B. RECOVERY OF CHEMCAL AGENTS IN KUWAIT

August 1991 - Sabahiyah High School for Girls

The Committee staff has obtained British and U.S. Army reports that documents in detail the discovery of more than 250 gallons of dangerous chemical agents. According to the units that were present, mustard gas and another blister agent were found in a storage tank in southeastern Kuwait.

These chemical agents were recovered in Kuwait, well inside the Kuwaiti theater of operations, well inside areas occupied by U.S. and British forces. According to the reports, they had been placed there by Iraqi forces during the occupation of Kuwait. The liquid was tested and over 20 times the presence of chemical agents was confirmed.

The Committee staff has obtained a copy of a recommendation for an Army Commendation Medal that was presented to Sergeant James Warren Tucker for among other things "participating in the mission that located stores of chemical agents" while deployed in Southwest Asia.[6]

Committee staff has also identified the commander of that unit, Captain Michael F. Johnson, currently with the U.S. Army at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia -- who was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for his actions.[7]

These two soldiers and as many as six others from the 54th Chemical Troop of the United States Army's 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment were given Army medals for "the positive identification of suspected chemical agent," according to the citation presented to Captain Johnson.[8]

We have obtained the actual reports from two NATO countries that were Coalition members during the Persian Gulf War.[9]

This is a step-by-step analysis of the event as recorded in documents and the testimony of Nuclear Biological and Chemical, or NBC, officers who were there.

A container suspected of containing chemical agents was located in southeastern Kuwait in an area about 50 kilometers north of Saudi Arabia and 4 kilometers west of the Persian Gulf. The precise coordinates are TN18832039 (Magellan)[10] Maps showing the precise location in which this container was found is attached.[11]

According to the British report, on August 5, 1991, several months after the end of the Persian Gulf War, Major J.P Watkinson of the British Army received orders to investigate a container that was believed to be leaking mustard gas.[12]

According to the official report prepared by Major Watkinson on 7 August 1991, the request to investigate the leaking container was made by Lt. Colonel Saleh Al Ostath of the Kuwaiti Army and agreed to by Mr. Lucas of the Royal Ordinance Corps.[13]

Major Watkinson and his unit, the 21st Explosive Ordinance Disposal Squadron, were taken to the site of the Sabahiyah High School for Girls and directed to a metal storage tank with a capacity of approximately 2,000 liters. According to the report, there appeared to be entry and exit bullet holes of approximately 7.62 caliber in the container.[14]

A photograph of the schoolyard with some of the chemical specialists approaching the tank that contained the chemical agents is attached.[15]

According to Major Watkinson's report, the container was leaking a brown vapor from both holes. The school was not in use and there were U.S. civilian contractors clearing explosives and rubbish from the area.[16]

The school security guard told the British that the tank was not there before the war. He first noticed the tank when he returned to the school after the war on March 20, 1991 -- four and a half month prior to these tests. The British report notes that the school was used as an Iraqi defensive position during the war.[17]

Major Watkinson ordered all personnel to move up wind, and after putting on his chemical protective clothing, approached the container and tested the brown colored vapor with a Chemical Agent Monitor (CAM).[18]

The Chemical Agent Monitor gave a reading of eight (8) bars on H, for mustard agent -- a maximum reading indicating a highly concentrated agent --and no bars on G, indicating no nerve agent present.[19]

This was the first positive test for chemical mustard agent at this location.

Distilled mustard is described in the Merck Index, a handbook for chemists, as an oily substance. It is also described as being amber brown in color -- remember Watkinson's report describes it as a brown substance.[20]

A photo and diagram of a Chemical Agent Monitor or CAM in use showing the types of displays that a chemical detection specialist would observe is attached.[21]

An 8 bar reading indicates a highly concentrated agent. These monitors are still in use by both U.S. and British forces.

Watkinson then tested the vapor with one color detector paper and nothing happened. He used three-color detector paper and it turned pink indicating the presence of mustard agent.[22] This was the second positive test for mustard agent.

On a second visit to the container, according to the report, he inserted a wire into one of the bullet holes, and according to his report,

"wiped the oily substance on both types; of detector paper."[23]

Again the oily nature of the substance indicates a property that is consistent with the properties of mustard agent.

