Frank L. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452710
- eISBN:
- 9780801455162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452710.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Security Studies
This chapter examines the history of military research, development, and acquisition for biodefense, from pre-World War II through the 2003 Iraq War. Neglect in each area is evident throughout the ...
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This chapter examines the history of military research, development, and acquisition for biodefense, from pre-World War II through the 2003 Iraq War. Neglect in each area is evident throughout the period between World War II and the Iraq War. The U.S. military initially resisted the idea of biological warfare and assigned it to the Chemical Warfare Service despite all of the differences between chemical weapons and biological weapons. Moreover, inaccuracies inherent to the stereotype of “chemical and biological weapons” caused problems for offense as well as defense, and these ideas even influenced President Richard Nixon's decision to end the offensive biological weapons program in 1969. U.S. investment in biodefense soon hit record lows, which helps explain why General Schwarzkopf was unprepared for biological weapons during the Gulf War.Less
This chapter examines the history of military research, development, and acquisition for biodefense, from pre-World War II through the 2003 Iraq War. Neglect in each area is evident throughout the period between World War II and the Iraq War. The U.S. military initially resisted the idea of biological warfare and assigned it to the Chemical Warfare Service despite all of the differences between chemical weapons and biological weapons. Moreover, inaccuracies inherent to the stereotype of “chemical and biological weapons” caused problems for offense as well as defense, and these ideas even influenced President Richard Nixon's decision to end the offensive biological weapons program in 1969. U.S. investment in biodefense soon hit record lows, which helps explain why General Schwarzkopf was unprepared for biological weapons during the Gulf War.
Paul Julian Weindling
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198206910
- eISBN:
- 9780191677373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198206910.003.0051
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Campaigns against insects in the east became entwined with preparations for biological warfare. The idea of unleashing disease pathogens to destroy Nazi Germany's enemies fascinated disinfection ...
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Campaigns against insects in the east became entwined with preparations for biological warfare. The idea of unleashing disease pathogens to destroy Nazi Germany's enemies fascinated disinfection experts, for it seemed to them that if a disease could be prevented, it should also be possible for epidemics to be deliberately spread. The fear that Germany's opponents were stockpiling arsenals of biological and chemical weapons spurred on offensive preparations. Consequently, disease control programmes became radicalized, shifting from containment and prevention to strategies for total eradication of pathogens and their carriers. Whereas the Germans clung to delousing by poison gas, the Allies adopted innovative DDT-based methods, and accelerated louse- and mosquito-control studies. Ironically, Germany's development of biological warfare remained stunted. Leading figures in biological warfare profoundly disagreed over theoretical approaches to epidemiology. As the German sanitary measures became more draconian, they accelerated genocide.Less
Campaigns against insects in the east became entwined with preparations for biological warfare. The idea of unleashing disease pathogens to destroy Nazi Germany's enemies fascinated disinfection experts, for it seemed to them that if a disease could be prevented, it should also be possible for epidemics to be deliberately spread. The fear that Germany's opponents were stockpiling arsenals of biological and chemical weapons spurred on offensive preparations. Consequently, disease control programmes became radicalized, shifting from containment and prevention to strategies for total eradication of pathogens and their carriers. Whereas the Germans clung to delousing by poison gas, the Allies adopted innovative DDT-based methods, and accelerated louse- and mosquito-control studies. Ironically, Germany's development of biological warfare remained stunted. Leading figures in biological warfare profoundly disagreed over theoretical approaches to epidemiology. As the German sanitary measures became more draconian, they accelerated genocide.
William R. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195336214
- eISBN:
- 9780199868537
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195336214.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
Chapter 2 traces the history of bioterrorism in the US and eldewhere, beginning with the Rajneeshee episode in Oregon in 1985. The unsuccessful Aum Shinrikyo forays into bioterrorism in Japan in the ...
