* In a secret report, Battelle determined that the sample provided by the FBI in October 2001 resembled the subtilis var. niger (“Bg”) surrogate made by Dugway
Posted by DXer on October 13, 2015
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CASE CLOSED ... what really happened in the 2001 anthrax attacks? 
DXer said
Gamma-irradiated Ames was used at U.S. Army Edgewood under Bio-Safety 1 (BSL-1).
Did Dr. Lloyd Larsen send the Stern, Ames and Vollum to Dr. John Ezzell in August 2000 and June 2001 for Army-funded biodetection and decontamination experiments at Aberdeen in 2000 and 2001?
The flow cytometry of Bacillus anthracis spores revisited †
• Peter J. Stopa*
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1097-0320(20001201)41:4%3C237::AID-CYTO1%3E3.0.CO;2-3/full
Article first published online: 13 NOV 2000
Work with gamma-irradiated spores of BA and other strains of Bacillus was performed at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC) under Bio-Safety Level 1 (BSL-1) practices. Work that required the use of live BA spores was performed under Bio-Safety Level 3 (BSL-3) practices at the Baker Lifesciences Test Facility (BLTF), U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground.
Gamma-Irradiated spores of BA (strains: Sterne, Ames, and Vollum) were obtained from Dr. John Ezzell of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). …
Live spores of BA were provided by Dr. Lloyd Larsen (BLTF) for experiments that were conducted under BSL-3 conditions at Dugway Proving Ground.
…
For cross-reactivity studies, Bacillus globigii (BG; now known as Bacillus subtilis var. niger) was obtained from Dr. Bruce Harper (BLTF). BG was supplied as either a dry powder or as spore suspensions in water.
The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center, 5183 Blackhawk Road, AMSSB-RRT-DD E3160, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5424 …
DXer said
Seth Carus, a notable name in chronicling the history of bioweapons, notes the importance of the Canadian study in analysis. He refers to JG’s discussion of that study in her book but the study can be found online. (The Canadians used a simulant made at Dugway). It immediately spread across the room upon opening.
The History of Biological Weapons Use: What We Know and What We Don’t
To cite this article:
Carus W. Seth. Health Security. July/August 2015, 13(4): 219-255. doi:10.1089/hs.2014.0092.
Published in Volume: 13 Issue 4: August 10, 2015
Online Ahead of Print: July 29, 2015
“The Amerithrax case, the FBI name for its investigation, is without doubt the most thoroughly reported incident of illicit biological agent employ-ment. Attributed by government officials to a biodefense researcher, Dr. Bruce Ivins, it remains controversial. …
The forensic evidence used in the Amerithrax case has received considerable attention, due in part to the emphasis given it by the investigators. To support their claims, the FBI commissioned a National Research Council review of their microbial forensics. Although generally complimentary, the study did not support FBI assertions that the Amerithrax perpetrator had to have used a specific B. anthracis culture prepared by Ivins.344 A subsequent US General Account- ability Office review concurred.345
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Ultimately, the FBI and Justice Department have not convinced skeptics that they correctly identified the perpetrator.”
DXer said
http://wmdcenter.dodlive.mil/home/faculty-and-staff/dr-w-seth-carus/
Dr. Carus is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the National Defense University. His research focuses on issues related to biological warfare, including threat assessment, biodefense, and the role of the Department of Defense in responding to biological agent use. He also studies allegations of biological agent use and has written a working paper, Bioterrorism and Biocrimes: The Illicit Use of Biological Agents in the 20th Century, and several articles on that subject. He has been at NDU since 1997. From 2003 to 2013 he also served as the Center’s Deputy Director.
From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Carus was detailed to the Office of the Vice President, where he was the Senior Advisor to the Vice President for Biodefense. Before assuming that position, he was on the staff of the National Preparedness Review commissioned to recommend changes in homeland security organization and supported the Office of Homeland Security while it was being established.