The one color paper turned brown and the three colored paper turned pink, the latter again indicating the presence of mustard agent. This was the third positive test for mustard agent. Major Watkinson then sealed both holes in the container with masking tape.[24]

On yet a third visit to the container, the holes were uncovered and the vapor was tested using an M18A2 chemical detector kit. This test was repeated six times. On four of the tests the color indicator immediately turned blue indicating mustard (or "H") agent.[25]

For the remaining two tests, the color indicator went yellow but later turned blue.[26] These were the fourth through the ninth positive tests for mustard agent.

Another wire dip test was conducted using the three color detector paper from the M18A2 kit and the paper turned pinkish/orange indicating mustard agent for the tenth time. The bullet holes were resealed using industrial silicone filler and plaster of paris bandages. The container was checked with the Chemical Agent Monitor for leaks and the area was secured.[27]

On August 7, 1991, the Commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment was asked to send two FOX chemical reconnaissance vehicles, in support of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense and the Royal Ordinance Corps, to assist Major Watkinson in confirming the presence of a chemical agent.[28]

Since this was a joint and combined live agent chemical detection mission, involving both U.S. and British forces, detailed rehearsals occurred to ensure that no mistakes were made. The unit then traveled to the Sabahiyah High School for Girls in southeastern Kuwait.[29]

On August 8, 1991, one FOX team moved to the area near the container and began to conduct point surveys inserting the detection probe of the FOX vehicle into the ground to a depth of about four centimeters. The mass spectrometer showed microdoses of chemical mustard agent in the ground.[30]This was the eleventh confirmation.

At the same time another collection team in full chemical protective clothing walked to the container, estimated to contain between 800-1000 liters, or about 250 gallons of liquid, with Chemical Agent Monitors and other assorted chemical detection equipment. This team removed the storage container's seals and there was a discharge of pressurized vapor into the air.[31]

Captain Johnson's report confirms that he saw a light copper to amber colored vapor exit from the hole.[32] Again, mustard agent is described as an amber brown liquid.[33]

Tests were conducted with both the Chemical Agent Monitor and chemical detection paper. The detection Paper confirmed the presence of chemical mustard agent; the twelfth confirmation. The Chemical Agent Monitor registered eight bars, again confirming highly concentrated mustard agent. This was the thirteenth confirmation of mustard agent by the specialists present.[34]

Captain Johnson's unit then inserted a medical syringe with a catheter tube into the container to extract liquid agent for detection paper, Chemical Agent Monitor, and FOX testing.[35]

The sample was placed into a metal dish. By the time a ground team member moved to the rear of the FOX to the probe, there was not enough liquid available to get a reliable reading.[36]

Another attempt was made and the ground team extracted a larger sample of liquid and placed it into the metal dish. The dish was moved to the FOX probe and the liquid was drawn for analysis -- not random vapors -- not oil fumes -- but the actual liquid chemical agent. Within six seconds, the mass spectrometer detected and identified the liquid as highly concentrated mustard agent.[37] Both four point and full spectrum readings were obtained, according to Captain Johnson, in each of the mass spectrometer analyses.[38] This therefore was the fourteenth (4 point) and fifteenth (full spectrum) confirmation of mustard agent.

Further analysis by the system also indicated the presence of traces phosgene, a non-persistent choking agent, and phosgene oxime, a blister agent. Another test was conducted to validate the findings. Again the FOX vehicle confirmed the presence of mustard agent for the sixteenth and seventeenth time, and again phosgene, and phosgene oxime were confirmed.[39]

Captain Johnson ordered yet another mass spectrometer test, utilizing the second FOX vehicle. The team in the second vehicle was not informed of the findings of the first vehicle, to rule out any possibility of biased readings from the team in the second vehicle. The team in the second FOX vehicle repeated the test and reported the same findings except that this time the reported levels of phosgene oxime were much higher. They also performed a second test to confirm their results. Again both 4-point and full spectrum analysis was conducted during each of these tests.[40] These were the eighteenth through twenty-first confirmations.

While the Chemical Agent Monitor and many other chemical detection kits available to military forces only detect H, or mustard agents, and G and V nerve agents, the FOX chemical reconnaissance vehicle accurately detects 60 known chemical agents using a computerized mobile mass spectrometer.[41]

It is capable of identifying the individual component chemical elements, such as sulfur, hydrogen, chlorine, and so forth; their molecular composition; and their molecular weight. This provides a scientific means to precisely identify substances.