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Chapter 2 traces the history of bioterrorism in the US and eldewhere, beginning with the Rajneeshee episode in Oregon in 1985. The unsuccessful Aum Shinrikyo forays into bioterrorism in Japan in the 1980s-90s are also reviewed. The postal anthrax attacks of 2001 are discussed in detail, along with activities of organizations such as the Minnesota Patriots Council and individuals like Larry Wayne Harris. With the exception of the postal anthrax attacks, these incidents caused few deaths, and very few serious injuries. A discussion of bioterrorism vs. biocrime is presented.Less
Chapter 2 traces the history of bioterrorism in the US and eldewhere, beginning with the Rajneeshee episode in Oregon in 1985. The unsuccessful Aum Shinrikyo forays into bioterrorism in Japan in the 1980s-90s are also reviewed. The postal anthrax attacks of 2001 are discussed in detail, along with activities of organizations such as the Minnesota Patriots Council and individuals like Larry Wayne Harris. With the exception of the postal anthrax attacks, these incidents caused few deaths, and very few serious injuries. A discussion of bioterrorism vs. biocrime is presented.
Caroline Fehl
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199608621
- eISBN:
- 9780191731730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199608621.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
The verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention is the subject of the last case study. In the negotiations over this agreement, European advocates of intrusive verification were ready ...
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The verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention is the subject of the last case study. In the negotiations over this agreement, European advocates of intrusive verification were ready to weaken key provisions to win US support. When the new Bush administration rejected even the watered-down draft, they abandoned the initiative altogether. The chapter argues that effectiveness concerns explain the concessions made in the original negotiations, since a loss of US support threatened to alienate key third countries suspected of BWC violations. After the US rejection, however, European decision-makers had to choose between two equally unattractive outcomes, a protocol with limited membership and an abandonment of the process. That they preferred the latter option was explained in part by their fear of competitive disadvantages for European biotechnical companies, and in part by the strong norm of transatlantic consensus that prevailed on this ‘hard security’ issue.Less
The verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention is the subject of the last case study. In the negotiations over this agreement, European advocates of intrusive verification were ready to weaken key provisions to win US support. When the new Bush administration rejected even the watered-down draft, they abandoned the initiative altogether. The chapter argues that effectiveness concerns explain the concessions made in the original negotiations, since a loss of US support threatened to alienate key third countries suspected of BWC violations. After the US rejection, however, European decision-makers had to choose between two equally unattractive outcomes, a protocol with limited membership and an abandonment of the process. That they preferred the latter option was explained in part by their fear of competitive disadvantages for European biotechnical companies, and in part by the strong norm of transatlantic consensus that prevailed on this ‘hard security’ issue.
Melanie Armstrong
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520292765
- eISBN:
- 9780520966147
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520292765.003.0003
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
When the U.S. military created a bioweapons research program at Fort Detrick, Maryland, following World War II, it enlisted microbiology in the production of modern warfare. Biological weapons ...
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When the U.S. military created a bioweapons research program at Fort Detrick, Maryland, following World War II, it enlisted microbiology in the production of modern warfare. Biological weapons magnify the potential of germs to harm humans, remaking the terms of risk to account for natures that have been engineered to be more contagious, fatal, and far-reaching. This alliance between war and science also bracketed certain ways of knowing nature by creating spaces and mechanisms to control microbes according to human desires. Beyond the weapon itself, bioweapons research promulgated knowledge of containment, designing top-secret, high-security laboratory spaces for the safe study of deadly microbes, thereby materializing the belief that microbes must (and could) be contained.Less
When the U.S. military created a bioweapons research program at Fort Detrick, Maryland, following World War II, it enlisted microbiology in the production of modern warfare. Biological weapons magnify the potential of germs to harm humans, remaking the terms of risk to account for natures that have been engineered to be more contagious, fatal, and far-reaching. This alliance between war and science also bracketed certain ways of knowing nature by creating spaces and mechanisms to control microbes according to human desires. Beyond the weapon itself, bioweapons research promulgated knowledge of containment, designing top-secret, high-security laboratory spaces for the safe study of deadly microbes, thereby materializing the belief that microbes must (and could) be contained.
