CIA MAY HAVE TESTED BIOLOGICAL WARFARE IN NEW YORK IN '50S, CHURCH SAYS

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP88-01315R000400410005-1
Release Decision: 
RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 16, 2016
Document Release Date: 
November 1, 2004
Sequence Number: 
5
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
December 4, 1979
Content Type: 
NSPR
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PDF icon CIA-RDP88-01315R000400410005-1.pdf124.1 KB
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ARTICLE AP EAi proved For Releay~jo5. /A~,~CI~-,~RDN88- 00040 QU5 1 13; la j C1V SAGE ~''1'O POST -- 4 December 1979 C' L/ of Yh. (c v L. X2J . Bioloiiicai War1ar - The Central.",..', Intelligence Agency may have been Involved in "open air" biological warfare ? tests, in streets and tunnels in the New. York City area 'in 1955 and. 1956,.~,according to an analy: sis of CIA. records released yesterday by . the. Church -of Scientology The - four-month analysis 1 suggests that the CIA purchased, supplies for experiments . .that...included the dis? semination of 'unknown, substances from aerosol devices mounted in suit- cases and in the exhaust of a specially: modified 1953 Mercury,.: according. to The-church's analysts' said they:-ex- amined. about 600 pages of CIA finan- cial records that-. were part,. of. the agency's M B TJ'J,TRA mind control ex periments.. The-..documents; have been made public. by the CIA during th last 2% Years. x .?' The Scientologists' report Is to -be made> public '-today. Copies- `of. the-re- port were sent to congressional Intel- Iigence z and, Armed Services- commit- tees as- well, as to .the CIA, and the Army, a church spokesman said. . The Scientologists said analysts' had pieced together scattered bits of` in- formation they found in the heavily censored CIA .documents.. They,,, said experiment was code-named.. "Opera- tion Big City," and that details of the ,by the: ;CIA or, are still, shielded by The CIA:-: has;. never acknowledge any involvement with open- air.tests of -biological 'agents Much-of :the intelli Previously `'r'eleasedYdocuments wind congressional hearings showed the Army's "Special Operations Division" -series of tests between 1949 and 196& "apparently - designed to 'gauge : the tan areas to-`possible Soviet chemical Early this .year,: a Sam. Francisco Jilt. lawyer= released Army documents. ob tamed under the Freedom of Informa- tion Act 'describing.- a 1950 test in which a-bacteria cloud sprayed fro 'a ship off the Golden Gate wafted in- land to cover the entire bay area. "We feel, that the public has a right to know of' every Incident where U.S. citizens may have been the target of chemical "and-or biological"warfare) testing," saiA_Church of-Scientology spokesmanBr,an Anderson. scFrom the 7pages of receipts, church investk;ators: concluded: :''"Equipped *Ith test animals, the CIA-Armyteaitn. experimented with a variety of-devices capable of dissemi- nating a po',vdt~r or gas. intoi the air under,:. covert , conditions. Battery driven. 'dusters' 6vere installed in suit- eases that had been- soundproofed. to muffle the noise.. Similar devices were also:Construeted to sample:the air to 'determine the, effectiveness ?of the test: 'Personnel were protected with, at least, nasal filter- pads:: ...The primary test .occurred Feb.. _11- 15,41956, ??in' the New York- City- area when, a-. 1953' Mercury. with, tail'. pipes extending -an. extra 18; inches traveled :only 80 miles but covered four turn. pikes and-tunnels: When.thee-tes- car 'returned itwas, washed to. handle.;'c pn- 'tamination' .and washed again !)w days lat r" A "A 'church spokesman""said "Ve would lik'e' to`-know; and ai'e 'sttra*.the `people;a3:New York'-would: like to :know,, what., the Army-CIA? uaar 1; to 'operation l3ig'(rityy'y'. r Y a1 a` ?.:a ; Approved For Release 2005/01/13 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400410005-1