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Chemical-Warfare-Antidotes:
Fortunately, biological terrorism has thus far been limited to very few known cases. Most actual attacks go undetected as apparent heart-attack or stroke as the result of cobra venom, shellfish toxin, pure nicotine, or any of dozens of other chemical or biological poisons used in covert operations. For example, when citizens tried to bring a wrongful death suit against government actors in Waco. Similarly on the international front, a long list of world class Microbiologists have died mysteriously in recent months. One incident occurred in September 1984, when about 750 people became sick after eating in restaurants in an Oregon town called The Dalles. In 1986 Ma Anand Sheela confessed at a federal trial that she and other members of a nearby cult that had clashed with local Oregonians had spread salmonella bacteria on salad bars in four restaurants; the bacteria had been grown in laboratories on the cult's ranch. After serving two and a half years in prison, Sheela, who had been the chief of staff for the cult leader, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, was released and deported to Europe. But as a 1992 report by the Office of Technology Assessment indicated, both biological and chemical terrorism have been rare. Also rare has been the use of biological agents as weapons of war. Perhaps the first recorded incident occurred in the 14th century, when an army besieging Kaffa, a seaport on the Black Sea in the Crimea in Russia, catapulted plague-infected cadavers over the city walls. In colonial America a British officer reportedly gave germ-infested blankets from a smallpox infirmary to Indians in order to start an epidemic among the tribes. The only confirmed instance in this century was Japan's use of plague and other bacteria against China in the 1930s and 1940s. As the 20th century draws to a close, however, an unpleasant paradox has emerged. More states than ever are signing international agreements to eliminate chemical and biological arms. Yet more are also suspected of developing these weapons despite the treaties. In 1980 only one country, the Soviet Union, had been named by the U.S. for violating the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, a treaty that prohibits the development or possession of biological weapons. Since then, the number has ballooned. In 1989 Central Intelligence Agency director William Webster reported that "at least 10 countries" were developing biological weapons. By 1995, 17 countries had been named as biological weapons suspects, according to sources cited by the Office of Technology Assessment and at U.S. Senate committee hearings. They include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, North Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Egypt, Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, Bulgaria, India, South Korea, South Africa, China and Russia. (Russian leaders insist that they have terminated their biological program, but U.S. officials doubt that claim.) Gruinard Island, off the coast of Scotland, remained infected with anthrax spores for 40 years after biological warfare tests were carried out there in the 1940s. And in 1981 Rex Watson, then head of Britain's Chemical and Biological Defense Establishment, asserted that if Berlin had been bombarded with anthrax bacteria during World War II, the city would still be contaminated. U.N. inspectors in Iraq report that in hot weather they can scarcely tolerate wearing a mask for more than 15 minutes at a time. A 1969 United Nations report indicated that the expense of stockpiling gas masks, antibiotics, vaccines and other defensive measures for civilians could exceed $20 billion. That figure, when adjusted for inflation, would now be about $80 billion. the Latin word for "poison" is "virus.") Among prohibitions in many civilizations were the poisoning of food and wells and the use of poison weapons. The Greeks and Romans condemned the use of poison in war as a violation of ius gentium--the law of nations. Poisons and other weapons considered inhumane were forbidden by the Manu Law of India around 500 B.C. and among the Saracens 1,000 years later. The prohibitions were reiterated by Dutch statesman Hugo Grotius in his 1625 opus The Law of War and Peace, and they were, for the most part, maintained during the harsh European religious conflicts of the time. Like the taboos against incest, cannibalism and other widely reviled acts, the taboo against poison weapons was sometimes violated. But the frequency of such violations may have been minimized because of their castigation as a "defalcation of proper principles," in the words of the 18th- and 19th-century English jurist Robert P. Ward. Under the law of nations, Ward wrote, "Nothing is more expressly forbidden than the use of poisoned arms" (emphasis in original). Historian John Ellis van Courtland Moon, now professor emeritus at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts, contends that growing nationalism in the 18th century weakened the disinclinations about poison weapons. As a result of what Moon calls "the nationalization of ethics," military necessity began to displace moral considerations in state policies; nations were more likely to employ any means possible to attain their aims in warfare. In the mid-19th century, a few military leaders proposed that toxic weapons be employed, although none actually were. Nevertheless, gas was used in World War I. The experience of large-scale