Initially, nobody told us there will be any connection GRAPHIC: Microscopic image (black and white) I never wanted to have anything in common with biological weapons. What then? I said, “So what? They’re going to attack us with smallpox, would we attack them with smallpox? Is that what you’re saying? That’s why we want to keep it?” “Oh no, no, I didn’t mean that.” “Well, why are we keeping it?” Well, suppose we destroy our stocks, and the Russians don’t destroy theirs. So why do people want to keep it around then? No, no, no, no, no, you don’t need the virus at all. So, in order to generate the vaccine, you don’t need smallpox? TEXT: Vaccinia virus causes cowpox and vaccinates against smallpox. You know, cowpox from smallpox, they’re different” And the virus starts to spread, it could devastate the world.” I really didn’t want to come out and just say, “Look, you don’t know what you’re talking about. The question came, “Why do you non-concur?” “Suppose somebody digs a body up in the tundra, and it’s smallpox. I don’t know about that, I’d never heard it before. I remember, I can quote it exactly, “We non-concur.” Henderson and headlines on destruction of smallpoxĬIA said, “Fine, we agree.” Congress said, “Fine.” Interior said, “Fine.” We got around to Department of Defense. I was asked to meet with the National Security Council. There’s some of the virus in the laboratory behind that door at the Center for Disease Control because scientists say they may need it some day, if and when another disease like smallpox comes along. Knowing what we went through, in terms of coups and wars and floods and refugee problems, I don’t think any of us would’ve been very optimistic. The World Health Organization says smallpox has now been wiped off the face of the earth and will never return.ĪRCHIVAL NEWS FOOTAGE ON TV (D.A. Henderson and headlines on smallpox eradication Today a substantial milestone in human history. Smallpox is a terrible disease, or perhaps now we can say, it was. It is spread in only one way, from one person to another. This is the enemy, a virus called smallpox. There’s no way you could eliminate it, absolutely no way you could do it. Simply because I felt it would mitigate the possibility of someone using the virus as a weapon. I take it that you were in favor of destroying all existing. “We are the ones that have been suffering this disease and anything we can do that’s going to make it less likely is going to return, we must do.” We’re being pushed very hard by a number of the developing countries who felt the virus should be destroyed. It makes it clear that this is a very dangerous virus, that it is effectively a crime against humanity if you’re found working with it. Taking the known stocks that are in the U.S. So why are we keeping it around?ĭestroying smallpox would mean what, exactly? Transcript Errol Morris: ‘Demon in the Freezer’ Smallpox has inflicted untold suffering and death.
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