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To the Editor.—In their article describing historical perspectives of biological warfare, Dr Christopher and colleagues¹ cite an article by Van Courtland Moon² and my article³ and remark that biological warfare in Korea was propaganda, "regardless of veracity" of the allegations. Van Courtland Moon has underscored that no outside investigator was admitted to Korea, and the real motives for refusal of admission were not known. In my article, the allegations of biological warfare are disputed, and I presented information from 2 reporters, Tibor Meray from Hungary and Lucjan Pracki from Poland, who were in Korea in 1952.

Both journalists were in Korea as witnesses for the Korean government, and they had no knowledge about microbiology or epidemiology. However, their reports are clear to those familiar with microbiology. The allegations regarding biological warfare undoubtedly were fraudulent, and, based on new information, I concluded that biological warfare in Korea did not occur.⁴

Information about Meray, besides his publications, is contained in the book by Clews.⁵ The book by Pracki⁶ includes 9 reports of biological warfare published originally in the Polish journal Zolnierz Wolnosci (Soldier of Freedom). These reports are available in the Library of Congress. The report about the cholera incident in Pyongyang, Korea, was published in Warsaw on March 25, 1952.⁴

Mary Rolicka, PhD
New York, NY

1. Christopher GW, Cieslak TJ, Pavlin JA, Eitzen EM. Biological warfare: a historical perspective. JAMA. 1997;278:412-417. ABSTRACT 2. Van Courtland Moon JE. The Korean War case. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992;666:53-83. ISI | PUBMED 3. Rolicka M. New studies disputing allegations of bacteriological warfare during the Korean War. Mil Med. 1995;160:97-100. ISI | PUBMED 4. Rolicka M. Forgotten episode of the ‘forgotten war.' Available at: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/2753. Accessed November 14, 1997. 5. Clews J. Communist Propaganda Techniques. London, England: Methuen; 1964. 6. Pracki L. Military Correspondent Reports From Korea. Warsaw: Polish Ministry of National Defense; 1953.

In Reply.—The information presented by Dr Rolicka in her article¹ and the additional information provided in her letter refute the alleged waging of biological warfare by the United States during the Korean War beyond any reasonable doubt. Rolicka's article discusses that "many specific examples of black propaganda were discovered that contained false information and lies discrediting the United States. The mechanism of lies, which convinced the Korean population that bacteriological warfare was going on and that the only way not to become victims of the United States' inhuman cruelty was to fight, are shown in this article."¹ Our article agrees that this episode demonstrated the propaganda value of false allegations of biological warfare. The phrase "regardless of veracity," as used in our article, was not intended to imply that the allegations of biological warfare had any credibility.

AUTHOR INFORMATION
The opinions stated herein are those of the author and are not to be construed as the official position of the US Army, the US Air Force, the US Department of Defense, or the US government.

LTC George W. Christopher, USAF, MC
US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
Fort Detrick, Md

1. Rolicka M. New studies disputing allegations of bacteriological warfare during the Korean War. Mil Med. 1995;160:97-100. ISI | PUBMED

Edited by Margaret A. Winker, MD, Senior Editor, and Phil B. Fontanarosa, MD, Senior Editor.

JAMA. 1998;279:274.