You grew up assuming it was normal for adults to speak in hushed tones, in your presence? Me, too! ....and it's still happening.
I quite expected a response like that from you, Tom. We are both even-minded in such matters. One of Tim's biographers, Bob Greenfield, admitted as much that Tim's association with Mary Pinchot was, well, uh, ............ expanded to extremes. In fact, in my association with 'Culto', he even included a youtube interview concerning Ms. Pinchot in his postings, which was, I believe, recorded in the mid-80's, many years after his stay at Millbrook, whilst promoting his 'Flashbacks' autobiography. As Ram Dass said, "Tim had a streak of malarkey", which you, as a 'DiEugenio protege' can appreciate. I asked Tim's stepson Zach after he interviewed Janney about all this if he would ask Dr. Dick to remember if he ever knew or saw Mary at Millbrook, who was (allegedly) there trying to learn how to 'turn on' important people in the Nation's Capitol (especially the wives of important men). Alpert, as you know, broke his leg, thinking he could fly out of his window (LOL). Never heard back. I know I'm rambling here, but it's important to say this. Why didn't Tim say anything about all this before 'Flashbacks'? In Damore's papers, a researcher named William Tripplitt(sic) was hired by Leary to find out what happened to Mary (he and Van Wolfe bankrolled the investigation) . Incredibly, the first person Tripplitt went to was....... my attorney, the late Ira Lowe!!(in the investigation printout, Tripplitt said 'he knows a lot') How weird is this? You can't make this up. I better stop now, or I'll get into trouble.