* Dr. Bruce Ivins calendar for September and October of 2001
Posted by DXer on March 9, 2010
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CASE CLOSED ... what really happened in the 2001 anthrax attacks? 
Quizze said
The calendar is wrong. Dr. Ivin’s trip to Covance was on the 18th of September 2001, not September 25th, 2001.
oldatlantic said
Sep 12 and 13, Wed and Thur night he has no checks on his calendar. Those two nights he is not in the lab.
The above chart shows he has no red time, ie time in Suite B3 on those two nights. The other nights from Sep 1 to 17 2001 he has Suite B3 time, ie in the lab are night checks on the calendar.
oldatlantic said
The bar chart could be redone, but the y axis would not be Ivins’ hours in BSL3 at night or weekend, but any person in the group managing the challenge. The same graph can be done for the 1999 3x mouse check, again graphing on the y axis the total time by any and all in the unit on each day that was spent in BSL3 at night or the weekend.
The two graphs can be compared to see if the total time by the team managing the challenge in the BSL3 is the same for 1999 checks as for 2001 checks. If the team spent the same time each night doing animal checks in each year that shows there was no special extra time by the team in 2001. That then implies Ivins was not there for special extra lab processing.
DXer said
At page 25 of 1274 pages, it notes that “IVINS did not have any email records or electronic calendar records prior to May 2002. He thought that there may have been a new system installed around that time. ”
Is this calendar authentic or is it a reconstruction. We are awaiting contemporaneous documentation of the night check for rabbit formaldehyde study.
DXer said
On this copy of the calendar, only the September 2001 page is clear — we need to find the October 2001 so it is more readable.
oldatlantic said
I agree. It would be nice to find these for the 1999 checks and for other team members.
oldatlantic said
If the Warren Commission had done this, they would have published them all with their actual names.
DXer said
By email dated March 15, 2004 (released this week, two years after the FOIA request), Dr. Ivins wrote someone:
Hi, ____,
On Thursday, I need to provide someone with information (entries) from my Outlook Calendar for the months of September, 2001 and October, 2001. Unfortunately, the information has either been deleted or (hopefully) archived. Is it possible to get this information, if it hasn’t been destroyed? It’s really important. Thanks!!!!
– Bruce
Comment: Ah, now if only the USAMRIID FOIA officer and her superiors treated the issue of the anthrax threat faced by the country as important and deserving priority.
DXer said
3/31/2005 Ivins 302 interview statement
“Because IVINS estimated it would have taken he and _______________ approximately one to two years to produce 1,000 milliliters of concentrated spores using their standard flask fermentation method, USAMRIID contracted with Dugway Proving Ground which agreed to produce the spores in batches at Dugway Proving Ground using fermenters and then ship the batches as they were completed to USAMRIID for purification and use.”
Anonymous Scientist said
It gets more and more incredible.
The FBI, without any data whatsover to back it up, just keep stating “he could have done it in a few days himself easily”.
We all know they never did any experiments to back that up. Surely they can’t get away with this?
DXer said
Contemporaneous handwritten notes that the DOJ/FBI/USARMIID has failed to provide:
“Fall of 2001 – Bruce Ivins”
Notebooks 3716 and 4383 _____- Mouse passive immunization studies – 1 SEP through 15 OCT
Notebooks 4240 – Immunization at Covance for antiserum – 18 SEP and 16 OCT
Notebook 4240 (and computer files) – Preparation of vaccine for FDA immunization of mice – September and October
Notebook 4241 – Receipt of 30 vials of rPA from ______________ 30 SEP
Notebook 4241 (and computer files and other papers) ‘ “New” formaldehyde experiment – September into November
Paper and compauter files – B00-03, part 5 (_________ study: 2 dose efficacy in rabbits) – October through December
Meetings? Teleconferences? Protocol reviews? Other ‘non-lab work?”
