the rollback of south africa's biological warfare program

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Consequently, both American and British intelligence agencies knew of Basson’s activities during this time but did little against him. However, there is no evidence, besides Basson’s claims, that Basson ever visited Porton Down. 80 In the end, the directors of Project Coast decided not to fund the larger fermenters. According to Odendaal, SADF decided that biological agents would be used in low-intensity regional skirmishes and assassinations, but not on a more massive scale. 81 Therefore, in comparison to the USSR, which had scores of big fermenters, the South African program was quite small in size and scale. However, according to many American and South African experts, in terms of the range of biological agents possessed and the science involved, the CBW program was the “second most sophisticated program,” next to the Soviet’s, and more sophisticated than the Iraqi program that was uncovered in 1995. A senior former army officer confirmed that “any thinking person in the SADF” knew that South Africa had developed chemical weapons, at least by the mid-1980s. He confirmed that South Africa was manufacturing chemical weapons from the mid-1980s until “whole scenario changed” in the early 1990s. 82 Earlier the army had spent most of its time testing decontamination gasses. Also at this time several public statements about developing methods to counter chemical attacks appeared. Weaponization began in cooperation with ARMSCOR, which developed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles that would have the capability to carry chemical and biological agents. All of this was top secret, and the Americans and British only discovered weaponization in 1994. They did not insist that weaponization be included in the chemical and biological memorandum because they had no hard evidence upon which to make such a demand. 83 The South African Ministry of Defense still denies that weaponization took place. While reports that the former South African government tested battlefield weapons capable of carrying biological agents and chemicals cannot be 28
confirmed, there is evidence that such weapons were developed. Basson, much like his counterparts in other countries (e.g., Iraq), had difficulties developing effective delivery systems for using biological agents as a weapon of mass destruction. While Project Coast researchers undertook conceptual studies in the aerosolization of biological agents, the evidence available to date indicates that sophisticated aerosolization delivery systems were not developed. However, conceptual studies of such systems were well underway at the time Project Coast was shut down. Much more progress appears to have been achieved developing sophisticated artillery warheads and tactical missiles that were capable of delivering NBC warheads. What types of missiles and warheads were built, possibly tested and sold abroad remain among the most important questions related to South Africa’s CBN programs to still be answered. Project Coast and the Nuclear Weapons Program Compared From the start, Project Coast had a secretive military culture that was impervious to scrutiny by civilian authorities. Project Coast was more compartmentalized, secretive, and loosely managed than the nuclear weapons program, which was controlled by ARMSCOR. A professor who worked on the nuclear weapons program claims that the highly technical nature of the nuclear weapons program required that it should be well controlled. 84 The nuclear weapons program was militarized in the 1970s but remained under the control of ARMSCOR. Many of the nuclear scientists who worked on the nuclear program did not know about the CBW program and were surprised to learn that South Africa had one at all. 85 As the money required to support P.W. Botha’s covert project, especially for the nuclear and missile programs, the budgets of the regular forces were increasingly squeezed. By the end of the 1980s, this money crunch was creating tensions between the top professional military and the “securocrats.” Concerns of senior professional military leaders about the adverse effects on the air force, navy, and army if “PW was allowed 29
Page 1: THE ROLLBACK OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BI
Page 5 and 6: TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword vii Exec
Page 7 and 8: FOREWORD We are pleased to publish
Page 9 and 10: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The profile of So
Page 11 and 12: The Rollback of the South African B
Page 13 and 14: During WWII, South African Prime Mi
Page 15 and 16: dollars) estimate to build a CBW pr
Page 17 and 18: learn first-hand how the Portuguese
Page 19 and 20: use of chemical and biological agen
Page 21 and 22: incidents underscored the variable
Page 23 and 24: Convention (BWC). According to form
Page 25 and 26: Project Coast, which would countera
Page 27 and 28: internal suppression of political d
Page 29 and 30: Malan, and the Minister of Finance,
Page 31 and 32: The chain of command demonstrates t
Page 33 and 34: omb could be used to wipe out or in
Page 35 and 36: tear gas and to incapacitate withou
Page 37: In the aftermath of Cuito Cuanavale
Page 41 and 42: the SSC. At this time, the security
Page 43 and 44: Given the breadth and depth of coop
Page 45 and 46: instruct scientists working with a
Page 47 and 48: the South African President’s off
Page 49 and 50: Mandrax and Ecstasy that were produ
Page 51 and 52: overseas business deals. 114 In Aug
Page 53 and 54: South Africa negotiated the withdra
Page 55 and 56: political party or organization. Pr
Page 57 and 58: nuclear weapons program and Project
Page 59 and 60: TRC, the men who tried to kill Chik
Page 61 and 62: In 1991, Basson began to build Mert
Page 63 and 64: Military personnel from several cou
Page 65 and 66: Meyer, the Acting Defense Secretary
Page 67 and 68: leave the SADF at the end of March
Page 69 and 70: Knobel’s testimony to the TRC, SA
Page 71 and 72: objected to the South African CBM a
Page 73 and 74: Basson and his trips to Libya were
Page 75 and 76: experiences for the military leader
Page 77 and 78: was submitted in 1994). This time U
Page 79 and 80: as the U.S., Great Britain, and oth
Page 81 and 82: investigation phase ended. Initiall
Page 83 and 84: June 1998. However, several weeks b
Page 85 and 86: penalties did finally force him to
Page 87 and 88: public. The State was operating on
Page 89 and 90:
The limited news coverage of the Ba
Page 91 and 92:
South African court for crimes comm
Page 93 and 94:
ulings excluding evidence, his timi
Page 95 and 96:
had asked him to set up a facility
Page 97 and 98:
cover illegal personal gains from t
Page 99 and 100:
who had detailed knowledge of many
Page 101 and 102:
9. What specifically and when did t
Page 103 and 104:
e delivered through food and water,
Page 105 and 106:
Reconciliation Commission of South
Page 107 and 108:
41 Interview with Dr. G. Scharf, fo
Page 109 and 110:
56 Mangold, Plague Wars, 243. 57 In
Page 111 and 112:
weaponization took place. Donald Ma
Page 113 and 114:
home of Jerry Nilsson, who was ques
Page 115 and 116:
he still need to raise cash in Sout
Page 117 and 118:
military bases and was familiar to
Page 119 and 120:
162 According to Dr. Ian Phillips,
Page 121 and 122:
Basson’s arrest was the result of
Page 123 and 124:
200 By the seventh week of the tria
Page 125:
115
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