Lawrence Douglas, Austin Sarat, and Laura K. Donohue
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780804787420
- eISBN:
- 9780804788861
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804787420.003.0004
- Subject:
- Law, Comparative Law
Broadly historical in its perspective, Laura Donohue tells a story of the blurring of categories. From the founding of the Republic through the end of the twentieth century, the legal authority to ...
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Broadly historical in its perspective, Laura Donohue tells a story of the blurring of categories. From the founding of the Republic through the end of the twentieth century, the legal authority to respond to the threat of pandemic disease dramatically shifted from the police powers of the states to those of the federal government. The events of 9/11, however, triggered a shift in thinking, as the threat posed by disease has more recently come to be seen through a “national security framework” and “through the lens of war.” Donohue worries that as categories continue to blur, the consequences will be difficult to foresee and control. Were a pandemic to strike the United States, the initial chaos would make it all but impossible to determine whether the outbreak was caused by natural factors or by a purposive act of biowarfare/terrorism. In either case, the response would require the coordinated efforts of institutions of civilian governance and the military.Less
Broadly historical in its perspective, Laura Donohue tells a story of the blurring of categories. From the founding of the Republic through the end of the twentieth century, the legal authority to respond to the threat of pandemic disease dramatically shifted from the police powers of the states to those of the federal government. The events of 9/11, however, triggered a shift in thinking, as the threat posed by disease has more recently come to be seen through a “national security framework” and “through the lens of war.” Donohue worries that as categories continue to blur, the consequences will be difficult to foresee and control. Were a pandemic to strike the United States, the initial chaos would make it all but impossible to determine whether the outbreak was caused by natural factors or by a purposive act of biowarfare/terrorism. In either case, the response would require the coordinated efforts of institutions of civilian governance and the military.
Douglas Holdstock
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780192631985
- eISBN:
- 9780191723582
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780192631985.003.0007
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter examines the impact of war on health. It begins by considering the health impact and response to specific types of weapons, and the role of the arms trade. It then discusses the broader ...
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This chapter examines the impact of war on health. It begins by considering the health impact and response to specific types of weapons, and the role of the arms trade. It then discusses the broader political changes need for a war-free — that is, stable — global society.Less
This chapter examines the impact of war on health. It begins by considering the health impact and response to specific types of weapons, and the role of the arms trade. It then discusses the broader political changes need for a war-free — that is, stable — global society.
Frank L. III Smith
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452710
- eISBN:
- 9780801455162
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452710.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Security Studies
Biological weapons have threatened U.S. national security since at least World War II. Historically, however, the U.S. military has neglected research, development, acquisition, and doctrine for ...
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Biological weapons have threatened U.S. national security since at least World War II. Historically, however, the U.S. military has neglected research, development, acquisition, and doctrine for biodefense. Following September 11 and the anthrax letters of 2001, the United States started spending billions of dollars per year on medical countermeasures and biological detection systems. But most of this funding now comes from the Department of Health and Human Services rather than the Department of Defense. Why has the U.S. military neglected biodefense and allowed civilian organizations to take the lead in defending the country against biological attacks? This book addresses this puzzling and largely untold story about science, technology, and national security. The book argues that organizational frames and stereotypes have caused both military neglect and the rise of civilian biodefense. In the armed services, influential ideas about kinetic warfare have undermined defense against biological warfare. The influence of these ideas on science and technology challenges the conventional wisdom that national security policy is driven by threats or bureaucratic interests. Given the ideas at work inside the U.S. military, the book explains how the lessons learned from biodefense can help solve other important problems that range from radiation weapons to cyber attacks.Less
Biological weapons have threatened U.S. national security since at least World War II. Historically, however, the U.S. military has neglected research, development, acquisition, and doctrine for biodefense. Following September 11 and the anthrax letters of 2001, the United States started spending billions of dollars per year on medical countermeasures and biological detection systems. But most of this funding now comes from the Department of Health and Human Services rather than the Department of Defense. Why has the U.S. military neglected biodefense and allowed civilian organizations to take the lead in defending the country against biological attacks? This book addresses this puzzling and largely untold story about science, technology, and national security. The book argues that organizational frames and stereotypes have caused both military neglect and the rise of civilian biodefense. In the armed services, influential ideas about kinetic warfare have undermined defense against biological warfare. The influence of these ideas on science and technology challenges the conventional wisdom that national security policy is driven by threats or bureaucratic interests. Given the ideas at work inside the U.S. military, the book explains how the lessons learned from biodefense can help solve other important problems that range from radiation weapons to cyber attacks.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804782753
- eISBN:
- 9780804786157
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804782753.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
This chapter presents a description on the efficiency of an measure of arms control. The threat environment and the chemical and biological weapons prohibition regimes are then explored. The ...
