Chemical-Biological Warfare: U.S. Policies and International Effects
Item Details
Title
Chemical-Biological Warfare: U.S. Policies and International Effects
Topics
Congressional debate about whether the United States should ratify the 1925 Geneva Convention. General policies on CBW are also re-evaluated.
Date
1969
Conclusions
It is widely held that the US does not have a lot to gain offensively from stockpiling biological weapons. They are largely seen as hard to control and inconsistent. It is believed that the existence of BW reduces the advantage of rich nations, and the US's continued offensive research could lead to proliferation/a new kind of arms race that would end up hurting the country in the long run. There is international and domestic disapproval of gas and defoliation activities in Vietnam, which may be motivated by antiwar sentiment more generally.
Files
Source
United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Security Policy and Scientific Developments. Chemical-Biological Warfare: U.S. Policies and International Effects: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on National Security Policy and Scientific Developments of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives. United States Government Printing Office. 1959.
Citation
“Chemical-Biological Warfare: U.S. Policies and International Effects,” Collection of Biothreat Risk Assessments (COBRA), accessed January 15, 2025, https://cobrabiosecurity.org/items/show/426.