Biology Reference
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mal level necessary to prevent vulnerabilities from being advertised, or
research results from being misapplied. This would be especially impor-
tant in states, like the US and Russia, with advanced military biology ca-
pabilities, a history of offensive BW programs, and a legacy of allegations
of covert BW use. Such a policy could, in the long run, protect states
better than continued secrecy, as it would discourage and discredit false
allegations, as well as reduce the suspicions that risk stimulating BW pro-
liferation. The confidence-building measures adopted for the BWC are
available as a vehicle for greater transparency.
Overt lies have also contributed to the climate of suspicion in which
such allegations are formed. The US denials that it shielded Japanese BW
war criminals were known by China to be false; it is not surprising that
the Chinese would disbelieve other US denials, and to believe that these
lies concealed malign intentions. A similar context obtained in Cuba,
when the US publicly denied its program of covert actions in Cuba, de-
spite Cuban certainty based on capture and interrogation of agents. It is
not surprising that US denials of BW use are viewed skeptically. And the
Soviet duplicity in maintaining a very large, secret offensive BW program
long past the entry into force of the BWC was a substantial contributor to
the yellow rain and Sverdlovsk allegations.
Secrets and lies are integral parts of the ways in which all nations pro-
tect their national security. Yet they have the consequence of stimulating
suspicions that can provoke reactions that reduce international security.
These consequences are particularly true of BW, which can so readily be
hidden from technical means of surveillance. Countries concerned about
the possibility of proliferation of these weapons, and the dangers of their
covert use, should consider carefully whether their long-term security
would not be best served by demonstrated transparency and candor.
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