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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internal suppression <strong>of</strong> political dissidents at home, SAMS conducted new<br />
basic research projects and <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> new chemical and <strong>biological</strong><br />
weapons that might assist.<br />
Maj. Gen. Nieuwoudt, <strong>the</strong> Surgeon General and head <strong>of</strong> SAMS, recruited<br />
Major (Dr.) Wouter Basson, <strong>the</strong> respected young cardiologist and personal<br />
physician <strong>of</strong> P.W. Botha, to head Project Coast. 42 Although Project Coast was<br />
run by <strong>the</strong> military, Basson proved to be a highly successful entrepreneur who<br />
played a key role in defining <strong>the</strong> research and development agenda. He<br />
capitalized on <strong>the</strong> secret nature <strong>of</strong> this unit to establish a number <strong>of</strong> new<br />
projects and as a rationale for acting alone. From <strong>the</strong> start, Basson was a highly<br />
charismatic and effective recruiter who was apt at identifying and enlisting<br />
some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most promising and highly skilled medical researchers from <strong>the</strong><br />
military and from <strong>the</strong> larger civilian scientific community. Basson also proved<br />
to be a master manager <strong>of</strong> people. He was able to inspire loyalty and respect<br />
from employees. Many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se researchers and scientists joined <strong>the</strong> <strong>program</strong><br />
because <strong>the</strong>y were intrigued by <strong>the</strong> intellectual challenges and opportunities to<br />
participate in path-breaking research in one <strong>of</strong> several related disciplines, e.g.<br />
chemistry, anatomy, and virology. Almost all were Afrikaner South Africans<br />
who shared a sense <strong>of</strong> patriotic duty, a nationalistic zeal for <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> work, and a sense that <strong>the</strong>ir research was critical for maintaining national<br />
security. 43<br />
PROJECT COAST (1981-1993)<br />
From 1979 through 1981, <strong>the</strong> State Security Council, led by President Botha<br />
and Malan, and <strong>the</strong> SADF discussed <strong>the</strong> principles that might apply to <strong>the</strong><br />
CBW <strong>program</strong>. It became clear that a <strong>program</strong> to defend against a Soviet CBW<br />
attack could only be built if <strong>the</strong> Soviet <strong>of</strong>fensive <strong>program</strong> was emulated and<br />
<strong>the</strong>n tested. 44 As it became clear that an <strong>of</strong>fensive CBW <strong>program</strong> was to be<br />
developed, discussions began concerning <strong>the</strong> possible uses for such a <strong>program</strong>.<br />
Malan proposed that signs <strong>of</strong> a chemical <strong>warfare</strong> attack in Angola would force<br />
17