"LSD, lysergic acid diethylamid, or acid, was invented by accident in a Swiss laboratory in the 1930s by a doctor, Albert Hofmann, when a small amount of the compound on his fingertips resulted in "an altered state of awareness of the world." After the war, Hofmann's laboratory sold small amounts in the United States, where saxophonist John Coltrane, celebrated for his introspective brilliance, jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gilespie, and pianist Thelonious Monk experimented with the new drug, though not nearly as much as the CIA. The substance was hard to detect because it had neither odor, taste, nor color. An enemy surreptitiously exposed to LSD might reveal secrets or become confused and surrender. This was the origin of the idea of slipping acid into the water cooler. Plans under consideration included slipping acid to Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser and Cuba's Fidel Castro so that they would babble foolishly and lose their followings. But Castro's popularity among the young would probably have been enormously magnified once Allen Ginsberg and others learned that Fidel, too, was an acid head. Agents experimented on themselves, causing one to run outside to discover that cars were "bloodthirsty monsters." They also, in conjunction with the army, experimented on unknowing victims, including prisoners and prostitutes. The tests resulted in a number of suicides and psychotic patients and left the CIA convinced that it was almost impossible to usefully interrogate someone while under the influence of LSD. Acid experiments were encouraged by Richard Helms, who later, between 1967 and 1973, served as CIA director."