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Melbourne, July 6 (ANI): The U.S. military planned to test deadly nerve gas on Australian soldiers in Queensland during the Cold War. Newly declassified Defence Ministry and Prime Minister’s office files show that Washington strongly pushed 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 details of the report will be aired on the Nine Network’s Sunday program, The Australian reports. 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, will reveal that 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 Washington, which wanted the operation to be kept secret because the weapons were illegal under international law. There has been no comment or reaction from Washington on this revelation so far.
If they would do this to Allies, imagine what they have tested on our own military and possibly even civilian populace when they don’t need to ask permission. Makes you wonder where the “Truthers” get these crazy ideas. Now go out and Support the Troops!!!!
No worse than marooning an armoured division on a Turkish beach under heavy bombardment and sailing away.
I’ve seen the link to the article, but no corroborating evidence whatsoever. I’m left wondering if this is true or if Oliver Stone made his way to Australia.
In this instance, it could be unsupported FUD.
[Google is easy as 123- ed.]
I’m sure it has already been tested in a surrogate war already.
And if people would care to watch some military propaganda from the 50s, will spot merry lines of American soldiers looking at A-bomb detonations with just some shaded goggles as protection…As if scientists didn’t knew than the potential harm…
wait wait wait, Australia has troops?!
Please, where’s the BS meter here? I think it has to be adjusted upwards from merely 7, fishy, to U-FB.
I’d hate to think about dispersion rates of Sarin gas, but I imagine sheep respond quite well to correlate to human respiration.
Too bad to waste the lamb chops, though.
#5. Can you do research? I assume you own a computer and not just using your mothers. Type the EXACT Headline here into a SEARCH engine. It might surprise you that your govt doesnt shit golden eggs and rainbows.
You don’t have to imagine:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/05/24/national/main510079.shtml
#7. Holy Shit!
How did this story slip though? Now if the troops were black then we got a liberal wet dream, but now the most you can hope for is an international incident.
I guess some people can’t wait to stick a sharp stick in their countries eye even if it was 40 years ago or if it happened at all.
#9–Dr Dodd==upset the sheep might raise their eyes off the ground?
Countries don’t have eyes and you can’t poke a country with a stick. Thats a conceit to personalize a fiction.
Once again you treat a story as if it were Mr Potato Head. Stick your liberal label wherever you please.
How the game fascinates you long after the potato has rotted away is beyond me. Yet play it you do.
#10 bobbo
“Countries don’t have eyes and you can’t poke a country with a stick. Thats a conceit to personalize a fiction.”
Can you say metaphor? I guess not.
#11–Ok==state your concern directly without the metaphor.
Jason Bourne is not all fiction.
Is this worse than getting Saddam Hussein to test our chemical weapons during the Iran/Iraq war?
#11. What if it were your son or daughter, oh that’s right, you don’t believe it, liberals are just making this up, but even if they aren’t, it was so long ago, that I’m sure we have mended our ways, Whats is wrong with you? Do you know any Vietnam Vets? Were you in the service? Are you like Kissinger who says the troops are just dumb animals?
#12 bobbo
I was just wondering that with the mountains of government corruption we have today, why is it necessary to go back 40 years unless you are just taking a cheap shot.
Today’s congress is a target rich environment, but for some reason rarely explored.
“The documents from 1963 to 1966 show the extreme lengths to which Washington sought to use its close alliance with Australia to further its own military research at the height of the Cold War”
This is BS. The time period quoted was when a Dem ran the country AND the military. Impossible I say!
#16–Dodd==your metaphor states a different issue. My comment was meant to draw that out but you threw a red herring out to deflect the valid charge. (Yes, another metaphor but mine on point.)
Why do you think there is anything necessary about anything that is posted? I would think the editor reviews 10-20 items for every one he posts? Who knows what caught his eye? Who knows what his other choices were?
Tiger got to hunt,
Bird got to fly,
Man got to ask,
Why, Why, Why.
You can rise up beyond a bad Vonnegut novel can’t you?
Well that’s just mean. Why can’t they poison their own troops?
#18 bobbo
??? I bow to your dizzying intellect.
#19–Dodd==I am not dizzy!!
I would disagree with you but I am too sleepy to avoid sounding fatuous. I will bask in a third round win with ties in one and two? Only seven to go. I lead with my chin==easy target.
I read 3 books on chemical / biological warfare
Each one was different and very chilling
for what costs to damage in terms of killing people conventionally for $ 1000 it costs pennies with biologicals
And the perp can be far away back home when results hit
Chilling
Just you Americans wait until we have perfected Vegemite Gas. Revenge…..muhahahaha!
You folks do realize that the soldiers wore bio suits and masks, don’t you?
#24. RSweeney- uh you do realize that the use of biological weapons aka WMD’s was against international laws, right schmuck?
They got a no on the gas, so the American government decided to bomb them with burgers and freedom fries instead. It was a success.
Shows the silliness of making some weapons illegal.
That’s right, we’ll bend over and cope it up the arse for our Allies. With friends like this who needs enemies…pricks….
#27 – Good stuff. There’s nothing cooler than mushroom clouds.
I knew a guy who claimed that the army experimented with him using psychotropic drugs and permanently induced mental illness.
At the time, I pretty much blew him off (politely) at the time but it’s created a lifelong interest in me and I’ve read a bunch about this. His claims are plausible.
The military has REALLY messed with people and ruined lives — even our own troops.