Conspiracy Nation -- Vol. 7 Num. 43 ====================================== ("Quid coniuratio est?") ----------------------------------------------------------------- GOVERNMENT LYING TO VETS ABOUT GULF WAR SYNDROME ================================================ The Government Is Lying To You -- And Ill Veterans -- About Gulf War Syndrome. ---------------------------------------- [Spotlight, July 3, 1995] By Mike Blair Some 50,000 U.S. servicemen who served in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm are suffering from maladies resulting from exposure to chemical and biological warfare weapons, despite government claims to the contrary. And worse, it has been determined that a laboratory-produced microorganism, responsible for much of the suffering of the American GIs, is being passed to their children and others who come in contact with them. In a joint statement, Dr. Garth L. Nicolson, and his wife, Dr. Nancy L. Nicolson, have isolated a laboratory "engineered" microorganism, *Mycoplasma fermentans* (*incognitus* strain), which is the cause of much of the suffering of the U.S. servicemen. The Nicolsons said they believe the microorganism is airborne and highly contagious. Nicolson is professor and chairman of the Department of Tumor Biology at the world's largest cancer facility, the University of Texas' M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Nancy L. Nicolson is president of the Rhoden Foundation for Biomedical Research, also in Houston. Garth L. Nicolson, who has published more than 400 scientific papers, edited 13 books and serves as the editor or associate editor of 13 scientific and medical journals, has revealed that the "mycoplasma that we have found in Desert Storm vets has very unusual retroviral DNA sequences; thus in all probability it was 'engineered' and did not evolve naturally." His wife has written that the cause of the American servicemen's suffering is the result of the development, illegal testing on inmates at a Texas correctional facility and the sale and transfer of the microorganism to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission prior to the Gulf war. Since the microorganism was in all likelihood illegally developed and tested in the United States and then illegally sold and transferred to Iraq prior to the Gulf War, it is believed a major effort is underway by the Clinton administration to conceal these findings, according to the Nicolsons. -+- Possible Cure -+- The pair of scientists also claim to have developed a means of treatment. After working with hundreds of GIs exposed to both chemical and biological weapons used by the forces of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein during the war, the researchers have determined that thousands of U.S. servicemen are dying now from lingering ailments resulting from the deadly chemical and biological warfare agents that were used against them. "We have possibly uncovered one of the messiest controversies and cover-ups since Watergate," Garth Nicolson revealed in a lengthy letter written to retired U.S. Army Chaplain Col. James Ammerman of Dallas, Texas. "This one makes Watergate seem like a tea party." Ammerman put The Spotlight in touch with the Nicolsons. The Spotlight has obtained a copy of that letter. Referring to *Mycoplasma incognitus*, Garth Nicolson explained this particular mycoplasma, and possibly others, is "a common pathogen in Desert Storm illnesses." Nicolson said the U.S. government has stifled their efforts to reveal their findings, other than a brief paper published earlier this year in the *Journal of the American Medical Association* (JAMA). "Since I have been working on Desert Storm health issues," he explained, "I have encountered numerous attempts to prevent us from continuing our work on Gulf War Illnesses [GWI]. I have suffered attempts to block my papers and journal articles from publication, my grant applications have been tampered with, and my mail, phones and fax have all been repeatedly intercepted." In a lengthy interview with The Spotlight, Mrs. Nicolson said she is certain their efforts are being stifled due to business links that current or former high government officials have with U.S. firms that have developed chemical and biological warfare (CBW) agents. She mentioned specifically former President George W. Bush, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and current CIA Director John Deutch. -+- Under Pressure -+- "Administrators at my own institution who are close personal friends of James A. Baker III," Garth Nicolson said, "have also attempted to discredit me as a scientist and prevent us administratively from working on GWI. In addition, they have attacked academic colleagues who came to our defense in the name of academic freedom." "For example," Nicolson continued, "I was called to a meeting with our institutional president and his four vice presidents, where they attempted to prevent or limit our access to facilities and materials necessary to conduct research on GWI or collect data on soldiers who are ill. They also indicated that I cannot be involved in any professional or public discussion of our research without first having a special committee appointed by the administration review the contents of such research. (This is the first time that such a tactic has ever been used in the history of my institution.) ... Obviously, this is a gross distortion of academic freedom and a crude attempt to prevent us from continuing our research and discussing it publicly." "The reason for such highly unusual events," he explained in his letter to Ammerman, "is probably due to the fact that former President Bush and former Sec. of State James Baker, as well as the president of UTMDACC [the Anderson Cancer Center], have financial interests in the local biotechnology companies that we strongly suspect were selling illegal biological weapons to Iraq that were subsequently used against our soldiers in Desert Storm." "In addition, we have been visited at our hospital by armed Defense Intelligence agents and warned not to continue our research." -+- Thousands "Turned Away" -+- "At the moment," Nicolson continued, "thousands of very sick soldiers and their family members are being turned away from military and VA hospitals without any treatment for their conditions and are being branded as mentally ill. We strongly suspect that this is being done to protect a few individuals that were involved in the decisions to pursue the development of CBW, even though the U.S. is signatory to international treaties banning the development and deployment of biological weapons." Mrs. Nicolson told The Spotlight it is estimated that at least 250,000 Iraqi soldiers have died as a result of exposure to chemical and biological weapons obtained by Hussein's regime and that an additional million are currently ill. She revealed a real shocker, indicating that even Hussein himself, as well as his family, are afflicted, including a cousin, whom she said has sought help from them. Her husband stated the Nicolsons "suspect that tens of thousands of our Desert Storm veterans and their immediate family members are being refused medical treatment to hide the possible origin and use of biological weapons during the Gulf War." He cited the case of an Army nurse who contracted GWI while assigned to a graves registration unit during the hostilities. She is currently the sole survivor of the 17 members of her unit. "She has severe GWI, is partially paralyzed, has multiple chemical sensitivities [which complicate treatment] and has the mycoplasmic infection. All of the other 16 members of her unit are dead from what we suspect were infectious diseases..." "These [graves registration] units had to deal with the registration and disposal of thousands of dead U.S. soldiers (not the 148 claimed) who were, we strongly suspect, exposed to CBW," he added. "But since Mr. John Deutch (then deputy secretary of defense) declared that no chemical or biological weapons were used during Desert Storm, the actual number of Gulf War deaths has been hidden." + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + You may be unable to find The Spotlight at your local library or news dealer. 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