Prior to joining NDU, Dr. Carus was a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses. He worked on studies related to naval forward presence in the Persian Gulf and on the impact of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons on the conduct of a major regional contingency in Korea. From 1991 to 1994, Dr. Carus was a member of the Policy Planning staff in the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense. Before joining the government, he was a research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Dr. Carus has a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
DXer said
Up to 18 Labs May Have Received Inadvertent Anthrax Shipments …
http://www.wsj.com/…/up-to-18-labs-may-have-received-inadvertent-anthrax- shipments-1432841005
May 28, 2015 … The defense lab at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah sent anthraxsamples to South Korea’s Osan Air Base as well as the Naval Surface …
Work Pledges Transparency in DoD Laboratory Review
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
WASHINGTON, June 3, 2015 — Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work today promised transparency in the Defense Department’s comprehensive review of its laboratory procedures, processes, and protocols associated with inactivating spore-forming anthrax.
Speaking with Pentagon reporters, Work emphasized that public safety is the department’s top concern, and he provided background on the DoD laboratories and their processes.
“Public safety is paramount,” he said. “That’s the No. 1 thing on our mind. Two, we have to get to the bottom of what caused this issue, and we are doing this.”
http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/604770
We went from 18 labs in May to 194 labs by September — involving 575 inadvertent shipments of b. anthracis Ames. And that was just extending analysis back a decde. Do you think if we were to push analysis back to pre-911, the 575 shipments might involve one more that led to the deaths of five people? You brainy math majors out there — what are the odds?
http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/DoD-Laboratory-Review
We know that irradiation problems resulted in part in attempts to irradiate large volumes of b. anthracis Ames.
The 340 ml. shipped from Dugway to USAMRIID is a large volume of b. anthracis Ames. There reportedly was irradiation failure at USAMRIID, not just Dugway. See linked report to the FBI in 2004 about earlier shipments from Dugway to USAMRIID.
How is there transparency if Defense Secretary Bob Work has not directed his colleagues to address the period when errant Ames was used to kill five people and cost the economy billions of dollars? …when errant Ames contributed to the invasion of Iraq — which was even more calamitous.
Absent transparency, shouldn’t this financial gravy train and runaway military-industrial complex be shut down until there is transparency?
People stood by and did nothing when Admiral Crowe, former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was given a sizable chunk of Bioport. His ethics defense, incredibly, was that he didn’t do anything for the gift of stock.
It’s as if the FBI and Army are unfamiliar with concepts relating to conflicts of interest.
I see lots of people making as many millions as they have made critical assumptions in accusing a dead guy who committed suicide of murder on insufficient evidence. Ivins committed suicide after the FBI swabbed him for DNA after finding semen-stained panties a second time (even though the FBI already had his DNA).
From where I sit, it is not at all surprising he committed suicide. His counselor in 2000 thought she was controlled by an alien who had implanted a microchip in her butt — she thought she was pursued by murderous entities. In a 2009 book, she writes that she was protected from a diagnosis of being psychotic by her husband, who was in military personnel. Are you really that surprised that her notes in the file — to include her annotations on the psychiatrist’s notes — describe Ivins as murderous? FBI consulting psychiatrist — that’s an F for you. And your grade remains unchanged because you never took the retest. Selling your report was a touch that should have got you expelled.
I say: kick everyone off the biodefense gravy train unless they get on the transparency and accountability bandwagon. Transparency and accountability can be accomplished under the existing statutory framework of FOIA/PA — and FOIA is already designed to balance national security interests.
If people continue to conceal or destroy documents not exempt under FOIA, then fire their ass.
Attorney Lambert’s lawsuit is going to be dismissed. He refuses to sign a privacy waiver for his whistleblower document. To this extent, he thus is part of the problem, not the solution — particularly given that he went to work for a Battelle-operated lab. He says the Privacy Act prevents the public from knowing the exculpatory information being held — and yet this important document is subject to release with redaction if he simply consents. He, however, refuses to consent.
