This is the second of two UK documentaries which investigated the past activities of the UK Government's Biological Warfare facility at Porton Down, Wiltshire. It includes details of: the Lyme Bay Trials, during which Porton scientists repeatedly sprayed massive amounts of live bacteria (E.coli MRE 162 and Bacillus subtilis) across Southern England; the mysterious 'dual-use' Biological Warfare research aircraft (Canberra WV787, aka 'The Icing Tanker Aircraft'); the previously unknown series of releases of live bacteria across Southern England, which were conducted during demonstrations for the UK Military in 1968; the joint UK and USA germ warfare detection experiments, conducted in South Dorset during 1971; and a previously unknown series of joint UK and USA germ warfare detection experiments which were conducted in South Dorset during 1975 (the DICE Trials). The programme also contains a remarkable interview with Professor Brian Spratt FRS, who in 1999 was commisioned by the UK Ministry of Defence to conduct an Independent Review of the Lyme Bay Trials (renamed in 1997 by Porton as the Dorset Defence Trials). During the interview Prof. Spratt reveals that he was not informed by the MOD of the existence of both the 1968 experiments and the 1975 joint UK USA germ warfare detection experiments. The programme reveals that limited experiments, such as those conducted at Royal Mail Sorting Offices at Nottingham, Sheffield and London during November 2001, continue. Indeed, in 1999 Porton admitted that Government Ministers refused to rule out conducting larger scale public area experiments in the future.
The Icing Tanker Aircraft - This was a classic piece of dual-use technology. On the surface this especially converted aircraft was just a research vehicle, constructed to facilitate investigations into aircraft icing. But it had another, highly classified role - as the UK's BW spray aircraft. Experiments using this aircraft were conducted in populated areas on numerous occasions during 1967. As before, two types of live bacteria were released - E.coli MRE162, and Bacillus subtilis.
Interview with Professor Brian Spratt FRS - Prof Spratt was commissioned, in 1998, by the UK Ministry of Defence to investigate whether those residents who were exposed to the massive bacterial clouds suffered any adverse health effects. Prof Spratt reveals that while most people would probably have not suffered ill effects, some people, especially those with an underlying disease or an suppressed immune system, might have experienced pneumonia or sepsis. He also revealed that on four separate occasions, Porton scientists knowingly sprayed a contaminated bacterial suspension over a populated area!
As is this were not enough, during the interview Prof Spratt became aware that the MOD have not been as honest with him as he had thought. They had 'forgotten' to inform him of the six 'massive' crosswind line releases of live bacteria, which were conducted in 1968. Even worse, declassified documents revealed that these experiments were not conducted for any research purposes - they were instead carried out purely to show off Porton's dubious abilities to the UK Military!
The 1971 Collaborative UK/US BW Detection Trials -
During November 1971, Lyme Bay and the surrounding countryside again became the host for Porton's BW experiments, but this time there was a difference - Porton had invited two guests to participate in the tests; the US Army and the US Navy! As before, these experiments were highly classified, but in case the general public had discovered their existence, the MOD had prepared a Press Release which stated that no live bacteria were released. The declassification of the official trials report proved this statement to have been untrue - the report states that, on a number of occasions, massive amounts of live bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) were released.
1975 Joint UK/US BW Detection Trials (DICE Trials) - Little is known about this series of BW detection experiments, which were conducted in the Lyme Bay area. It is known that Porton scientists, in collaboration with US Military scientists, conducted 24 separate massive crosswind line releases of bacteria (Inactivated Serratia marcescens - ISM, and live Bacillus subtilis).
Yet again, as the interview shows, the Ministry of Defence appear to have 'forgotten' to inform Prof Spratt about the existence of a series of live bacterial releases in populated areas!
The 2001 Royal Mail Sorting Office Experiments - In response to the 2001 anthrax 'attacks' in the US, BW experiments were conducted at 3 major UK Royal Mail Sorting Offices which involved the release of live Bacillus subtilis.
During November 2006, BBC East broadcast a InsideOut 30 minute special - entitled Clouds of Secrey. This investigated Porton Down's 1960s BW spray 'attacks' on Norfolk (with the city of Norwich as the main target). It also revealed a recently discovered series of sprayings, conducted in the Cardington Bedford area in the early 1960s, which involved the use of Porton Down's clandestine spray vehicle - a specially converted 1 ton Morris van.
