[VOA]

a sophisticated chemical additive only three countries can manufacture:
Russia, America and possibly Iraq.

This sets off the B.S. detector alarm.
I'll be danged if there is a chemical/compound that the gifted chemists of
the U.K. or Commonwealth countries, Germany, Japan or probably about 20
other countries can't synthesize.

UNLESS...it's some incredibly complicated natural product that involves at least
some steps that require biosynthesis (e.g., feed an intermediate compound to a special
bacteria or cultured plant cell to perform some incredible biosynthetic step)
OR the need to insert some isotopic molecules into the compound at some critical positions.

Maybe I'm tired and not thinking this through too well...but that's my
opinion for now.

[blam]

"Maybe I'm tired and not thinking this through too well...but that's my
opinion for now.

Yup. Maybe me too but, I keep thinking of all the grinding equipment we used when 'grinding' intergrated circuits. I don't remember the tolerances but single digit micron range does not seem foreign. I don't know if that is the kind of milling that they're talking about but, it's not to difficult.