HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- Military tested bio-chem
weapons in U.S. in 1960s By Matt Kelley, The Associated Press 10.10.2002
WASHINGTON � The United States secretly tested chemical and biological
weapons on American soil during the 1960s, newly declassified Pentagon reports
show. The tests included releasing deadly nerve agents in Alaska and spraying
bacteria over Hawaii, according to the documents obtained Tuesday. The United States also tested nerve agents in Canada and Britain in
conjunction with those countries, and tested biological and chemical weapons in
at least two other states, Maryland and Florida. The summaries of more than two dozen tests show that biological and chemical
tests were much more widespread than the military has acknowledged
previously. The Pentagon released records earlier this year showing that chemical and
biological agents had been sprayed on ships at sea. The military reimbursed ranchers and agreed to stop open-air nerve agent
testing at its main chemical weapons center in the Utah desert after about 6,400
sheep died when nerve gas drifted away from the test range. But the Pentagon never before has provided details of the Alaskan, Hawaiian,
Canadian and British tests. The Defense Department planned to formally release
summaries of 28 biological and chemical weapons tests at a House Veterans
Affairs subcommittee hearing Wednesday. The documents did not say whether any civilians had been exposed to the
poisons. Military personnel exposed to weapons agents would have worn protective
gear, the Pentagon says, although the gas masks and suits used at the time were
far less sophisticated than those in use today. Troops involved in biological weapons testing were vaccinated ahead of time,
said Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., the Pentagon�s top health official. In
prepared testimony for the House panel, Winkenwerder acknowledged that some
servicemembers involved in the tests �may not have known all the details of
these tests.� He said some servicemembers participating in tests using simulated chemical
or biological weapons may not have been informed about the tests at all. The head of the House Veterans Affairs panel called for further investigation
of the tests. �Our focus must be on quickly identifying those veterans who were involved,
assessing whether they suffered any negative health consequences and, if
warranted, providing them with adequate health care and compensation for their
service,� said Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican. The tests were part of Project 112, a military program in the 1960s and �70s
to test chemical and biological weapons and defenses against them. Parts of the
testing program done on Navy ships were called Project SHAD, or Shipboard Hazard
and Defense. The United States scrapped its biological weapons program in the late 1960s
and agreed in a 1997 treaty to destroy all of its chemical weapons. Some of those involved in the tests say they now suffer health problems
linked to their exposure to dangerous chemicals and germs. The Defense Department has identified about 5,000 servicemembers involved in
tests at sea and another 2,100 involved in the tests detailed Wednesday, said
Dr. Jonathan Perlin of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He said 53 veterans
had filed health claims for their exposure during the tests. The VA has sent
letters to 1,400 veterans involved in the tests at sea, Perlin
said. --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^==^============================================================= This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^==^============================================================= |
