Posted on 12/29/2001 12:00:48 PM PST by elenchus
Did President Clinton's principal military supporter, retired Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, betray America and subject us to the anthrax threat and other bioterrorism attacks?
In the most important piece of investigative journalism to date on the bioterrorism threat in general, and the anthrax attacks in particular, author and political scientist Edward J. Epstein (in a Wall Street Journal editorial article) attempts to trace the possible source of the anthrax which has killed several Americans, terrified a nation and cost billions of dollars. The trail leads Epstein to a tangled web of active and shell corporations apparently owned by "Fuad El-Hibri, a Lebanese Arab with joint German-U.S. citizenship; his father, Ibrihim El-Hibri; and possibly other undisclosed investors." In the course of forming those companies, establishing them in America, becoming an American citizen and creating the companies which controlled both America's anthrax vaccine and possibly the world's principal stock of the deadliest strain of anthrax, El-Hibri appears to have made a large payout to Admiral Crowe, former Chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, of stock in one or more of the web of companies, according to Epstein.
Our analysis of the timeline shows that it was around this time that Admiral Crowe endorsed President Clinton for his first term as President of the United States, and then was nominated by Clinton to be Ambassador to Britain and Northern Ireland.
Among others he reports on, Epstein recites the following El-Hibri corporate acquisition stages leading to control of the deadly strain of anthrax that poses the greatest threat to America and the west--as well as America's source of the anthrax vaccine:
"David Franz, who headed the biological-research program at Fort Detrick between 1987 and 1998, said that when the Army wanted to conduct defensive experiment on the Ames strain, it had to obtain the "information" from a British military lab that did experiments with Ames anthrax in the powdered form. Evidently, the virulent Ames strain had been sent from the U.S. to Britain, and, after the U.S. destroyed its stockpiles in the 1970s, samples had to be obtained from the British facility at Porton Downs, specifically from the Center for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR). Martin Hugh-Jones, a scientist at Lousiana State University who received a sample from CAMR in the 1990s, recalls that it was marked "October, 1932." So the matching sample traces not only to the U.S. but to Britain.
"The security of the British anthrax bacteria is complicated by its privatization. In 1993, at the time it was supplying the virulent Ames strain sample, CAMR was privatized by the British government and became part of Porton Products Ltd. Porton Products was owned by Speywood Holdings Ltd., which, in turn, was owned by I&F Holdings NV, a Netherlands Antilles corporate shell owned by Fuad El-Hibri, a Lebanese Arab with joint German-U.S. citizenship; his father, Ibrihim El-Hibri; and possibly other undisclosed investors...."
Epstein continues:
"Even more intriguing, Mr. El-Hibri's interest in anthrax vaccines did not stop with CAMR. In 1998, he arranged a leveraged buyout of the Michigan Biological Products Institute. MBPI, which originally had been owned by the state of Michigan, held the exclusive contract for providing the U.S. government with anthrax vaccine. While its vaccine worked well against the Vollum strain of anthrax (used by Russia), it was more problematic against the Ames strain. So it had conducted tests with the virulent Ames strain on guinea pigs, mice and monkeys with mixed results. BioPort's spokeperson confirmed that it had access to the virulent Ames strain for testing on animals.
"To take over MBPI, Mr. El-Hibri became an American citizen, and gave retired Adm. William J. Crowe Jr., a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a large block of stock in Intervac, one of the corporations involved in the maneuver. The controlling shareholder was the same I&F Holdings used to take control of the British biotech lab, CAMR.
"He then renamed the company BioPort. BioPort, which controlled America's anthrax vaccine, was apparently of some interests to scientists in Afghanistan since an environmental assessment report of its planned laboratory renovations was turned up in the house of a Pakistani scientist in Kabul."
Epstein's investigative piece passingly mentions the El-Hibri stock payout to Admiral Crowe, but overlooks the fact that Crowe was the highest level military leader to endorse Clinton in 1992. Soon after this endorsement, President Clinton nominated Admiral Crowe to be U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Crowe served in the United States Navy for 47 years, retiring in 1988. His assignments included Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces, Southern Europe; Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe; Command in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command; and Commander, Middle East Force, based in Bahrain. At the time of his nomination by Clinton, he was counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the District of Columbia, professor of Geopolitics at the University of Oklahoma and Chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
It has been reported that Admiral Crowe has owned as much as 13% of BioPort stock and that it was under his watch as a member of the Joint Chiefs that Saddam Hussein was given anthrax to use against the Iranians (although neither of these points could be independently verified at the time of this writing). For a number of internet reports on these topics see: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=crowe+anthrax+hussein
Epstein also overlooks the ironic fact that in the year 2000, President Clinton awarded Admiral Crowe the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian award. (http://www.vnis.com/vetnews/veterans/veterans2000/veterans2000-160.htm#2)
Epstein's original Wall Street Journal editorial is available at: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=95001637
It would seem that a Congressional and Justice Department investigation of this matter would deserve the highest level of priority.