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This chapter presents a description on the efficiency of an measure of arms control. The threat environment and the chemical and biological weapons prohibition regimes are then explored. The evolution of biological warfare agents are regarded in three phases: traditional biological weapons agents, genetically modified traditional agents, and advanced biological warfare (ABW) agents. It is noted that the nature of the revolution in the life sciences is favoring early adoption of advanced biological warfare agents by states and not by substate actors. The increased biodefense-related activities should also be considered as part of the biological weapons proliferation problem itself. Finally, an overview of the chapters included in this book is given.Less
This chapter presents a description on the efficiency of an measure of arms control. The threat environment and the chemical and biological weapons prohibition regimes are then explored. The evolution of biological warfare agents are regarded in three phases: traditional biological weapons agents, genetically modified traditional agents, and advanced biological warfare (ABW) agents. It is noted that the nature of the revolution in the life sciences is favoring early adoption of advanced biological warfare agents by states and not by substate actors. The increased biodefense-related activities should also be considered as part of the biological weapons proliferation problem itself. Finally, an overview of the chapters included in this book is given.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
During the 1930s, a series of reports generated by both German and Soviet intelligence fueled increasing alarm with regard to the perceived BW capabilities allegedly being developed by their ...
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During the 1930s, a series of reports generated by both German and Soviet intelligence fueled increasing alarm with regard to the perceived BW capabilities allegedly being developed by their potential opponents. After the onset of the Second World War, if either side was going to break the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting the use of gas and bacteriological warfare, to which they had both agreed to abide, then 1942 was the most likely year. However, a number of prominent scholars have strongly disputed Alibek’s account of the deliberate aerosol dissemination of tularemia by the Red Army at Stalingrad in the late summer of 1942. The occasional use by Soviet-supported partisans of biological agents against the German occupation forces is better documented but there is no evidence that these attacks formed part of a wider, centrally coordinated, campaign of biological sabotage by the Soviet authorities.Less
During the 1930s, a series of reports generated by both German and Soviet intelligence fueled increasing alarm with regard to the perceived BW capabilities allegedly being developed by their potential opponents. After the onset of the Second World War, if either side was going to break the 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibiting the use of gas and bacteriological warfare, to which they had both agreed to abide, then 1942 was the most likely year. However, a number of prominent scholars have strongly disputed Alibek’s account of the deliberate aerosol dissemination of tularemia by the Red Army at Stalingrad in the late summer of 1942. The occasional use by Soviet-supported partisans of biological agents against the German occupation forces is better documented but there is no evidence that these attacks formed part of a wider, centrally coordinated, campaign of biological sabotage by the Soviet authorities.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804782753
- eISBN:
- 9780804786157
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804782753.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
This chapter discusses the promotion of biodefense. If biodefense is pushed too far, the question naturally arises whether this can cause problems that threaten the regimes or undermine other ...
