American Gulf War Veterans Association
Joyce Riley vonKleist, RN, BSN spokesperson
P.O.Box 85, Versailles, Missouri 65084
(573) 378-6049 voice, (573) 378-5998 fax
http://www.gulfwarvets.com gulfwar@dam.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2 Oct. 2002
Contact Person: Gary Treece
VETERANS GROUP CALLS FOR
RUMSFELD RESIGNATION
The American Gulf War Veterans Association (AGWVA) now calls for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. In response to questioning by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, (D-WV), Rumsfeld denied any knowledge that the United States had shipped biological weapons to Iraq during the 1980?s. Rumsfeld was addressing the Armed Services Committee last week, when he stated that he ??had no knowledge of any such shipments and doubted that they ever occurred.?
There is no disputing the evidence that the U.S. provided bacteria and viruses as evidenced by Senate Report 103-900, ?United States Dual-Use Exports To Iraq And Their Impact On the Health of The Persian Gulf War Veterans,? dated May 25,1994, chaired by Sen. Donald Riegle (D-MI) of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. This Senate report was available to all senators and listed among other items, Bacillus Anthracis, (anthrax) Clostridium botulinum, and West Nile Fever Virus as pathogens that were shipped to Iraq in the 1980?s with the full knowledge of the Department of Commerce and the CDC.
http://www.gulfweb.org/bigdoc/report/r_1_2.html#exports
There is no question that the Secretary of Defense must be informed and up to date with information about a potential military enemy and his military capabilities. Mr. Rumsfeld?s statements demonstrate that this is clearly not the case.
If our Secretary of Defense is unaware of the sales of biological materials to a country with which we are about to go to war, or if he is in denial over the fact that these sales occurred, the AGWVA believes that he represents a clear and present danger to the lives of our military, our country, and the American people, and should be considered a very serious threat to the national security. It is for this reason that the AGWVA calls for his resignation and removal from office.
Sempers,
Roger