"troops served in the same capacity as laboratory rats or guinea pigs" Vets Sue

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Vets sue CIA, DoD over military experiments


Veterans Eric Muth, center, and Frank Rochelle, right, speak at a news conference as their attorney Gordon Erspamer, left, listens at the law offices of Morrison and Foerster in San Francisco, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009. Muth and Rochelle are among six veterans who claim they were unwittingly exposed to dangerous chemicals and germs during government-sponsored Cold War experiments. On Wednesday they sued the CIA, Department of Defense and other federal agencies. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)


By PAUL ELIAS
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 7, 2009; 7:43 PM



SAN FRANCISCO -- Six veterans who say they were exposed to dangerous chemicals, germs and mind-altering drugs during Cold War-era experiments filed a federal lawsuit against the CIA, Department of Defense and other agencies Wednesday.

The veterans say they volunteered for military experiments as part of a wide-ranging program started in the 1950s to test nerve agents, biological weapons and mind-control techniques, but were not properly informed of the nature of the experiments.

They blame the experiments for poor health and are demanding the government provide their health care. They also want the court to rule that the program was illegal because its administrators failed to get their consent.

Marie Harf, a CIA spokeswoman, declined to comment on the lawsuit, which seeks class action status on behalf of all participants allegedly exposed to harmful experiments without their knowledge. Vietnam Veterans of America, a veterans advocacy group, is also a plaintiff.

The suit, filed in San Francisco, alleges that at least 7,800 U.S. military personnel served as volunteers to test experimental drugs such as LSD at the Edgewood Arsenal near Baltimore, Md., during a program that lasted into the 1970s, and that many others volunteered for similar experiments at other locations.

"In virtually all cases, troops served in the same capacity as laboratory rats or guinea pigs," the lawsuit states.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010702303.html