GERM WARFARE

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26848, 29 September 1952, Page 8

GERM WARFARE

LECTURER ACCUSES UNITED STATES

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 26. Dr. Joseph Needham, a British-born university lecturer, who formerly taught at leading United States colleges, today upheld' the germ warfare charges made by the Dean of Canterbury (Dr. Hewlett Johnson). Dr. Needham, at a press conference in London, accused the United States of directing bacteriological attacks against North Korea and China. “It may be experimental in the sense of a full-dress rehearsal,” he said. “The wide variety of methods used indicates that they are trying out all kinds of tricks. I would say it is experimental—but on a large scale. I believe .that if United States scientists had seen what I have seen they would have come to the same conclusions.” Dr. Needham, a Cambridge University lecturer, scientific adviser to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, and a member of Britain’s Labour Party since his undergraduate days, investigated alleged germ warfare in China with the international scientific commission, which included scientists from Sweden, France. Italy, Brazil, and Russia. “Seen All the Evidence” Dr. Needham admitted he had not brought back any germ carrying insects, because “the contamination does not last,” but he had seen all the evidence. The idea of insects being used m germ warfare was fading, he said. Now scientists in China were concerned with germs being sprayed from the air. c^S 1 4u C * p }u red v^ nerican airm en had said that they had seen planes set up for spraying and had been told in lectures that the germs of encephalitis—a rare brain disease—would be used. Dr Needham said he had “positive evidence that there had been germ attacks up to last July, but he did not say what his evidence was. Asked about the evidence four American airmen are reported to have given on genn warfare, he said that before going to China he was not very £ y . their . evidence on tape recorders, but meeting them was the remarkable experience of his r, v are absolutely normal Peopled he said. Dr. Needham quoted SS?, ?* ym £ “ We fee l ‘hat baethto Jti war<ar .® is such a terrible thing that we believe the American people, when they know the lartf, wi£ and , dat we wUI not spend M °L our Ilves rotting in gaol.” was visiting Professor of Biochemistry at Stai&ord Univeisity, California, in 1928, a lecturer 1935 Y an/ to f 0 ° S n ne 2 1 Universities in J? .l Bso rr h ? was Hitchcock Professor at the University of CaiiUniversity. a lecturer at John Hopkins

GERMAN CIVIL AVIATION

(Bee. 8 p.m.) BONN, September 26. West Germany today decided to f e°a r p?tai a « IOT reSUm 'r^ r ' Seebohm, Minister for who announced this decision, said that the capital would be Ole Federal Government and s °me State Governments would be named the Aviation Requirements, company would contract with foreign firms to buy planes for the new German Lufthansa (Air JSSSSTt Cor P° rat 4 ion 2’ which was expected to come into being after the ratification ofthe Bonn Conventions between the Western Allies and West Germany.

PLOT ALLEGED IN EL SALVADOR

SAN SALVADOR, September 26. A state of siege was established today through El Salvador as a result of an alleged Communist plot to'dverthrow the Government of President Oscar Osorio. The preamble to the decree ordering a state of siege said that the police arrested a number of Left Wing' extremists and found a quantity of firearms and hand grenades in their possession. The Ministry of the Interior said that the Communist Party had organised thousands of cells throughout the country, especially in the larger towns and cities. Various cells were engaged in training their mefnbers for subversive action, including the hurling of hand grenades and target practice.