DXer said
February 12, 2003 302 interview statement
“IVINS pointed out that the B3 cold room as being on the right side of the hallway when looking through the crash door, with a black box on the door. Room ___ is the pass through to suite B4. The mouse animal room is the third door down on the right when looking through the crash door. The guinea pig room is across the hall with the cleaning supplies for the suite located to the right of the door as the room is entered.”
DXer said
In his February 17, 2005 302 interview statement, Dr. Ivins describes the May 1998 research he did using virulent Ames with the University of Michigan researchers.
“IVINS advised _______had contacted IVINS and _____ and __________ were to come to USAMRIID and conduct the research on the collaboration project.
IVINS advised ______________ worked with the Ames strain of Bacillus anthracies (Ba) in the “BL-3″ laboratory” for three or four days in May 1998. IVINS further advised _____ and ________ were never left alone in the BL-3 laboratory and either IVINS or ______ were with _____________.
IVINS advised he does not recall whether or not _________ and ________ had their own access into the B3 suite or whether or not someone had to let them in. IVINS further advised the interviewing Postal Inspector and SA to check USAMRIID key card entries.
IVINS advised he was not impressed with their scientific techniques. IVINS advised ________ was ” a jerk” and had problems with everyone to include _____
IVINS advised he referred to _________ as ____________ because IVINS observed a thick patch of hair on the small of _______ back while they were “showering out.”
IVINS agreed to contact the interviewing Postal Inspector and SA should he recall any additional information.”
Comment:
One of the University of Michigan researchers was Tarek Hamouda. His lifelong family friend, a friend since childhood when Dr. Hamouda would visit Cairo from Khartoum, was Tarek Hamid, an acquaintance of mine who was recruited into the Egyptian Islamic Jihad by Ayman Zawahiri in a room set aside for that purpose at the medical school. See INSIDE JIHAD (May 2008).
Ayman’s father was a pharmacology professor — his two sisters were professors. His sister Heba was a pharmacology professor. (Ayman had 40 doctors in his family). Ayman was well-respected.
Dr. Hamid pulled out of the group when they wanted to bury a security officer near the mosque.
Dr. Hamouda’s decontamination agent was tested at the US Capitol and NanoBio pitched handcream to postal workers. The company received $80 million in investment.
Did Dr. Ivins know that Dr. Hamouda had good friends who had been recruited into the Egyptian Islamic Jihad by Ayman Zawahiri? Did Dr. Hamouda know Ayman? Did he work with Ayman’s sister when he finished up his PhD there in microbiology there in 1993-1994, a time when 250 members of the EIJ/ Vanguards of Conquest were prosecuted?
EIJ/VOC was the group that announced it was going to use anthrax against US targets to retaliate against the rendering of senior EIJ leaders and then the mailed anthrax was mailed when the bail was denied VOC #2 Mahmoud Mahjoub on October 5, 2001.
Did the Postal Inspector and Special Agent know about the EIJ connection?
Did Kenneth Kohl?
Did Rachel Carlson Lieber?
If not, why not?
And regardless what they knew when, have they produced the handwritten pages indicating how Dr. Ivins spent his time those 5 days in the B3?
If not, why not?
DXer said
2/12/2003 Ivins 302 interview statement
“IVINS did the following calculation estimates to determine how much of the Dugway spores would have been missing if they had been used in the anthrax mailings. 2.0-2.5 grams of material were present in each letter with a 10 (8)/mL spore concentration. In order to achieve that spore concentration. 80-100L of runs would have been necessary and approximately 300mL of the Dugway material would have been required. This amount of missing material would have been noticed.”
Old Atlantic said
Ivins hours in and out of B3 in 2001.
Click to access 20011228_0808077%20Ivins%20Suite%20Access7-1-01%20to12-31-01.pdf
DXer said
Lew, I know you are tied up this week but if you see this now would be a good time to post the B3 hours graphic.
