These POW depositions, suppressed in the U.S., created the biggest controversy of the Korean War. They provide a unique, extraordinary narrative of how the U.S. germ warfare campaign unfolded.
Thank you so much for your dedication to this topic.
Do you know where I can read about the effects these bombs had on Korean populations? Either your work or others, preferably free to read (e.g. internet links)?
Hi! You ask a very important question, with many different parts. If by effects you mean casualties, the casualties from the germ war attack were and apparently still are kept as a state secret by the Chinese and North Korean authorities. The fact they would do so was even announced in the ISC report, which I believe is linked in the article you just read.
Before the ISC report, there was some leakage of casualty figures. The March 1952 report of the IADL investigation in North Korea gave some casualty figures. For instance, a Feb. 18, 1952 BW attack in Bal Nam Ri village had led to 50 taken ill with plague, out of which 36 had died, out of a total village population of 600. The IADL noted the epidemic in that village had not played itself out yet.
The whole discussion of germ war outcomes and effects is complicated by censorship, language difficulties, and the proclivity of all nations to keep biological warfare data as secret as possible. The paucity of documentation, at least as available in the West, is a major issue.
I think I need to dedicate at least one entire article to the question you ask in the near future.
Thank you so much for your dedication to this topic.
Do you know where I can read about the effects these bombs had on Korean populations? Either your work or others, preferably free to read (e.g. internet links)?
Hi! You ask a very important question, with many different parts. If by effects you mean casualties, the casualties from the germ war attack were and apparently still are kept as a state secret by the Chinese and North Korean authorities. The fact they would do so was even announced in the ISC report, which I believe is linked in the article you just read.
Before the ISC report, there was some leakage of casualty figures. The March 1952 report of the IADL investigation in North Korea gave some casualty figures. For instance, a Feb. 18, 1952 BW attack in Bal Nam Ri village had led to 50 taken ill with plague, out of which 36 had died, out of a total village population of 600. The IADL noted the epidemic in that village had not played itself out yet.
By late March, there were said to be 53 plague cases in the army, of which 39 had died. Here's a link to the document: https://mronline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Crime_Reports_1.pdf
The whole discussion of germ war outcomes and effects is complicated by censorship, language difficulties, and the proclivity of all nations to keep biological warfare data as secret as possible. The paucity of documentation, at least as available in the West, is a major issue.
I think I need to dedicate at least one entire article to the question you ask in the near future.
Of course, there were also the effects of being bombed and the fears endured, as well as steps taken. There was a remarkable public health campaign undertaken by the Chinese. But you may be interested in reading the accounts of intercepted military communications by KPA and CPV troops, which were declassified by the CIA in 2010. I wrote up a description of them and released for download the actual reports a few years ago. Here's a link: https://www.counterpunch.org/2021/09/03/a-real-flood-of-bacteria-and-germs-communications-intelligence-and-charges-of-u-s-germ-warfare-during-the-korean-war/