chemical warfare was so horrifying that it led to the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which forbids the use of chemical and bacteriological agents in war. Images of victims gasping, frothing and choking to death had a profound impact. The text of the protocol reflects the global sense of abhorrence. It affirmed that these weapons had been "justly condemned by the general opinion of the civilized world." Chemical and biological weapons were used in almost none of the hundreds of wars and skirmishes in subsequent decades--until Iraq's extensive chemical attacks during the Iran-Iraq war. Regrettably, the international response to Iraqi behavior was muted or ineffective. From 1983 until the war ended in 1988, Iraq was permitted to get away with chemical murder. In 1993 the chemical treaty was opened for signature. By October 1996, the pact had been signed by 160 countries and ratified by 64, one less than the number required for the agreement to enter into force. One disappointing holdout is the U.S. In part because of disagreements over the treaty's verification provisions, the U.S. Senate recently delayed a vote on the pact. In its 1998 annual proliferation status report (dated November 1997) Proliferation: Threat and Response, the Pentagon points out that new toxins are becoming available which were not technically feasible just a decade ago. For instance, bio-engineering (genetic research) methods present a particularly deadly threat: The potential types of novel biological agents (microorganisms) that could be produced through genetic engineering methodologies are:
However, man made agents are only part of the problem as this citation from the same document indicates: Examples of recent new pathogens (though not necessarily ideal biological warfare agents) include streptococcus pneumoniae S23F, a recently discovered naturally-occurring strain of pneumonia resistant to at least six of the more commonly used antibiotics. The increasing awareness of new biological diseases prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1995 to begin publishing the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases as a means to focus awareness on the problem of naturally occurring biological hazards that threaten humans and as a forum for discussing solutions. 1 The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) website at http://www.opcw.nl/ptshome.htm using material taken from the publication A FOA Briefing Book on Chemical Weapons 2 explains the differences between a total of eight types of chemical agents: (MILNET offers excerpts from this very detailed material) Nerve Agents:
Tear Gases:
Psychotomimetic Agents:
Toxins:
Chemical Warfare Agents:
Viral agents, anthrax or botulinum could be absorbed into crops or water and spread thru consumption...either by meat or dairy animals, or through contaminated vegatables or grain. nerve agents are especially dangerous, as they can lie on leaves or in fur just waiting to be brushed off onto unprotected skin. In as much as many nerve agents are absorbed through the skin Cyanide Cyanide is a gas manufactured from in large quantities quite easily. It is quite bitter to the taste, and acts almost instantly to stop respiration. In its gaseous form it is invisible, however dispersment (like most gas weapons) is best if produced by a fogger. Death is immediate and there is litle if any time for an antidote to be applied. Standard NBC equipment is capable of protecting would-be victims, however, this is such a nasty poison that it can be absorbed through cuts or other openings in the skin, thus decontamination of the outside of suits is required before removing NBC gear (this should be standard practice). Gas masks alone are a useful means of protection, however full body protection is highly recomended. Cyanide is another of the World War I agents and was also used by Saddam Hussein against Iranians and Kurds. Mustard Gas Mustard Gas, used in World War I is a highly odorous gas which stings the eyes and causes severe fits of coughing. It has been linked to medium term diagnosis of cancer of the lungs in British Soldiers surviving attacks during World War I as well as workers where the gas was made. It is highly toxic to the eyes and lungs and immobilizes the unprotected in seconds, much like tear gas. In fact, its first victims were those familar with tear gas and who thought there was only a temporary incapacitation. They were dead wrong. Mustard gas is extremely easy to manufacture in large quantities. The only recorded use since World War I (and international treaties making such use illegal and a war crime) was by Saddam Hussein against Iranian soldiers and Kurds in his own country. Ricin Manufactured from castor beans, this natural occuring toxin which can be packed in just about any delivery system. It produces nearly instant paralysis once symptoms occur, followed by coma and death. It strikes in a manner similar to a dehabilating virus, and therefore can easily be misdiagnosed. Full NBC protection is the only means of adequate protection, and full decontaminiation is required off all equipment and suits which are suspected of having come in contact with the agent. Sarin Also known as Nerve Gas GB, is an oderless, straw colored liquid similar to modern pesticides typically found worldwide. Sarin attacks the respitory system within minutes and is deadly in almost all cases. Minor exposure can produce long terms effects, and a non fatal dose can be aggravated by minor subsequnt exposure later