Last Podcast On The Left
Last Podcast On The Left
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions." — Henry Zabrowski
"It was a classified report. It was called Psychochemical Warfare, a new concept of war." — Ben Kessel
"Throughout recorded history, well, it's been characterized by death, human misery and the destruction of property. Each major conflict being more catastrophic than the one preceding it. I am convinced that it is possible by means of the techniques of Psychochemical Warfare to conquer an enemy without the wholesale killing of his people or the mass destruction of his property." — Ben Kessel (quoting a report)
This episode delves into the history of the Edgewood Arsenal, a U.S. Army Chemical Corps facility that conducted extensive medical and chemical weapon studies, primarily on its own soldiers, between 1955 and 1975. The hosts and guest discuss how the facility's initial purpose of understanding and defending against chemical warfare evolved into experiments with nerve agents like VX and Sarin, hallucinogens like LSD, and various irritants. The narrative highlights the often coercive nature of soldier participation, with many being misled about the true nature of the tests, which ranged from simply receiving injections to prolonged exposure in gas chambers.
The discussion emphasizes the severe physical and psychological toll these experiments had on the soldiers, including debilitating injuries, mental health deterioration, and in some cases, death. While acknowledging that some research from Edgewood Arsenal led to advancements such as the development of Kevlar and early cancer chemotherapies, the episode primarily focuses on the ethical breaches and the sheer scale of human experimentation. The context of the Cold War and the arms race with the Soviet Union is presented as a driving factor behind the urgency and secrecy of these operations.
Furthermore, the podcast touches upon related government experiments, including Operation Big City, where bacteria were sprayed over San Francisco without public knowledge, and the alleged dosing of CIA members with LSD. The episode also introduces key figures involved in these experiments, such as Colonel James Ketchum and Dr. Van Murray Sim, detailing their roles and attitudes towards the testing, often with a focus on their controversial justifications and lack of remorse or accountability for the harm caused to the test subjects.