secret stuff

[kevin at limits.org]

On Thu, 9 Aug 2001, KWP wrote:
> Another point: Pychon wrote at the end of the fifties/beginning of the 
> sixties several PR articles for Boeing about missiles a. s. o. It would be 
> interesting for me if he had the opportunity in these times to get 
> information about secret activities of the CIA and other secret services. Of 
> course he had to be very careful if he used that information in his books, 
> but is it not thinkable that he really did it?

I doubt it, but I don't know very much about this famous job at
Boeing.  If he did have access to classified materials, it would probably
be strictly limited to data on a particular do-hickey the Pentagon wanted
built -- similar to the rocket info Slothrop pours over at the
Casino.  And if he was qualified to examine such information and write
technical articles about it, he probably wouldn't be also writing PR
materials.

With some glaring exceptions (see _The Falcon and the Snowman_), people
with security clearances don't "get information."  They are _given_
information about whatever they need to know to perform a small part of
the job.  What's more, people who have held security clearances are
required to submit all manuscripts for review by the agency in question
before they may publish their memoirs, novel, "talk of the town" piece,
etc.

Someone else asked if Pynchon might have been involved in hallucinogen
experiments in the later 50's, either in the Navy or at Cornell.  Does
anyone know if a lab was run at Cornell?

--Kevin T.