on, with a full onset of symptoms as a result. U.S. soldiers destroying ammunition bunkers were exposed to minor doses at the conclusion of the Gulf War and are displaying chronic symptoms 7 years later. Sarin, like most never agents, is easily administered via aerosol or through contact with the skin in fine droplets. Full NBC protection is the only means of adequate protection, and full decontaminiation is required off all equipment and suits which are suspected of having come in contact with the agent. Tabun Tabun is a somewhat older nerve agent created in the 1930s initially as a pesticide with dramatic effects on humans. It is easily used in attack via aerosol application and is somewhat resistive to heat, making it deliverable via artillery shell or other explosive dispersion. Like other nerve agents it is absorbed through the skin or inhaled, producing immediate symptoms of respitory difficulty, followed by nausea, vomiting, or other toxin related symptoms. However, Tabun may cause rapid onset of coma or respitory failure, which in most cases leads to death with little treatment beyond extraordinary life support. Most victims will die before such treatment can be administered however, and those who can be on full life support are likely to die due to total shutdown of the respitory system. Tabun is the easiest of nerve agents to manufacturer and is considered the first to be created by emerging NBC warfare designers. Like most "artificial" nerve agents, it is somewhat costly to manufacture, however, modern pesticide equipment is considered dual use, and capable of manufacturing Tabun. Full NBC protection is the only means of adequate protection, and full decontaminiation is required off all equipment and suits which are suspected of having come in contact with the agent. VX Nerve Gas Nerve gases in general are extremly hazardous agents used in chemical warfare. The Nerve VX is just one of many and characterizes the worst of this class of chemical agensts. It is odorless, colorless, and only detectable with special high technology gear. It attacks the nervous system almost immediately, producing dizziness, immediately followed by convulsions, paralyse and death. It is produced in a manner very similar to that of modern phosporous based pesticides today, and therefore is extremely easy to manufacuture, more alarming, easy to hide as part of dual use manufacturing processes and facilities. Anyone creating modern pesticides, could be secretly producing VX liquid. In its liquid form it is highly concentrated, and a small quantity can be extremely deadly as it be mixed and dilluted for disperal in aerosol form. A single drop is deadly, a 10 foot cloud of VX can disperse and kill 100s if not more depending on how long the dispered cloud remains in the air, or whether where is falls will come into contact with humans or animals. VX gas was found in huge quantities (initially undeclared) in Iraq by UNSCOM inspectors. The CIA reports that Iraq still has many of the precursors for the creation of VX nerve gas, and is one of the reasons for the concern of Allied political and military leaders since the Gulf War, and is perhaps an agent which has prompted the Iraqis to defy U.N. sanctions during the Inspetion Crisis, October 1997 through February 1998. Full NBC protection is the only means of adequate protection, and full decontaminiation is required off all equipment and suits which are suspected of having come in contact with the agent. Biological Weapons Aflatoxin This biological is produced by certain fungi found on grains, peanuts, or other foods under specific conditions (which we won't go into for obvious reasons). The toxin is a fast acting poison that once ingested, attacks the digestive system, and leads quickly to shutdown of the renal system, causing a painful death (typically death is from acute liver poisoning). It can be treated only right after exposure, otherwise damage is so severe the body cannot recover. Symptoms typically are led off by vomiting, nausea, internal bleeding in the intestines, quickly followed by convulsions, coma, and death. Since the intitial symptoms are similar to a highly virulent flu or other virual attack, this agent is sometimes overlooked until internal bleeding is detected, at which point convulsions, coma and death are soon to follow. While this is NOT a virul agent it is not contagious per se, however, the liquid output from a person who has been attacked is toxic and must be protected against using normal biological safeguards...i.e. gloves, facemasks, smocks, etc. to prevent inhalation and contact with the skin. Aflatoxin breeds in the host, therefore care must be taken to fully eliminate cadavers, waste, and clothing which may have absorbed toxin in the oil from the skin or waste products generated by the host before death. Anthrax Anthrax is a naturally occuring biological germ which attacks either the lungs and heart (pulmonary form) or the intestines (intestinal form). Anthrax is transmitted quite easily from meat animals to those hosts consuming the meat. The pulmonary form is ingested through the normal course of breathing. Both froms are deadly within hours, the intenstinal form having typical toxic ingestion symptoms such as vomiting, intestinal bleeding, severe diarrhea. Coma and death are final stages of the attack. Attacking with Anthrax is somewhat difficult in that the pulmonary from must be applied with aerosol, and the cloud must be fairly potent (8-10,000 spores per person) in its reciept by the host. Crop