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Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War

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Miller, Engelberg and Broad have written an outstanding and very readable history of the US and foreign germ warfare programs and of national and international efforts to ban biological weapons. Many people spoke more frankly than I would have thought possible, so that the book is very revealing.

Biological weapons are more frightening than poison gas, and more deadly than 767s loaded with fuel. Bio-terrorism surely poses a much greater risk to the United States than any possible ballistic missile attack from a "rogue" state.

It is likely that an attack on the US with a communicable disease or a natural outbreak of one of the emerging influenza viruses that appear from time to time and have a mortality rate of 30%, comparable to smallpox, could devastate the country and place the Constitution and democracy at risk. The authors make this clear.

"Germs" is not perfect; the authors get the story on the failure of the proposed agreement to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention wrong, because they reported based on only one point of view, and that a tiny minority one.

Nevertheless, "Germs" tells a frightening story, and tells it well and accurately. Anybody interested in U.S. national security, the public health system, and the efforts of our country and our adversaries to develop these terrible weapons must read it.

The threats that are described in this book are extremely serious and they deserve serious, accurate, and consistent documentation. This book contradicts itself and gives tabloid phrasing to issues instead of explaining them.

Page 166, "Since 100 grams of dried Anthrax was theoretically enough to wipe out a small city", on page 216 they recounted when a five pound bag of sugar was used as a prop to explain that if the five pounds were dried Anthrax, it would kill half the population of the city of Washington, the nation's capital, or about 300,000 people. They then go on at length to discredit this example. If on page 166 100 grams of dried Anthrax would wipe out a small city, why would 5 pounds of dried Anthrax, or 2.25 Kilograms, or 2,250 Grams, or 22.5 times of their example on page 166 be worthy of their ridicule? On the same page they also state that theoretically 5 pounds would kill the 300,000.

Hemorrhagic Fevers like Ebola are incredibly lethal, and the symptoms they create are gruesome. If you are interested in the basics of how this type of disease causes death and massive bleeding, this book will not tell you. It is described as a disease that will, "bleed you dry", a great tabloid headline, worthless for understanding the disease. It has been suggested that the terrorists who brought down The World Trade Center could have brought some Bioweapon on board with them. Delivery systems specifically designed to spread disease kill 98-99 percent of the load they carry. How likely would it be that the 1 or 2 percent that would survive a device meant to deliver it alive and lethal would have survived the inferno the planes created? The United States and others have improved on the weapons that deliver these pathogens, and while the efficacy is improved no numbers have been shared. Delivery by aerosol would have been possible, but taking down 2 1500-foot high buildings and many others that surrounded them was evidently enough for one day.

There are excellent books that are referenced in, "Germs", that are vastly superior to this work. Some books were written by defectors from the former Soviet Union (mentioned in this book) who ran Soviet production facilities that could make 300 metric tons of Anthrax every 220 days, others by Doctors from The Center For Disease Control who not only worked in Level 4 Biohazard Labs, they also pursued bugs like Ebola out in the field in Africa. "Scourge", is a recent work that is an excellent history of Smallpox and its eventual, "eradication".

There have been a number of books on these topics, and they seem to break in to two categories, there are those that are written by people who are part of the groups that either produce, track these viruses, or work to create defenses against them. And then there are books like this, that from the bibliography appear to be a summation of other primary sources. The former educate, the latter sensationalize. This is a poorly constructed book that is delivered with an editorial slant.

This book explains the terrors of germ warfare, especially if such bombs and devices get into the hands of terrorists and other crazies. The authors did excellent research and show how someone could build one of these bombs for the fraction of the cost what a nuclear device would cost. Scary to say the least. Another new book that I just read and highly recommend as it explains very realistically the danger of nuclear terrorism in our time is THE CONSULTANT by Alec Donzi.

I bought this book in the days after the attacks on 9/11, thinking that it might help me feel better to be well informed and to not fall prey to rumors and gossip. Unfortunately, it has not been a comfort.

Well-researched (though I checked a lot of the information online, and found that it had been accessible all of the time had we only looked for it), this is an excellent overview of the history of biological warfare, from the US point of view.

