Biology Reference
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MOD therefore concluded that “processes of verification (of production)
are not possible.”
47
This conclusion seems to have been a political one,
based on what was thought to be politically possible in the USSR, the UK,
or its allies, not on what was scientifically possible.
Earlier in 1969, the UK delegation to the ENDC pressed the govern-
ment for a more modest proposal than the one outlined in the working
paper, to focus on investigating use of BW only. The delegation did not
believe that China, the USSR, or the US would accept an unverified ban
on development and production: “It seems most unlikely that the Rus-
sians, with China and the U.S.A. in mind, would put their name to an
agreement to cease production and development and to destroy stocks,
even on what would amount to an unverifiable basis; the Americans
would be even less likely to agree to an unverifiable undertaking of this
kind.”
48
However, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office prevailed, and intro-
duced a Draft Convention despite opposition from the MOD, skepticism
regarding the substance of a ban on development, and pessimism regard-
ing the political prospects for success. The draft banned all use of BW, in-
cluding use in retaliation; it banned the development and production of
BW; and it introduced procedures to investigate alleged use, develop-
ment, and production.
The UK Draft Convention of July 1969
The Biological Warfare Draft Convention tabled by the UK delegation at
the CCD in Geneva in July 1969 differed significantly from the BWC that
opened for signature in 1972. The draft had seven preambular para-
graphs, four of which pertained to the Geneva Protocol. The first two
paragraphs acknowledged the contributions of the 1925 Protocol to miti-
gating the horrors of war. The third preambular paragraph recalled two
UN General Assembly resolutions calling for observance of the Protocol,
and the sixth expressed the desire to reinforce the Protocol. The remain-
ing three preambular paragraphs concerned BW. The fourth paragraph
expressed the belief that “biological discoveries should be used only for
the betterment of human life and that their use for hostile purposes
would be repugnant to the conscience of mankind.” The sixth recognized
the risk of BW, and the final preambular paragraph declared the belief
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