Justice for a GI

By Robert H. Snyder:

Plain Dealer bureau chief

WASHINGTON

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Finally after

18 years of hell James R. Thornwell may get some justice from the U.S. government.

Thornwell, now 41, lives in Oakland, Calif.

Eighteen years ago Thornwell was serving in the Army and was

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stationed at Orleans, France. He was suspected of having stolen some classified documents from a message center there.

To squeeze the truth out of Thornwell, the Army, according to government records, subjected ḥim to systematic torture and ultimately administered LSD to him.

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A 1961 Army report stated Thornwell was "interrogated with abusive and profane language, threatened with physical harm including death, referred to as a homosexual, not allowed to sleep blindfolded, handcuffed and at pistol point, taken to a place where he was subjected to very painful treatment."

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As part of an Army experiment called Operation Third Chance, Thornwell was given LSD without his consent or knowledge. The Army used it on him and others trying to determine if it was an effective truth serum.

The Army reported Thornwell showed an "extreme paranoid 'reaction" to LSD, suffering "highly sustained and almost incapacitating side effects." His questioners in France warned him unless he confessed they would continue his interrogation, driving him insane.

He always denied taking the documents. His life changed radically after bad treatment from the Army.

In school Thornwell did well and appeared to have a promising future. He won a college scholarship awarded to the most outstanding black student in his high school class.

But since his experience in France Thornwell is nervous and has trouble concentrating. When he talks about what was done to him he starts to cry.

The Army for years tried to hide what it did to Thornwell. He was

given no follow-up medical

treatment.

In 1976 Thornwell got his first clue that he was part of some experiment when the IRS sent him a letter informing him that his name was turned over to the surgeon general as part of a follow-up to medical experiments conducted at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland:

Thornwell had never been at Edgewood Arsenal. The Army, in fact, had conducted other experiments with LSD on soldiers at the chemical warfare laboratory there.

After receiving the IRS letter Thornwell began to investigate and hired a lawyer. Through use of the Freedom of Information. Act, documents describing his treatment were obtained from the government. His lawyer sued the Army and the U.S. government for $10 million in damages. The Army and the Justice Department fought the lawsuit in the federal courts....

Last year U.S. District Judge Charles Richey of Washington ruled Thornwell had no right to recover damages for injuries received on active military duty but could go to trial for injuries that may have occurred after his discharge... Judge Richey said. Thornwell "has been transformed from a productive, healthy individual into an isolated social and economic cripple."

Now after all of this U.S.government lawyers have agreed to support legislation just introduced in Congress to pay Thornwell $1.7 million. California's two senators and Thornwell's congressman, Democrat Ronald Dellums, all support the special legislation. A number of other senators and representatives back it. With the Army and the Justice Department supporting it, the measure appears to have a good chance of passage. If passed it would settle the pending court suit.

The Congress should move swiftly to try to compensate Thornwell for his suffering. It is the least that can be done.