There was some other imbroglio involving Crowe a few years back, but I can't quite remember what it was. As I recall, something Crowe wrote came back to bite him. I will do some research and see if I can find it.
Before closing let me discuss one peripheral issue. It would be naïve of me not to mention some of the vague and rather misinformed criticisms of my association with BioPort. It has on occasion been rumored that the decision to inoculate all service personnel was made to benefit the BioPort Corporation and indirectly me, presumably because of my past associations with the military and the Administration. If this charge were not so ridiculous, it would be offensive. It outrageously exaggerates my influence. I didn't have that much influence when I was Chairman and I certainly don't have it now.
Let me be completely clear. I never, repeat never, solicited any official of this Administration to install or promote a mandatory inoculation program. Secretary Cohen's announcement of the mandatory vaccine requirement was made on May 18, 1998. The Steering Group's deliberations took place many months before this date. Actually, a Washington Post article reported in late 1996 that such a policy was being considered. At the time of the official announcement, the group I was associated with was engaged in a spirited competition with a number of other bidders to privatize the old Michigan Laboratory. The bid winner was not selected until June 1998 and the decision was made by the State of Michigan. The Department of Defense maintained a neutral position throughout this process. Frankly, the May 18 announcement made the final bidding phase of the competition more intense. The attempt to link me with the Secretary's decision is pure fantasy.
I understand that there are irresponsible web sites run by organizations that oppose the military and/or the vaccine. I would urge the Congress to detach itself from the emotionalism of this debate and not to be deceived or distracted by charges and counter charges that have nothing to do with the real issues. Do vaccines make a worthwhile contribution to the country's defense against biological attacks? Are they reasonably safe to administer to our citizens? My answer is "yes" to both questions.
From the Las Vegas Review Journal. http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-07-Wed-2001/opinion/17382234.html
"One aspect of that war has been seriously overlooked by most Americans -- the Soviet Union's contributions from 1940 to 1945. After all, we are not the only nation with veterans."
"I suggest that on Veterans Day we give a warm thought to the Russian veterans who fought so well as allies and who paid an unprecedented price at a time when our own republic was in great peril. That's what Veterans Day is all about."
I'll get it eventually.
In the meantime, Mrs. Clinton fondly remembers how much her dear husband just loved ministering to young interns in blue dresses in the oval office and because he is so dexterious he can do this while discussing on the presidential phone to Congressmen about sending our troops into Bosnia. With his hands so full is it any wonder he didn't have time to "smoke out and hunt down OBL"?
Why I am Shocked.
Shocked I say.
...President HILLARY =
.. 0% ..
Red Chinese money... a LITTLE ROCK Arkansas....lol Chinese restauranteur becomes a major DIRTY Money "bagman" for the Chinese during Clinton's Campaign...hmmm maybe he was inspired by a fortune cookie...??
A Huge RED Chinese backed Indonesian Bank, The Lippo Group, brings their NEW American "Headquarters" to this country and bases it in...Where? Why LITTLE ROCK.. Where else???
hmmmmm I wonder why??? Could it al have begun during that 40 day "Vacation in Moscow in the 70's??? well DUH....
Only my opinion you understand....
...TONY COELHO = 1960's Jesuit University Classmate of ALOHA RONNIE who later went on to personally engineer in Congress the Cut-Off of U.S. funding for the only Freedom Fighters fighting the CASTRO-Backed Communism invading a still free Central America in the early 1980's.
...NUTS.
...BILL CLINTON returned to the USA to meet his Communist 'Control' HILLARY RODHAM after his Anti-U.S. work was completed abroad.
...This per a report years ago from a former CIA Agent.
..'Turned' FONDA / 'Control' HAYDEN =
..'Turned' CLINTON / 'Control' RODHAM.
...1st ANTHRAX Target is the Editorial Staff Offices of American Media, Inc whose Publications have been running the most effect public Journalism of 2001 exposing the Misbehaviors of JESSE JACKSON, GARY CONDIT, HILLARY & BILL CLINTON and OSAMA bin LADEN
...2nd ANTHRAX Target is the Editorial Staff Offices of the New York Post = DICK MORRIS Columns have been most effective in 2001 exposing the Misbehaviors of the CLINTONS while in the White House.
...3rd ANTHRAX Target is the Ford U.S. Senate Office Building which stores BILL CLINTON's Impeachment Evidence, not the least of which is the Proof of his XX Rape of JUANITTA BRODERICK that he needs to disappear.
The Enemy is now Within ...and always has been.
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