Timothy Leary

[[File:Timothy-Leary-Los-Angeles-1989.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Leary in 1989.]]{{drugs}}
{{cquote|The real, real goal of the [[scientist]] is to flip out.|||Leary, 1967<ref>[https://www.openculture.com/2014/09/the-historic-lsd-debate-at-mit.html The Historic LSD Debate at MIT: Timothy Leary v. Professor Jerome Lettvin (1967)] (September 16<sup>th</sup>, 2014) ''Open Culture''.</ref><ref name=breen/>{{rp|259}}<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq3Fp-xp0l0 MIT Debate on LSD: Dr. Jerry Lettvin + Dr. Timothy Leary - November 1967] (Sep 30, 2012) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}
'''Timothy Francis Leary, Jr.''' {{lived|1920|1996}}<ref name=trips>Kate Coleman, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170910035850/http://www.thedailybeast.com/web/20170910035850/http://www.thedailybeast.com/acid-trips-and-frozen-heads-at-san-franciscos-trippiest-party Acid Trips and Frozen Heads at San Francisco’s Trippiest Party]. Archived from The Daily Beast, 18 February 2009.</ref> was an [[American]] research psychologist who later became an advocate for [[psychedelic drug]]s and an important figure in the US counterculture in the late 20<sup>th</sup> century. He promoted the use of [[LSD]] both recreationally and as a psychiatric drug, and was also interested in [[transhumanism]].

[[Richard Nixon]] called him "the most dangerous man in America",<ref name=wired/> although Nixon was probably [[Psychological projection|projecting]].

==Academic and professional career==
Leary earned a doctoral degree in psychology from the University of California Berkeley in 1950, with the thesis, ''The Social Dimensions of Personality: Group Process and Structure''.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/leary/leary.300dpi/page/n3/mode/2up ''The Social Dimensions of Personality: Group Process and Structure''] by Timothy Francis Leary (1950) University of California Berkeley.</ref> Starting in 1951, Leary began publishing in the subfield of interpersonal psychology.<ref>{{wpa|Timothy Leary bibliography}}</ref> And after receiving his doctorate, Leary began working as an assistant clinical professor of medical psychology at the University of California, San Francisco and at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, California. 

Starting at least in graduate school, Leary was [[Alcohol|drinking]] heavily and having frequent extramarital affairs despite having two young children with his wife.<ref name=breen>''Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science'' by Benjamin Breen (2024) Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 1538722372.</ref>{{rp|169}} In October 1955, capping off a night of getting drunk together, Leary's wife confessed to him that she knew about his mistress and that she was "incredibly unhappy" about it. Leary's reply to her was "That's your problem."<ref name=breen/>{{rp|170}} The following morning, Leary found a [[suicide]] note from his wife on the bed  ("I cannot live without your love.") and her body in the car in the garage, dead by carbon monoxide poisoning.<ref name=breen/>{{rp|170}} There was clearly a disconnect between the psychologist publishing on interpersonal psychology and the one who could not acknowledge his own interpersonal problems.

In 1956 Leary was treating chronic alcoholics, but at that time Leary himself "drank all the time" according to a colleague. Compounding the difficulty of an active alcoholic attempting to treat active alcoholics, Leary had an unusual informal approach of befriending patients.<ref name=breen/>{{rp|171}}

In 1959 Leary took an academic position at Harvard University. He teamed up with another Harvard academic, Richard Alpert (later known as {{wpl|Ram Dass}}), to start the Harvard Psilocybin Project which administered the mushroom-derived psychedelic to volunteers (graduate students and prisoners) and documented their feelings and experiences. At the time psychedelics such as [[psilocybin]] and LSD were legal in the US.<ref name=harvard/> It has been suggested that his enthusiasm arose out of personal trauma in the 1950s, including the death of his wife Marianne in 1955 and a mysterious illness he suffered on a trip to [[Spain]].<ref name=nytobit/>

There had been some earlier research on psychedelics, but mainly by the [[CIA]] or military looking to use it as a weapon (e.g., [[MKULTRA]]), and by researchers as a way of provoking symptoms similar to [[psychosis]]; in contrast the Harvard team were interested in the [[consciousness]]-expanding possibilities. The claim that the project was associated with MKULTRA is plausible because the study was claimed to have been supervised by Harvard Professor {{wpl|Henry Murray||;}}<ref>[https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/impromptu-man/201205/harvards-experiment-the-unabomber-class-62  Harvard's Experiment on the Unabomber, Class of '62: An odd footnote to Kaczynski's class reunion.] by Jonathan D Moreno (May 25, 2012) ''Psychology Today''.</ref> Murray had been an employee of the OSS, the [[World War II]] precursor to the CIA. One project on inmates at Concord Prison, [[Massachusetts]] claimed to find a significant reduction in recidivism among people given psilocybin shortly before their release; however in 1998 a re-analysis of the results revealed that recidivism had not been measured consistently and the effect disappeared if recidivism rates were measured at the same time after release for everyone (rather than an average of 10 months for the psychedelic pioneers and 30 months for the control group).<ref name=wired>[https://www.wired.com/2013/10/timothy-leary-archives/ Timothy Leary's Transformation From Scientist to Psychedelic Celebrity], Wired, October 1, 2013</ref><ref>[https://maps.org/research-archive/1998_Doblin_ConcordPrisonFollow-up.pdf Dr.Leary's Concord Prison Experiment: A 34-year follow-up study] by Rick Doblin (1998) ''Journal of Psychoactive Drugs'' 30(4):419-426.</ref><ref>Use of psychedelic drugs in prisoner rehabilitation by Timothy Leary & Ralph Metzner (1968) ''British Journal of Social Psychiatry'' 2:27-51.</ref>

