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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destruction investigation into this case, began investigating claims Ford made<br />
to his associates and friends that he served as a consultant to <strong>the</strong> SADF and<br />
had close ties with <strong>the</strong> CIA. Former South African General Surgeon, Dr. Niels<br />
Knobel, initially confirmed that he met Ford at a conference in San Diego,<br />
California in <strong>the</strong> late 1980s and that <strong>the</strong>y had remained friends ever since.<br />
Knobel also confirmed that <strong>the</strong>y shared an interest in AIDS, because <strong>the</strong>y both<br />
knew that <strong>the</strong> epidemic was going to have a devastating impact in Africa.<br />
However, Knobel recently acknowledged that he met with Ford and his<br />
associates, during one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir many visits to <strong>the</strong> South African trade<br />
representative’s <strong>of</strong>ficial residence in Los Angeles. 95 In a recent phone<br />
interview, Knobel stated, “Our whole policy <strong>of</strong> protecting members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
defense force against HIV (educating <strong>the</strong>m to use condoms) came from my<br />
relationship with Larry. We both worked toward a cure for AIDS that would<br />
be available to <strong>the</strong> vast population <strong>of</strong> Africa, (and) <strong>the</strong>re was no political<br />
agenda.” 96<br />
O<strong>the</strong>rs reported that Ford visited South Africa several years earlier than<br />
Dr. Knobel acknowledged. According to Dr. Scharf, <strong>the</strong> former head <strong>of</strong><br />
Military Hospital One in Pretoria, Ford visited in <strong>the</strong> mid-1980s as a guest <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> South African Surgeon General. Dr. Scharf remembered a visit by Ford to<br />
his hospital as <strong>the</strong> guest <strong>of</strong> Knobel in 1984 or 1985. Knobel insisted that Ford<br />
be given VIP treatment (at <strong>the</strong> hospital’s expense). Scharf was <strong>of</strong>fended by<br />
Ford’s request for human placenta that he wanted to use in his research on<br />
viruses. Scharf refused to cooperate and claimed that he threw Ford out <strong>of</strong> his<br />
<strong>of</strong>fice, after warning him that such activities would be very controversial, if<br />
<strong>the</strong>y became public, due to <strong>the</strong> fact that all Africans viewed babies as sacred. 97<br />
Recently, Knobel confirmed to American reporters that he helped Ford<br />
establish protocols to test his product in South Africa but said he did not know<br />
if those trials were every carried out. According to microbiologist Mike<br />
Odendaal, researcher at RRL, Ford also visited South Africa again in 1987 to<br />
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