SOVIET CAPABILITIES TO WAGE BIOLOGICAL WARFARE

Created: 12/20/1948

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

CENTRAL QTELUGOCE AGENCY

8

IOTELLlGEfCE sBaYjRAKDUW

SUBJECT! Soviet Capabilities to Wage Biologioal Warfare

is no reliable evidence that tho Soviet Union ia orcapable of waging large-scale biological warfare at this tine, however, that the USSR iB capable of carrying outoperations against man, doraoatle animals, or crop plants. event, tho Soviet Union poasesses, and will possess duringfor waging biological warfare equivalent to thoseUnited States.

opinion is based upon the followingPegflarch Por.-onnel and gstabMsh^tn^-

The Soviet Union haa competent and experiencedwho are acquainted with German developments inup to5 and with subsequent US work in this fieldIn the open literature. Recent unevalnated reports indicateof at least two stations for rosearch and developmentwarfare agents. Thereumber of Institutes engagedresearch and consequently suitable for small-scaleof biological warfare agents. According to

the Soviet Union began research and development on

biological warfare prior to World War TJ. One of their research stations (believed to be on an island in tho Aral Sea) was not disturbed during the war.

Test Aregg.

There are unconfirmed reports of tho existenceest area on the Kanim Peninsula and on Kolguev Island. The latter Is said to have boon established for test firing of missiles equipped withcontaining agents for biological warfare.

s- lyssg .acu frpflurtiipn, of Agents.

Although it is known that pathogenicsuitable for biologioal warfare havo been studied in the Soviet Onion, it Is not known which organisms have been selected for production for biological warfare, nor is it known what quantities of these agents havo bean or can bo produced. The storage locations of agents already produced, if

T4irP SCCftET

Since some agents can bo produced by adaptation of well-known foraonUtlon procedures, the Soviet Union undoubtedly possesses adequate oapablllty la this field. Very recent reports Indicate that tbe USSR le experiencing considerable difficulty with large-ocale industrial production of penicillin. This but prising inabilitythat they nay experience corresponding, but less serious,ln the production of certain types of biological warfare agents.

J. Methods of Dissemination.

There is no information on this subject, except for the unconfirmed report, emotioned above, on trials of Moloelcal serf are agents in warheads of missiles launched from Kolguev Island. mulk of an effective quantity of such agents obviously lends itself to deliveryreat variety of conventional and unconventional matbods.

fi. Training nf Personnel InDae.

Ho Information, but ln view of the existence of scientific personnel competent to advise on biologioal warfare, the USSR ought to be able to train personnel.

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Bo information.

g. pefnoalTB fOtflnvllT.

The capability of tba Soviet Union, or of any other country, to protect Its human population and its animals and crops against biological warfare depends on its capacity to handle natural outbreaks of disease and on its preparedness to meet the special problems of biological warfare, n, know nothing of any spaoial efforts the Soviet Union may have made to defend 1tao If against BW but general Information on ths medical andservices of the USSR indicatee that Its defensive capacity ia lass than that of the United States. Re have already mentioned the Soviot shortage of domestic penicillin. We have no Information on tbe supply of other antibiotics and of vaccinae, on mass Isawmisatioa, oa pays lealmeasures, or on civilian defense planning.

3. The reader who needs background Information on biological warfare is referred to the following Top Secret document i

Original document.

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