dusting aircraft or Helicopter dispersion over the battle lines would be typical means of performing the attack, however, these are also readily countered simply by targeting these aircraft, which are by the nature of the application, slow moving and prone to loss. The intestinal form could be seeded in an agricultural or meat producing area with the hope it would go undetected, thus poisioning the food or water supply. However Anthrax is susceptible to heat and most food sterilization techniques are satisfactory to prevent the spread of the germ. In fact this sensitivity to heat is why it is difficult to use an artillery shell to dispense the agent, and makes it easy to destroy in storage with high temperature or burning bomb attacks. Anthrax agents occur naturally but are susceptible to a wide range of antibiotic counter-agents. However, weapons grade Anthrax agents have been created that are extremely resistant to common anti-biotics like Pencillin. A number of anti-biotics tailored specifically to the Anthrax like toxins have been developed, providing for preventive vaccinations -- typically being administered to military or aid personnel going into harms way. Anthrax spores are, in nature, in low concentrations of the size that can be inhaled, and this typically can be used to identify truely natural occuring agents from manufactured agents. However, a natural strain can be cultured into a toxic air borne variety in sufficient concentrations without extremely complex reagent equipment. True weapons grade Anthrax requires a sophisticated level of bio-chem expertise and modern medicine production quality equipment to culture. However, patient use of less sophisticated equipment can be used to create, over long periods of time, sufficient material to stockpile enough for an attack. Botulinum A germ with both 'useful' and dangerous properties, Botulinum can cause botulism, a horribly efficient and toxic killer. The biological warfare agent is more toxic per quantity then nerve gas. Exposure (via aersol) can be deadly within 12 hours, however incapacitation does not occur until the severe onset of symptoms, which may not show until upto 18 hours after ingestion. Once the disease has begun showing, there is little time to reverse its course, and death occurs usually within 36 hours. Death is the expected results after 3 days for 80 percent of those exposed, usually regardless of treatment. However early treatment may prevent some deaths (thus the 20% survival rate). Botulinum itself can be manufactured easily, however, really toxic forms take some medical expertise to grow. Unfortunately the equipment used is similar to any growth medium medicine equipment, so monitoring dual use equipment is essential in preventing its manufacture. Few nations are unable to meet the technology requirements, therefore, little can be done to prevent its manufacture if monitoring is not available. Iraq at one time had enough toxin to kill everyone on the planet. U.S. and British intelligence sources have indicated two to three times the amount destroyed by UNSCOM may have been manufactured. UNSCOM is clearly on a mission to find the storage locations for any remaining Botulinum toxin in Iraq. Smallpox In the 1980s, smallpox was considered no longer a threat, with no cases worldwide for decades. smallpox is a virulent, highly infectious disease, which if untreated quickly is extremely deadly. However, since there are essentially no natural occuring strains of the disesase left, it is believed only cultured samples from health or older biological weapons laboratories exist and can be harvested. It would be difficult for any nation other than the U.S. or Russia to create a biological weapon using smallpox -- nearly impossible in fact -- unless a laboratory sample were stolen. For this reason the existing cultures are well guarded, with the U.S. helping Russian labs with funding for security in order to prevent theft. Smallpox symptoms are similar to many childhood diseases, with fever and lesions indicating the disease is well on its way to conclusion. The lesions occur with 30 days of infection, and resemble a large number of blisters on the skin, filled with pus. The pus is highly contagious as is any body fluid of an infected person, with even secondary contact from bed linens spreading the disease. Once infected, about 30% of those infected died, however modern anti-biotics would reduce that figure if prompt diagnosis and treatment occurs. The fever may indicate the disease has already progressed to the point where rapid injection of anti-biotics is required immediately. The onset of lesions indicates fatality in 50% of cases, and if untreated in 72 hours the patient is most certainly not going to recover. Persons infected must immediately be isolated as they are highly contagiuos, since any form of body fluid exchange included sneezes, coughs, etc. will transfer the disease to a new host. Treatment consists of a range of anti-biotics and preventitive innoculation. The innoculation consists of a round device with needles that puncture the skin and serves the dual purpose of innoculation and providing a telltale if the disease has already been contracted. Most persons 50 years or older were innoculated in elementary school, but anyone attending elementary school after the 1980s most likely did not receive an innoculation. The innoculation has an extremely low case of side effects and it is rare anyone gets ill from it. However, anyone recently innoculated should be watched carefully