[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                              MUSTARD GAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, when the Secretary of Energy announced her 
intention to open all records on secret Government radiation tests 
involving unwitting victims, Americans understood that a terrible wrong 
had been committed and Government has an obligation to attempt to make 
things right. That simple understanding of justice holds equally true 
for the victims of secret Government World War II mustard and lewisite 
gas tests on U.S. military personnel.
  After nearly 50 years of denial and bureaucratic inaction, in 1991 
the Government admitted its responsibility for conducting these secret 
tests without the full, informed consent of its subjects. Federal 
agencies, including the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, 
have finally begun to assist victims suffering from long-term health 
problems. In fact, just last week the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
under the leadership or Secretary Jesse Brown, issued proposed 
regulations to make good on its promise to help many of these veterans. 
Today, there is a pretty clear picture of what happened to hundreds--
and possibly thousands--of men during World War II. At that time, amid 
fears of an enemy chemical attack, the U.S. Navy--(and likely the other 
armed services as well)--embarked on a program to test the 
effectiveness or protective clothing against impregnation by mustard 
gas and lewisite. In gathering the needed subjects for these tests, 
volunteers were solicited, under the guise of testing summer clothing 
and with the attractive promise of extra weekend liberty passes.
  Once committed to the program, these 17- and 18-year-old trainees 
suddenly ceased to be volunteers. They were fitted with gas masks and 
suits, and ordered into gas chambers for repeated exposure to lethal 
gases. Documentation confirms that the tests went beyond studying the 
effectiveness of the clothing and masks, and moved into a study of how 
much exposure a man could take, the infamous ``Man-Break'' test. In 
many cases the protective equipment failed.
  When these volunteers were no longer needed, or when they were too 
sick to continue, the men were sent back to their posts without proper 
medical follow-up. They were sworn to secrecy and threatened with 
courts martial if they revealed the true nature of their exposure to 
anyone, even to their own physicians. Did this happen in America? Given 
the classified status of this test program, the record-keeping about 
who participated, levels of exposure, and injuries sustained is 
woefully incomplete and sometimes nonexistent.
  After decades of silence and illness, some ventured to speak out 
about what their Government had done to them, the lies, the exposure, 
the threats, and the neglect. When they sought redress--and assistance 
for their medical problems--they were rebuffed. First came the denial, 
then the stonewalling, then the ``Gee, we wish we could help, but * * 
*''
  According to VA rules, in order to receive compensation for a 
disability, you had to show that the medical problem was the result of 
your service. In the case of the mustard gas victims, who had no paper 
trail for their plight, this was practically impossible, a tragic 
catch-22.
  But a few persisted, Nat Schnurman, for one, of Richmond VA. Armed 
only with his computer, his telephone, and his freedom of information 
rights as a U.S. citizen, he gathered enough boxes and boxes of records 
to prove that he and thousands of others had indeed been used as human 
guinea pigs.
  Finally, after national media attention, in 1991 the VA began to 
change the rules and commissioned a long-term study into health 
problems associated with exposure to lethal gases. In 1993, with the 
release of that study, the Department of Defense officially released 
all participants of these tests from their oath of secrecy. Now we are 
in the final stages of bringing help to those who have waited so long.
  In my office, we have heard from hundreds of men and their families 
from around the country. They all tell similar tales of lies, 
deception, and betrayal. They need medical help; they want recognition; 
they deserve respect and gratitude. Once we ensure that they have 
access to the medical care they have earned, we have one more mission 
to complete--and that is to provide them with an official commendation 
for their service. Already, more than 50 of my colleagues have joined 
in cosponsoring H.R. 1055, legislation to do just that. I urge all 
Members to sign onto this effort so we can finally do what's right.
  This is still America--we do not rewrite history to cover our 
mistakes. We do what is right.

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