Former United States Taylor’s characterization was not supported by the record. The United States relied upon the fact that Dr. Ivins did not work lots of late hours in the B3 until after the country had been been attacked and then did not work comparable hours in 2002 onward — without disclosing that a “two person rule” was implemented that prohibited a person working alone. Nor did the DOJ disclose that Ivins was asked by the government to work extra hours in the Fall of 2001 for Operation Noble Eagle — so much so that the Pentagon vaccine folks were worried that he was being prevented from doing the work they needed done.
On working late generally, numerous witnesses (including the janitor) said he regularly worked late. He considered his office and hot suite interchangeable until the two-person rule prohibited the time alone at night.
The United States relied upon the fact that Dr. Ivins did not work lots of late hours in the B3 until after the country had been been attacked and then did not work comparable hours in 2002 onward — without disclosing that a “two person rule” was implemented that prohibited a person working alone. Nor did the DOJ disclose that Ivins was asked by the government to work extra hours in the Fall of 2001 for Operation Noble Eagle — so much so that the Pentagon vaccine folks were worried that he was being prevented from doing the work they needed done.
On working late generally, numerous witnesses (including the janitor) said he regularly worked late. He considered his office and hot suite interchangeable until the two-person rule prohibited the time alone at night.
oldatlantic said
The above link goes to a page that just says standard html error message. So they moved it.
Old Atlantic said
Great find. It can be found at page 123
Click to access 847447.PDF
BEI Section 3 (8/2007) – (189 pages)
October is also there at page 124 and its easier to see the night check Monday October 1 through Friday October 5.
Anonymous Scientist said
This gets more bizarre.
Compare pages 8 and 9 of the affadivit for search warrant here:
Click to access SearchWarrant-08-431M-05.pdf
To pages 123 and 124 of http://foia.fbi.gov/amerithrax/847447.PDF
The first document grimly (almost with drom rolling) states on page 9:
“Beginning on September 28, Dr Ivins worked eight consecutive nights which consisted of the following times in Building 1425 with time spent in Suite B3”:
Friday September 28
Saturday September 29
Sunday September 30
Monday October 1
Tuesday October 2
Wednesday October 3
Thursday October 4
Friday October 5
After October 5, Dr Ivins did not enter Suite B3 in the evening again until October 9, for 15 minutes, and then October 14, for 1 hour and 26 minutes.
But then look at his calendar on pages 123 and 124 at http://foia.fbi.gov/amerithrax/847447.PDF !!!
That’s precisely what his calendar called on him to do – work these very eight consecutive nights checking on the animals. Good statistics need to be obtained to see exactly when animals died in order to properly analyze the effectiveness of vaccines – hence he did it at the same time every evening.
The affadavit is therefore deliberately misleading and does not mention that his work schedule was followed to the letter.
Old Atlantic said
The affidavit claims if you read on from where you cite that they looked at the lab notebooks of Ivins and coworkers and his time was unexplained. Dxer has pointed out that these are the lab notebook pages they won’t release. Is this because they contradict the warrant?
DXer said
I believe it was a 1/2007 302 interview statement that said it was a one-man job and would take approximately 2 hours. If they had produced the notebook pages, that expert could opine whether it would take more or less given that when both guinea pigs and mice were involved.
No lawyer — neither Rachel Carlson Lieber nor Kenneth Kohl — should be heard to characterize documents that they failed to produce.
One FBI agent that submitted an affidavit for an Ivins search had 18 months on the job. Another had 3 years.
Old Atlantic said
Page 23
Click to access 847425.PDF
2 hours one person job to look at the animals and count the dead bodies.
Page 26 he says difficult enough to get Ba to aerosolize for the challenges.
Anonymous Scientist said
I’m not surprised it took 2 hours (how long would it take to check 500 animals?). Below are the details of the experiments Bruce was planning. Note that his calendar states “night guinea pig and mouse check”. Thus he was slotted to do that night check on these days (the nights he was , unsurprisngly, recorded as entering B3). But there were 3 checks per day planned – presumably someone else was scheduled to do these checks.
