US planned nerve gas tests on Australian soldiers

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23976753-952,00.html

Quote:

US planned nerve gas tests on Australian soldiers

July 06, 2008 08:05am


THE US military planned to test deadly nerve gas on Australian soldiers in far north Queensland during the Cold War, declassified documents reveal.

The Defence and Prime Minister's office files show that the US was strongly pushing then prime minister Harold Holt's government in the 1960s to allow tests of two of the deadliest chemical weapons ever developed -- VX and GB, better known as Sarin nerve gas.

The revelation airs this morning on the Nine Network's Sunday program.

It says the top secret plan involved allowing 200 mainly Australian combat troops to be aerially bombed and sprayed with the chemical weapons.

It's understood the Iron Range rainforest near Lockhart River in far north Queensland was the likely location for the tests.

Peter Bailey, a former senior official with Mr Holt, tells the program the request caused consternation in Canberra, and as far as he knows the tests never went ahead.

But he says planning was very advanced in the US, which wanted the operation to be kept secret because the weapons were illegal under international law.

Intrepid: your efforts to possibly try to pigeon-hole me as die-hard patriot are unappreciated as well as being inaccurate. I have a reasonable concern about ANY nation who would try to conduct such nefarious actions..no MATTER which country attempted it.

Brandon9000: the fact that you have no cited reference to any source for your statement means you're without any credibility. You are privy to this tape? Please post your sources for such absurd information or go away.

You miss brandon's sarcasm. He was mocking the article.

Intrepid: your efforts to possibly try to pigeon-hole me as die-hard patriot are unappreciated as well as being inaccurate. I have a reasonable concern about ANY nation who would try to conduct such nefarious actions..no MATTER which country attempted it.

Many newspapers these days have less credibility than ever. Media's poor accuracy, increase of bias and fact checking has been poorly controlled for decades. For example, The mighty (well funded) NY Times has notably and infamously has been caught with its pants down on several occasions. Why would a large city newspaper in Aussieland be any less vulnerable to such inaccuracies?

Here's a thought: where else is this article reported? If nowhere else published, then why not?

Excellent question.

Ragman wrote:

Brandon9000: the fact that you have no cited reference to any source for your statement means you're without any credibility. You are privy to this tape? Please post your sources for such absurd information or go away.

You miss brandon's sarcasm. He was mocking the article.

Intrepid: your efforts to possibly try to pigeon-hole me as die-hard patriot are unappreciated as well as being inaccurate. I have a reasonable concern about ANY nation who would try to conduct such nefarious actions..no MATTER which country attempted it.

Many newspapers these days have less credibility than ever. Media's poor accuracy, increase of bias and fact checking has been poorly controlled for decades. For example, The mighty (well funded) NY Times has notably and infamously has been caught with its pants down on several occasions. Why would a large city newspaper in Aussieland be any less vulnerable to such inaccuracies?

Here's a thought: where else is this article reported? If nowhere else published, then why not?

Excellent question.

Ragman wrote:

Intrepid: your efforts to possibly try to pigeon-hole me as die-hard patriot are unappreciated as well as being inaccurate. I have a reasonable concern about ANY nation who would try to conduct such nefarious actions..no MATTER which country attempted it.

I was not trying to pigeon-hole you. You were adamant that this not be posted and I was just curious whether you would have reacted as much had it not been the U.S. being mentioned.

I am not picking on the U.S. either. I am just pointing out that your strong reaction to Vikkor is maybe a bit strong.

Finn dAbuzz wrote:

Ragman wrote:

Brandon9000: the fact that you have no cited reference to any source for your statement means you're without any credibility. You are privy to this tape? Please post your sources for such absurd information or go away.

You miss brandon's sarcasm. He was mocking the article.

Intrepid: your efforts to possibly try to pigeon-hole me as die-hard patriot are unappreciated as well as being inaccurate. I have a reasonable concern about ANY nation who would try to conduct such nefarious actions..no MATTER which country attempted it.

Many newspapers these days have less credibility than ever. Media's poor accuracy, increase of bias and fact checking has been poorly controlled for decades. For example, The mighty (well funded) NY Times has notably and infamously has been caught with its pants down on several occasions. Why would a large city newspaper in Aussieland be any less vulnerable to such inaccuracies?

Here's a thought: where else is this article reported? If nowhere else published, then why not?

Excellent question.

Snort...here comes the troll Finn, as ever trumpeting thet the US can do no wrong, whatever the evidence.

What a good little Brownshirt!!!

As is Vikkor's right to post it, I have the right to push back and ask whether or not there's a dark side in the motivation involved.