Louis Jolyon 'Jolly' West (1924–1999)
American psychiatrist whose work centred on people pushed 'to the limits of human experience'. Chair of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma from 1954 (at 29), then chair of UCLA's Department of Psychiatry and director of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute (1969–89). An expert on brainwashing ('coercive persuasion'), cults, drug abuse and violence. He corresponded with MKUltra chief Sidney Gottlieb from June 1953 and took money at Oklahoma from the Geschickter Fund, a CIA cut-out; that he was the (redacted) contractor on MKUltra Subproject 43, a hypnosis/dissociation study, is held pending a record that names him. He examined Jack Ruby (1964) and testified for Patty Hearst's brainwashing defence. His 1962 LSD dose killed Tusko the elephant at the Oklahoma City zoo. Tom O'Neill's *CHAOS* (2019) places him in Haight-Ashbury in 1967; a link between West and the Manson Family is not established.
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald Ewen Cameron | fellow psychiatrist in the CIA-funded mind-control research of the era | 1950s–1960s | Concept | |
| MKUltra | Gottlieb correspondent; Geschickter Fund (CIA cut-out) money at Oklahoma | 1953–1966 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| Sidney Gottlieb | 1953 correspondence proposing LSD and hypnosis studies | 1953 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| Jolly West corresponded with Sidney Gottlieb from 1953 and took Geschickter Fund money at Oklahoma | the graded claim | 1953 | Structural | |
| JFK assassination (1963) | examined Jack Ruby after he shot Oswald; found acute psychosis | 1964 | Documented · occurred | muckrock.com |
| Jolly West examined Jack Ruby (1964) and declared him insane | the graded claim | 1964 | Structural | muckrock.com |
| Jolly West ran a Haight-Ashbury 'crash pad' study in 1967 | the graded claim | 1967 | Structural | |
| Jolly West worked with or influenced Charles Manson's Family | alleged link; no document | 1967–1969 | Unproven | |
| Manson, Jolly West and CHAOS (O'Neill 2019) | a central figure in O'Neill's book | 2019 | Concept | youtube.com |
Tied from
| From | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jolly West was the redacted contractor on MKUltra Subproject 43 | the alleged contractor | 1955-1957 | Structural |
Links
- UCLA Library: Finding Aid for the Louis Jolyon West Papers (LSC.0590)
- Hektoen International: Louis Jolyon West, M.D., a dangerous doctor (2024)
- Oklahoma Gazette: LSD experiment at zoo in 1962 killed elephant
- MuckRock (2017): Jack Ruby diagnosed by the same CIA doctor
- Wikipedia: Louis Jolyon West
Notes
| Claim | Record | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Chair of psychiatry, University of Oklahoma, from 1954 (age 29) | UCLA finding aid; Hektoen | Oklahoma chair |
| Chair, UCLA Department of Psychiatry, and director, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, 1969–89 | UCLA finding aid | UCLA |
| At Lackland AFB, examined Korean War POWs who had falsely confessed to germ warfare; testified they were coerced, not traitors | UCLA finding aid; with Margaret Singer | POW brainwashing work |
| 1953 Gottlieb letters; Geschickter Fund money (Subproject 43 identification held) | West archive via The Intercept 2019; CIA Subproject 43 file (contractor redacted) | Gottlieb correspondence |
| 1962: injected Tusko the elephant with 297 mg of LSD; the elephant died within about an hour; published in Science | Science (1962); Oklahoma Gazette | Tusko |
| Examined Jack Ruby (1964): acute psychosis, recommended against the death penalty | West's assessment (MuckRock) | Ruby exam |
| Expert witness for Patty Hearst's brainwashing defence (1976) | Trial record, per the UCLA finding aid | Hearst testimony |
| Proposed the UCLA Center for the Study and Reduction of Violence (early 1970s); opposed over psychosurgery and behaviour-modification fears; never funded | Hektoen; contemporary opposition | proposal and defeat |
| Ran a Haight-Ashbury 'crash pad' study (1967) | West's research record, as cited in CHAOS | Haight study |
| Worked with or influenced the Manson Family | O'Neill found no direct evidence | West–Manson |