Report of a Subcommittee of the ABC Committee
Item Details
Title
Report of a Subcommittee of the ABC Committee
Topics
A subcommittee of the ABC Committee (of the National Academy of Sciences) was formed in response to the request of G.W. Merck, director of the War Research Service (WRS). The goal was to review experimental results of biological weapons and defense research conducted by the WRS, which had been summarized by its research director E.B. Fred, in preparation for the dissolution of WRS. This would inform utilization of the academic enterprise in such studies moving forward.
Date
1944
Conclusions
Provided an overview of 11 different agents as well as the results of ongoing studies pertaining to technological advances in weapons development. From this analysis, the subcommittee recommended establishment of an advisory body to the government made up of academic scientists, development of PPE and vaccines for a number of agents, and provided guidelines for transfer of projects from academic to government laboratories.
Files
Source
Clark, W.M. Report of a Subcommittee of the ABC Committee. May 19, 1944.
Found in: National Academy of Sciences Archive, Committees on Biological Warfare Series 1, Box 4, "Subcommittee Report Review of WRS Research 15 May 1944."
Found in: National Academy of Sciences Archive, Committees on Biological Warfare Series 1, Box 4, "Subcommittee Report Review of WRS Research 15 May 1944."
Citation
“Report of a Subcommittee of the ABC Committee,” Collection of Biothreat Risk Assessments (COBRA), accessed January 15, 2025, https://cobrabiosecurity.org/items/show/353.