the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program
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During WWII, South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts was a member <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> British War Cabinet and party to CBW planning. For example, <strong>the</strong> War<br />
Cabinet, in 1943, planned to retaliate against <strong>the</strong> threat <strong>of</strong> Nazi <strong>biological</strong><br />
<strong>warfare</strong> (BW) on British livestock. The plan was to use anthrax spores,<br />
released by 500-pound cluster bombs, each containing over 100 four-pound<br />
spore devices. Trials at Porton Down indicated that <strong>the</strong> cluster bombs<br />
produced effective aerosol concentration <strong>of</strong> spores that covered nearly 100<br />
acres from impact. The War Cabinet viewed BW as a “quick-fix” solution<br />
weapon requiring no special munitions or hardware. The British would simply<br />
charge ordinary cattle cakes with anthrax spores. This was a neat and simple<br />
example <strong>of</strong> wholly effective, precision deliverance, literally down <strong>the</strong> throat<br />
and into <strong>the</strong> stomach <strong>of</strong> targeted cattle. By <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> WWII, <strong>the</strong> British had<br />
stockpiled five million cakes. 3 During <strong>the</strong> Second World War, South Africa<br />
learned from <strong>the</strong> British <strong>the</strong> lesson that BW was simple technology that anyone<br />
could use and that it could be effective, under certain conditions, in Africa. 4<br />
In <strong>the</strong> 1940s and 1950s, South Africa’s wartime connections with Britain<br />
and <strong>the</strong> United States continued. South African <strong>of</strong>ficers trained in Britain and<br />
<strong>the</strong> United States in chemical and <strong>biological</strong> <strong>warfare</strong> strategy and tactics. 5 In<br />
<strong>the</strong> 1950s, <strong>the</strong> Eisenhower administration initiated <strong>the</strong> United States Peaceful<br />
Nuclear Energy <strong>program</strong>, which proved to be a significant factor contributing<br />
to South Africa’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. 6<br />
After <strong>the</strong> Second World War, in 1946, South Africa dumped large<br />
quantities <strong>of</strong> mustard gas out to sea. However, South Africa did not roll back<br />
its CBW <strong>program</strong> entirely. According to Dr. Vernon Joynt <strong>of</strong> Mechem and <strong>the</strong><br />
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), 7 <strong>the</strong> literature on <strong>the</strong><br />
World War II <strong>program</strong> was maintained. Also, <strong>the</strong> South African Defense Force<br />
(SADF) maintained a small military <strong>program</strong> related to CBW research and<br />
development. The government also maintained funding for a modest number <strong>of</strong><br />
basic research projects located in <strong>the</strong> Afrikaans universities and o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
3