ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains the themes of secrecy and science and traces some of the contours of relationship through more focussed empirical material. The historical focus is scientific research and government policy on biological and, to a lesser extent, chemical warfare during the Cold War. Academic sociology and history of science frequently portrays secret science as similar to open science, just done behind closed doors. Experts frequently portrayed the findings of biological warfare research to their audiences as uncertain, in dispute and with negotiable consequences for policy. Galison explains that 'epistemology asks how knowledge can be uncovered and secured. Anti-epistemology asks how knowledge can be covered and obscured'. Restoring control becomes a matter of the authorities employing various resources, including resources such as rumour and gossip, normally seen as the province of those to whom secrets are leaked.