People are either part of the solution — or part of the problem. Rick, start things moving in the right direction by consenting to the release of that document.
For all we know, when people get on the same page, it may turn out that Ivins is guilty but used acetone drying and the 340 ml. shipped on June 27, 2001.
Even a Hatfill Theory seems more reasonable to me in light of the 340 ml. shipment of virulent Ames from Dugway to USAMRIID.
The 340 ml. theory does not point toward or away from any theory in particular. It just points to the need for transparency and accountability.
It may point to those at USAMRIID who may have known it went missing or was misdirected. See the email about the misdirected shipment of Ames sent from Dugway to USAMRIID for irradiation.
Oh, did I mention that the CIA detected Ames at the Afghanistan lab? The FBI tossed and kept secret the finding.
The public deserves better. If you don’t agree, then stop spending their billions on biodefense.
Anthrax, Al Qaeda and Ayman Zawahiri: The Infiltration of US BIodefense
http://www.amerithrax.wordpress.com
DXer said
BREAKING NEWS/OFF-TOPIC:
Does this relate to Isabella Gardner heist being overseen by the former lead investigator in Amerithrax? (who look over for Rick Lambert).
FBI executes search warrant on Manchester property
http://www.wfsb.com/story/30248856/fbi-executes-search-warrant-on-manchester-property
Just this morning I was mentioning to someone in the Hartford area that if the FBI Field Office head Vincent Lisi wants to leave “no stone unturned,” there should be more searches in the Isabella Gardner matter — to include backhoe and ground penetrating radar. (I had in mind a different address — 395 John Fitch, S. WIndsor, CT)
But whenever I hear the word barn in connection with search in Manchester, I get goosebumps. And this is the first.
If the FBI were to replace all divots, I expect a federal court judge would construe probable cause liberally.
Our hopes and best wishes ride with the FBI in solving difficult, often confounding mysteries. (That includes Amerithrax).
Reasonable people can disagree about the location of the $500 million in stolen Isabella Gardner paintings, and I don’t think any one would begrudge the FBI searches — though sledge hammers through walls can ruffle feathers, to be sure.
But it is possible to be gentle and discerning with the combination of a backhoe and ground penetrating radar.
“Turbo” of the blog “Stolen Vermeer” this past week wanted to publish a Q and A. He would ask questions and I would answer them.
He is affable and well-meaning. But I instead urged that he just post the 395 John Fitch pictures I took last month to encourage a seach.
DXer said
Damn. My friend at the scene tells me that a Pakistani family lives there. Perhaps the FBI suspects either drugs or terrorism, I don’t know. Shucks. Never mind.
I hate it when a good treasure hunt is interrupted by the real world. There is a $5 million reward.in the Isabella Gardner heist.
So long as you’ve got the FBI Agents all gathered, couldn’t you swing by 395 John Fitch highway in S. WIndsor and give it a search? There are some slabs that could be moved just by hand.
DXer said
Police, FBI searching house and barn in Manchester
http://foxct.com/2015/10/13/police-fbi-searching-house-and-barn-in-manchester/
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Neighbors said the same family has lived there since about 2006. There are many cars outside the property, many without license plates.
FBI and Manchester police have been going in and out of barn and house taking pictures.
Neighbors says the family is involved in mechanic work and the parents have several grown sons who live in the house with them.
DXer said
The 395 John Fitch, S. WIndsor, CT address I recommend for search used to be a used car lot, dating to 1992 when the paintings needed to be hid after state authorities turned down an offer to return them for the dropping of cocaine distribution charges against Merlino and Turner.
Is the current owner in the used car business? Was he previously associated with the 395 John Fitch, S. Windsor, CT address?
DXer said
DAVE ALTIMARI
12:10 pm, October 13, 2015
http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84694546/
One agent was observed photographing the inside of a white van parked in the backyard.
Neighbors said the family members who live in the house are quiet and rarely seen in the neighborhood. The is a large, extended family living in the house, neighbors said.