I appreciated the writing style .. while accessible to just about anyone, it didn't feel "dumbed down" either.

... I was a little dismayed, though. People should be doing more practical research in the area of preparedness, and realize that gas masks are not going to save you if your city is attacked (unless you have a really good one and plan on wearing it 24 hours a day), and that smallpox vaccine you received back in 1972, is unlikely to give you much resistance at this point. This book might prepare you for the fact that an attack could happen at any time, but does not outline any of the precautions you can and should take.

Like all New Yorkers, I have been shattered by the events of the last week and horrorified by the loss of life. But once I read this book, which had crossed my threshold on September 12, I became even more aware of the dangers we face as citizens of this city, country and indeed, planet. The book includes surprisingly candid interviews and tales from America's "germ warriors," and holds a staggering amount of information on just what happens when germs are let loose -- as well as the government's long crusade in this frightening arena. As terrifying as the events of this week have been (who would have ever dreamed it could have been worse?), it could have been. This book educated me to the very real dangers we face. A caveat: stock up on gas masks.

After watching the World Trade Center attacks, trying frantically to reach friends in New York and then watching the day's events unfold (with an increasing feeling of horror and disbelief) while worrying about possible biological and chemical agents that might have been released (thank goodness, a false alarm in this case) I knew that I wanted more information about the potential dangers that face our country. This book provides that information, from accounts of experiments with various biological weapons and agents, interviews with workers in the field and more. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to be as informed as possible and who wants to make whatever decisions are possible to protect their families and friends. I won't kid you- the book doesn't purport to say that all dangers can be avoided or guarded against. But it does provide the type of information that you may be seeking about what has been done to provide national security against germ warfare - and what still needs to be done - in our country and in other countries. You may also want to consider taking some common-sense precautions as well, precautions which this book should guide you to make.

If you are interested in this, you should also look at what I believe to be a much more authoritative book--from the guy who used to head the Soviet's biological warfare program. That book came out some two years ago, but suddenly it's become more topical than ever. Forget about the media hyperbole and the talking heads, here is someone who really knows what he is talking about. His name is Ken Alibek, and his book is called Biohazard.

More than 2,000 years ago in The Art of War, Sun Tsu suggests that every battle is won or lost before it is fought. Hence the importance of anticipation and (especially) preparation. As indicated in The Art of the Long View, Peter Schwartz is among those who advocate that anticipation and preparation are even more important now than ever before. Recent and tragic events offer neither the first nor the last evidence of that. But first there must be recognition of plausible possibilities and then an understanding of what the probable implications and consequences of what each possibility may be. Miller, Engelberg, and Broad explain how the CIA secretly built its own model of the Soviet-designed germ bomb and how the Pentagon attempted to create a superbug. They provide details about the former U.S.S.R.s efforts to produce biological weapons as well as an untraceable germ that instructs the body to destroy itself. They even suggest that, in the 1960s, U.S. officials worked on plans to attack Cuba with germ weapons. They examine the Pentagons ineffective efforts to defend against Iraqs biological weapons during the Gulf War (1991). That is why I admire this book so much. Please understand that I am unqualified to comment on the scientific information which the authors provide and discuss. But even non-scientists such as I can grasp the nature and extent of various dangers identified...and their potential consequences. In this context, consider situations such as these:

 British authorities discover that the separatist group Mau Mau, operating in what is now Kenya, used a toxic plant to poison 33 steers in an act of rebellion; no reported fatalities (1952)

 Palestinian workers claim to have poisoned a shipment of Jaffa oranges to Israel with liquid mercury; no reported fatalities (1978)

 At least 66 people die after anthrax spores are accidentally released at a Soviet military facility in Sverdlovsk, Russia (1979)

 A terrorist group calling itself Dark Harvest drops off a package of anthrax-contaminated soil at the Chemical Defense Establishment in Witshire, England; the type of anthrax used did not prove to be harmful (1981)

 About 700 people become ill in Oregon after a member of a religious cult allegedly used salmonella to poison restaurant salad bars (1984)

 Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese doomsday cult, releases the poisonous gas sarin into the citys subway system, killing 12 commuters and sickening about 5,000; the group also experimented with anthrax spores (1995)

This information was provided in a feature article co-authored by staff members of the Wall Street Journal. Miller, Engelberg, and Broad (staff members of the New York Times) are well aware of all of these and other initiatives which indicate that the threat of biological warfare has existed for quite some time. They explain why secrecy is essential to the success of the bio-warriors who use such weapons as well as to the success of those who defend against them.