In response to a request by the Committee for an explanation from the Department of Defense, Dr. Theodore Prociv, Deputy Assistant for Chemical and Biological Matters (Atomic Energy), replied on July 26 that the Department of Defense analysis of the FOX tapes revealed that the ions matched in three of four categories for a mustard agent, but matched nitric acid in all four categories.[42]

Committee staff solicited an opinion from the National Institute of Standards and Technology regarding the accuracy of this explanation.[43]

On September 6, in response to several specific questions, Dr. Stephen Stein, of the Institute, replied that "HD [mustard] has no major peaks in common with those expected to arise directly from fuming nitric acid," and that it is "highly unlikely that a properly functioning mass spectrometer would produce any of the major peaks of nitric acid or nitrogen oxides from HD." Furthermore, "if fuming red nitric acid did not decompose prior to detection (ionization) there would be no possibility of mistaking it for HD."[44]

The commander of the unit said that the tests were run using both the four principle mass peaks and full spectrum analysis on the substance in question. The tests were run twice each by two FOX vehicles. The mass spectrometers were checked for calibration before and after each test, with no problems noted.

Each of the four tests identified identical substances - namely; mustard agent and phosgene oxime. When asked specifically, "how likely is it that under these circumstances that the computer algorithm identified nitric acid as these substances," Dr. Stein responded that "if fuming red nitric acid did not react prior to detection, there is no likelihood that either the four peak analysis or the full spectrum analysis would lead to false identification of mustard."[45]

And, "if nitric acid did react, the reaction products might generate a large number of peaks. Some of these might fortuitously be those characteristics of HD or other chemical agents and therefore might produce a false positive 4-peak identification of HD. A robust full spectrum matching algorithm, however, would not be expected to falsely identify mustard."[46]

The ground collection team then extracted a larger sample from the container and prepared it for transport from the area for further testing and evaluation.[47]

According to Captain Johnson's report and other eyewitness testimony, a member of the British team was injured while collecting a sample of the chemical agent. Some of the liquid agent made contact with the soldiers left wrist. The soldier immediately reacted to the liquid and was in severe pain and was believed to be going into shock.[48]

The injured soldier was quickly taken to a decontamination site and covered with decontamination powder and cut out of his chemical protective clothing.[49] A photograph of the British soldier on the FOX vehicle and his clothing laying in a pile beside the vehicle is attached.[50]

Dr. Prociv in his July 26, 1994 letter to the Committee reported that the injured soldiers clothing had been found by the British government to have been burned by fuming nitric acid in tests conducted at Porton Down.[51] Previously, in response to direct questioning by Committee staff, Captain Johnson stated that the contaminated suit was burned, that is, incinerated, at the site.[52]

The decontamination team then doused the soldier with a decontamination solution. Within one minute, a small blister was observed forming on his left wrist the size of a pinhead. About five minutes later, the blister had already reached the size of an U.S. fifty cent piece coin. Medics on the scene screened the victim for residual liquid contamination and sent him to the hospital for further treatment. After the casualty was evacuated, the rest of the unit and equipment was decontaminated.[53]

According to Military Chemical and Biological Agents: Chemical and Toxicological Properties, mustard agents acting alone may take hours to form blisters, but phosgene oxime acts within 30 seconds leaving a blanched area and immediately forms a red rash-like ring. With phosgene oxime, instant death from systemic shock or trauma is possible from exposure.[54]

The reported reaction of the British casualty was as might have been predicted when exposed to the identified agents. The fate of this injured British soldier is unknown.

After completing their testing, the U.S. FOX team leaders were ordered to remove the tapes from the mass spectrometer of the FOX vehicles by Lieutenant Colonel Killgore, the chemical officer for Task Force Victory.[55] These tapes are the paper records of the chemical breakdown of the liquid or vapors and are produced by the mobile mass spectrometer in the FOX vehicle.

The tapes and the collected samples were reportedly turned over to personnel wearing desert camouflage uniforms with no rank or distinguishing patches.[56] Captain Johnson does not know what happened to the tapes or samples as he was ordered from the scene after his unit's mission was completed.[57]

Dr. Prociv in his written response to the Committee stated that these were U.N. personnel. According to Lt. Colonel Killgore, while they were United Nations personnel, they were assigned to the U.N. team from the British Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down -- British Ministry of Defence employees.[58] In a subsequent inquiry, the U.N. could produce no written records of the findings of the U.N. team at the site.

