Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond Revised Edition

by Martin A. Lee (Author), Bruce Shlain (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0802130624

ISBN-10: 9780802130624

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Few events have had a more profound impact on the social and cultural upheavals of the Sixties than the psychedelic revolution spawned by the spread of LSD. This book for the first time tells the full and astounding story—part of it hidden till now in secret Government files—of the role the mind-altering drug played in our recent turbulent history and the continuing influence it has on our time.

And what a story it is, beginning with LSD’s discovery in 1943 as the most potent drug known to science until it spilled into public view some twenty years later to set the stage for one of the great ideological wars of the decade. In the intervening years the CIA had launched a massive covert research program in the hope that LSD would serve as an espionage weapon, psychiatric pioneers came to believe that acid would shed light on the perplexing problems of mental illness, and a new generation of writers and artists had given birth to the LSD sub-culture.

Acid Dreams is a complete social history of the psychedelic counter-culture that burst into full view in the Sixties. With new information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the authors reveal how the CIA became obsessed with LSD during the Cold War, fearing the Soviets had designs on it as well. What follows is one of the more bizarre episodes in the covert history of U.S. intelligence as the search for a “truth drug” began to resemble a James Bond scenario in which agents spied on drug-addicted prostitutes through two-way mirrors and countless unwitting citizens received acid with sometimes tragic results.

The story took a new turn when Captain Al Hubbard, the first of a series of “Johnny Appleseeds” of acid, began to turn on thousands of scientists, businessmen, church figures, policemen, and others from different walks of life.

Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters, Allen Ginsberg and the Beat generation, the Diggers and the Age of Golden Anarchy in Haight-Ashbury, William Mellon Hitchcock, Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies, the Beatles—these are just some of a motley cast of characters who stride through the pages of this compelling chronicle. What impact did the widespread use of LSD have on the anti-war movement of the late Sixties? Acid Dreams traces the way the drug intensified each stage of counter-cultural transition to break the “mind-forged manacles” of a new generation in rebellion.

In Acid Dreams, Martin Lee and Bruce Shalin have written the history of a time still only dimly understood. The events they recount and the facts they uncover supply an important missing piece of the puzzle of a crucial decade in our recent past.

Praise

“Engaging throughout. . . . At once entertaining and disturbing.”—Andrew Weil, M.D., The Nation

“Marvelously detailed . . . loaded with startling revelations.”—Los Angeles Daily News

“Excellent. . . . Captivating. . . . A generalist’s history that should replace all others.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“A landmark contribution to the sociopolitical history of the U.S. . . . Some of the liveliest, most absorbing, best-documented historical analyses to appear in recent years. . . . A seminal contribution to understanding America’s most turbulent modern decade.”—Choice

“This funny and irreverent book brings it all back.”—The Washington Post

“Recounts some of the most bizarre incidents in the history of U.S. intelligence.”—The Boston Globe

“A monumental social history of psychedelia.”—The Village Voice

“A blistering exposé of CIA drug experimentation on Americans. It’s all there.”—John Stockwell

“Highly readable. . . . Well researched. . . . Filled with entertaining and bizarre episodes.”—The Detroit Free Press

“An important study of cultural history. . . . The scholarship is exquisite and the methods sensible.”—Allen Ginsberg

“An engrossing account of a period . . . when a tiny psychoactive molecule affected almost every aspect of Western life.”—William S. Burroughs

“A missing link, a work of combat history, a devastating combination of facts and poetry that is bound to arouse controversy.”—Paul Krassner

“An important historical synthesis of the spread and effects of a drug that served as a central metaphor for an era.”—John Sayles

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This fascinating study examines how the CIA tested LSD on unwitting residents of Greenwich Village and San Francisco. Of particular interest are profiles of Timothy Leary, LSD chemist Ronald Stark and others.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

ASIN : 0802130623
Publisher : Grove Press; Revised edition (January 21, 1994)
Language : English
Paperback : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 9780802130624
ISBN-13 : 978-0802130624
Item Weight : 1.15 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #107,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #47 in Anthropology (Books)
- #91 in Sociology (Books)
- #330 in History (Books)

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233 ratings

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RPA

Interesting, but...