During the 56 years since Hiroshima and then Nagasaki, no other nuclear weapons have been used against an enemy (at least that I am aware of) but that possibility has always existed. Few nations can afford the cost of designing and constructing nuclear weapons. Few organizations can afford the cost of planning and then implementing the use of jetliners to obliterate buildings as well as killing those inside or near them. In sharp and shocking contrast, almost any individual can use bio-weapons for mass destruction in nature and extent once considered unthinkable.

This book seems to have been written for non-scientists such as I who are deeply concerned about all this. Presumably it was also written for public officials, especially policy-makers, who are responsible for protecting cities, states, and nations. Those who share my high regard for this book are encouraged to check out other sources such as Anthony Lanes Six Nightmares. If terrorism in any form is to be defeated, all citizens (not only public officials) must first recognize and then understand the unthinkable inorder to anticipate and then prepare for its multiple potentialities.

With the terrorist attack on the United States of America in the forefront of everyone's mind, "Germs" is an especially frightening book to read. The potential mass destruction which could be caused as a result of biological weapons is an incomprehensible, henious terror which threatens all humanity. The destruction of a country by a mass plague of deadly germs is unthinkable. No country, no matter how powerful or prosperous, should ever be allowed the development or use of biological warfare; it could lead to the destruction of our entire world as we know it. This is not to say a country should sit back and do nothing when attacked - not by any means. However, the killing of other innocent people by biological weapons is not the answer either. The world is already filled with enough racial animosity and hatred. We must stamp out terrorism and find world peace, but the answer will not be found in biological warfare.

This book is not an easy one to read when one contemplates the enormous impact biochemical warfare could have world-wide. From Soviet scientists to American government, this book contains information based on hundreds of interviews. The overall picture will leave the reader feeling very uncomfortable about what comes next in our world!

It is hard to imagine a more timely book than _Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War_ (Simon and Schuster) by New York Times reporters Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, and William Broad. Their book happened to come on the shelves immediately after the terror attacks of 11 September, and in the middle of various anthrax scares. We are getting used to living in a world where zealots want thousands of Americans dead however they can arrange it, and where the use of biological agents was only formerly considered unthinkable. This disturbing book, with convincing research, alarming anecdotes, and useful analysis of US policy, is a fine overview of a worrisome and all-too-essential topic.

There has been a biological attack on America before. The book starts out in Oregon in 1984 with a mass poisoning carried out by (surprise!) an extremist religious group. The devotees had the tools but did not have all the biotechnical expertise they needed. Other nations don't. Experts in the field say "they could teach a terrorist group how to make devastating germ weapons from a few handfuls of backyard dirt and some widely available lab equipment." And a few steps up in technology, and they can use gene modification to make even deadlier germs. Much of the book has to deal with how our government has imperfectly dealt with the biological threat, doing its usual dance of money allocations to those who could manage to convince the right people that their particular program was the worthy one. President Clinton was intensely interested in biological arms, and insisted that his staff members think about the unthinkable, rehearsing how the government might handle biological attacks. Such "tabletop games" proved that logistics, legal authority, and medical capacity would all break down as thousands of sick and dying victims exhausted local and national resources.

While the authors pay close attention to the verification protocols imposed upon Iraq and the history of the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, Al Qaeda gets little attention, something that would have been quite different, one assumes, if the book were published after 11 September. Nonetheless, the authors conclude, "The world's response to the growing dangers of germ weapons has fallen far short of what is needed." This is not an alarmist book but one which has obviously been carefully researched and brightly written. The authors warn against our thinking that the germ threat is a hoax, which we are now unlikely to do; and show how the investments against a real threat have up to now been "too haphazard and diffuse." Those who read this troubling book will be well informed just how outdated such efforts have become only in the days of its first publication.