Another study, the Good Friday Experiment (a.k.a. Marsh Chapel Experiment), involved giving psilocybin to divinity students, who described intense [[spirituality|spiritual experiences]]. However, the researchers suppressed the unwelcome fact that one student had a bad trip and had to be treated with thorazine.<ref name=wired/>

In 1963, Alpert was sacked after giving psilocybin to an undergraduate student outside the proper research and [[ethical]] procedures; Alpert later said that the student called it "the most profound educational experience in my life". The Psilocybin Project was closed down and Leary was dismissed for a more mundane reason: a failure to turn up and teach his classes. Because of the project's notoriety and ethical breaches, both men were effectively banned from further academic work.<ref name=harvard>[https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/timothy-leary People: Timothy Leary], Department of Psychology, Harvard, accessed Oct 21, 2021</ref><ref name=timeline>[https://timeline.com/drug-mansion-psychedelic-60s-5116867d5041 This magical drug mansion in Upstate New York is where the psychedelic ’60s took off], Timeline, July 14, 2017</ref>

==Millbrook==
Leary was able to continue his research alongside Alpert and another ex-Harvard scientist, Ralph Metzner, at Millbrook a 64-room mansion in upstate [[New York]], where they established a new institute of psychedelic research in September 1963. This was thanks to funding from the heirs of {{wpl|Andrew Mellon}} {{lived|1855|1937}}, an early 20<sup>th</sup> century banker, industrialist, and [[Republican]] politician, who had the misfortune to be US Secretary of the Treasury at the time of the [[Great Depression#The crash|1929 stock market crash]]; Millbrook belonged to Andrew Mellon's nephew William Mellon Hitchcock. The group published a journal, ''The Psychedelic Review'', and a book, ''The Psychedelic Experience'' (1964), which became a popular manual for those using recreational psychedelics.<ref name=timeline/> More books followed, including ''High Priest'' and ''Politics of Ecstasy'' (both 1968).<ref name=nytobit/>

Leary became closely linked with the promotion of psychedelic drugs. Legend has it that Marshall McLuhan suggested he come up with a short, snappy slogan to promote LSD, and soon afterwards Leary came up with the slogan "Turn on, tune in, drop out." in the shower.<ref name=nytobit>[https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/01/us/timothy-leary-pied-piper-of-psychedelic-60-s-dies-at-75.html Timothy Leary, Pied Piper Of Psychedelic 60's, Dies at 75], New York Times, June 1, 1996</ref> He administered psychedelic drugs to many famous people including {{wpl|Allen Ginsberg||,}} {{wpl|William S. Burroughs||,}} {{wpl|Jack Kerouac||,}} {{wpl|Robert Lowell||,}} and {{wpl|Arthur Koestler||.}}<ref name=nytobit/> In 1961, when Burroughs had visited Leary to take LSD. Burroughs had previous experience with [[ayahuasca]]<ref>''The Yage Letters'' by William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg (1963) City Lights Books.</ref> but subsequently warned a friend against associating with Leary, writing "Situation here worse than I can tell you." and "''Do not take any hallucinogen under any circumstances.''"{{efn|Emphasis in original.}}<ref name=breen/>{{rp|221-222}} Leary's unrestrained promotion of LSD was despite the fact that he had personally witnessed but ignored a very bad LSD trip in 1960.<ref name=breen/>{{rp|214}}

In the Millbrook era he married twice; his 1967 wedding to his third wife Rosemary Woodruff was directed by cowboy actor Ted Markland, and all the guests were allegedly on LSD.<ref name=nytobit/>

Meanwhile, LSD was becoming popular in the counterculture, such that the US government made it illegal in 1968.<ref>[https://www.history.com/topics/crime/history-of-lsd LSD], History.com, August 21, 2018</ref> Leary was considered a threat to the nation's morals by the [[Republican Party]], but many on the left were also dismissive, with ''The New Republic'' condemning his "patina of phoniness" in 1968.<ref name=nytobit/> His benefactor Hitchcock was involved in the manufacture of LSD, and its sale centered around a head shop in Laguna Beach in southern California, even after the drug became illegal; in the early 1970s Hitchcock was caught for [[tax]] evasion and forced to testify against his partners in crime.<ref name=villagevoice/>

