Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, William Broad |
| Products | Non-fiction book |
Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War is a 2001 publication authored by New York Times reporters Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, and William Broad. This work explores the historical context of biological warfare and addresses the escalating dangers posed by bioterrorism. It achieved the status of the top-selling Non-Fiction book on the New York Times list during the weeks of October 28 and November 4, 2001.
Overview
Combining investigative reporting with biographical and historical elements, Germs draws from extensive interviews with numerous scientists and high-ranking U.S. officials. The authors also examined recently declassified materials and scrutinized documentation related to the Soviet Union's former bioweapons initiatives.
Summary
The narrative opens by recounting the 1984 salmonella contamination incident in The Dalles, Oregon, where adherents of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh deliberately poisoned salad bars. It further uncovers how researchers in Moscow created a stealthy pathogen intended to induce self-destruction within the host organism, alongside detailing U.S. military strategies for deploying biological agents against Cuba during the 1960s. The authors investigate three secretive American biodefense programs: Project Bacchus, Project Clear Vision, and Project Jefferson. The book concludes by assessing the United States' preparedness to prevent or respond to future biological threats.
Reviews
The critique in The New York Times Book Review was generally positive but described the narrative tone as somewhat alarmist. Similarly, BusinessWeek offered a mostly favorable evaluation while noting some divergent perspectives regarding bioterrorism. Psychiatrist Simon Wessely, writing for The Guardian, cautioned against overreaction, emphasizing that biological weapons inflict damage largely through fear, effectively providing the biodefense sector with what he termed "the equivalent of a blank cheque".
Adaptations
On November 13, 2001, the science television program Nova broadcast an episode entitled Bioterror, which chronicled Miller, Engelberg, and Broad’s extensive two-year investigation into biological weaponry.