US Military CB Warfare History

Our legacy in developing chemical and biological weapons continues to circulate in the news decades after the US government stopped its efforts in this area. Here's a short article noting that US and Australian government officials have worked out a way forward to destroying 144 mustard munitions that were left behind after World War II.

OFFICIAL approval has been granted for the destruction of 144 mustard-gas shells found at a former World War II US military base at Columboola, between Chinchilla and Miles.

A specific method has not yet been chosen but a Department of Defence spokesman said most of the possibilities involved destruction of the shells inside specially designed chambers to ensure no harmful gases could escape. The 155mm shells were uncovered by mining company Syntech Resources who owned the site and were checking for unexploded weapons.
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“The timing for the destruction part of this project is unknown at this stage and will remain dependent upon receipt of the required approvals under Australia’s safety, industrial and environmental laws and the obligations that exist under international law,” the spokesman said.

“Part of this process will include an inspection of the munitions by The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.”

In other oversea news, the UK's Telegraph perpetuates the myth that the US military used biological weapons against North Korea during that conflict in the 1950s. Nothing really new in this story.

The US military has not changed its stance over allegations that it used biological weapons in Korea. In response to a list of questions submitted to the Pentagon for this article, Major Maureen Schumann issued a brief statement: 'The long-standing US position is that allegations of biological weapons use in the Korean war is “the disinformation campaign that refuses to die”. Our position has not changed. The allegations have proven baseless time and time again.’

Prof Mori shrugs his shoulders. "The use of germ weapons in war is a breach of the Geneva Convention and I think that is why they are refusing to admit the allegations. The criterion for my judgment is not whether North Korea’s claim is correct or the American claim is right; the criterion is whether the incidents actually happened or not. I went to North Korea and met people who had suffered the effects of germ warfare. They told me their stories, shedding tears and grimacing with anger. They told me what actually happened and I cannot question that."

Prof Mori says he believes that a new investigation should be carried out into North Korea’s claims, and that it is time the US, China and both North and South Korea opened up their archives and provided unfettered access to their documents.

Oh, well, as long as you talked to people in North Korea about an event that happened 60 years ago, that makes it all legitimate. It's a ridiculous story, one that former Soviet Union officials have already admitted was falsified, but the stories continue.

Comments

[Ray]

Yes; irritating; the Telegraph uses a questioning(not a statement) headline,"Did the..?" and thereby the article falls flat.It's one of those articles that fills good potential paperspace with useless veiled allegations. It is highly probable that if the United States had used those things, that one or more UN Forces, or even MASH, or the Red Cross, would have commented on it, and it would have revealed itself with good evidence by now. Virtually none of the US Forces in Korea at that period were far away from some other UN Force.

It's just "smoke"; and there can be smoke without fire; we've seen it in movies, and some people, during armed service. If the editor had any guts, he wouldn't have printed it; if he knows something concrete he should put up or shut up.

[Stormcrow]

It's a ridiculous story, one that former Soviet Union officials have already admitted was falsified ..

Could you post a reference for that admission?

This is the first time I've heard of it, and I would love to be able to cite that when this issue comes up.

[Stormcrow]

PS: I'd also like to learn the backstory myself. :)

[J.]

Stormcrow - I would refer you to Milton Leitenberg's "Biological Weapons in the Twentieth Century: A Review and Analysis," Stockholm, Sweden, June 2001, and particularly this section, which references a document from the CPSU to Chinese and North Korean leaders:

"For Mao Zedong: The Soviet Government and the Central Committee of the CPSU were misled. The spread in the press of information about the use by the Americans of bacteriological weapons in Korea was based on false information. The accusations against the Americans were fictitious."

I might add that, in 1950-52, the US offensive BW program was relatively immature, still in development, and we didn't use flies as vectors.

[Stormcrow]

Not listed at Amazon, but a copy of the entire document is online, and available at the FAS website: Biological Weapons in the Twentieth Century: A Review and Analysis.

Your passage is in Chapter 9, "Undermining the International Regime : False Allegations of BW Use". And Leitenberg cites his source as well.

This is exactly what I was hoping for.

Thanks.