-Caveat Lector- >From the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/210/living/Former_Soviet_s_book_exposes_the_germ_of_terror+.shtml BOOK REVIEW Former Soviet's book exposes the germ of terror By Stephen Kurkjian Globe Staff, 07/29/99 It may be a fearfully short time before this book becomes a common reference tool for every Washington policymaker, journalist, and national-security-minded citizen. We are one terrorist attack away from knowing the devastating effects of biological weapons. No wonder we're searching for answers about how the science behind the weapons developed, and how we allowed ourselves to become vulnerable to them. This book provides some of the answers. It also serves as a rude shock to those who might have thought that the Soviet Union was abiding by the Biological Weapons Convention that 140 nations signed in 1972. Instead, Ken Alibek - a Soviet scientist who defected in 1992 - discloses that the convention served as a cover to allow the Kremlin to develop and stockpile hundreds of tons of anthrax and dozens of tons of plague and smallpox near Moscow and other Russian cities for use against the United States and its Western allies. Authorized by Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev, the development of the program hid one of the most terrifying secrets of the Cold War, and Alibek (who changed his name from Kanatjan Alibekov on arriving in the United States) knows all the details. A native of the Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, Alibek rose to become the second in command of Biopreparat, the civilian branch of the Soviet Army that developed clandestine biological weapons. This secret military empire, masquerading as a pharmaceuticals company, employed more than 60,000 people in more than 100 facilities throughout the Soviet empire. Among the more sobering disclosures from Alibek's 15 years in the program are these: Convinced that the United States was secretly developing its own biological weapons arsenal, Soviet scientists worked closely with its military to arm a range of its missiles with deadly biological strains that were capable of striking American cities thousands of miles away. At its peak, the Soviets had reserve mobilization facilities at seven sites that stockpiled thousands of tons of agents to cause anthrax, smallpox, and plague. While a full-scale attack was never launched by the Soviets, Alibek reveals that he was informed by a senior military official that the Soviet military had used germ warfare in Afghanistan. During the prolonged campaign that turned into the Soviet Union's Vietnam, its military sprayed Afghan rebels with glanders, a bacteria that strikes horses and that can be highly lethal in humans. A US specialist later told Alibek that our government had detected widespread illnesses among the Afghan military that could not otherwise be explained. While it suspected the Soviets were cheating and conducted inspection tours during the mid-1980s, the United States did not begin to learn the details of the Soviet's efforts until the defection of a top Soviet scientist in 1989. Alibek's own defection in 1992 - the details of which are, he says, the only secrets he refuses to disclose - confirmed the US's worst suspicions. By Alibek's account, the United States appears to have abided by the pledges of a succession of presidents never to develop or use biological weapons, and concentrated its efforts on developing antigerm vaccines. ''At the height of the US offensive biological weapons program,'' he writes, ''American scientists restricted themselves to developing armaments that could be countered by antibiotics or vaccines, out of a concern for protecting troops and civilians from potential accidents. ''The Soviet government decided that the best agents were those for which there were no known cure. This shaped the entire course of our program and thrust us into a never-ending race against the medical profession. Every time a new treatment or vaccine came to light somewhere, we were back in our labs to figure out how to overcome its effects.'' In Alibek's view, the collapse of the Soviet Union should provide the US no relief from its concerns about being targeted by biological weapons. For one thing, he says, China (another signatory of the 1972 convention) appeared to be developing a program similar in scope to the Soviet Union's. In addition, following his defection, Alibek says, he was approached by several governments, including France's, and asked if he would be willing to advise them on biological weapons. A 1995 congressional report identified 17 countries that are believed to possess biological weapons. Chillingly, Alibek and Handelman, an investigative journalist, write: ''More have joined the list since.'' Most problematic is that several of the countries on the list, including Libya and Iraq, support international terrorists. And then there are the nongovernmental threats. In 1995, a Japanese cult sprayed sarin gas inside the Tokyo subway station, killing 12 and injuring more than 5,000 people. With threats like that, it is understandable why Brigham & Women's Hospital opened the region's first hazardous-materials decontamination unit this month - why many are beginning to ask whether the government has in place a comprehensive plan to respond to such a complex medical emergency. This story ran on page E07 of the Boston Globe on 07/29/99. � Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company. ================================================================= Kaddish, Kaddish, Kaddish, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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