"the most dangerous man in America" (Richard Nixon)

Curated by Markus Fiedler

Total Runtime: 1:16:17

Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an influential Americanpsychologist and writer, known in particular for advocating the therapeutic benefits ofpsychedelic drugs. A controversial figure during the 1960s and 1970s, he defended the use of the drug LSD for its therapeutic, emotional and spiritual benefits, and believed it showed potential in the field of psychiatry. Leary also popularized the phrases "Turn on, tune in, drop out" and "Set and setting". Both proved to be influential on the 1960s counterculture. Due to his influence in this field, he was attacked by conservative figures in the United States, and described as "the most dangerous man in America" by President Richard Nixon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary

Timothy Francis Leary, the son of a dentist, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on 22nd October, 1920. He attended West Point Military Academy but was forced to leave after being accused of smuggling alcohol onto the campus.

Leary eventually obtained a degree in psychology at the University of Alabamain 1943. He then moved to the University of California where he received a Ph.D. in 1950. Leary worked as an assistant professor at Berkeley (1950-55), director of research at the Kaiser Foundation (1955-58) before becoming a lecturer in psychology at Harvard University in 1959.

During a visit to Mexico Leary tried psilocybin mushrooms. As a result of this experience Leary and a colleague, Richard Alpert, began research into the effects of psilocybin and LSD on individuals. Leary argued that LSD, if used correctly, could alter personality in beneficial ways. Leary's research participants reported that while under the influence of LSD they had profound mystical and spiritual experiences. Leary and Alpert argued that LSD could be used to reform convicted criminals.

Leary's ideas received considerable publicity and in 1962 he was contacted by Mary Pinchot Meyer. Leary supplied her with LSD who used it with her lover, President John F. Kennedy. Leary later claimed that Meyer helped influence Kennedy's views on nuclear disarmament and rapprochement with Cuba. Kennedy aide, Meyer Feldman, claimed in an interview with Nina Burleigh that the president might have discussed substantial issues with Meyer: "I think he might have thought more of her than some of the other women and discussed things that were on his mind, not just social gossip."

In 1963 Leary and Alpert were dismissed from Harvard University after complaints from the parents of students involved in experimenting with LSD. The two men moved to New York and continued their research at a large mansion called Millbrook. On several occasions Millbrook was raided by FBI agents. This included one raid led by G. Gordon Liddy.

According to his biography, Flashbacks, Timothy Leary claims that Mary Pinchot Meyer phoned him the day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated: "They couldn't control him any more. He was changing too fast. He was learning too much... They'll cover everything up. I gotta come see you. I'm scared. I'm afraid."

In the summer of 1964 Meyer told friends that she believed someone had been inside her house while she was away. On another occasion she told Elizabeth Eisenstein that "she thought she had seen somebody leaving as she walked in". Meyer reported these incidents to the police. Eisenstein said Meyer was clearly frightened by these incidents.

On 12th October, 1964, Mary Pinchot Meyer was shot dead as she walked along the Chesapeake and Ohio towpath in Georgetown. Meyer appeared to have been killed by a professional hitman. The first bullet was fired at the back of the head. She did not die straight away. A second shot was fired into the heart. The evidence suggests that in both cases, the gun was virtually touching Meyer’s body when it was fired.

Soon afterwards Raymond Crump, a black man, was charged with Meyer's murder. Police tests were unable to show that Crump had fired the .38 caliber Smith and Wesson gun. There were no trace of nitrates on his hands or clothes. Despite an extensive search of the area no gun could be found. This included a two day search of the tow path by 40 police officers. On 29th July, 1965, Crump was acquitted of murdering Meyer. The case remains unsolved.

In 1965 Leary's daughter was arrested carrying marijuana while crossing the Mexican border. Leary took responsibility for his daughter having the drug and he was later convicted of possession under the Marijuana Tax Act and was sentenced to 30 years in jail. In 1969 the Marijuana Tax was declared unconstitutional and Leary's conviction was quashed.