Conclusions

Chemical mustard agent was detected by:

Phosgene oxime was detected by:

These were direct samples -- not random vapors collected by the vehicle -- as in previously reported cases.

As cited above, mass spectrometry is capable of identifying the individual chemical elements, such as sulfur, hydrogen, chlorine, and so forth; their molecular composition; and, their molecular weight. This provides a means to precisely identify substances. This was not an intake of random fumes by a moving vehicle in heavy smoke, it was a direct analysis of liquid agent drawn from the container.

This was not the only confirmation of the identity of the chemical agents present -- the results were confirmed by nearly every detector deployed with U.S. and British forces -- in a controlled setting.

A British soldier who came into contact with the liquid blistered immediately and appeared to be going into shock -- as might be predicted from the nature of the agents present.

The tapes were ordered removed from the vehicle and forward with a sample of the chemical agents. The soldiers were ordered to give the materials to individuals in unmarked uniforms and Captain Johnson, who earlier this year, after hearing that the Department of Defense was denying the presence of chemical agents in Kuwait, forwarded the report on this incident through his chain of command, and had the report returned to him. It was not forwarded to the Department of Defense.

The Kuwaiti, U.S., and British governments all received reports on this recovery of bulk chemical agents.

While these reports are not classified, the Department of Defense has consistently maintained that no chemical agents were located in areas occupied by U.S. forces -- including in testimony before committees of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Department of the Army originally told Committee staff that prior to releasing Captain Johnson's report they must obtain clearance from the Department of Defense, and that an intelligence review must be conducted.[59] That would seem to contradict the claim that there is no classified information on this subject. they claimed that prior to releasing the British report, they must get the permission of the British.[60] However, when British report was received, it was dated July 14, 1994, indicating that it had been prepared in response to the Committee request, in coordination with the Department of Defense.[61]

The Committee was not provided with an official British report dating from the time of the incident by the Department of Defense as requested. A copy of that report was obtained by the Committee outside of Department of Defense channels. This official report, dated August 7, 1991, confirms that mustard agent was detected, and that the substance was oily, like mustard agent.[62] Nitric acid is not oily.

The U.S. report, prepared by Captain Johnson, confirms that not only was mustard agent detected in the container using a mass spectrometer, but also in microdoses on the ground.[63] This would eliminate the explanation that the container held fuming nitric acid -- rocket fuel oxidizer -- so concentrated that it reacted with materials in the mass spectrometer causing false readings when the material was examined. The mass spectrometers in both FOX vehicles were also successfully calibrated before and after this detection event.

There is also the issue of how the Department of Defense has handled this and other investigations into reported chemical agent detection events. Committee staff continues to receive reports from individuals, many of whom are no longer in the military --civilians who have been contacted by high ranking military officers assigned to work with the Defense Science Board Task Force investigating this issue. We have received complaints from veterans that rather than trying to seek other witnesses or corroborate their reports, these officers have called to convince them that they were mistaken. That their findings were not credible -- that their statements made to Congress would be refuted.[64] Most recently, an individual associated with this detection of chemical agents was contacted by one of these officers. This officer specifically told the individual that these findings would be refuted by the Department of Defense -- even before the Department received the report from the British that was eventually forwarded to the Committee.

In this case there were 21 field tests conducted on this substance which were positive for mustard agent; both U.S. and British Chemical Agent Monitor readings confirmed 8 bars for mustard gas, a maximum reading indicating the presence of highly concentrated , agent; 8 of 8 mobile mass spectrometer tests, using two separate FOX vehicles and liquid agent in a controlled setting identified identical substances -- mustard agent, and phosgene oxime; it was the same color as mustard agent; it was oily like mustard agent; a mobile mass spectrometer reading indicated that microdoses of mustard agent were present in the soil; a British soldier suffered a chemical injury consistent with what would be expected when exposed to these agents, particularly to phosgene oxime; and the Department of Defense explanation was described by the National Institute for Standards and Technology variously as "highly unlikely," "no likelihood," and "not possible."

 

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