Here’s footage of British troops unwittingly testing LSD, circa 1953/54. The experiments were supposedly to determine the drug’s value as a “non-lethal incapacitating weapon.” Hilarity ensues. One soldier attempts to feed the birds by climbing a tree. “The efficiency of the rocket launcher team was also very impaired.”
I’m sure Health and Safety would have something to say about all that nowadays. At the very least, I’d assume they’d advise against giving a bunch of tripping soldiers a rocket launcher.
I’m still tickled by the guy climbing up a tree to feed the birds. There’s a kind of acid logic to that. Alas, we don’t learn what exactly he was proposing to feed them with. Toffees, perhaps?
For Tommorow
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=94c_1189640419
Thanks very much. That fits the shortlist nicely.
We were shown these during my Int Corps training, some these guys suffered permanent damage. We were also shown some very disturbing ones of US troops being guinea pigs for nerve agents, if I remember correctly there were some fatalities.
Nigel,
The links beneath the video touch on some of the psychological and legal consequences.
What I want to know is why the military doesn’t use LSD as a weapon? Dropping it into Baghdad’s water supply would make moping up insurgents a lot easier. Should make the locals a bit friendlier as well.
Thanks David, I hadn’t checked the links. I’m glad the poor guys have got some compensation. I bugs me intently when people get massive compensation claims for slipping over on a supper market floor but these men had to fight for years.