One proposal, for example, suggested using chemical weapons to protect the president. “There also exists a need for a system which would make an unfriendly crowd become friendly almost instantaneously,” one note in the files stated. “This goes beyond the desire to divert a crowd, as could be done by the prompt and generous use of cash money. The possible use of gasses, sound, lights and other chemical biological or psychological agents to achieve such a change as well as other attributes they might possess for crowd control will require further study.”
