USE OF GERM WARFARE

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28929, 24 June 1959, Page 17

USE OF GERM WARFARE

“Deep Interest” By Russia

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON. June 22.

The United States Army’s chief chemical officer has told Congress that the Soviet Union would resort to germ warfare in any future war “if it is to their own advantage.” The officer (Major-General Marshall Stubbs) told the House of Representatives Science and Space Committee that the Soviet Union already had “openly stated” that the next war would see the use of biological weapons His testimony, given recently behind closed doors, was made public today.

General Stubbs said the Soviet Army and Navy were undergoing realistic training in chemical biological and radiological wavfare. and the Soviet civilian population was being trained in defence.

He said the "deep interest” of the Russians in these fields indicated only one thing—“that they will take the initiative in waging chemical and biological warfare and that they actually plan to do so if it is to their advantage.” Communist interest in chemical and germ warfare was not limited only to the Russians, “but is also of active concern to Red China and the satellite nations.” he said. The United States Army was conducting an “unrelenting effort” to work out defences against such attacks, he said. The former head of the Army Chemical Corps, Major-General William Creasy, told the committee last week that the United States should warn its potential enemies that it, too, had chemical and germ warfare weapons “and intends to use them.” He said chemical warfare would be “more humane” than a nuclear conflict because chemicals would be tailored to “merely harass, make sick or kill” their victims.