Civil Defense Aspects of Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Warfare Against Man, Animals, and Crops in the United States of America, Supplement

Item Details

Title

Civil Defense Aspects of Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Warfare Against Man, Animals, and Crops in the United States of America, Supplement

Topics

As a part of Project East River, this document follows some of the concerns the United States has with the U.S.S.R.'s CW, BW, and RW programs. In order to better prepare for threats from the U.S.S.R. this report takes a look at factors, both covert and overt, that may influence the U.S.S.R.'s choice of agent and what the impacts of that agent may be if disseminated in the U.S.

Date

1952

Conclusions

The U.S. believes that some of the most influential factors in the U.S.S.R.'s choice of CW/BW weapon include it's ability to be used as a covert/sabotage instrument, how efficiently it can be deployed over a certain area (how many planes will be required), the sheer cost, and the amount of casualties that will occur. For example, dissemination of anthrax over a 20 sq mile plot will require 20-24 planes, but will leave about 140,000 dead if no warning is given. This means that, while it takes more planes to deliver this agent than the other agents listed, it can also cause many more casualties than the other agents.

Files

Citation

“Civil Defense Aspects of Biological, Chemical, and Radiological Warfare Against Man, Animals, and Crops in the United States of America, Supplement,” Collection of Biothreat Risk Assessments (COBRA), accessed January 23, 2025, https://cobrabiosecurity.org/items/show/395.