Wormwood (2017)

 

 

 

 

 

Wormwood is a documentary series in six parts which premiered on Netflix in 2017. The topic is a mysterious case which involves the CIA, secret research projects, and secret experiments on members of staff.

 

At the centre of this incredible case is a scientist (Frank Olson) and the date on which he died (28 November 1953).

 

The day before (27 November 1953), Frank Olson and some of his CIA colleagues checked into the Statler Hotel in New York. Frank Olson and a colleague were booked in a room on the tenth floor.

 

Shortly after midnight (on 28 November) Frank Olson died. He fell from his room on the tenth floor to the pavement below. He died almost instantly. Why did he fall? There are two ways to answer this question:

 

# 1. He jumped. In that case it was suicide. If this answer is true, we have to ask: why did Frank Olson want to kill himself?

 

# 2. He was pushed. In that case it was murder. If this answer is true, we have to ask: who pushed him out of the window and why did they do it?

 

When Frank Olson died, he left behind his family: a wife and three young children (a daughter and two sons). His wife was now a widow. His children were now fatherless. Obviously, this episode made a huge impact on them. They did not know and could not understand why this terrible event had taken place.

 

Different answers and explanations were offered at different times:

 

** In 1953, when his death was announced.

** In 1975, when a number of top secret government documents about the CIA were declassified.

** Later on, when additional information was discovered.

 

Step by step, new information was released. Whenever this happened, it was not easy to know if the new information was true or not. Was this information released because it was true or because it might seem plausible? Was this information merely given in order to stop the questions and in order to hide the real truth?

 

Here are some key words and key questions which are mentioned when the case is discussed:

 

** LSD, brainwashing, truth serum, mind control, the Cold War, chemical and biological warfare, MK-ULTRA

** If a foreign spy is captured by the US, is there any way to make him reveal all the secrets he knows?

** How can we control the mind of another person?

** How can we know what is going on in his mind?

** How can we know if he is telling the truth or if he is lying?

 

In 1953. the Olson family had five members:

 

** Frank Olson, who worked as a scientist for the CIA for several years, was born in 1910.

** Alice, his wife, who was born in 1916; she died in 1993.

** Lisa, the daughter, who was born in 1945; she was killed in a plane crash in 1978.

** Eric, the older son, who was born in 1944.

** Nils, the younger son, who was born in 1948.

 

As stated above, the death of Frank Olson made a huge impact on the surviving members of his family.

 

The younger son Nils tried to let it go and tried to move forward in order to have a normal life.

 

The older son Eric could not let it go. He devoted most of his adult life to investigating this case; trying to discover why his father had died; collecting documents and information; doing as much as he could to publicize the case.

 

In this documentary series we follow the investigation which has been going on for decades. Some new details have been discovered, and some questions have been answered, but other questions remain unanswered.

 

The case is not yet closed, because the final truth – the final answer - has not yet been found.

 

The documentary series is composed of three elements:

 

# 1. Interviews with persons who are connected with the case

# 2. Reconstruction of some historical scenes in the 1950s.

# 3. Old clips and old photos which are used to illustrate the statements made by the persons who are interviewed.

 

Here is some basic information about the documentary series:

 

** Director: Errol Morris

** Writers: Kieran Fitzgerald, Steven Hathaway, and Molly Rokosz

** Run time: 6 x ca. 40 minutes = ca. 240 minutes

 

THE FOLLOWING ACTORS APPEAR  WHEN HISTORICAL SCENES ARE RECONSTRUCTED

** Peter Sarsgaard as Frank Olson (1910-1953)

** Molly Parker as Alice Olson (1916-1993)

** Christian Camargo as Dr Robert Lashbrook

** Scott Shepherd as Vincent Ruwet (1916-1996)

** Tim Blake Nelson as Sidney Gottlieb (1918-1999)

 

THE FOLLOWING PERSONS ARE INTERVIEWED

** Eric Olson – Frank Olson’s son (born 1944)

** David Rudovski – attorney at law (born 1943)

** Seymour Hersh – reporter, writer (born 1937)

** Harry Huge – attorney at law

** Stephen Saracco – Assistant District Attorney, New York

 

I am not going to tell you what they say. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. Besides, there are so many details here; it is hard to know where to begin and where to end.

 

What do reviewers say about this documentary series? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

 

70 per cent = IMDb

82 per cent = Meta

90 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

65 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

 

As you can see, the ratings are quite good. When you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a significant difference between the professional critics and the general audience. The former are more positive than the latter.

 

I think I know why: the general audience feels the story is too slow and too long; there are too many details, and it takes forever to get to the end of the story. The professional critics have a different point of view. They do not think the story is too slow or too long; they think each and every detail is important and they believe the story must take a long time to develop in order to illustrate the long struggle and the endless efforts to discover the truth.

 

In this case I have to side with the critics. They are right. The audience is too impatient.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 per cent).

 

PS # 1. The following items are available online:

 

** Matthew Hay Brown, “Six Decades Later, Sons Seek Answers on Death of Detrick Scientist,” The Baltimore Sun, 8 December 2012

** Lisa Liebman, “LSD, Lies, and the CIA: The Incredible True Story Behind Wormwood,” Vanity Fair, 14 December 2017

** Tamsin Shaw, “The Bitter Secret of Wormwood,” New York Review, 18 January 2018

 

PS # 2. The story of Frank Olson and his mysterious death in 1953 is the topic of the following book: A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments by H. P. Albarelli, Jr. (2008).

 

*****

 

 

Frank Olson (1910-1953)

 

*****

 

 

Errol Morris (born 1948)

*****