The Mysterious Death of CIA Scientist Frank Olson: MK Ultra and LSD

The Death of Frank Olson

• 📌 On November 28th, 1953, CIA scientist Dr. Frank Olson fell to his death from the 13th floor of the Statler Hotel in New York City.
• ⚠️ Initially ruled a suicide, a second autopsy in 1994 revealed inconsistencies, raising questions of foul play.
• 💡 Frank Olson was a biological warfare scientist who worked for the CIA, specializing in aerosolized anthrax.

Project MK Ultra and Mind Control

• 🧠 The CIA's MK Ultra project, revealed in the 1970s, involved secret mind control experiments and drug testing on US citizens.
• 🧪 Dr. Frank Olson was unknowingly dosed with LSD nine days before his death, a fact uncovered by the Rockefeller Commission.
• ✈️ Olson's work involved developing chemicals and drugs for interrogation, with projects like Bluebird and Artichoke preceding MK Ultra.

Olsen's Growing Discomfort and Suspicions

• 😟 Friends and family noted Olsen's increasing depression and withdrawal, particularly after trips to Europe where he witnessed the use of his research for harmful purposes.
• 🗣️ Olsen was known for being outspoken and opinionated, which sometimes led to run-ins with military police and recommendations for supervision.
• 💡 He expressed a desire to quit his job and pursue a different career, such as dentistry, indicating his disillusionment with his work.

The Events Leading to His Death

• 🤝 On November 19th, 1953, Olsen attended a CIA meeting where he was unknowingly dosed with LSD, along with four others.
• 🏥 Days later, he met with CIA doctor Harold Abramson and magician John Mulholland, and was given a barbiturate and bourbon.
• 🏙️ On November 28th, Olsen reportedly threw himself from his hotel room window, with conflicting accounts from Robert Lashbrook, who was present.

Investigations and Theories

• ⚖️ Olsen's wife accepted a $750,000 settlement from the US government in a wrongful death suit in 1976.
• 👨‍👦 His sons later attempted to file another suit, but it was dismissed due to the prior settlement.
• ❓ The prevailing theories suggest either suicide due to depression over his work or that he was murdered by the CIA to silence him, with his son Eric believing his father was killed in CIA custody.