The Pentagon has admitted that during the Cold War, it tested chemical and biological weapons on its own troops in the U.S., United Kingdom and Canada.
James Turner, spokesperson for the Defense Department, declared on Thursday that around 500 people were involved in these tests which were conducted “under strict control”.
The 27 tests were carried out between 1962 and 1971 in Maryland, Florida, Alaska and Hawaii, according to Turner. These revelations can be added to others which became public in May which indicated that U.S. warships had been fumigated with chemical and biological weapons.
Turner also stated that the troops in question had been properly protected and that the chemicals used were intended to act upon the equipment, not the person and added there have been no complaints of poor health among those involved.
Other tests, involving VX nerve gas were deployed in Canada. In the UK the agent used was Sarin, the same gas that was used by terrorists in the Tokyo metro in 1995. In Alaska, artillery shells loaded with VX nerve gas were fired along with bacterial agents.
Military sources, however, point towards 5,500 as the number of personnel involved in these tests. War Veterans Commission President Chris Smith declared that “We have to identify the veterans who took part rapidly to see if they suffer from any negative reaction and if necessary, give them the proper medical care and compensation”.
Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru
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