Report of the W.B.C. Committee

Item Details

Title

Report of the W.B.C. Committee

Topics

Henry L. Stimson requested that the National Academy of Sciences establish a committee [formed as the War Bureau of Consultants (WBC) Committee] to assess all aspects of the potential for threat of biological weapons. The committee evaluated the feasibility of biological warfare, consulted subject matter experts on implementation strategies for offensive/defensive work, and surveyed the risk of individual agents. Analyzes Technical Study No. 58 of the CWS. (Exhibit B)

Date

1942

Conclusions

Biological warfare is feasible and steps should be taken to mount offensive and defensive measures. The use of BW will likely be governed by its effectiveness rather than its moral considerations or international expectations/prohibitions. Specific recommendations are made regarding individual agents and their utility in biological warfare. Assessed agents that affect human, animal, and plant health as well as contamination of food and water. Contains extensive appendices that detail the information considered for the final report.

Files

Source

Fred, E.B. Report of the W.B.C. Committee. February 19, 1942.
Found in: National Academy of Sciences Archive: Committees on Biological Warfare Series 1, Box 2, "Report: February 1942."

Citation

“Report of the W.B.C. Committee,” Collection of Biothreat Risk Assessments (COBRA), accessed January 15, 2025, https://cobrabiosecurity.org/items/show/334.