"If you're afraid of dying, and you're holdin' on, you'll see devils tearin' your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freein' you from the world. It all depends on how you look at it."

-Louie paraphrasing Meister Eckhart at the end of Jacob's Ladder.

At the end of the movie Jacob's Ladder, the main character Jacob Singer has a talk with Michael, a chemist who explains to him that the violent deaths of the soldiers in his battalion in Vietnam were caused by a drug-induced psychosis brought about by the hallucinogen BZ, or quinuclidinyl benzilate. This drug was invented under the direction of the U.S. government to maximize the aggression of the soldiers, but it backfired when the unwitting human guinea pigs turned on one another. This is a classic conspiracy theory, but is the story of BZ actual fact or movie fiction? A little research has revealed the following:

Psychotomimetic Chemical Weapons

In "Psychotomimetic Chemical Weapons," The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international organization opposing the use of chemical weapons, describes in detail the effects of BZ as a psychotomimetic agent:

This group of agents usually includes substances which, when administered in low doses (<10 mg) cause conditions similar to psychotic disorders or other symptoms emanating from the central nervous system (loss of feeling, paralysis, rigidity, etc.). The effects are transitory and cause inability to make decisions and incapacitation. Several such substances may be used to achieve these objectives and only a few examples are given here.

During the 1950's, studies were made of substances such as glycolic acid esters (glycolates). Particular interest was paid to 3-quinuclidinylbenzilate, BZ. The effects of this group of substances are similar to those caused by atropine. BZ causes poisoning at doses of 0.5-5 mg. Peripheral symptoms such as distended pupils, deteriorated short-distance vision, dry mouth and palpitations occur after about 30 minutes.

A serious effect of poisoning with BZ, as also with other atropine-like substances, is an increased body temperature. Deterioration in the level of consciousness, hallucinations and coma occur subsequently. Incapacitating after-effects may remain 1-3 weeks after the poisoning. Since the effect of glycolates was found to be difficult to predict, interest in continued research into this type of substance gradually decreased.

Glossary

In the recently declassified field manual for the Treatment Of Chemical Agent Casualties And Conventional Military Chemical Injuries published as FM8-285 (new link, 2003) of the U.S. Army, BZ is listed in the glossary and described in Chapter 6 as an incapacitating agent:

• BDU battle dress uniform
  
• BZ incapacitating agent
  
• C Celsius/centigrade
  

  Chapter 6, Incapacitants, Section I - General
  

  602. CNS Depressants.
  

  CNS depressants produce their effects by interfering with transmission of information across central synapses. An example of this type of agent is 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate (BZ), which blocks the muscarinic action of acetylcholine both peripherally and centrally. In the central nervous system anticholinergic compounds disrupt the high integrative functions of memory, problem solving, attention and comprehension. Relatively high doses produce toxic delirium which destroys the ability to perform any military task.
  

Government Confirmation

In 1994, The Committee On Veterans Affairs Of The United States Senate confirmed the involvement of the Army and CIA in covert operations involving the testing of BZ:

"Is Military Research Hazardous To Veterans' Health? Lessons Spanning Half A Century"¹

A Staff Report Prepared For The Committee On Veterans Affairs United States Senate, December 8, 1994

For at least 50 years, DOD [Department of Defese] has knowingly exposed military personnel to potentially dangerous substances, often in secret. The U.S. General Accounting Office issued a report on September 28, 1994, which stated that between 1940 and 1974, DOD and other national security agencies studied hundreds of thousands of human subjects in tests and experiments involving hazardous substances. GAO stated that some tests and experiments were conducted in secret. Medical research involving the testing of nerve agents, nerve agent antidotes, psychochemicals and irritants was often classified. Additionally, some work conducted for DOD by contractors still remains classified today. For example, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has not released the names of 15 of the approximately 80 organizations that conducted experiments under the MKULTRA program, which gave psychochemical drugs to an undetermined number of people without their knowledge or consent. According to the GAO report, the CIA has not released this information because the organizations do not want to be identified. . . . (underline mine).

Hallucinogens

Working with the CIA the Department of Defense gave hallucinogenic drugs to thousands of "volunteer" soldiers in the 1950's and 1960's. In addition to LSD, the Army also tested quinuclidinyl benzilate, a hallucinogen code-named BZ. Many of these tests were conducted under the so-called MKULTRA program, established to counter perceived Soviet and Chinese advances in brainwashing techniques. Between 1953 and 1964, the program consisted of 149 projects involving drug testing and other studies on unwitting human subjects. Although many human subjects were not informed or protected, Dr. Gottlieb defended those actions by stating "...harsh as it may seem in retrospect, it was felt that in an issue where national survival might be concerned, such a procedure and such a risk was a reasonable one to take."

1. As Reported by the International Gulf War Illness Coalition, 68 Dearmin Terrance Ln #11, Franklin, NC 28734