ABSTRACT
In 1979 reports began to appear in the Western press which alleged that major accidents had occurred at factories in the Soviet Union said to be producing biological weapons. The United States and the Soviet Union had ratified the biological weapons Convention in 1975 under which they agreed to destroy any biological or toxin weapons in their possession and to produce no more. Troops would in any case be equipped with suits which give them some protection against chemical and biological weapons so the main casualties resulting from any biological attack might well be civilians. There were some supporters of arms control measures who denied that the timing of the questions was coincidental. They argued that the reports and the official US approach to the Soviet Union were intended to halt discussions with the Russians on other arms control measures by reducing trust in Soviet integrity.