for the telltale to insure they have not caught the disease. As mentioned before, an innoculation was administered to early age school children, irradicating the natural form of the disease. The last outbreaks occurred in undeveloped countries, and the World Heath Organization quickly responded in each occurance to limit deaths and ensure more than adequate anti-biotics were available, thus eliminating spread of and re-introduction of the disease into the world's population. Bio-terror experts are concerned with smallpox because of its virility as well as the waning immunity of those who were innoculated as children. The fact that only a handful of innoculations have occurred since the 1980s, the population 30 years and younger is totally unprotected. Production of Smallpox is quite simple once the agent is in hand, however, since there are no natural occuring agents remaining, the source must be one of a handful of stored samples; either in germ warfare facilities or communicatable disease centers, all of which are thought to be well protected. Exception are some germ warfare laboratories from the era of the former Soviet Union. The U.S. has provided and continues to help states of the former Soveit Union to cleanup and eliminate unused, and unfortunately unprotected bio-warfare sites. Several other nations may have a sample culture of smallpox, either derived from the Soviet samples or from indigenous samples. Iran, Iraq and North Korea had well defined bio-warfare programs before the extinction of the natural occuring agent, and therefore may have collected and preserved such samples. This may also hold true for nations without regular inspection regimes, such as China. The delivery mechanism for smallpox is quite simple. One infected person can become the source for dozens of new vectors in minutes thus allowing a suicide attacker to spread the disease quite easily and quickly with little if any overt activity. Surrounded by clouds of secrecy, the focus of current research has been, not only on "ethnic weapons" that could target specific populations because of differences in population genetics, but also on agents that could be altered through recombinant DNA and to which there are no known cures or treatments. The gloves, so to speak, have long been removed. The vast array of possibilities when it comes to molecular biology is, without question, staggering. On June 9, 1969, for example, Dr. D.M. MacArthur, Deputy Director of Research and Technology for the Department of Defense, appeared before the House Subcommittee on Appropriations and requested from Congress $10 million for the research and development of a new infective microorganism that would have no known immunological defense and resistant to any current therapeutic process. Asked by Congressman Robert Sikes of Florida whether work on this was not yet being done due to lack of money or lack of interest, Dr. MacArthur replied, "Certainly not lack of interest." He went on to testify that within as little as 5 to 10 years it would be possible, through molecular biology, to make a new microorganism for which no natural immunity has yet been acquired. Work on this new agent began in 1970 at Fort Detrick, the government's top-secret biological warfare facility, under the code name MKNAOMI, the successor to MKDELTA, (a CIA project established for the purpose of using biochemicals in clandestine operations), MKULTRA, (a secret research program designed to develop methods and agents to achieve mind control), and MKSEARCH, (a project which was to develop the capability to manipulate human behavior in a predictable manner through the use of drugs and biological agents). Retrovirologists working for the government at the time developed various AIDS-like viruses for the National Cancer Institute (which had taken over Fort Detrick) and the Cell Tumor Biology Laboratory. The decade that followed saw the field of genetic engineering progress to the point that virtually no idea for the manipulation of genes was off limits or deemed improbable. Entirely new species of organisms could be developed. Cross-species viruses were produced by combining foreign genes then incubating the viruses in human tissue. The splicing of human genes into bacteria had become almost commonplace. And the promise of revolutionary products, medicines, and disease-resistant plants had become more than simply theory or hypothesis. It was very much reality. But amidst the euphoria, there had always existed a dark side: the possibility that a technology promising the world so much would someday be used to create - either purposefully or by accident - the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Recombinant DNA, a novel technique that allows one to combine the genetic material from two separate organisms, could easily be misused and lead to global cataclysmic events. In fact, according to some experts, precisely that scenario may already have occurred during the Persian Gulf War. The individuals attempting to warn the public and expose what could very well be the first such example of the dangers of this new biotechnology have been either ignored, discredited, or silenced. Shortly after joining Operation Desert Storm, Captain Joyce Riley, an air-evacuation nurse for the 32nd Air evac squadron began seeing illnesses that young, healthy G.I.s should not have been experiencing: joint pain, debilitating arthritis, chronic fatigue, memory loss, and strange abdominal and pancreatic cancers, rare in 25-year old individuals. Captain Riley