''Village Voice'' reporter Don McNeil, who visited Leary in 1968, found that Leary was not actually taking psychedelic drugs very often, and preferred to supervise others.<ref name=villagevoice>[https://www.villagevoice.com/2019/08/22/the-acid-profiteers-drop-out-turn-on-cash-in/ The Acid Profiteers: Drop-Out, Turn-On, Cash-In], Village Voice, August 22, 1974, republished August 22, 2019</ref>

In 1968, Leary moved to [[California]]; he had become involved with the California-based Brotherhood of Eternal Love, a tax-exempt corporation of which Leary became leader; the Brotherhood had merged with Leary's earlier League for Spiritual Discovery.<ref name=villagevoice/>

==On the run==
[[File:Leary-DEA.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Leary being escorted by the Drug Enforcement Agency in 1972]]
In 1970 he announced plans to run for governor of California but soon after was arrested in the state for [[marijuana]] offences and sentenced to ten years in jail; he was also due to stand trial for similar offences in [[Texas]]. He escaped from San Luis Obispo prison in daredevil fashion, climbing a telegraph pole, along a cable across the prison yard, and then over barbed wire. He was smuggled out of the US by sympathizers (sometimes said to be members of the [[Weather Underground]] although this is unconfirmed) and wound up in [[Algeria]] with [[Black Panther Party]] member Eldridge Cleaver. Not surprisingly he didn't have a lot in common with Cleaver, and fled via [[Switzerland]] to [[Afghanistan]], where he was captured and sent back to the American penal system, serving three years in jail before being released in 1976.<ref name=nytobit/>

==Later years==
His autobiography ''Flashbacks'' was published in 1983.<ref name=lrb1983>[https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v05/n19/michael-neve/hi Hi!], Michael Nevel, London Review of Books vol 5 number 19, 1983</ref>

In January 1996 he was diagnosed with untreatable [[cancer]], and declared "I'm looking forward to the most fascinating experience in life, which is dying." He got his wish on May 31, 1996.<ref name=nytobit/>

==Conspiracy theories about Leary==
Leary is sometimes linked to [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] about MKULTRA, the CIA's [[Mind control|mind-control]] program, which used psychedelics along with many other drugs. Russ Winter (of ''Winter Watch: Speaking Truth To Power'') formulated a theory that claims to link Leary to the CIA and other secret government figures. Supposedly Paul Mellon, a son of Andrew Mellon, was involved with the OSS (a precursor to the CIA) during [[World War Two]]. [[Lyndon LaRouche]] claimed that "In the early 60s, Billy Mellon-Hitchcock almost singlehandedly bankrolled mass-production and distribution of LSD (which, hardly by coincidence, was at the time the subject of testing by the CIA’s secret MK-ULTRA program) — financing this effort through known CIA fronts like Castle Bank in the [[Bahamas]]". Winter also claims Hitchcock was linked to the Hells Angels, who were involved in dealing drugs, laundering Hells Angels money. Winter also points to the lack of legal consequences suffered by Hitchcock and several linked figures despite their links to illegal drug distribution.<ref>[https://www.winterwatch.net/2021/08/william-mellon-hitchcock-bon-vivant-and-bank-roller-of-the-counter-culture/ William Mellon Hitchcock: Bon Vivant Who Helped Bankroll the LSD Counterculture], Russ Winter, ''Winter Watch'', August 6, 2021</ref>

It is reported that Nixon associate [[G. Gordon Liddy]] while prosecutor for Dutchess County, New York, investigated Hitchcock for illegal drugs, but ended up only levying a nominal fine.<ref name=villagevoice/> Again this suggests conspiracy, but does not prove it.

Leary's autobiography ''Flashbacks'' does mention the CIA and their programs such as MKULTRA which were interested in psychedelics and Leary's research; however, Leary saw the [[government]] as his enemy and psychedelics as a way of overcoming state control and [[Authoritarianism#The authoritarian mindset|authoritarian modes of thought]].<ref name=lrb1983/> It's not clear that the CIA would need Hitchcock or Leary to get drugs for MKULTRA, which was near its end when LSD became illegal in 1968. Until the late 1960s, LSD was easily available from Switzerland, amongst other sources.<ref name=villagevoice/> The facts of Hitchcock's drugs career are well-known, and he received a suspended sentence after testifying against his former associates.<ref name=villagevoice/> But that does not suggest any US government involvement; and even if they contacted Hitchcock that does not imply that Leary would be involved or supportive of state-sponsored mind control activities.

==See also==
* [[Terence McKenna]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2|90%}}

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[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:California]]
[[Category:Psychologists]]
[[Category:Transhumanism]]
[[Category:War on science]]

Categories: Authors, California, Psychologists, Transhumanism, War on science