Plague Wars: The Terrifying Reality of Biological Warfare

by Tom Mangold, Jeff Goldberg, Mangold Tom; Goldberg Jeff

Book Overview

Anthrax. Plague. Smallpox. Ebola. These are the weapons of the future--microscopic organisms produced in laboratories and unleashed on unwitting populations to reproduce, spread, and kill. They are as deadly as atomic bombs, much cheaper to create, and much easier to distribute--inside a warhead on an intercontinental missile, in an aerosol can sprayed in a crowded building, or by a crop-duster flying over a major city. Exposure occurs without warning...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312263791
• ISBN13: 9780312263799
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

SOOOO SCARY!!!!!!

I did not think I was going to like this book because it was written before 9-11 and therefore I thought was out-of-date. UNTRUE! Although this book concentrates on biological warfare and not on airplanes used as missiles, there were people warning about terrorists making an attack on this nation long before it happened. I live near Houston and the first chapter describes a hypothetical scenario that was played out by the military involving some people from the Iraqi government holding hostages at Bush International Airport and dousing them with several biological agents. In a few days, the city of Houston was reduced to martial law according to the forecasts. It gave me chills. This is a very good book if you want to know what our enemies can do without using airplanes to crash into buildings.

Are we prepared?

...Modern biological warfare began during the 1930s, when the Japanese Army conducted atrocious experiments on Chinese prisoners using lethal bacteria. During the Cold War, both the Soviet Union and the U.S. rushed to build biological weapons programs. In 1972, the Biological Weapons Convention banned the development of bioweapons, supposedly ending the threat. But the threat was only beginning. Plague Wars tells the stories of the secret battles that are still being waged in many nations, stories filled with international espionage, deceptions, and treachery. Recently, defectors and covert sources from third-world governments such as Iraq have revealed active biological weapons programs, despite international arms inspectors' attempts to eradicate them. A U.S. war game to prepare for a North Korean biological attack went so horribly wrong that the results are still classified. In South Africa, the use of bioweapons represents one of the last untold secrets of the apartheid battles, while in Zimbabwe, people are still dying of anthrax from the dirty wars of independence fought two decades ago. Fringe cults, apocalyptic madmen, and terrorists groups everywhere claim to own bioweapons, and are threatening to use them. Major Western cities are busily planning defenses against such an attack. ...Researched across four continents with exceptional access to many sources from the United Nations, U.S. Department of Defense, and various civilian and military intelligence agencies, and using previously classified government documents, Tom Mangold and Jeff Goldberg have written the definitive account of the state of biological warfare in the world today. Never before has the complete scope of these terrifying weapons been so thoroughly examined. A startling look into hidden facets of history, dark secrets of the present, and the anticipated horrors of a none-too-distant future, Plague Wars will make you reconsider your safety in a world where death is just a breath away.

Good overview of non-US BW programs

This book provides a brief history of modern biological warfare from its creation by Japanese Unit 731 during WWII through the BWC and Russia's subsequent violation of that treaty. Deals with the programs used by South Africa, Iraq, and others, giving a political background into the programs as well as the chronology. Includes the text of the biological weapons convention (BWC), as well as brief descriptions of some of the main bacteria, viruses and toxins employed in this form of warfare.Overall a good read for anyone looking for basic knowledge on the subject. For detail on the history of the US program, read "the Biology of Doom", and for the Russian program, "Biohazard" by Ken Alibek.

Plague Wars

Tom Mangold and Jeff Goldberg have written a great book. From the fields of WW2 till the UNSCOM inspectors in Iraq, the curtains have been lifted on the horrific topic of biological weapons and their development. This book belongs on the same shelf as Laurie Garrett's "The Coming Plague"; only this is even more frightening. Where "The Coming Plague" details the natural occurance of viral outbreaks and bacterial infections- and the individuals involved with their containment, "Plague Wars" delves into humanity's dark attempts to harness these powers and apply them not to heal, but to kill. You need not be an expert in biology to understand this, and Mangold and Goldberg have a highly accessable writing style. The chapters vary from a journalistic perspective to factual story telling that uses the participant's own words whenever possible. The major topics of include the Cold War until the BWC of 1972, then the Soviet Union's disregard of that document, South Africa, Iraq and finally the future of BW. All of these areas are well researched and fascinating. The masterminds behind the programs of South Africa and the USSR will become names that you will not forget. These are some very bad people.One weak point is the reliance on "Confidential Interviews" as a source in the footnotes. This is explained in the begining as protecting sources that might otherwise be endangered. Still, it is frustrating.It is claimed by experts, quoted in this book, that a major biological attack on a large US city should be expected within 10 to 15 years. Considering the lack of preparation that is apparent in most cities, this is a very scary thought. For as you will learn, once a biological attack has been unleashed it is already too late.Reading this book has left me believing that what we need is to create a highly proficient BW team that can, if possible, stop an attack before it begins- going on the offensive rather than defensive."Plague Wars" is an excellent work.

Strong stuff but fascinating.

Plague Wars tells the truth about germ warfare, tells it the way it is with no holds barred. I thought it was fascinating and terryfing at the same time. I had no idea that the Russians were ready to use smallpox and the plague against us. The stuff about a possible attack on New York is rivetting. This is great material. There ought to be a movie.