Documents uncovered through a Freedom of Information lawsuit
indicate the participation of Jerry Garcia, of the popular music
group "The Grateful Dead" in FBI plans to quash student protest
in the late 196O's, according to a probe by the Christic Institute.
At a press conference this morning, Boyd Rice, a spokesperson for
the Christic Institute, relased copies of recently declassified
FBI memoranda. These documents implicate Garcia as a
participation (sic) in the infamous COINTELPRO domestic
counterinsurgency program carried out by the FBI under John Edgar
Hoover. COINTELPRO, a program of surceillance and disruption, was
officially discontinued in 1976.
One document, signed by a highly placed official, proposed hiring
Garcia as a means of "siphoning off student dissent and re-
channeling it into self-destructive hedonism." Other documents
detail payments made to Garcia and status reports on the program,
code named "DEADHEAD." "Not only are these kids wasting their
time with drugs and cult-like idolatry" asserts one report, "But
their consistently scruffy appearance and asinine behavior makes
the counterculture quite unattractive to most youth."
"This kind of pervasive interference in the lives of law abiding
Americans cannot be tolerated in a free society," said Rice.
This comes dangerously close to the promotion of drug use by the
U.S. Justice Department."
The Christic Institute plans to file a federal suit against the
FBI and seeks the release of further materials. "We must find out
if this Garcia person is still an employee of the Federal
Government. We need assurance that this prgram has stopped."
The Christic Institute is a private research organization best
known for its lawsuit against key figures in the Iran-Contra
incidents. Their charges of conspriracy were dismissed by a
Federal Court.
Garcia could not be reached for comment, but representatives of
the musical group denied that there was any truth to the
allegations. "This is a total lie, man," they claimed.
