-Caveat Lector- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,33596,00.html White House Acknowledges Germ-Warfare Research, Says Aim Was to Develop Vaccine Tuesday, September 04, 2001 WASHINGTON — The United States has spent years conducting secret research on biological weapons with the goal of developing a vaccine to protect U.S. soldiers from chemical attacks, the White House said Tuesday. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer cast the research as purely defensive in nature and in keeping with a 1972 treaty banning biological weapons. The New York Times reported Tuesday that the research, begun under the Clinton administration, pushes the limits of that treaty, which allows nations to work on vaccines and other protective measures. Citing government officials, the Times said the secret research mimics the major steps a state or terrorist group would take to create a biological arsenal. Fleischer said the U.S. program is "designed to protect our servicemen and women in particular." He did not say how long the research has been under way, but noted concerns during the 1991 Gulf War that American soldiers were vulnerable to a chemical attack by Iraq. "That was a real issue," Fleischer said. "The United States does have a program, it's been around for a while, to develop vaccines and protective measures in case we are attacked." National security spokesman Sean McCormack said the research did not mean the United States wants to move away from the global chemical weapons ban. He noted that the United States did away with its offensive biological weapons years ago. "We fully support the biological weapons program," McCormack said. "This is purely biodefense research, which is allowed." Bill Harlow, a CIA spokesman, told the Times that the agency conducted laboratory or experimental work to assess the intelligence it had gathered about biological warfare. "Everything we have done in this respect was entirely appropriate, necessary and was briefed to the National Security Council staff and appropriate congressional oversight committees," Harlow said. The secret U.S. work included a Pentagon project to assemble a germ factory in the Nevada desert from commercially available materials, the newspaper said. It quoted Pentagon officials as saying the project demonstrated the ease with which a terrorist or rogue nation could build a plant that could produce pounds of deadly germs. -- Best wishes Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliance with none. ~~ Thomas Jefferson The Spirit of 1776, A letter to Thomas Lomax, Monticello, Mar. 12, 1799 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