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This chapter discusses the promotion of biodefense. If biodefense is pushed too far, the question naturally arises whether this can cause problems that threaten the regimes or undermine other elements of the wider web of responses and lead to an arms dynamic that might deteriorate into a biochemical arms race. The buildup of biodefense is criticized. The Department of Defense (DoD) funded some U.S. biodefense activities. It has a special responsibility in regard to the activities of other states. In addition, the DoD's money released from planning for force-on-force warfare needs to be allocated to chemical and biological defense. It is noted that the United States should take vigorous action to lead international efforts with the aim of making real progress in strengthening the prohibition against chemical and biological warfare and terrorism.Less
This chapter discusses the promotion of biodefense. If biodefense is pushed too far, the question naturally arises whether this can cause problems that threaten the regimes or undermine other elements of the wider web of responses and lead to an arms dynamic that might deteriorate into a biochemical arms race. The buildup of biodefense is criticized. The Department of Defense (DoD) funded some U.S. biodefense activities. It has a special responsibility in regard to the activities of other states. In addition, the DoD's money released from planning for force-on-force warfare needs to be allocated to chemical and biological defense. It is noted that the United States should take vigorous action to lead international efforts with the aim of making real progress in strengthening the prohibition against chemical and biological warfare and terrorism.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Although unprecedented in scale and ambition, Stalin’s offensive biological warfare program was not an isolated phenomenon. It can instead be viewed as a response to, and extension of, the biological ...
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Although unprecedented in scale and ambition, Stalin’s offensive biological warfare program was not an isolated phenomenon. It can instead be viewed as a response to, and extension of, the biological sabotage programs pursued during the First World War by Germany. During the nearly three-decade period of Stalin’s leadership (1924-1953), two distinct, and highly compartmentalized, components of the Soviet Union’s offensive biological warfare program are in evidence. The main strand was launched by the Red Army in Moscow in 1926 and is very well-documented with numerous archival and secondary sources available. There is in addition a second, earlier and much more ephemeral strand, which is based in Leningrad, which was mainly concealed within the RSFSR People’s Commissariat of Health (RSFSR Narkomzdrav) and the Red Army’s Military-Medical Academy.Less
Although unprecedented in scale and ambition, Stalin’s offensive biological warfare program was not an isolated phenomenon. It can instead be viewed as a response to, and extension of, the biological sabotage programs pursued during the First World War by Germany. During the nearly three-decade period of Stalin’s leadership (1924-1953), two distinct, and highly compartmentalized, components of the Soviet Union’s offensive biological warfare program are in evidence. The main strand was launched by the Red Army in Moscow in 1926 and is very well-documented with numerous archival and secondary sources available. There is in addition a second, earlier and much more ephemeral strand, which is based in Leningrad, which was mainly concealed within the RSFSR People’s Commissariat of Health (RSFSR Narkomzdrav) and the Red Army’s Military-Medical Academy.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The British Secret Intelligence Service identified the RSFSR People’s Commissariat of Health (RSFSR Narkomzdrav) as being the main agency within which ostensibly civil facilities engaged in offensive ...
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The British Secret Intelligence Service identified the RSFSR People’s Commissariat of Health (RSFSR Narkomzdrav) as being the main agency within which ostensibly civil facilities engaged in offensive biological warfare work were concealed. Significant funds for BW research were channeled from RSFSR Narkomzdrav to the Plague Fort at Kronstadt and to other laboratories in Leningrad. Semen Ivanovich Zlatogorov, who had participated in Russian efforts to combat the October 1910 to February 1911 outbreak of pneumonic plague in Manchuria, and had subsequently emerged as one of the world’s leading authorities on pneumonic plague, was the lead scientist heading up BW research in Leningrad. The key institution operating closely alongside the Narkomzdrav facilities appears to have been the Red Army’s Military-Medical Academy.Less
The British Secret Intelligence Service identified the RSFSR People’s Commissariat of Health (RSFSR Narkomzdrav) as being the main agency within which ostensibly civil facilities engaged in offensive biological warfare work were concealed. Significant funds for BW research were channeled from RSFSR Narkomzdrav to the Plague Fort at Kronstadt and to other laboratories in Leningrad. Semen Ivanovich Zlatogorov, who had participated in Russian efforts to combat the October 1910 to February 1911 outbreak of pneumonic plague in Manchuria, and had subsequently emerged as one of the world’s leading authorities on pneumonic plague, was the lead scientist heading up BW research in Leningrad. The key institution operating closely alongside the Narkomzdrav facilities appears to have been the Red Army’s Military-Medical Academy.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Stalin's Secret Weapon is a gripping account of the early history of the globally significant Soviet biological weapons program, including its key scientists, its secret experimental bases and the ...
