There is — this very instant — a feverish international search for the ultimate "dooms-day bug."
The purpose? — to wipe out whole nations overnight by disease germs and chemicals.
Will man's unrestrained scientific search for more horrifying weapons of mass destruction prove to be his undoing?
Porton Down, England
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Henderson — Ambassador College
Courtesy of Microbiological Research Establishment,
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WHAT I have seen here at Porton Down has convinced me of the awful potential of modern Chemical and Biological Warfare (called CBW for short). Few realize its frightening possibilities!
Sensational news headlines from time to time reveal details of CBW development world-wide. Few tell the full story.
Britain — Especially Vulnerable
Britain's hopes of developing her defensive Chemical-and-Biological-Warfare deterrent are centered in two establishments at Porton Down, Wiltshire.
The Director of Britain's Microbiological Research Establishment at Porton Down is Dr. Gordon Smith. He is, of course, quite naturally concerned about Britain's vulnerability in the event of an all-out chemical or biological attack.
Dr. Smith pointed out, in an interview with PLAIN TRUTH editors, that Britain's research establishment at Porton serves two functions: "To assess the risk to the British people and Armed Forces of an attack by biological warfare and to devise means of protection against such attacks."
According to Dr. Smith, Britain's research facilities at Porton are "probably unmatched in Western Europe."
A booklet published by the Microbiological Research Establishment at Porton Down is available to the public. It sums up some of the terrible fears of Britain's Defense Department. Turning a few pages, one reads:
"The real danger of Biological Warfare (BW) is its simplicity. Essentially, it would entail the mass production of disease-producing microbes (BW agents) by techniques that are well-known, together with a delivery system which could, for example, be a simple spray device. The cloud of microbes produced would be inhaled during normal breathing, causing disease in the people being attacked. Many nations could equip themselves for BW on a moderate scale without great expense."
"Simplicity."
"Simple spray device."
"Without great expense."
No wonder tests made with a harmless chemical in 1957 and 1958 showed that large areas of the British Isles could be completely blanketed with a cloud of chemical agents within a few hours.
And not long ago millions of TV viewers were shown a BBC documentary titled A Plague on Your Children. It dealt with Britain's vulnerability to an all-out assault by CBW.
But other nations are also spearheading CBW research.
The U.S. has at least six centers where work is constantly going on in the development of Chemical and Biological Warfare, at an estimated cost of $1,000,000 per day. Fort Dietrick, Md., is apparently the main U.S. CBW establishment.
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British soldier in gas mask and anti-chemical-warfare suit demonstrates measures taken by a soldier under attack.
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History of CBW
Chemical and Biological Warfare is not new to mankind. For thousands of years man has used various CBW agents to overcome his enemies.
But . . . it is only recently that he has seriously considered the idea of using CBW on a grand scale — to erase whole populations!
Thousands of years ago man discovered the diabolical use of poison. He learned to use poison to dispose of rulers, dignitaries, or large numbers of his enemies by poisoning their food or water supply. Poisoned arrows were also used in warfare.
Millenniums ago man learned that he could throw the corpses of plague-infected humans over the walls of besieged cities which he sought to overthrow — thereby causing terrible plague to ravage the entire city. Early American settlers traded plague-infected blankets to American Indians in times of frontier hostilities.
There have been virtually no limits to man's diabolical, inventive genius in the realm of destructive weapons of war.
CBW's Awful Potential
We can see the awful potential of rampant disease organisms by observing what did happen during the Dark Ages.
The BLACK DEATH of 1348-50 was the worst natural disaster to befall man in the last 4000 years. This terrible plague swept over all Europe — killing at least one third of the population! In certain areas nearly three fourths of the population was killed by plague! Three fifths of all Britons succumbed to the Black Death — reducing Britain's population from 5.1 million in 1348 to 2.1 million in 1374.
Many, believing they would certainly fall victims of the Black Death, gave themselves over to reckless abandon — drunkenness, sexual orgies, violence, crime and general lawlessness. "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die of plague," they reasoned.
But biological warfare is potentially much worse than plague.
Colonel Adam Mikovich of Moscow Institute understands the full potential of Biological Warfare. He said: "It is believed today that Biological War would have the greatest effect of all" (Post, Jan. 30, 1965).
Proof of man's peril can be seen in what a deadly virus can do to animals.
In the 1940's, Australia's exploding rabbit population soared to about 500 million! Damage to the economy was estimated to be £100 million annually.
