Henry Luce's Strange Trip

Abstract

Before possession of hallucinogens was made a federal crime, LSD was the subject of numerous stories in Time and Life magazines, many of which described the experience in glowing terms. The drug was frequently discussed as a scientific marvel that had the potential to enhance or induce religious experience, and this “instant mysticism” was often described in Christian and biblical terms. Letters and acid-trip journals in the papers of Clare Boothe Luce, the wife of Time and Life publisher Henry Luce, and other documentary evidence show that the extensive and largely positive coverage of LSD in these magazines was consistent with the beliefs of the Luces. The publisher remained enthusiastic about LSD even as recreational use of the drug was growing, and he made his views on the drug known to subordinates at the magazines.

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Notes on contributors

Stephen Siff

STEPHEN SIFF is an assistant professor in the journalism program at Miami University. An earlier version of this study, which was funded by the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, was presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention in 2007.