Neighbors said for the past year they have noticed unmarked cars sitting in Williams Street, located behind Hudson, watching the house.
DXer said
5 p.m. update from Hartford Courant/Dave Altimari
http://touch.courant.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84694546/
“No arrests were made, but the investigation is ongoing, FBI spokeswoman Marybeth Miklos said. Miklos would not comment further.”
DXer said
Fareed Khan, the 57 year old man is identified as the owner of the property.
http://wtnh.com/2015/10/13/fbi-executes-search-warrant-at-manchester-home/
FWIW, he has an alternative number, a condo, that is in Windsor.
DXer said
The report was among the documents supplied by the FBI to the NAS.
Source:
Kuhlman, M.R. (2001a). Preliminary SPOT Report on Particle Size Analyses. Battelle Memorial Institute. October 18. (B2M13D2).
See also
Kuhlman, M.R. (2001b). Preliminary SPOT Report on Sample Analyses. Battelle Memorial Institute. October 22. (B2M13D5).
Kuhlman, M.R. (2001c). SPOT Report on Analyses of Silicon and Silica in Powder Samples: SEM/EDS Analysis. Battelle Memorial Institute. November 26. (B2M13D8).
DXer said
Dr. Kulhman, in a lucid letter to the editor, explains his study:
Click to access letter-to-the-editor-in-response-to-the-2001-attack-anthrax-key-observations-by-me-hugh-jones-bh-rosenberg-and-s-jacobsen-journal-of-bioterrorism-biodefense-s3001-2157-2526.S3-002.pdf
In pertinent part, the letter explains:
Letter to the Editor in response to “The 2001 Attack Anthrax: Key Observations”, by ME Hugh-Jones, BH Rosenberg, and S Jacobsen,
Journal of Bioterrorism & Biodefense S3:001
Michael Robert Kuhlman*
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH, USA
“Within 24 hours of receiving the call from the FBI inquiring whether Battelle could perform particle size analysis of Bacillus anthracis powder recovered from the mailed envelopes, Battelle had installed the required equipment (an Aerosizer® equipped with an Aero-Disperser®, TSI Inc., Shoreview, MN) in one of the Institute’s BSL-3 suites and had performed calibrations using standard (polystyrene latex) particles to establish readiness of the instrumentation in preparation for the B. anthracis particle size analysis. (Note that the relocation of the instrumentation and performance of the analysis in the BSL-3 suite would not have been necessary, had the samples actually been autoclaved prior to performing particle size analysis.) Subsequent to performing the particle size analysis Battelle submitted its report [3] that contained a discussion of the specific particle size analysis procedures used and the results.
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B. anthracis (B. atrophaeus, formerly B. subtilis var. niger and B. globigii) produced at 1 g scale by simple means and without any additives exhibited particle size and dispersability quite similar to those of the anthrax powder samples provided by the FBI. This is also the conclusion reached by the National Academy of Sciences Committee in its review of this work [4]. J Bioterr Biodef Advances in Biosciences: Bioterrorism ISSN:2157-2526 JBTBD, an open access journal Because the samples analyzed for particle size were not autoclaved, the concern expressed by Hugh-Jones et al. that the powders analyzed may not have been “in pristine condition” should be dismissed. The particle size analyses reported [3] by Battelle to the FBI effectively demonstrated that powder samples of an accepted surrogate for B. anthracis (B. atrophaeus, formerly B. subtilis var. niger and B. globigii) produced at 1 g scale by simple means and without any additives exhibited particle size and dispersability quite similar to those of the anthrax powder samples provided by the FBI.”
DXer said
DXer said … The FBI’s narrative will never withstand the production of emails of John Ezzell, James Burans
https://caseclosedbylewweinstein.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/dxer-says-the-fbis-narrative-will-never-withstand-the-production-of-emails-of-john-ezzell-james-burans-and-david-wilson/