The Big Five
“The Special Operations Division” was the unit that studied ways of using bio-weapons to kill people and crops, weaponizing bacteria, viruses, infected insects and fungi. William P. Walter, a chief scientist at Fort Detrick who held five secret patents for anthrax production [2], described the Big Five program as “the most sensitive program we ever created at Detrick.” [3]
The Big Five are bullets and canisters that spray contaminates. Here are the five weapons in plain speech. [4]
- A dart dipped in shellfish toxin
- Cartridges filled with anthrax or botulinum that disperses on impact
- Time-delayed bomblets that release clouds of bacteria
- A pressurized aerosol can that sprays germs
- A disseminator attached to airplanes for aerial contamination.
Information about the Big Five is scant. There is a Wikipedia page without any listed sources (at the time of this writing) [5]. The article history cites the 2004 Baltimore Sun article quoted above. New documents published to our digital archive offer an in-depth look at the development of the Big Five.
“Operating Program Progress Reports For Year 1963, January - March,” [6] gives the clearest picture of the Big Five weapons development, explaining what the weapons are and how they were created.
Bio-Labs Operating Program Progress Reports (Quarterly Review and Analysis to Commanding Officers For Years 1963) [7] offers details on the Big Five weapons and the chemical agents used therein.
“SO Quarterly Progress Report of Sept 62 and Comments” outlines what the Special Operations Division was working on in 1962 and corporate collaborations required to make these weapons. [8]
These sources offer a close look at the budgets and research required to develop biological weapons. Scholars researching 20th century warfare in Asia and Latin America may find new insight within these documents.
Works Cited:
2: William J. Broad. “William C. Patrick III, Expert on Germ Warfare, Dies at 84.” The New York Times, October 10, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20250702061015/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/science/11patrick.html.
3: The Baltimore Sun. “Buried Secrets of Biowarfare.” August 1, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20240208175006/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2004/08/01/buried-secrets-of-biowarfare/.
4: Ibid
5: “Big Five Weapons.” In Wikipedia. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_Weapons.
6: Standard Operating Division, Biological Sciences Laboratory, Department of the Army, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland. “Operating Program Progress Reports For Year 1963, January - March.” NARA, April 1, 1963. National Archives and Records Administration at College Park. RG 544, Box 4. https://pacificatrocitiesedu.reclaim.hosting/items/show/1593.
7: Bio Labs, The U. S. Army Biological Warfare Laboratories, Fort Detrick, MD. “Bio-Labs Operating Program Progress Reports (Quarterly Review and Analysis to Commanding Officers For Years 1963).” NARA, January 1, 1963. National Archives and Records Administration at College Park. RG 544, Box 4. https://pacificatrocitiesedu.reclaim.hosting/items/show/1539.
8: SO Division. “SO Quarterly Progress Report of Sept 62 and Comments.” NARA, November 2, 1962. National Archives and Records Administration at College Park, RG 544, Box 4. https://pacificatrocitiesedu.reclaim.hosting/items/show/1535.