The following year Leary was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. Found guilty, he was sentenced to prison. However, with the help of the Weathermen, he escaped from prison. Leary and his wife to move to Algeria where he spent time with Black Panther leader, Eldridge Cleaver. Later the couple went to live in Switzerland.

Richard Nixon described Leary as the "most dangerous man in America" and ordered G. Gordon Liddy to destroy him. In 1974 he was illegally kidnapped by Interpol agents in Kabul and transported to the United States. (At the time Afghanistan had no extradition treaty with the United States.) Leary was eventually released from prison in April, 1976.

Books by Leary include The Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality (1957), The Psychedelic Experience(1964), The Politics of Ecstasy (1965), Start Your Own Religion (1967), High Priest (1968), Confessions of a Hope Fiend (1973), Flashbacks (1983), Info-Psychology (1987), Change Your Brain (1988), Game of Life(1989), Intelligence Agents (1996) and Turn On, Tune In and Drop Out (1999).

Timothy Francis Leary died of prostate cancer on 31st May, 1996. His death was videotaped and appeared in the movie, Timothy Leary's Dead

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKlearyT.htm.

Doc - Beyond Life with Timothy Leary

◀ PREVNEXT ▶ THIS VIDEO: MORE INFO ABOUT THIS SHOW »

Search Tags:

Docs

Our Curators Recommend:

Doc - Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras

super informative documentary heralded as "the best Mardi Gras film to date" that illuminates the influence of medieval French Carnaval traditions on contemporary Cajun Mardis Gras.

Squarepusher live in Gdańsk and Vienna, 2012

See Tom Jenkinson's insane new live audio visual show - Keep watching, features an interview too!

Hip Hop Week

5 days of slammin Hip Hop from every aspect and all eras! Essential!

The Network Awesome Show

The Network Awesome Show is a music variety show that captures the creativity of the musicians and artists that drive the scene.

Network Awesome Originals:

Horror-Punk Weekend

A spooky and chilling collection of the best and bloodiest punk and splatter! Wear a raincoat!

Italian Weekend

Disco, Fashion, Design, Horror Movies - Italians do it all!

Heavy Metal Week

Nothing but the best of the best documentaries, live music shows, films, and video collections exploring the themes of the loudest musical genre

Electronic Music Week

Previously This Week:

Fri, May 24

Live Music Show - Tina Turner (and Ike) in 1971

Talk Show - Helen Mirren

Doc - Groupies (1970)

Collection - HBO's Real Sex

Aerobics with Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes, 1986

Movie - The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976)

Thu, May 23

120 Megabytes - DFA Music Videos

Doc - 12 Years of DFA: Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic

Collection - Paul Tschinkel's InnerTube

Collection - NYC No-Wave

Art - Wild World Of Lydia Lunch (Nick Zedd, 1983)

Movie - Prince Of The City (Sidney Lumet, 1981)

Wed, May 22

Live Music Show - Simon and Garfunkel's "The Concert in Central Park" (1981)

Eroticise (1982)

Collection - 80s Look-Alike Contests

All Star Party for Clint Eastwood, 1986

ABC Afterschool Special - I Want To Go Home (1985)

Movie - My Bodyguard (Tony Bill, 1980)

Tue, May 21

Star Blazers Ep 2

Doc: Suited For Space (1966)

Art: Our Lady of the Sphere (Larry Jordan, 1969)

Collection: Catastrophic Launch Failure

Doc: The Outer Space Connection (1975)

Movie: Saturn 3 (1980)

Mon, May 20

Live Music Show - The Smiths at Rockpalast, 1984

Riget (The Kingdom) S01E02

Golden Girls S02E05: Isn't It Romantic

Talkshow - Mel Brooks in 1975

Doc - Mel Brooks: I Thought I Was Taller (1981)

Movie - The Twelve Chairs (Mel Brooks, 1970)

Sun, May 19

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters: Dinosaur Show

Joe 90: Operation McClaine

Collection: Jim Henson Experiments

Doc: Sex, Drugs and Soft Toys, Making Meet the Feebles

Movie: The Muppet Movie (1979)

Movie: Meet the Feebles (1989)