What could be done to prevent the rabbits from overrunning the Australian continent?
Myxomatosis, a deadly virus disease among rabbits, was introduced into the rabbit population in 1950, and within only a few months ninety percent of the rabbits had perished from this disease!
Myxomatosis was introduced into France in May, 1952, with similar alarming results. By the end of 1953, this deadly disease had spread through much of France, Holland, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland — killing from sixty to ninety percent of the rabbit population of those countries.
Rabbits in both Australia and Europe proved to have little immunity against this deadly infection.
An Ounce of Doom!
Many scientists right now are searching for new plagues with which to decimate the human population. And they are diligently seeking deadlier strains of old viruses with which to destroy whole populations. Of course, these scientists justify their CBW research by saying it is done for defensive reasons.
Just how lethal are these viruses?
Do you grasp the deadly potential? "In theory one gram of chicken embryo tissue inoculated with the Q-fever organism would be sufficient to infect more than one million people" (We All Fall Down, Robin Clarke).
It has been estimated that one fourth of an ounce would be sufficient to infect every man, woman and child living in the British Isles! That's about 55 million! Britain is especially vulnerable to chemical or germ warfare. She is thickly crowded and normal weather conditions in Britain are favorable to that type of warfare!
Botulinus, which was developed during World War II, is so deadly that it could wipe out all human life in a given area within six hours — yet leaving the target area habitable immediately after the attack.
But some diseases would have a more lingering effect.
During World War II the British Government's Microbiological Research Establishment at Porton Down conducted an experiment with deadly anthrax — which causes hideous cancer-like growths in human beings and in animals.
The experiment was carried out on Gruinard Island, just off the northwest coast of Scotland. The anthrax bacterium killed all the sheep on the island. It is now estimated that it will be a hundred years or more before Gruinard Island will be safe for man or beast to again inhabit! Such is the dangerous stuff with which men are toying!
Few realize that far more people have died from pestilence — from sickness and various plagues — through the course of human history, than have died in actual warfare.
It has been estimated that over 20,000,000 perished from influenza in just a few months at the close of World War I — and 50 times that number became ill. In the autumn of 1918, over 12,500,000 died in the flu epidemic which swept the undernourished nation of India. And over one-half million died in the United States.
Chemical Warfare
Nations have not been content to develop just biological warfare. The major powers are also diligently developing their arsenals of chemical weapons.
Both America and Russia reportedly have impressive stockpiles of chemical weapons — plus the means of delivering them upon unsuspecting enemy targets — without warning! West Germany is definitely known to be developing CBW.
What are some of these terrifying chemical weapons which mankind is now developing? Man's present chemical weaponry includes: vomiting gases and lachrymators (tear gases), choking gases, nettle gases, blood gases, vesicants (agents causing blisters), G-agents, nerve gases and incapacitating agents. Man's arsenals of chemical agents can produce sleep, paralysis, blindness, deafness, loss of balance, vomiting, diarrhea, choking, persistent crying or uncontrollable laughter, terrible fear, hallucinations, depression, permanent insanity — or death!
And no nation which is developing a CBW potential ever seems content with its present deadly, massive stockpiles of chemical weapons. The nations are obsessed with the diabolical impulse to ever seek out deadlier chemical agents — agents which will kill ever-larger numbers!
Mind-bending Nerve Gases
There were about 800,000 casualties from the use of deadly gases in the First World War (Encyclopedia Britannica).
But gases were not used in World War II. This does not mean that they were not manufactured. They were — by both the Axis and Allied powers.
The Germans discovered horrible nerve gases in the 1930's, but didn't use them during the Second World War for fear of retaliation. The British nation was well equipped with gas masks throughout World War II. Britain didn't intend to be caught unprepared should the Germans decide to use CBW.
Hitler reportedly ordered the use of nerve gases against the Allies when they invaded Normandy — but his generals refused to comply — again apparently out of fear of retaliation!
At the close of World War II the Russians captured a German factory where deadly nerve gases had been produced. They dismantled the establishment and transported it to Russia. Both the U.S. and Russia have huge stockpiles of mind-bending nerve gases.
Britain developed the terrible V-agent (at Porton Down) which is so lethal that if it so much as touches the skin, death will result. The American version — the VX-agent — is presumably even more deadly.
Many remember the public outcry in March, 1967, when the U.S. Dugway Proving Ground in western Utah accidentally killed 6,000 sheep — which were reportedly 30 miles from the Proving Ground where this nerve gas experimentation was being carried out.