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2020

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As a child of the '60s and a former "hippie", this book was an interesting narrative about the history of LSD, but I found that, as the book progressed, the history started becoming somewhat tedious. The author's obvious approval of LSD usage and the "insights" he believes users acquire begin to sound repetitive, as are the narratives about individuals which begin to blur into indistinguishable, predictable stories. If you are interested in such things, you will enjoy the book. To me, the best part of the book was the beginning, where we learn about government agencies (e.g., the CIA) that studied and used the drug on unsuspecting people in the never-ending search for a truth serum. It was truly unnerving to learn what people in power can do if they believe they are not being watched or feel unaccountable to anyone. All in all, it was a so-so read which I will not pick up again for a second time.

4 people found this helpful

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jamesmore

Far-Out Man!

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2016

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No, but really...this book is very informative, almost too much information (if there could ever be such a thing) to take in. Aside from all of the lurid LSD parties and shenanigans, from a historical point, this book has it all. If you lived through this time period, and have difficulties recalling what was going on at the time, then this book will help put things into perspective, and maybe give you an "Aha" moment, or two, or three, or more... This book touches on the CIA, U.S. government, politics, rock 'n roll, drug trafficking, Hippies, Beats, and many of the protests of the turbulent 60's and 70's. I recommend that everyone read this book, especially those too young to remember!

18 people found this helpful

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NJT

A stranger than fiction account of the story of LSD and the CIA

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2020

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Some of the material gathered in this book seems downright conspiracy theory material and yet it's FOIA from our government and it all really happened. It's hard to believe honestly, and very disturbing, and you really hope that the government has improved since then, but that's kind of hard to believe too. Anyway you may find your faith in our institutions just a bit more reduced following this reading, but an informed citizenry is critical to democracy. Light has to shine in the darkness to expose and change things.

One person found this helpful

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sophie

If You Long for The 60's Chemical Du Jour ...

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2020

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I was looking for more information of the CIA's, MK Ultra experiment. Though the book does cover this quite well it wasn't enough for me. But had I really read the title I should have figured this out. Lots of pages devoted to the 60's and Timothy Leary's rise to acid guide. The name dropping of the celebrities, elite, famous and "important" people that dropped in. This section became a bore for me. I really don't care about the psychotic effects and visions of
divine these nuts experienced. Or their belief of flight and jumping out windows...... So if this is your thing then maybe you'll really like this read. The writing is good and lots of depth for what is covered.

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Michael

Fresh Flashbacks

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2015

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Fascinating book. At times a bit slow, but all in all this history/documentary clips along very well and holds the reader's interest as it unfolds the LSD story in considerable detail. This is about as wide-ranging a book as one could possibly imagine on the subject.

After reading it, many people would feel the most important conclusion to be drawn from this story is that the CIA inadvertently triggered much of the anti-war movement of the 1960s, along with the emergence of the hippie counterculture and its culmination in the 1967 San Francisco Summer of Love, as unlikely as all that might seem.

This book tells how and a lot more.

Interesting stuff about Timothy Leary and his place in the Acid story, with a passing bow to Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. Fascinating glimpses behind the scenes of the shocking protests and police repression that took place outside the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago; the advent of the Students for a Democratic Society, and even some of the inner workings of the Black Panthers.

In somewhat of a surprise, the author suggests that LSD may have had a significant dampening effect on the more radical political movements of the mid to late 60s.

As an indication of how wild (almost eccentric) this book is in places, picture CIA agents secretly spiking fellow agents' drinks with LSD. Be a fly on the wall observing the inner workings of the business operations of the Southern California Acid mafia that took over distribution of LSD after Owsley Stanley split the scene.

This reviewer hesitates to label any book as a Must Read; but for anyone doing extensive research into the phenomenon of the 1960s, this book is in fact a must-read. And for those who participated in the wild ride of the acid-drenched days of the 1960s, this book will prove to be a fun (and instructive) read as well. For those who never tripped, it will nevertheless give a much clearer understanding of this drug and its place in what was surely the most radical period of change in American cultural history.

13 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

graham

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2016

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loved it; very entertaining 7 informative..

great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2019

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page turner

david prust

good quick delivery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2015

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Very informative, good quick delivery.thank you.

Jeff

Entertainingly wriiten summary of the drug culture around in my early "experimental" years.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2015

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My adolescence described to an LSD.

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2016

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Fast shipment, book as described

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Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond Revised Edition

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