Evening star., 1951-03-23
Germs Could Be Placed
In Bombs, BOBBY Traps
archaeological Warfare
Warnings issued in Report
By Thomos R. Henry


Germ artillery and germ BOBBY traps
are among today's war possibilities.
This is one of the warnings of the
potentialities of meteorological warfare
just issued from the Micro-b biological
Institute of the United States Public
Health Service which would become
one of the country's first-line defense
agencies.
Besides. warns DR.. Victor II. Haas,
director of the institute, germ warfare
would be about the easiest of all fields
for the operations of saboteurs. Other
wise there are very serious drawbacks to
its use other than. on quite special
occasions. :.
His views, Dr.. Haas explains, do not
necessarily coincide with those of any
of the defense agencies or of any Gov
ernment department, even the Public
Health Service itself.
Lists Possible Agents.
He lists possible agents: The influenza
and psittacosis sviruses; the typhoid,
cholera, rabbit fever and plague bacteria.
and the rickettSia causing typhus and @
fever. The rickettsia are microscopic
organisms about half way between bac-
terra and viruses. There are also certain
fungi, or moulds. such as the one re-
sponsible for the tuberculosis-aping
disease, histoplasmosis.
The organisms causing some of the
most dreaded known diseases would be
worthless. On the other hand, two or
three of the available organisms could
be mixed so that the resulting sickness
would be extremely difficult to diagnose.
The great advantage of ARCHAEOLOGICAL
warfare, it appears from the Micro
biological Institute report, would be its
availability to saboteurs who could
operate with little chance OF detection.
Some OF the most dreaded agents could
be produced in the kitchen. The work
would require little more equipment
than ordinary kitchen utensils. A minor
laboratory efnploye, such as a janitor,
would have an even easier job.
The common mosquito spray gun
would become a dangerous weapon. It
would be easy enough, under some cir
cumstances, to fill the air with the
kitchen-cultured disease germs with
out exciting any suspicion even among
actual eyewitnesses. 1t would be even
circulating systems of important build
ings.
Contamination of drinking water
could be attained by introduction of
infectious agents into house or apart
ment water pipes, using suitable
pump. There would be almost no risk
OF exposure. Many city reservoirs are
lnadequately protected and easily sus.
ceptible to contamination.
Could Be Put in Bombs.
Germs hitherto seldom have been
considered as tactical weapons for use
against troops in the field. Yet this
would not be too difficult. DR.. Haas
points out. They could be mixed with
the explosive in artillery shells or air
bombs. They also are suitable for in
corporation into BOBBY traps or land
mines. In such cases their detection
would be practically impossible, since
the effects would be screened by other
injuries. et--s
1t is quite unlikely that an enemy
would use some highly fatal organism.
There could be no real advantage in
killing great numbers of people,, where
as there would be an enormous gain
in making many seriously i'll. This
would tax medical, health and economic
resources to much greater degree,
and this would soon. be reflected at
the front when a nation already was
stressed to the limit.
Experiments already have shown that
dangerous micro-organisms can be
spread among animals by methods that
could be adapted to human biological
warfare, the report afflrms Also con-
ditions which appear to favor human
infectious diseases in nature can be
simulated artifcially. Laboratory ac-
cidents resulting in human infections
have occurred under circumstances
that could be created Intentionally.