VA Must Disclose Documents on CIA, Army and Nazi Scientists Tests Using Veterans as Guinea Pigs

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

As part of an ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. government, a federal judge has ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to release more documents relating to Cold War-era experimentation on American soldiers.

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in Oakland, California, ruled the VA must hand over documents pertaining to the use of at least 7,800 service personnel as “human guinea pigs” by the U.S. Army and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Beginning in the 1950s, the military and CIA utilized former Nazi scientists to test the effects of 400 types of drugs and chemicals, including mescaline, LSD, amphetamines, mustard gas, and nerve agents, on U.S. soldiers, according to a lawsuit brought by the Vietnam Veterans of America and individual soldiers.

The experiments, some of which took place at Edgewood Arsenal and Fort Detrick, Maryland, left many veterans with long-term health problems that the VA has refused to cover.

The plaintiffs have won previous motions demanding the VA release records relating to the secret experiments. This time, they sought documents revealing the government’s process for identifying and notifying soldiers who were potentially exposed during the chemical and biological tests.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

VA Must Disclose Veteran Drug Test Documents (by Annie Youderian, Courthouse News Service)

Vets Get More Discovery in CIA 'Guinea Pig' Case (by Nick McCann, Courthouse News Service)

Veterans’ Lawsuit against CIA and Army Drug Experimentation Moves Closer to Trial (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
Source:  AllGov - News - VA Must Disclose Documents on CIA, Army and Nazi Scientists Tests Using Veterans as Guinea Pigs