competence to provide a minimal support capability in defensive and offensive BW/CW:

-- There are tio existing MKNAOMI files. These files contain CIA docunents covering the period 5 May 1952 to 18 February 1970 and reports originated at Camp Detrick-during the period 1960. to 1969.

-- These files do not present a detailed account of MKNAOMI activity over the years. From his investigation of the project, Dr. Stevens has concluded that gaps in the files are the result of a couscious policy on the part of those involved to keep very little paper on the project from its inception in 1952 to its demisç in 1970. People formerly connected with the project interviewed by Dr. Stevens asserted that the practice of keeping little.or no record of the activity was standard HKlAOMI procedure.

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-- Dr, Stevens also learned that the Arny has no records on MKNAOMI or on the Spccial Operations Division, Fort Detrick. He surmises these records were destroyed when the Bl/CH materials were destroyed at the President's order. .

-- There is one final consideration connected with the possible destruction of records related to MKNAOMI. Approximately one safe drawer full of Dr. Gottlieb's personal files were destroyed by his secretary at his order in June 1973, shortly before Dr. Gottlieb's retirement.The secretary was new to OTS at the time and had been working for Dr. Gottlieb for only six weeks. She knew little about OTS activities, crypts, or projects. She remembers destroying some technical journals, papers written by Dr. Gottlieb, some files dealing with sensitive personnel matters, and some SECRET SENSITIVE papers about which she recalls nothing. Given the sensitivity of NKNAOMI, some MKNAOMI papers could have been included among those destroyed in June 1973. However, we have no evidence this was the case.

-- In generai, we concur in Dr. Stevens' belief that no papers.were removed. from the two extant KKNAOMI files. MKNAOMI records-keeping procedures appear to account.at least partiaily for the lack of a 'continuous detailed record of MKlAOMI activity over the years. Some papers reTating to MKIAOMI may have been destroyed in June 1973 or at some other.time, but this cannot be demonstrated with the information now"available to us.

5. and Other Drug Related Material: {involved CIA contractors testing.drugs on human volunteers:

On 24 June 1975, on Mr. Duckett's orders,

of his office examined OTS holdings at Records Center in search of material which might have some bearing on the drug related investigation.. Six boxes:of material of possible interest were returned to the Office of the Db/S&T for review. Subsequently, they were returned to Records Center. Later these were recalled by OTS with an additional four boxes of files from Records Center.

. He reviewed three files from these boxes in July 1975. These were files on Project which involved the testing bf drugs on human volunteers by various institutional contractors /of CIA. A copy of the 3] July 1975 MOR covering our review is attached at Tab D..

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. j OTS/RHO, reviewed the ten boxes of OTS
files recalled from Records Center. In addition to the
material described above, these boxes contain a considerable
amount of material dealing with-animal screening tests of various
compounds, but they contain no material dealing with tests
inyolving humans or identified as connected with Project MKULTRA. \_Memorandum covering his review is attached at Tab E. -- Three boxes.of OTS material formerly stored in Records
Center were destroyed by 0TS in January 1973 at the time of
the destruction of NKULTRA records. MOR at
Tab B comments on .the destruction of this material.) Some of
the records in these three boxes dealt with environmental
sampling for BW and CW manufacturing activity l. At least one file listed as

"Project ARTICHOKE-1951-1954" must have dealt with drugconnected 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 OTS efforts in this connection is attached at Tab F.

\- On 3 October 1975, the Director of Medical Services forwarded to us copies of unaddressed, undated, and unsigned documents dealing with LSD-25 (See Tab G). These documents were unearthed by OMS from the Archives files of its Operations Division. They were found in a folder labeled "TSD File, 1956- 1960."

6. We believe it likely that a thorough search of Agency records -- particularly DDO operational records -- would continue to producé additional pieces of the drug activity puzzle. We believe it unlikely that such a search would produce any major intact repository of infornation on this subject. Recognizing that such a search would heavily burden people already overtaxed with investigative activities, we are inclined to doubt that the return would justify the investment.

Dorlltehantela ... Donald F. Chamberlain Inspector General