Harold Blauer was an American professional tennis player who reached the round of 16 at the 1935 U.S. Professional Tennis Tournament, where he lost to champion Bill Tilden. In late 1952, after a divorce and while seeking treatment for depression, he entered the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The institute had a secret agreement with the Army Chemical Corps to test potential chemical-warfare agents on patients, within a wider research effort connected to the CIA’s Project Artichoke, which investigated chemical interrogation and mind control.
From November 1952 to January 1953, Blauer received injections of several compounds related to mescaline. The drugs caused intense hallucinations, and he asked to stop the treatments. Nevertheless, on December 30, he was injected with 450 milligrams of MDA, a fatal dose. He suffered severe physical symptoms, fell into a coma, and died roughly two hours later. The institute described the overdose as accidental, saying safe doses had been based on guesses; animal toxicity tests followed in secret in 1953. Another patient given MDA that day had such a violent reaction that her injection was halted after one-third of the planned dose. Blauer’s role and consent were unclear, and authorities concealed the circumstances for 22 years. In 1987, a federal judge awarded his estate more than $700,000, finding that his records had been altered to hide the cause of death.
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