The US Biological Weapons Program - Deadly Cultures: Biological Weapons Since 1945 - page 24

bomb, a modified pamphlet bomb that dispersed feathers dusted with
agent. 74 During the Eisenhower administration, one project sought to
wed CBW agents to the Snark missile. The Air Force sought BW war-
heads for its missiles. A drone project was inaugurated. 75 At the CmlC,
however, doubt continued that “the combination of agent and munition
could be achieved in the near future and action was postponed.” 76
Additional expenditure was devoted to vectors for dissemination, espe-
cially the breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, designed to spread yel-
low fever. Other projects reportedly included mosquitoes to spread ma-
laria and dengue fever; fleas to carry plague, cholera and dysentery; and
ticks to spread tularemia. 77
Following up on the policy shifts of the Eisenhower administration,
the Kennedy administration placed its emphasis on spraying rather than
bombs and on incapacitating rather than lethal weapons. 78 By then a
number of BW-capable munitions were available: bomblets, spray tanks,
mines, portable generators, cluster bombs, and the Sergeant rocket.
Throughout this period, American BW R&D benefited greatly from a
tripartite arrangement among the US, the UK, and Canada. Australia
joined the group in 1964. Joint meetings were held, and personnel from
the three countries participated in numerous sea and land field trials.
Generally, the tripartite division of labor established during World War II
was continued: the UK focused on basic research, while field trials were
conducted in the US at Dugway and in Canada at Suffield. Production
was centered largely in the US. 79
Testing
Throughout the offensive phase of the US BW program, testing was fairly
constant, taking the form of city simulant tests, large area land tests, and
sea tests. Designed to measure the dispersion possibilities of BW agents,
simulant tests were carried out against buildings and in the New York
subway. Field tests were also staged at Detrick and Dugway. At first only
animal subjects were used; but finally, breaking a long-respected taboo,
test experiments used human volunteers.
In the decade following the end of World War II, BW tests were held at
the Pentagon (1949); the Norfolk, Hampton, and Newport News area
(1950); the San Francisco Bay area (1950); Minneapolis (1953); St. Louis