Porton Down - New National Geographic documentary talks to victims
wilts |
policing |
opinion/analysis
Friday March 14, 2008 01:09
by Tony Gosling

Ken Earle, RAF Senior Aircraftman describes being duped into participating in a life threatening experiment
Servicemen were deliberately subjected to lethal doses of poison in secret tests at Porton Down.
Ken Earle, RAF Senior Aircraftman describes being duped into participating in a life threatening experiment at Porton Down in Wiltshire
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.indiv...49331
Chemical warfare: Inside Britain's toxic house of horrors
http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=13090
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chemical-....html
Lethal doses of poison were tested on troops, says report into top secret Porton Down
Servicemen were deliberately subjected to lethal doses of poison in secret tests at Porton Down, an official report will admit this week.
The Ministry of Defence is now braced for a flood of compensation claims from volunteers used in trials at its chemical weapons research centre.
The long-delayed "historical survey" of Porton Down finds that at least five sets of trials "may not have met the ethical standards required," The Independent on Sunday has learnt. They include one trial in which drops of a poison were placed on the skin of volunteers at a dosage level believed at the time to be fatal.
Another test saw six soldiers severely injured after their genitals were exposed to mustard gas to test prototype protective underwear.
The trial, in which an RAF serviceman, Ronald Maddison, died in agony after being given sarin, is also condemned in a list of cases in which scientists were acting "at the edge of their knowledge".
Ministers commissioned the report into Porton Down six years ago, under pressure from volunteers who were convinced that they had suffered long-term health damage.
Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, a world authority on ethics, was asked to review hundreds of secret tests carried out on servicemen between 1939 and 1989. Although most were properly carried out according to the standards of the day, scientists sometimes placed volunteers in "uncontrollable danger", according to his conclusion to the report.
On one occasion during the Second World War, urgent tests were needed on an unknown substance found in some captured German shells. The poison, which turned out to be a nerve agent, was given to both men and rabbits simultaneously. It was only when one of the rabbits died that the test was hurriedly brought to an end.
Thousands of servicemen were encouraged to volunteer to become guinea pigs in Porton Down, induced by offers of extra pay. The true nature of what they had signed up for was often concealed from them - many believed, for example, that they were taking part in research on the common cold...........
The War on Drugs has become the longest and most costly war in American history, the question has become, how much more can the country endure? Inspired by the death of four family members from "legal drugs" Texas filmmaker Kevin Booth sets out to discover why the Drug War has become such a big failure. Three and a half years in the making the film follows gang members, former DEA agents, CIA officers, narcotics officers, judges, politicians, prisoners and celebrities. Most notably the film befriends Freeway Ricky Ross; the man many accuse for starting the Crack epidemic, who after being arrested discovered that his cocaine source had been working for the CIA.
http://www.americandrugwar.com/
AMERICAN DRUG WAR shows how money, power and greed have corrupted not just dope fiends but an entire government. More importantly, it shows what can be done about it. This is not some 'pro-drug' stoner film, but a collection of expert testimonials from the ground troops on the front lines of the drug war, the ones who are fighting it and the ones who are living it.
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Jump To Comment: 1Facts that all Porton Down veterans should know.
The "Porton Down Veterans Support Group" was founded by the Wiltshire Police NOT by Mr Ken Earl as reported in the media.
Ken Earl and Eric Gow an LSD veteran with no links to Sarin exposures - that the inquest was mainly about - were both recruited by the Wiltshire Police to act as "stooges" not only to attend the the Maddison inquest full time, but to mislead you on other matters, such as the MAP and the sham "Epidemiological Study" conducted by the MRC who after 4 years have published no results. Veterans take note: both Ken Earl and Eric Gow signed a declaration to secrecy during the course of the Maddison inquest that was corrupted for a second time. How do I know this? It was made known in response to a Freedom of Information request. However you will not see Earl or Gow making this treachery known to the PDVSG membership or to the media. You will also find that the transcripts of the Maddison inquest are being withheld. It is also unlikely that you will find complete accounting figures published that relate to income and expenditures by the PDVSG since the police first set it up in 2000.
It is now known that only those members of the bogus PDVSG were awarded the paltry sum of 8300 pounds from the MoD, while others who did not join up were disenfranchised and received nothing. What did the law firms Leigh Day & Co and Thomson Snell & Passmore (the only law firms dealing exclusively with Porton Claims) receive ? You can bet it would be more than 8300 pounds. One word of advise to all Porton Down veterans "BEWARE BEWARE OF ALAN CARE " who is NOT a qualified lawyer (he failed his law exams and did not take a resit) Having followed Alan Care's activities since he first took an interest in matters relating to Porton Down in the mid 1990s. I find that he has been with 3 law firms since this period, (Leigh Day & Co. then to Russell Jones and Walker and now with Thomson Snell & Passmore) After leaving these law firms Alan Care took with him the monies (several thousands of pounds) he had solicited from Porton veterans for his so called "fighting fund". When Care joined up with T.S. & Passmore he then began soliciting more money from veterans this time for a fund he called the "Maddison Inquest Fund". For evidence of this one has only to view Care's many "client up date letters".
What has come to light in recent weeks (via "Freedom Of Information") will shock most Porton Down veterans. It now emerges that in a biological experiment conducted on 115 RAF servicemen in 1960 only 6 airmen have been accounted for by the police. To add to this the records have now proved to be fabrications with the police having to admit to such. In a FOI response police tell me that of the 6 airmen traced only one was interviewed (myself) with the other 5 airmen receiving a questionaire. Details of this experiment is given in Porton Technical Paper 841 Entitled "The Effects Of Pyrexal In Man" (now unclassified) it is co-authored by Dr William S. Ladell who is mentioned in the book "Spycatcher" that was banned in the UK.
Alan Care who claims to have represented Pyrexal victims has been told of this development and has remained silent on the matter. This is not surprisng considering his past record. Allow me to tell you that Pyrexal is a bacterial cell altered substance derived from Salmonella abortus equi. That one UG (one millionth part of one gram) administered by iv injection and by inhalation will cause severe incapacitation resulting in headache, nausea, vomiting. and fever to 104 degrees and the inability to get out of bed. This is reported in PTP 841. It is also reported that severe "systemic effects" can be expected, with one man having taken ill. Not surprisingly the corrupted Wiltshire Police investigation comprising of police officers from the MoD and the security services MI 5 and MI 6 did not investigate or take any steps to trace the missing airmen. My official complaint is now with the Independent Police Complaints Commission. A point of interest of my many FOI requests made to the Wiltshire Police 99% have been rejected. They have a lot to hide.
I invite any Porton veteran having an interest or has any knowledge on this subject to contact me at one of the following addresses. By mail to
40 Morel Drive, Spruce Grove ,Alberta, Canada. T7X 2P9
Ph /fax 780 962 0559. (Canada code needed)
Best wishes to all veterans and their families. Any questions don't hesitate to ask.