The Cold War: Weapons: Chemical and Biolgical Warfare (CBW)


Figure 1.--

Chemical and Biolgical Warfare (CBW) we now know was a huge danger during the Cold War. Frigtingly deadly agents and strains were developed. Biological warfare (BW), commonly called germ warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) to ill or incapacitate people directky or the animals and plants on which people depend. Chemical Warfare (CW) uses chemicals, commonly called poison gas, to kill. CW was developed by the Germans and first used in World War I. The World War I chemical agents, however, rather primitive. The Germans in the inter-War period begn developing much more deasly nerve agents. The Japanese also had an active program and actually used both biological and chemical agents in china, primarily in China. BW was not used. Thus CBW terrified the public before Wotld War II, but were not given much attention in the public mind during the Cold War. CBW was not new to warfare These weapons had been used such ancient times. Rotten or diseased carcases were catapulted into besieged coties. Some times it was inadvertent, such as the spread of disease by Europeans in the Americas. The public in the Soviet Union and America were focused on the new nuclear weapns. And unlike World War I, chemical weapons had not been widely used. Largely unknown to the public was the huge advances thathe Germans and made in CW during the War creating deadly nerve agents and the massive BW progrm launched by the Soviet Union after the War. The Soviet Union after devloping nuclear weapons (1949) developed a two strike Cold War military plan. The first was to devestate Anerican cities with nuclear weapons and then complete the destruction of American society with BW. The later was a program not known to the public and not appreciated as to importance by the CIA and military establishment. Bioweapons were banned by treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union (1972). The Soviets never, however, fully accounted for their stocks of CBW weapons. Russian President Boris Yeltsin admitted that the weapons still existed (early-1990s). [Warrick] Details on the Soviet CBS program only became public year after the end of the Cold War.

Biological and Chemical Warfare

Chemical and Biolgical Warfare (CBW) we now know was a huge danger during the Cold War. Frigtingly deadly agents and strains were developed. Biological warfare (BW), commonly called germ warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) to ill or incapacitate people directky or the animals and plants on which people depend. Chemical Warfare (CW) uses chemicals, commonly called poison gas, to kill.

Biolgicl weapons


Chemical warfare


Historical Background

CBW is not new to warfare. CW was developed by the Germans and first used in World War I. The World War I chemical agents, however, rather primitive. The Germans in the inter-War period begn developing much more deasly nerve agents. Biological and chemical weapons, often refrred to as Weaons of Mass Destruction (WMD). became a huge issue during World War II, although usage was limited. The Japanese also had an active program and actually used both biological and chemical agents in china, primarily in China. BW was not used. Thus CBW terrified the public before Wotld War II, but were not given much attention in the public mind during the Cold War. CBW was not new to warfare These weapons had been used such ancient times. Rotten or diseased carcases were catapulted into besieged coties. Some times it was inadvertent, such as the spread of disease by Europeans in the Americas.

Cold War Developments

The public in the Soviet Union and America were focused on the new nuclear weapns. And unlike World War I, chemical weapons had not been widely used in World War II. And akthough chemicl warfare was very limited suring the War, WMD were largely unknown to the public was the huge advances that he Germans and made in CW during the War creating deadly nerve agents and the massive BW progrm launched by the Soviet Union after the War. The Soviet Union after devloping nuclear weapons (1949) developed a two strike Cold War military plan. The first was to devestate American cities with nuclear weapons and then complete the destruction of American society with BW. The later was a program not known to the public and not appreciated as to importance by the CIA and military establishment. Bio-weapons were banned by treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union (1972). The Soviets never, however, fully accounted for their stocks of CBW weapons. Russian President Boris Yeltsin admitted that the weapons still existed (early-1990s). [Warrick] Details on the Soviet CBS program only became public year after the end of the Cold War.

Country Trends


Soviet Union

Discussions of the dangers of a military conflict between the Unitd States and the Soviet Union focused on nuclear weapons. Much less was written about chemical and bacteriological warfare (CBW). Both sides worked in CBW, but the Soviet effort was massive and virtually nothing was known about it. Only after the end of the Cold War did details begin to leak out about the extent and nature of the Soviet CBW program. The Soviets deceloped both chenical and biological weapons, but the greatest effort was on biolgical weapons. American strategy in the Cold War ws massive retaliation, only to use nuclear wrapons if the Soviets launched a first strike. And tht was the end of the American stratgy. The Soviet strategy included a second phase. After Soviet nuclear weapons had destroyed American cities, the Soviets planned a follow-up strike to inplant horrifying plagues. This would destroy the countryside and what was left of American society. Here biological weapons were much more potent than chemical weapons because of their self-propagating capability. The Soviets developed the most leathal biological weapons in human history. The American effort pauled in comparison to what the Soviets developed and was officially terminated (1969). The Soviets developed multiple-drug resistant antrax as well as 'stealth' pathogens that would be virtually undectable. [Leitenberg and Zilinskas] The work with genetics is interesting given how Stalin set back Soviet gnetics decades when he support Lychenko and his socialist genetics. The Soviet work involved genetically engineered bacterial and viral pathogens. It is difficult to assess the Soviet motivationn for creating these weapons. Soviet officials and military leders were apparently convinced that the Uited states was developing similar wepons. It is unclear how they reached this cinclusion other than America had the capability to do so. The Soviet biological weapons program was mssive, including ten of thousands of people, There was a serious accident at a bio-weaopons plant in Sverdlovsk (1979). While the destruction of nuclear weapons in the United States and Soviet Union were carefully monitored, nothing like that occurred with the Soviet CBW stockpiles. The United States and the Soviet Union signed a treaty banning the production of biological weaoons (1972). ThecSoviet Union continued, however, researching and producing biological weaoins in secret, a flagrant violation of the Treaty. Russian President Borris Yeltsin after the disolution of the Sovie Union admitted tonU.S. officials admitted te existence of the secret program. Since then journalists and former Soviet scibtists (inclusing defectors), and U.S. officials have publiched accounts of the Siviet program. It is very likely that all these deadly strains are still kept in the freezers of Russian military research laboratories today. It is interesting to note that while American geneticists were mapping th humn genome and using genetics to develop new drugs and improved seeds to increase crop yields, virtually the only creation of Soviet geneticists were these terrible pathogens. Not only is there a moral dimensions to this, but also an economic dimebsion. Large number of Soviet scientist and technicians worked on this project which bdespite mssive spending returned more benefit to the Soviet economy and people.

United States

The American focus during the Cold war was on nuclear weapons. The American CBW program was reltively limited. Some reports suggest, however, that the CIA attemoted to convince the Soviets that a major CBW program was underway.

Sources

Leitenberg, Milton and Raymond Zilinskas. The Soviet Biological Weapons Program (2012), 890p.

Warrick, Joby. "Book details Soviet plans to wage post-nuclear germ warfare," Washington Post (August 9, 2012), p. A8.







HBC





Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to Main Cold War First Phase page]
[Return to Main Cold War page]
[Introduction] [Activities] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Clothing styles] [Countries]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]





Created: 4:54 PM 6/7/2013
Last updated: 4:54 PM 6/7/2013