French bread spiked with LSD in CIA experiment

Ahh, people love their compiracy theories, don't they…

I lived for years in village just next to Pont Saint Esprit, and my step-dad investigated this story in the mid-80's, interviewing directly the director of the local asylum, a first hand witness of the events, etc.

It's pretty well established that the cause of the event is the "ergot de seigle" (rye ergot fungus). The baking flour contained it, and it was spread to the population through bread. No conspiracy here.

That officials were interested in the incident doesn't mean they were responsible. The CIA was doing extensive research on LSD at that time (and LSD was first synthesized from the ergot fungus in the 1930's), so the fact that they investigated the effets of it spread to the population at wide seems plausible.

Simply based on the victims' experiences, this seems more in line with ergot poisoning than a mass LSD experiment.

Acid trips are different for everyone, and the experience is heavily influenced by environment: physical, mental, and spiritual. In such a quiet, rural village, it is hard to believe everyone would have such similarly terrifying experiences. A few, perhaps, but the majority would be non-threatening.

Ergot poisoning, on the other hand, carries all the symptoms the villagers had, mania as well as convulsions.

Perhaps Mr. Albarelli gives the CIA a little too much credit.