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Stalin's Secret Weapon is a gripping account of the early history of the globally significant Soviet biological weapons program, including its key scientists, its secret experimental bases and the role of intelligence specialists, establishing beyond doubt that the infrastructure created by Stalin continues to form the core of Russia's current biological defense network. Anthony Rimmington has enjoyed privileged access to an array of newly available sources and materials, including declassified British Secret Intelligence Service reports. The evidence contained therein has led him to conclude that the program, with its network of dedicated facilities and proving grounds, was far more extensive than previously considered, easily outstripping those of the major Western powers. As Rimmington reveals, many of the USSR's leading infectious disease scientists, including those focused on pneumonic plague, were recruited by the Soviet military and intelligence services. At the dark heart of this bacteriological archipelago lay Stalin, and his involvement is everywhere to be seen, from the promotion of favored researchers to the political repression and execution of the lead biological warfare specialist, Ivan Mikhailovich Velikanov.Less
Stalin's Secret Weapon is a gripping account of the early history of the globally significant Soviet biological weapons program, including its key scientists, its secret experimental bases and the role of intelligence specialists, establishing beyond doubt that the infrastructure created by Stalin continues to form the core of Russia's current biological defense network. Anthony Rimmington has enjoyed privileged access to an array of newly available sources and materials, including declassified British Secret Intelligence Service reports. The evidence contained therein has led him to conclude that the program, with its network of dedicated facilities and proving grounds, was far more extensive than previously considered, easily outstripping those of the major Western powers. As Rimmington reveals, many of the USSR's leading infectious disease scientists, including those focused on pneumonic plague, were recruited by the Soviet military and intelligence services. At the dark heart of this bacteriological archipelago lay Stalin, and his involvement is everywhere to be seen, from the promotion of favored researchers to the political repression and execution of the lead biological warfare specialist, Ivan Mikhailovich Velikanov.
Barry Barnes and John Dupre
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226172958
- eISBN:
- 9780226172965
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226172965.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
The announcement in 2003 that the Human Genome Project had completed its map of the entire human genome was heralded as a stunning scientific breakthrough. Since then, boasts about the benefits—and ...
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The announcement in 2003 that the Human Genome Project had completed its map of the entire human genome was heralded as a stunning scientific breakthrough. Since then, boasts about the benefits—and warnings of the dangers—of genomics have remained front-page news, with everyone agreeing that genomics has the potential to radically alter life as we know it. For the nonscientist, the claims and counterclaims are dizzying—what does it really mean to understand the genome? This book offers an answer to that question and much more with a clear and lively account of the genomic revolution and its promise. The book opens with a brief history of the science of genetics and genomics, from Mendel to Watson and Crick and all the way up to Craig Venter; from there the chapters delve into the use of genomics in determining evolutionary paths—and what it can tell us, for example, about how far we really have come from our ape ancestors. It then considers both the power and risks of genetics, from the economic potential of plant genomes to overblown claims that certain human genes can be directly tied to such traits as intelligence or homosexuality. Ultimately, the chapters in this book argue, we are now living with a new knowledge as powerful in its way as nuclear physics, and the stark choices that face us—between biological warfare and gene therapy, a new eugenics or a new agricultural revolution—will demand the full engagement of both scientists and citizens.Less
The announcement in 2003 that the Human Genome Project had completed its map of the entire human genome was heralded as a stunning scientific breakthrough. Since then, boasts about the benefits—and warnings of the dangers—of genomics have remained front-page news, with everyone agreeing that genomics has the potential to radically alter life as we know it. For the nonscientist, the claims and counterclaims are dizzying—what does it really mean to understand the genome? This book offers an answer to that question and much more with a clear and lively account of the genomic revolution and its promise. The book opens with a brief history of the science of genetics and genomics, from Mendel to Watson and Crick and all the way up to Craig Venter; from there the chapters delve into the use of genomics in determining evolutionary paths—and what it can tell us, for example, about how far we really have come from our ape ancestors. It then considers both the power and risks of genetics, from the economic potential of plant genomes to overblown claims that certain human genes can be directly tied to such traits as intelligence or homosexuality. Ultimately, the chapters in this book argue, we are now living with a new knowledge as powerful in its way as nuclear physics, and the stark choices that face us—between biological warfare and gene therapy, a new eugenics or a new agricultural revolution—will demand the full engagement of both scientists and citizens.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
In April 1934 Stalin called a key meeting of the Politburo to hear reports relating to Soviet biological weapons programs. At the end of the meeting he concluded that all facilities working in the ...
