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In-Depth Information
the Canadian leader was aware of the 1959 US presidential decree autho-
rizing possible first use of CBW.
29
Within Canada's defense establishment the Korean germ warfare con-
troversy provided additional incentive for increased BW research, on the
assumption that it had been designed to conceal accelerated Soviet work
in this field. These concerns were evident in the 1952 deliberations of
the BWRP involving the various ongoing programs at the four BW re-
search centers: Suffield (DRES), Ottawa/Shirley's Bay (DREO), Kingston
(DREK), and Grosse Isle (GIR).
30
Two projects were regarded as most im-
portant: expansion of the work at Kingston in producing “more virulent
strains of
B. mallei,
and
C. botulinum
toxin, along with continued work on
insect vectors”; and production and storage of rinderpest vaccine “of suf-
ficient quantities for use by US and UK as well as Canada.”
31
The Grosse Isle research station had been reactivated in 1948 because
of DRB concerns, shared by the US Chemical Warfare Service, that the
Soviets might attack the North American cattle industry with rinderpest
or other agrobiological weapons.
32
The task of creating an effective “R”
vaccine was, however, complicated by the fact that the original “seed
stock” activated virus could not be used for large-scale immunization. As
a result, two years were lost searching for “fresh virulent” sources, and it
was not until December 1950 that DRB scientists could announce “that
they could fully protect cattle against highly virulent (R) material . . .
[and] prevent an exceedingly grave attack.”
33
Ironically, it was at this juncture that Grosse Isle scientists became in-
volved with the CWS's “basic research in the field of anti-animal agents.”
More specifically, the US wanted an opportunity to carry out BW field
tests at the station—a request that was quickly granted with one reserva-
tion: Dr. Charles Mitchell, of the Department of Agriculture, would rep-
resent the DRB, “with full authority over the trials.” In short order, scien-
tists from Camp Detrick were busy acquiring new “R” viral strains based
on their weapon potential, ease of production techniques, storage ca-
pacity, stabilization as an aerosol, “and methods for dissemination.” Dur-
ing the next seven years Grosse Isle carried out an extensive offensive
antianimal program—maintaining an inventory of more than 16 differ-
ent viruses. These included 22 strains of rinderpest, along with samples of
African swine fever, Western, Eastern, and Venezuelan equine encephali-
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