Biological weapons : from the invention of state-sponsored programs to contemporary bioterrorism / Jeanne Guillemin.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [207]-242) and index.

Biological agents and disease transmission -- The United Kingdom and biological warfare : the remorseless advance of military science -- The United States in World War II : industrial scale and secrecy -- Secret sharing and the Japanese biological weapons program (1934-1945) -- Aiming for nuclear scale : the Cold War and the US biological warfare program -- The Nixon decision -- The Soviet biological weapons program -- Bioterrorism and the threat of proliferation -- National security and the biological weapons threat -- Biological weapons : restraints against proliferation.

"This book is essential for understanding the relevance of the historical restraints placed on the use of biological weapons for today's world. It serves as an excellent introduction to the problems biological weapons pose for contemporary policymakers and public officials, particularly in the United States." "Biological Weapons is required reading for every concerned citizen, government policymaker, public health official, and national security analyst who wants to understand this complex and timely issue."--BOOK JACKET.