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In April 1934 Stalin called a key meeting of the Politburo to hear reports relating to Soviet biological weapons programs. At the end of the meeting he concluded that all facilities working in the area of biological warfare should be combined within “a single powerful institute”. The Soviet Union’s BW facilities were at this point transferred to the Red Army’s Military-Chemical Directorate where they were absorbed into the Biochemical Institute at Vlasikha. In March 1935 Stalin called a second meeting focused on the Soviet BW program. Here he clashed with Demikhovskii, one of the leading scientists, who, as a consequence, was to be excluded from further participation in military biological projects.Less
In April 1934 Stalin called a key meeting of the Politburo to hear reports relating to Soviet biological weapons programs. At the end of the meeting he concluded that all facilities working in the area of biological warfare should be combined within “a single powerful institute”. The Soviet Union’s BW facilities were at this point transferred to the Red Army’s Military-Chemical Directorate where they were absorbed into the Biochemical Institute at Vlasikha. In March 1935 Stalin called a second meeting focused on the Soviet BW program. Here he clashed with Demikhovskii, one of the leading scientists, who, as a consequence, was to be excluded from further participation in military biological projects.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
A key requirement with regard to the Soviet Union’s preparedness for biological warfare was the identification of a location—preferably an island—for use in field tests of bacteriological agents. ...
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A key requirement with regard to the Soviet Union’s preparedness for biological warfare was the identification of a location—preferably an island—for use in field tests of bacteriological agents. Initially, the Red Army made use of the Central Army Chemical Proving Ground at Shikhany and carried out a range of tests on BW simulants. The risks and difficulties associated with BW tests at Shikhany, especially the proximity of the town of Volsk to the proving ground, eventually led to the transfer of this work to the newly established biological proving ground on the highly remote Vozrozhdenie Island in the Aral Sea.Less
A key requirement with regard to the Soviet Union’s preparedness for biological warfare was the identification of a location—preferably an island—for use in field tests of bacteriological agents. Initially, the Red Army made use of the Central Army Chemical Proving Ground at Shikhany and carried out a range of tests on BW simulants. The risks and difficulties associated with BW tests at Shikhany, especially the proximity of the town of Volsk to the proving ground, eventually led to the transfer of this work to the newly established biological proving ground on the highly remote Vozrozhdenie Island in the Aral Sea.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
During the immediate post-war period, Lavrentiy Beria, the Soviet minister of internal affairs, continued to maintain control of the Soviet biological warfare program and to further develop its ...
