ABSTRACT
The summer of 1953 brought a blazing heat to the crumbling brick row houses and concrete high-rises in the urban core of St Louis, Missouri. Occasional breezes that blew over the mighty Mississippi River and into building structures old and new offered little relief to residents. Residents in some areas of the city noticed unusual activity in the days and nights throughout 1953 and into 1954; large puffs of a billowy powder were sprayed into the air by strangers in passing vehicles affixed with spray devices. Under the sparkling stars and clear bright moon, as children, parents, and grandparents dozed on their porches, balconies, or beneath open windows to escape the blazing heat of a St Louis summer, silent clouds drifted through open windows and quietly settled into their lungs. The special particles were designed to be of optimal size for deep inhalation. It was the Cold War, and this was America.
