May 28, 1963 - Dr. Richard Alpert (left) denied today that he had broken faith with Harvard University by involving an undergraduate in a psychological test using hallucinogenic drugs. Dr. Alpert, an assistant professor of psychology, has been dismissed from the university. Dr. Timothy F. Leary (right), a lecturer on clinical psychology, was also dismissed for his part in the same experiment. He now heads an organization known as the International Foundation for Internal Freedom. Dr. Alpert is a director of the foundation. Dr. Leary was reported today to be in Mexico performing various experiments with the drugs, which Dr. Alpert described as causing “consciousness extension.” The drugs are psilocybin, mescaline, and lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD. Today, Dr. Alpert said he used psilocybin on one undergraduate a year ago. He said he and Dr. Leary had turned down 200 requests from undergraduates to participate in the research. “I do not feel that a single exception constitutes bad faith on my part,” said Dr. Alpert.
