We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Deutsche Wissenschaftler Als Erfinder Von 'Agent Orange'?
- Authors
Lindemann, Mechthild
- Abstract
Did German scientists invent 'Agent Orange'? A request by the American Department of Defense asking the German Foreign Office for further information suggests as much. When in spring 1983 the Vietnam Veterans' law suit against the herbicide's producers reached its decision phase, the court asked for the testimony of German scientists who, as the Pentagon put it, had been visited by a German-American colleague in the early 1960s and had given him a formula that had led to the development of 'Agent Orange'. The article presents background information on this mysterious request and showcases the problems of dual use products. Why should a chemist working for the American military have contacted members of a German committee working on occupational health and safety issues? Did they have knowledge which, in the early 1960s, could have been of interest to the US Army? The search for answers shows that neither side really wanted the scientists to testify. The possible witnesses themselves, as well as the German government, did not wish to be associated with a herbicide widely regarded as a chemical warfare agent. Besides, there was the risk of a new debate on the German past, as several scientists had been involved in research projects on chemical warfare agents in the 1930s. The Pentagon also preferred to keep the German scientists away from the law suit. Their testimony could have confirmed the judge's assessment that both the American government and the military leadership had ordered the use of 'Agent Orange' in Vietnam in spite of significant health risks to American soldiers.
- Subjects
GERMANY; TOXICOLOGY of Agent Orange; PRODUCT liability; AGENT Orange; VIETNAM War, 1961-1975; HERBICIDES in war; SCIENTISTS; TWENTIETH century
- Publication
Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte, 2016, Vol 64, Issue 1, p69
- ISSN
0042-5702
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1515/vfzg-2016-0003