Clouds of Secrecy: UK Public Area Germ Warfare Experiments Documentary

During November 2006, BBC broadcast the groundbreaking BBC television documentary - Clouds of Secrecy.


This programme exclusively revealed details of formerly classified UK Government Biological Warfare public area experiments.

In particular the documentary reveals how, during 1963 and 1964, scientists from the UK Government’s Chemical and Biological Warfare research facility at Porton Down used a de Havilland DH-104 Devon aircraft to repeatedly spray the county of Norfolk (the city of Norwich being the main target) with a hazardous material - Zinc Cadmium sulphide (ZnCds).



The above map shows the spraying track used during the first 1963 experiment. The thin straight line running through the town of Thetford denotes the track of the spray aircraft. This aircraft sprayed the ZnCds at a rate of 2-3 pounds per mile. The main target was the city of Norwich!


A recently declassified MOD document reveals that, inexplicably, Porton scientists didn’t subject the ZnCds for toxicity testing prior to spraying the material in populated areas. The programme also includes details of newly discovered Porton Down ZnCds spraying experiments, which were conducted in populated areas of Bedfordshire.


The latter Bedfordshire experiments involved the use of Porton Down’s clandestine spray vehicle - an especially adapted 1 Ton Morris Commercial Van. This enabled Porton scientists to secretly spray material without the local population becoming aware.



The programme draws attention to recent allegations that a much higher level of oesophageal cancer exists in the Norfolk area, compared with the average levels reported in the rest of the UK. It also includes an interview with Professor Sir Peter Lachmann - co-author of a Ministry of Defence commissioned investigation of Porton Down’s past ZnCds spraying programme. During the interview, Professor Lachamnn admits that his investigation was not given access to Porton Down scientific reports relevant to the Bedfordshire/Cardington ZnCds experiments.

Unfortunately, the programme didn't include the fact that Professor Lachmann's investigation didn't examine a number of other important Porton scientific reports. Among those undisclosed reports were documents relevant to: the spraying, at ground level and during lunchtime, of the large West Country city of Bristol; the numerous long distance disseminations of a mixture of ZnCds and radioactive xenon from the Atomic Energy Establishment at Harwell; the repeated ZnCd spraying of the Norfolk city - Norwich - which was conducted during 1964; and reports relevant to Porton's 1960 ZnCds sprayings, by aircraft, of Porton's nearby city - Salisbury.

But despite that omission, its still very interesting documentary - definitely one to watch!

Clouds of Secrecy


zero lift

[edit on 12-2-2008 by zero lift]