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CHEMICAL WARFARE U.S. Bid To Cut Programme

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

WASHINGTON, July 4.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, responding to Congressional criticism, has proposed a halt in the further development of chemical and biological warfare weapons by the Pentagon, the New York Times News Service reports.

The committee announced today that it had eliminated all the funds requested by the military for research into the development of the defensive uses of lethal and incapacitating chemical and biological warfare agents.

The effect of the committee’s action, if sustained by Congress, would be to stop further development of new chemical and biological agents as well as the'means of delivering them. Pentagon programmes to develop defences against chemical-biological warfare were left intact by the committee.

In terms of a programme , that is costing about SUS3SOm ■ a year, the committee’s pro- ' posed reduction is small, amounting to only SUSI6m , but, symbolically, the reduc- , tion is significant, represent- ( ing the first concrete step by , Congress to curb the largelysecret chemical-biological warfare programme of the military. Also of considerable political significance is the fact : that the reduction should have been ordered by a conservative committee that in the past has been the defender of military programmes. Much of the credit for the committee’s action is being given to Senator Thomas McIntyre (Democrat, New Hampshire), who this year was appointed chairman of a special sub-committee to examine the Pentagon’s proposed SUSB3OOm research and development programme.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19690705.2.89

Bibliographic details

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32032, 5 July 1969, Page 13

Word Count
239

CHEMICAL WARFARE U.S. Bid To Cut Programme Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32032, 5 July 1969, Page 13

CHEMICAL WARFARE U.S. Bid To Cut Programme Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32032, 5 July 1969, Page 13