Report to the Secretary of War

Item Details

Title

Report to the Secretary of War

Topics

Reports progress by the Special Projects Division of the Chemical Warfare Service (WBO) on developing primarily defensive practices against BW.

Date

1945

Conclusions

US opinion on BW was mixed in this time period, but it was perceived to be a potential Axis threat. WBO program was thus intended to provide defense, and the project resulted in technological/facility production and advances in the fields of immunology and virology. Authors conclude that BW is still in the "realm of theory rather than fact" (read: not used by Axis powers), but is important to study.

Files

Source

Merck, G.W. Biological Warfare: Report to the Secretary of War. January 3, 1945.

Citation

“Report to the Secretary of War,” Collection of Biothreat Risk Assessments (COBRA), accessed January 15, 2025, https://cobrabiosecurity.org/items/show/361.