Georgians as Expendable as White Rats

“Georgians as expendable as White Rats”

… by Jeffrey K. Silverman

Jeffrey Silverman: The US Department of Defense manages a network of laboratories in Georgia with offensive capacity
 
 

Interview by Maia Chubinishvili

 
1.  You were talking about Bio Labs a long time ago, how did you find out about them at first?

I was doing some contact work for the French Embassy and International Crisis Group back in 2004. I was requested to make up a list of all of the persons involved with technological management company, TMC, located at 4 Freedom Square, a front company to build the Lugar lab near the Tbilisi airport.

I was tasked with writing up a summary of all those connected with the project and links to US weapons programs, and which American and UK universities were they associated with. Links to Turkish contractors, Bechtel National and covert weapons programmes.

I have also been investigating how American biological weapons legislation, under the US Patriot Act Section 817 has been twisted and the US used the anthrax letters incident back in 2001 to launch a massive biological warfare research programme within its own borders, to the tune of over $70 billion in Congressional allocations.

There are now scattered reports coming in of biological weapons being tested against individuals in various countries, including Georgia and some Middle Eastern countries.

The programme operates within an inter-agency framework to prevent the proliferation of expertise, materials, equipment and technologies that could contribute to the development of biological weapons. There are also “bio threat reduction project” in Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine.

For years there was no state program for animal vaccination, the Georgia government claiming it had no money for livestock disease protection. However, some think was not the case.

The US government and its Department of Defense, DoD, wanted to study new strains of bacteria, such as Anthrax, which they were developing in the wild amongst cattle herds in the rural regions of Georgia.

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2.  What kind of information do you have about diseases made in these labs?

Rabbit fever, smallpox and black plague, not in the labs themselves, but in livestock populations with disease evolve naturally. Also, the US was keeping a secret stash of smallpox in Georgia for alleged research purposes.

This is where Bechtel National first got involved. It signed a deal with the Georgian Technology Management Company (TMC) on biological non-proliferation, despite this allegedly being classified as a civilian project. The lab started out a bio agent storage site but its activities were expanded with a network of labs and vaccine lines being set up in Georgia and Ukraine with military applications.

These labs were original intended to store US Bio-WMDs — and there was link between the military staff assigned the labs the criminal “false flag attacks” carried out by the multi-national mercenaries who are allegedly “fighting for democracy. Some have become command and control centers under the umbrella of civilian research.

I was told by staff working at the Centre for Disease control the lab is still managed by the US Department of Defense. There is also a lab near Kobuleti working on plant warfare; however, that one is managed by the UK Department of Defense.

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3.  Who stands behind it?

The US government, especially its Department of Defense, working under the USAMIRID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and located at Fort Detrick in the State of Maryland.

This is the base that was responsible for bio weapons research until the programs were shut down under international agreements. That is why the work continued outside the country in a so-called gray zone. There are very close connections between Georgian businessmen and some folks with Lebanese and Saudi decent. Working together they are closely linked with American and various intelligence services.

I have been investigating these links for a number of years and the network is long established with the full knowledge of the US government and some rogue elements of the Georgian Ministry of Defense.

There are laws against bio weapons research, other than with the US is involved. From Section 817 of the USA PATRIOT ACT: (c) Whoever knowingly violates this section shall be fined as provided in this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both, but the prohibition contained in this section shall not apply with respect to any duly authorized United States governmental activity.

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4.   What do people have to do to be safer?

Not much. If something starts [a disease outbreak] here it can wipe out many. Be prepared to go to one’s home village and stay out of Tbilisi and out of contact with others. Stock up on food and water at home, and stay put.  Vaccination or prophylactic antibiotic treatment of those involved in response may have to be considered.

This is more likely to be useful in the management of any secondary spread of the infection than for the primary manifestations of the attack. Pre-attack vaccination of healthcare providers may be considered if appropriate vaccines are widely available (e.g. for smallpox, plague and possibly anthrax). However, can we trust the vaccines when they are experimental?

Perhaps the safest thing that can be done is to start talking and asking hard questions, demand to know why a lab that should have cost 40 million at the most ended up costing over 300 million USD.

Why was the US Navy involved in this project?

Why was a three-star general with no science background put in charge of the network of labs?

Ask for documents, not only about the lab but the network of labs in Georgia under transparency laws. After being put under the spotlight by recent media speculation that Georgia was housing a bio-weapons lab, namely the Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Tbilisi, the facility was visited in May of 2013 by the Prime Minister of Georgia, accompanied by both the Georgian Health Minister and the US Ambassador.

Hours later, surprisingly and without any prior discussion, the Georgian government formally announced the liquidation of the Center, no reason being given.

According to government decree No 422, dated the previous day (7th May 2013), the assets of the Center will be handed over to the Georgian National Center for Disease Control. A liquidation commission will be set up to carry out the liquidation procedure. The commission will be manned by representatives of government.

And whatever resulted from all of that? Keep in mind that there is no commercial or public health reason for these labs to be funded. They are not responding to any threat, other than the ones they are likely creating.

The question that people should be asking is why would the US government fund these labs; produce these diseases/toxins, and based on what threat profile or agenda?
 

Editing: Erica P. Wissinger

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Jeffrey K. Silverman

Jeffrey K. Silverman, 25 years resident of the former Soviet Union, since October 1991, resides in Tbilisi Georgia worked with Radio Free Europe, crime, corruption, and terrorism report. USAR, 100th Division Training, Fort Knox and Blue Grass Army Chemical Weapons Depot, ROTC program, University of Kentucky bases: decorated non-wartime veteran, 19D, Cavalry Scout. Jeffrey has a track record in breaking through language barriers and bureaucracies to perform due diligence under unconventional circumstances.

He has also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Georgian Times and Azerbaijan Today, whilst undertaking freelance journalism and due diligence for various confidential clients. Has specialized in conflict zones, mostly in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and countries of Central Asia; MSc Degree plus the University of Kentucky, provided with full-tuition scholarship based on Cherokee roots and academic standing, the family escaped “trail of tears” while passing Ohio in the harsh winter; one set of Eastern European grandparents: Lithuanian-Polish Jews.

Completed advanced degree, MSc plus 40 credits, in cooperation with Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, studied theoretical frameworks for the analysis of political systems, conflict resolution, international science, and technology policy.