Govt To Pay $1.7m For Doping Soldier With Lsd (Press, 11 August 1979)

On 11 August 1979, it was reported that the United States Government has decided to pay $1.7 million to a former soldier, James Thornwell, rather than facing a trial over the administration of the hallucinogenic drug LSD during a covert Army experiment nearly two decades earlier in France. The agreement follows a judge's earlier description of Thornwell, now 41, as a social and economic cripple. The resolution involves a special bill that will secure Thornwell the funds, which was supported by both the Army and the Justice Department. The decision to settle with Thornwell comes in the wake of extraordinary claims against the Government, which are frequently resolved through private bills in Congress instead of lengthy court cases. Thornwell’s ordeal began in 1961 during an Army operation named Operation Third Chance, aimed at evaluating LSD as a potential truth serum for interrogating Army intelligence sources. He was administered the drug without his consent at an Army message centre in Orleans, France. At that time, he had been suspected of stealing classified documents. Thornwell was subjected to extreme confinement, facing solitary treatment in a small chamber with covered windows. He was deprived of basic needs such as food, water, sleep, and bathroom access. During his interrogation, he experienced a barrage of abuse, threats of physical harm, and was subjected to psychological distress. An Army report indicated that he was blindfolded, handcuffed, and coerced at gunpoint, with his interrogators employing tactics intended to worsen his mental state. After receiving the LSD, Thornwell exhibited severe paranoia and suffered enduring debilitating effects. The Army's account acknowledged the psychological strife inflicted upon him, including threats suggesting that he could remain in a drug-induced state permanently or even become insane. For many years, Thornwell grappled with various physical ailments without understanding their root causes, only discovering he had been used as a human test subject after accessing the military report during legal proceedings two years prior to the settlement. He initially filed a lawsuit for $10 million against the Government. However, a judge, Charles Richey, determined in May that Thornwell could not seek damages for injuries sustained while on active military duty, but he did have the right to pursue a claim for injuries incurred following his discharge from the service. Judge Richey’s ruling highlighted Thornwell’s drastic transformation from a healthy, productive individual to someone who has been isolated from society due to the severe impact of the Army’s actions on his life. The settlement, while significant, represents an acknowledgment of the lengthy and traumatic experience Thornwell endured as a result of government experimentation.

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