Thank God for the Freedom of Information Act. In this beautiful new century, we can have full knowledge of just how truly idiotic our government officials can be.
The Sunshine Project brings to light many such instances, but I draw your attention to one particular gem, demonstrating that among its grand schemes to harrass the enemy, the US considered producing chemicals which would purportedly cause the enemy to engage in sexual (and preferably homosexual) activities, with the expectation that this would be to the detriment of discipline and morale.
What the planners may not have been taking into account here is that unlike the other chemicals proposed in the report, which attract stinging bugs and bees, for example, an aphrodisiac might improve enemy morale–if troops are turned on, who’s to say they won’t be happier? More disciplined? Well, okay, I guess I see their point, they would probably not be more disciplined. But I bet the enemy would enjoy this much more than storms of stinging wasps.
Harassing, Annoying, and “Bad Guy” Identifying Chemicals (redacted)
US Air Force Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB (OH)
June 1994
Comment: This “non-lethal” chemical weapons proposal from the US Air Force proposes development of a variety of chemical weapons, such as: “One distasteful but completely non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behaviour”. Other chemicals proposed includes ones that “made personnel very sensitive to sunlight”, and that “attract stinging and biting bugs, rodents, and larger animals” to enemy positions.
Other Sunshine Project non-lethal weapons files are located here.
I could not believe this when a well-read librarian directed me to it, but it appears to be legit.
If the US government can conceive of a gay spray, is a right-wing fundamentalist spray far off?
3 comments ↓
Ive always been annoyed at the fact that conventional weapons are still used at home and aboad. Whats delaying the developement of a bomb that puts everyone to sleep for 6 hours… or the tickle gun.. or shit like that.
Yeah these chemical programs.. rediculous… somebody should invade the US siting these chemical weapons as dangerous. Oh and lets not forget the Manahattan project part 2 which was started by clinton I believe. New types of nukes.. GREAT.
Happy new year.. btw.
lived right next to Wright-Pat Airforce base for a year…damn, that explains my college years.
BM–Happy New Year, my friend!
The rules the US tries to impose on other countries are totally hypocritical. Then again, the rules of war also always struck me as absurd. “You can kill them like this, but not like that.” (Yes, I understand there are better and worse ways to die, but I’m a Quaker and pretty much against all of them.)
Sepoy–as long as it was the aphrodisiac spray, and not the attracting-wasps spray, or the right-wing-fundamentalist spray, you did alright IMO. I hate bees. Have fun at the AHA!