soon began to suspect that a number of these Gulf War soldiers had been exposed to some sort of chemical and/or biological agent. It wasn't until she herself had contracted what is now referred to as Gulf War Syndrome, or GWS, that she'd stumbled onto what was to be a shocking trail of government duplicity and deception. Returning to the States, Captain Riley met with Dr. Garth Nicolson, professor and chairman of the Department of Tumor Biology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Nicolson's daughter, a Blackhawk helicopter crew chief with the 101st Airborne Division, had herself been infected and had subsequently infected the entire Nicolson family. A Nobel Prize nominee and world-renowned cell biologist, Dr. Nicolson decided to investigate what to him was more than simply the beginnings of a coincidental epidemic. What he soon discovered was a nightmare beyond even his own expectations. With enough expertise to unravel the molecular structure of whatever it was that had infected his family, as well as the hundreds of veterans whose blood he'd sampled, Dr. Nicolson developed a technique he called "gene tracking." Armed with this new technique, he'd learned not only that the microorganism responsible for many Gulf War Illness symptoms was Mycoplasma incognitus (one of the microbes used in developing germ weapons) but also that this particular strain of mycoplasma was man-made and had incorporated into it 40 percent of the HIV protein coat, making it extremely pathogenic. In recent conversations with Dr. Nicolson, I'd learned of reports that as many as one million individuals are infected in Southern Iraq alone. The epidemic, which Nicolson claims has been covered up by the U.S. government for legal, economic, and political reasons, is spreading rapidly into Pakistan and other surrounding areas; and he fears that unless something is done, a worldwide crisis will soon erupt. Because of this mounting evidence, various institutions have been pressured by the CIA and the Defense Department to limit or abandon mycoplasma research and to curtail public statements regarding Desert Storm illnesses or the link between genetically engineered biological agents and Gulf War Syndrome. Given some of the main symptoms of GWS (joint pain, muscle spasms, debilitating arthritis), and the fact that this mycoplasma first burrows itself deep into the cell, exits, then travels to another area of the body such as the synovial joint, it's conceivable that HIV had been used in order to facilitate the entrance of the microorganism through the cell membrane. Skeptics who refuse to believe that anyone would purposely manipulate HIV in this manner should know that for more than a decade now, HIV has been studied by academic and military scientists for its effectiveness in a new role: as a retroviral package and vector to deliver genes into cells. In the 1990 issue of Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology , for example, Dr. P.O. Brown states that retroviruses such as HIV have been widely used as vectors for genetic engineering and are likely to be the first vectors used for introducing foreign genes into cellular chromosomes. Moreover, the Journal of Virology and the international journal Cell have published detailed articles describing new gene therapy techniques in which parts of the human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) are altered and packaged as a delivery system for DNA components into human cells. Could HIV have been used in the manufacture of biological weapons for precisely this purpose? Could a relatively benign mycoplasma have been genetically modified into a highly invasive and pathogenic microorganism? Certainly the technology was there. And based on the government's track record of research into other weapons systems, why wouldn't they make use of an ideal vector that would transport deadly microorganisms into cells? One compelling piece of evidence shows this may well be the case. A concerned Defense Intelligence Agency ("DIA") agent confided to Dr. Nicolson that a leading "mycoplasma expert" from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. flew suddenly to Israel during Desert Storm to meet with a senior researcher in the field of mycoplasma research. While there, they had allegedly discussed the types and origins of biological agents used during the Gulf War. According to Captain Riley, who now heads up the American Gulf War Veterans Association, more than 15,000 Gulf War vets have died, as many as 250,000 are sick, many of them infected with a synthesized microorganism that is easily treatable with the antibiotic doxycycline (Journal of the American Medical Association , Feb. 22, 1995: Vol. 273 (8), pp 618-619). Captain Riley has further obtained evidence that some of these biological agents had been produced in Houston, Tx. and Boca Raton, Fl. by individuals working with U.S. intelligence, that the mycoplasma agent had initially been tested on death-row Inmates (350 prison employees later contracted GWS), and that the Department of Defense knew well before sending troops to Kuwait that Gulf War soldiers exposed to chemical and biological agents would not be protected against them. Interestingly, in 1984, several key Texas Department of Corrections health officials were abruptly replaced by military officers having no health training. For his part, Dr. Nicolson, despite his claims of repeated interference by the U.S. government, continues to offer information about free blood testing and treatment for any Gulf