Louis Jolyon “Jolly” West (1924–1999) was an American psychiatrist known for his work in controversial areas of psychiatric research.
He was a prominent figure in the study of brainwashing, hypnosis, and the effects of psychoactive drugs like LSD.
West served as a professor and chair of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma and later at UCLA, where he also directed the Neuropsychiatric Institute.
His career included significant involvement with the CIA's MKUltra program, a secretive initiative during the 1950s and 1960s aimed at exploring mind control techniques.
West conducted experiments on “suggestibility” and “dissociative states,” often using drugs and hypnosis, as part of this program.
Beyond MKUltra, he gained public attention for examining high-profile figures, researching cults, and even an infamous incident in 1962 where he administered LSD to an elephant named Tusko, resulting in its death.
His work often stirred debate due to its ethical implications and connections to government agencies.
Jack Ruby (1911–1967), born Jacob Leon Rubenstein, was a Dallas nightclub owner who became infamous for murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of assassinating President John F.
Kennedy.
On November 24, 1963, two days after Kennedy's death, Ruby shot Oswald in the basement of the Dallas police headquarters as Oswald was being transferred to jail, an event broadcast live on television.
Ruby's stated motive was to spare Jacqueline Kennedy the trauma of a trial, though his actions fueled speculation about a broader conspiracy.
He was convicted of murder in 1964 and sentenced to death, but the conviction was overturned on appeal due to trial irregularities.
Before a new trial could occur, Ruby died of lung cancer in January 1967 while in custody.
Notably, in April 1964, Jolly West examined Ruby in jail and diagnosed him with acute psychosis, reporting delusions that Jews were being massacred outside his cell — a stark contrast to earlier assessments of Ruby's mental state, raising questions about West's influence and methods given his CIA ties.
The two are linked by West's psychiatric evaluation of Ruby, which some researchers and theorists find suspicious due to West's MKUltra background and the timing of Ruby's mental decline just before he was to testify further in the Kennedy assassination investigation.
This connection remains a point of intrigue in discussions about the events surrounding JFK's death.
