“absent access to the extensive research done by the FBI”
Are you claiming the FBI have a fully equipped BW analysis lab, or had one back in November 2001?
Why do you think they asked USAMRID for help on this matter? AFIP published their results. Probably the FBI didn’t much like that.
And the FBI chief scientist, Dwight Adams, has admitted, under oath, that there were key details concerning the nature of the attack anthrax that he witheld even in confidential briefings to senators:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks
In late 2002 Senators Daschle and Leahy called in the FBI to explain the Washington Post story “FBI’s Theory On Anthrax Is Doubted”, Washington Post, October 28, 2002. This was later on reported in “Anthrax Powder — State of the Art?”[25] . The latter article described how Dwight Adams, chief FBI scientist, told Senators Daschle and Leahy that there were no special additives in the senate anthrax and that the silica was “naturally occurring”. However, Adams admitted that there was scientific information concerning the nature of the anthrax organism that was deemed by his superiors too sensitive to share with Senators Daschle and Leahy:
Connolly: Earlier you testified that regarding the scientific aspect of the investigation there was information that was simply in your view too sensitive to share to the public about the particular characteristics of the organism sent in the mail. Is that correct?
Adams: In so many words, yes, sir.
Connolly: I don’t want to mischaracterize it. If you think I’ve mischaracterized it in any way then, please, put your own words on it.
Adams: No, that’s fine.
Connolly: Did you feel like you had the same restrictions in informing the senate, congress, or their staff in terms of what it is you would reveal to them about the particular characteristics of the organism that was sent?
Adams: As I’ve already stated there was specific information that I did not feel appropriate to share with either the media or to the Hill because it was too sensitive of the information to do so.[26]
And you see that as part of some sinister coverup of the facts?
Couldn't it just be that there is information that is important to the Amerithrax investigation (such as detecting traces of lab contamination in the anthrax) which should not be shared with anyone not directly involved in the investigation?