Report on National Policy on Biological Warfare

Report on National Policy on Biological Warfare

Presents the recommendations of the Research and Development Board's Committee on Biological Warfare for a national policy on the manner. This recommendation was based on the findings of the 1947 Report on the Appraisal of the Technical Aspects of Biological Warfare by the Committee.

1947

Concludes that the possibilities of effective use of biological warfare are great, but the United States is not prepared today to use it offensively. The proposed national policy is as follows: "Until adequate measures to preserve international peace are assured, it shall be the policy of the United States (a) to maintain a research and development program in the field of biological warfare consistent with the necessity of safeguarding the United States against attack with this weapon, (b) to take all possible steps necessary to prepare defenses against biological attack, and (c) to be prepared to make effective use of such means of warfare should it become necessary." To implement, the Committee recommended expansion of research to more than double the current scope, maintenance of testing facilities and personnel for developed weapons, training of military for defense against BW, stockpiling of BW agents, emergency preparedness development, and establishment of espionage for collecting BW activity information. In particular, the Committee recommended BW research that studied agents for use against man, animal, and crop; development of detection methods; development of immunization and therapeutics; development of personal protective equipment; research on decontamination methods; optimization of large quantity production of BW agents; development of methods for dissemination of BW agents; and broad-spanning testing of the effectiveness of the abovementioned tools, techniques, and agents.