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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instruct scientists working with a SADF front company on how to turn teabags,<br />
doilies, and pornographic magazines into “weapons” that could be used against<br />
<strong>the</strong> ANC by using species <strong>of</strong> clostridium bacteria. Odendaal reported that <strong>the</strong><br />
scientists found much <strong>of</strong> Ford’s advice confusing and some went so far as to<br />
call him a fraud. 98<br />
Police investigating this case have been unable to corroborate many <strong>of</strong><br />
Ford’s claims made before his death. For example, Ford claimed that he<br />
parachuted into sou<strong>the</strong>rn Africa during <strong>the</strong> apar<strong>the</strong>id era to take blood samples<br />
from dead guerrilla fighters in order to help <strong>the</strong> U.S. government determine <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>biological</strong> <strong>warfare</strong> agents against which <strong>the</strong> Soviets were vaccinating <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
allies. 99 Ano<strong>the</strong>r long-time Ford associate, Jerry D. Nilsson, also came under<br />
investigation. Nilsson claimed that he and Ford traveled to Africa toge<strong>the</strong>r. In<br />
1988, Nilsson organized a group <strong>of</strong> doctors, including Ford, to buy a defunct<br />
Los Angeles hospital. The plan was to turn it into a state-<strong>of</strong>-<strong>the</strong>-art infectious<br />
disease research center, <strong>the</strong> Lake View Terrace Institute. Nilsson told <strong>the</strong> Los<br />
Angles Times that <strong>the</strong> facility was to be “one cog in a complex, far-reaching<br />
project” with related facilities in Africa, Germany, Italy and Britain. The<br />
scheme flopped when research groups denied <strong>the</strong>y were backing <strong>the</strong> venture.<br />
The nature <strong>of</strong> Nilsson’s relationship with Ford has remained unclear.<br />
Police seized considerable material when <strong>the</strong>y raided Nilsson’s house and<br />
storage lockers but did not release details <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> searches. Nilsson’s friends<br />
claimed that he and Ford stashed chemicals and germs at several locations in<br />
sou<strong>the</strong>rn California. Police acknowledged that <strong>the</strong> evidence strongly suggested<br />
that Dr. Ford was deeply involved in a conspiracy and that he would be in<br />
custody today were he alive. Ano<strong>the</strong>r long-time associate <strong>of</strong> Ford claimed that<br />
only about one per cent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> story <strong>of</strong> Ford’s activities in Africa has been<br />
disclosed. 100<br />
In July 2000, an Orange County, California grand jury heard evidence to<br />
determine <strong>the</strong> facts in <strong>the</strong> Ford case. Evidence pointed to Ford’s links to <strong>the</strong><br />
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