The facts now seem to be saying that the months of September and October 2001 were in fact quite unusual in that the Hot Suite B3 was hosting a major animal vaccine test with hundreds of animals.
I think we now know why everyone in Detrick is under a gag order – since no doubt they would quickly show that the FBI’s nefarious assertions (for example stating that it was “unexplained”) for Ivins entering B3 on the very nights he was scheduled to are, in fact, a complete fabrication.
Click to access DrBruceIvinsEmail_Two.pdf
(page 9)
AVA
1. What should be done.
a) Passive studies in mice – I would prefer that these studies be contracted out. We can provide
the challenge spores and antiserum.
1) Mice = CBA/J females, 10 per group, about 20 g. Inject intraperitoneally on days -1, 0, 1,
2 and 3 with one of the following: rabbit anti-rPA antiserum; rabbit anti-AVA antiserum; human anti-
AVA IgG; Normal rabbit serum; normal human IgG. On day 0, challenge subcutaneously with 10LD50s
of V1B spores. Check mice 3X daily for deaths and note differences in survival as well as time to death
differences. If protection is seen, repeat experiment with 10 LD50s of Ames spores. If no protection is
seen, drop the challenge dose down to 3-5 LD50s of Vollum 1B spores. Enough animals should be
ordered to repeat experiments. Total number of animals = 400
b) Passive studies in guinea pigs. We can do these studies in the guinea pig animal room in B3.
1) Guinea pigs = Hartley strain, 8 males and 8 females per group, about 350 g at the time
of the experiment. Inject intraperitoneally on days -1, 0, 1, 2 and 3 with one of the following: rabbit
anti-rPA antiserum; rabbit anti-AVA antiserum; human anti-AVA IgG; Normal rabbit serum; normal
human IgG. On day 0, challenge intramuscularly with 50 LD50s (5000) of Ames spores. Check guinea
pigs 3X daily for deaths and note differences in survival as well as time to death differences. If
protection is seen, repeat experiment with 100 LD50s of Ames spores. If no protection is seen, drop the
challenge dose down to 10 LD50s of Vollum 1B spores. Enough animals should be ordered to repeat
experiments. Total number of animals = 500
DXer said
‘Smoking Gun’ Belatedly Revealed in Blackwater Case, Defense Claimed
By Christopher M. Matthews | March 3, 2010
Attorneys for Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused in a fatal 2007 shooting incident in Iraq asserted last year that prosecutors had belatedly turned over an exculpatory e-mail to the defense, according to previously sealed courtroom transcripts.
The e-mail, which defense attorneys called “a smoking gun,” was revealed Tuesday when transcripts of the closed Oct. 26 hearing were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the Associated Press and The Washington Post.
But Justice Department lawyers took issue with the “smoking gun” characterization, the transcript shows. They added that a memberof the prosecution team had flagged the e-mail after noticing it hadn’t been included in material previously identified for release to defense counsel.
Comment:
In addition to these exculpatory lab notebook pages, AUSA Kenneth Kohl, the lead Amerithrax AUSA and/or his colleagues also has caused a lot of key emails in this case not to be produced or delayed their production by months and years. The Inspector General’s report and/or Congressional probe(s) should investigate the failure to comply with the Freedom of Information Act in this case.
If USAMEDD cannot efficiently share information involving a simple stack of emails (without selective culling), how can the government credibly say that they can share information efficiently in avoiding an anthrax attack?
DXer said
USAMEDD is still letting the FBI interfere with and delay its FOIA production even when the case is closed.
Mr. Peterson has pulled some emails from the range of dates already produced at DOJ/FBI’s request and not disclosed the fact. They just were not produced.
At what point does the violation of FOIA become obstruction of justice — such as John Peterson’s and the FBI’s failure to provide copies of Dr. Ivins’ observations on the health of the animals on the nights they say, without any basis or evidence, that he was making powderized anthrax?
Kenneth Kohl (google) is the chief AUSA in charge of Amerithrax.