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During the immediate post-war period, Lavrentiy Beria, the Soviet minister of internal affairs, continued to maintain control of the Soviet biological warfare program and to further develop its offensive capabilities. In his new role, Beria and his staff had access to biological weapons specialists captured as a result of the Soviet victory in the Second World War. In the post-war period, Beria maintained the NIIEG facility at remote Kirov as the key hub of the Soviet BW program. During the period 1947 to 1949, a new military BW facility was spun off from the Kirov institute. Based in Sverdlovsk it was known as the USSR Ministry of Defense’s Scientific-Research Institute of Hygiene. In 1953, a third military BW facility, the Scientific-Research Sanitary Institute, was created at Zagorsk. The Vozrozhdenie Island open-air BW proving ground was also expanded after the war.Less
During the immediate post-war period, Lavrentiy Beria, the Soviet minister of internal affairs, continued to maintain control of the Soviet biological warfare program and to further develop its offensive capabilities. In his new role, Beria and his staff had access to biological weapons specialists captured as a result of the Soviet victory in the Second World War. In the post-war period, Beria maintained the NIIEG facility at remote Kirov as the key hub of the Soviet BW program. During the period 1947 to 1949, a new military BW facility was spun off from the Kirov institute. Based in Sverdlovsk it was known as the USSR Ministry of Defense’s Scientific-Research Institute of Hygiene. In 1953, a third military BW facility, the Scientific-Research Sanitary Institute, was created at Zagorsk. The Vozrozhdenie Island open-air BW proving ground was also expanded after the war.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
In July 1937, the lead scientist of the Soviet Union’s offensive BW program, Ivan Mikhailovich Velikanov, was one of a large number of prominent biological warfare specialists to be arrested by the ...
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In July 1937, the lead scientist of the Soviet Union’s offensive BW program, Ivan Mikhailovich Velikanov, was one of a large number of prominent biological warfare specialists to be arrested by the security organs during the mass repression (dubbed the Great Terror) instigated by Stalin. After his execution in April 1938, Velikanov was effectively airbrushed out of the history of Soviet microbiology. One of the most interesting aspects of developments in Russia’s current military biological network is an attempt by the authorities to create a new institutional memory of the early Soviet BW program, with Velikanov, one of the outstanding microbiologists of his generation, at the very heart of the new historical account.Less
In July 1937, the lead scientist of the Soviet Union’s offensive BW program, Ivan Mikhailovich Velikanov, was one of a large number of prominent biological warfare specialists to be arrested by the security organs during the mass repression (dubbed the Great Terror) instigated by Stalin. After his execution in April 1938, Velikanov was effectively airbrushed out of the history of Soviet microbiology. One of the most interesting aspects of developments in Russia’s current military biological network is an attempt by the authorities to create a new institutional memory of the early Soviet BW program, with Velikanov, one of the outstanding microbiologists of his generation, at the very heart of the new historical account.
Anthony Rimmington
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190928858
- eISBN:
- 9780190943141
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190928858.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Knowledge of Stalin’s historical biological warfare network is crucial to making sense of the vast offensive biological warfare program launched by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It is also a crucial ...
More
Knowledge of Stalin’s historical biological warfare network is crucial to making sense of the vast offensive biological warfare program launched by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It is also a crucial aid to a full understanding of Russia’s current biological defense program. Nearly the entirety of the core infrastructure that was created during Stalin’s leadership remains in place today. The Shikhany proving ground, in existence since the 1920s, remains at the heart of Russia’s network and the three BW facilities created by Stalin at Kirov, Ekaterinburg and Sergiev Posad remain in full operation. As well as having originally created much of Russia’s existing physical military biological infrastructure, Stalin’s BW program is also likely to have resulted in the development by the military of technology for the manufacture of a range of new bioweapons. This technology presumably underwent further development during the offensive program launched in the 1970s by the Soviet Union and was eventually inherited by Russia.Less
Knowledge of Stalin’s historical biological warfare network is crucial to making sense of the vast offensive biological warfare program launched by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It is also a crucial aid to a full understanding of Russia’s current biological defense program. Nearly the entirety of the core infrastructure that was created during Stalin’s leadership remains in place today. The Shikhany proving ground, in existence since the 1920s, remains at the heart of Russia’s network and the three BW facilities created by Stalin at Kirov, Ekaterinburg and Sergiev Posad remain in full operation. As well as having originally created much of Russia’s existing physical military biological infrastructure, Stalin’s BW program is also likely to have resulted in the development by the military of technology for the manufacture of a range of new bioweapons. This technology presumably underwent further development during the offensive program launched in the 1970s by the Soviet Union and was eventually inherited by Russia.