War veteran who suspects that he or she may be infected and/or has infected members of his or her family. The reports by Senator Donald Riegle (May 25, 1994) and Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (December 8, 1994) conclude that Gulf War Syndrome is real, despite statements by the U.S. Army to the contrary; that the Department of Defense is lying about the use of chemical and biological agents in Iraq; that research into and development of biological agents is ongoing, and that Gulf War soldiers had been used as human guinea pigs in a mass experiment. Moreover, the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq has found that the Iraqi biological program was actually initiated in 1986. During their inspections, U.N. investigators uncovered evidence that Iraq, with technology secretly provided by the United States Government, may have created genetically altered and undetectable microorganisms using e.coli and recombinant DNA components that had been licensed for export by the U.S. Commerce Department to various Iraqi agencies, including the Iraq Atomic Energy Commission. Why does the U.S. Government continue to deny involvement? Possibly because, after half a decade of convincing the American public that it had no knowledge of biological weapons use, to admit so would be to admit that it had known all along and still allowed Gulf War vets to suffer and die rather than breach national security or reveal military secrets. What other weapons systems are currently being developed or ready for implementation? Is altering brain chemistry, as proposed in this novel, so inconceivable? Is the idea that government officials would purposely subject American citizens to experimental drugs or weapons systems, or allow them to die rather than confess involvement, so outrageous? After all, the Department of Defense, along with the CIA, had given hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD and quinuclidinyl benzilate (code-named BZ) to thousands of "volunteer" soldiers, many of whom as a result experienced extreme erratic behavior, some even attempting suicide. According to Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, a former CIA agent, "The program was designed to investigate whether and how an individual's behavior could be modified by covert means" and was justified because "it was felt that in an issue where national survival might be concerned, such a procedure and such a risk was a reasonable one to take." More recently, according to a September 28, 1994 U.S. General Accounting Office report and a December 8, 1994 United States Senate report on military research and veterans' health, the Department of Defense and other national security agencies had knowingly exposed hundreds of thousands of military personnel to potentially dangerous substances, often in secret. Medical research involving the testing of nerve agents, experimental antidotes, psychochemicals, and irritants were often classified, much of that research remaining classified even today. And according to Senator John D. Rockefeller, Persian Gulf War veterans given unproven, investigational vaccines and drugs had been ordered (under threat of Article 15 or court martial) not to discuss their treatment or symptoms with anyone, not even medical professionals needing critical information in order to counteract adverse reactions - this despite the Nuremberg code which makes it a criminal violation not to permit soldiers to refuse experimental or unapproved drugs or treatments. Is there once again a cloud of secrecy, this time regarding the use of genetically engineered biological agents? Are veterans and their families becoming sick and dying needlessly? Senator Riegle believes so. Senator Rockefeller certainly believes so. And Dr. Nicolson, who had first discovered the cover-up and whose information packages are routinely intercepted by government agents, has learned first-hand of the desperate measures the Department of Defense will take in order to keep secret the truth behind our military's recombinant DNA research and development program. An all-out effort is currently underway to block academic grants, stifle critical research, reject publications dealing with Gulf War Syndrome, silence public speakers, and discredit anyone even trying to investigate the matter. But despite what we've been told: that biological agents were not used and that there is no such thing as Gulf War Illness, despite the attempts at silencing veterans, government officials, and frustrated researchers, a growing epidemic will eventually force the current administration to admit what should have been admitted long ago. And with that, unfortunately, America will come to grips with yet another grim reality: that hundreds of thousands of brave men and women had willingly offered themselves up to defend their country, only to be told that their lives have once again been sacrificed - without consent - for the sake of national interests. With our knowledge of molecular biology and brain chemistry, can psychochemical warfare be far behind? Have we crossed the final threshold and entered an invisible new world we didn't expect and were ill prepared for? Are we on the brink of developing new classes of unspeakable weapons? We may, in fact, have done so already. And with science advancing so rapidly it's hard for most individuals to even comprehend, it may be only a matter of time before today's fiction becomes tomorrow's unimaginable reality. |
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